The new cast for the NHK morning drama series " Bakebake ," starring actress Akari Takaishi and set to begin airing on September 29th in the second half of 2025, was announced on August 27th. The cast members announced this time are the people living in Matsue with the heroine Toki Matsuno(Takaishi), and the snake and frog who watch over Toki and Lefkada Heaven (Tommy Bastow). Also appearing are Anna Kurasawa Anna, Adachi Kino, Iwatani Kenji, Maehara Mizuki, and comedy duo "Asagaya Sisters" Watanabe Eriko and Kimura Miho. This will be Kurazawa, Adachi, and the Asagaya Sisters' first appearance in a Asadora.
Chiyo, played by Kurazawa, is a female worker at a textile factory who works with Toki. She is a straightforward and cheerful girl, but because of this, she sometimes speaks her mind.
Senmo, played by Adachi, is a fellow female worker at the textile factory. She can be a bit absent-minded, but this makes her a charming character who lightens the mood and lightens the mood. Although she is clumsy, she works diligently for her family.
Iwatani plays Zentaro Moriyama, the father of a debt collector family. He has a scary appearance but exudes a kind heart. He is a debt collector who is not suited to being a debt collector. He collects the Matsuno family's small debts over a long period of time with kindness.
Zentaro Moriyama, played by Maehara, is Zentaro's son and the second generation to collect the Matsuno family's debts, just like his father. He inherited his father's kindness, but he is unable to be completely ruthless. He is somewhat unreliable as a debt collector, but he is doing his best to stretch himself.
The Asagaya Sisters will be voicing the snake and frog that live in the garden of Toki and Heaven's house. They will be the ones who watch over the two of them as they go about their daily lives. Eriko will be voicing the snake, and Miho will be voicing the frog.
"Bakebake " tells the story of a couple who, together with her foreign husband, love ghost stories and shed light on the "nameless people" who had been forgotten in Meiji-era Japan as it became increasingly Westernized, and who acted as spokespeople for them. Takaishi, who stars in the film, plays the heroine, Toki Matsuno , the daughter of a fallen samurai from Yakumo Koizumi, modeled after Lafcadio Hearn 's wife, Setsu. The script is written by Fujiki Mitsuhiko, who has worked on NHK's "Asagaya Sisters' Laid-Back Life" and WOWOW's "Shooting Break Series," among others.
◇Comment from Production Director Kuniomi Hashizume
I have seen Anna Kurasawa in various dramas and have been captivated by her delicate acting, so I have always wanted to work with her. Adachi Kino is someone who brings an irreplaceable warmth to the story with her brightness and warmth. The textile factory that Kurazawa and Adachi weave together with Akari Takaishi is filled with the youthful energy and sparkle that is appropriate for their age, and the small joys that certainly exist even in these tough times. The scenes that are born from the three of them coming together are very refreshing.
Kenji Iwatani has worked with screenwriter Mitsuhiko Takashi Okabe in a theatre unit for many years, and is one of the people who has the deepest understanding of the world of Fujiki's scripts. I was really looking forward to having him appear in the film. He gives a tasteful performance as a debt collector who exudes kindness.
I think Maehara Mizuki's charm lies in the unique acting that only she can do. She has made Zentaro, the debt collector who is strict but unable to be completely ruthless, into a very interesting and lovable character.
We asked the Asagaya Sisters to provide the voices of the snake and frog who watch over the story. We spent a lot of time discussing with the scriptwriter Fujiki how to tell the story of this drama. It wasn't an objective narration, but neither was it narrated by the characters themselves. Fujiki's idea was that the ideal character would be someone who takes a slightly detached position, who uses humor and lightly envelops the story, and this snake and frog were born from that idea. The recording is always done by the two of them exchanging words as if they were doing a manzai comedy routine, and the set is always filled with laughter.
