Watanabe Eriko and Kimura Miho, the comedy duo "Asagaya Sisters," voice the snake and frog who watch over the heroines Toki ( Akari Takaishi) and Heaven (Tommy Bastow ) in the NHK morning drama series " Bakebake " (General TV, Monday to Saturday, 8:00 Asadora, and they spoke about their thoughts when they were chosen to appear, their favorite scenes, and more.
"Bakebake" is based on the story of Koizumi Setsu, the daughter of a fallen samurai from Matsue, and her husband Yakumo (Lafcadio Hearn), and depicts the heroine, who loves ghost stories, going about her everyday life with her foreign husband. The script is written by Fujiki Mitsuhiko, who has worked on NHK's "Asagaya Sisters' Relaxed Life" and WOWOW's "Shooting Break Series."
The snake and frog played by the Asagaya Sisters live in the garden of Toki and Heaven's house and gently watch over their every move.
-Please tell us how you felt when you were chosen to appear.
Eriko: It was a bolt from the blue, and we never thought that we would be involved in an NHK Asadora, which we've been watching since we were children. When it was decided that Fujiki Mitsuhiko, who also wrote the drama "Asagaya Sisters' Relaxed Life," would be in charge of the script for "Bakebake," we were all overjoyed. In fact, we had only intended to watch from the other side of the river, and we never imagined that we would end up in a position to watch over the drama, so it was a real honor.
It's not often that Miho gets to appear in a Asadora, so we both thought, "We did it!" Plus, I love frogs, so I'm happy to be playing a frog. I watched videos and studied so I could understand how frogs feel. It might be a little tough to act alone, but when I first heard about the role, I knew I wanted to do it, since we'd be in the position of watching over each other.
--What is your favorite scene and line from "Snake" and "Frog"?
Miho: In the first scene of the first episode, when Heaven and Toki start to get along well, we all say, "Ahhhh..." It's like a bunch of aunties are watching over us (laughs). At first, it's hard to imagine how those two will become a couple, so I want to watch until they miraculously become a couple.
Eriko: I thought the snake's line in the same scene, "Oh no, it's morning! It's night, but it's morning!", was very much like Fujiki. I thought it was wonderful how, without even mentioning it Asadora, this line alone was able to express the entire scenery, the relationships, and even what we're peeking into.
-What are your impressions of Toki and Heaven?
Eriko: Otoki-chan is very affectionate, and she's the most courageous character since "Oshin" (laughs). At first, Heaven-san was quite a punchy character, and I wondered what would happen, but as the episodes went on, her relationship with Otoki-chan deepened, and it felt like she was blending in with the people of Matsue, which was great. She's becoming more and more charming as the story progresses, so I hope you'll watch over her with us and get excited about it.
Miho: I think Otoki is very family-oriented. She's not just trying to be happy on her own, she's a girl with a strong family love who tries to support the Matsuno family. As the story progresses, we also see that Heaven is carrying pain. I was happy to see the scenes where we were able to see Heaven's kindness.
--Please tell us what the highlights of the drama are and what message you have for the viewers.
Eriko: "Bakebake" is a story that revolves around two people who are fascinated by ghost stories. Ghost stories tend to have a strong image of being at night, but I hope that the fun of expressing this in a Asadora will be enjoyed as a work and world of Asadora that has never been seen before. To that end, we will do our best, pretending to be a snake and a frog.
Miho: Fujiki's scripts are always interesting, and we enjoy reading them, so I'm not worried at all. I'm sure it will be a wonderful story. Fujiki, Otoki, and the others all worked hard on this production, so I hope we can work together to make sure we don't ruin it.
