Rihito Itagaki plays Sannojo , the third son of the Ushimizu family, in the NHK morning drama series " Bakebake " (General TV, Monday to Saturday, 8:00 AM and other times), starring Akari Takaishi as the heroine. In episode 15 (broadcast on October 17th), there is a scene in which Sannojo , facing the "final moments" of his father, Fu ( Shinichi Tsutsumi ), reveals his true feelings for the first time. We spoke to Hashizume Kuniomi, the production manager for this series, about Sannojo's feelings in this scene and Itagaki's performance as he embodies Sannojo.
◇ Revealing Toki's secret... How does Sannojo feel?
Sannojo, played by Itagaki, is the third son of the Ushimizu family, relatives of Toki (Takaishi), and is two years younger than Toki. His older brother inherited the family business, so he has no particular role to play. Since he has no place in the family, he spends all his time hanging out at Toki's workplace. In episode 11 (broadcast on October 13th), the eldest son, Ujimatsu (Yasuda Hiroto), suddenly runs away from home, and Sannojo is left in charge of acting president of the factory without knowing anything about it.
In episode 15, Fu laments the terrible state of the factory while he was away, and even though he has fallen ill, he asks Sannojo to explain the situation. As Toki and Tae (Keiko Kitagawa) watch over Fu, Sannojo replies, "It's impossible, it's too late now. I've always been focused on my older brother and haven't learned anything. My third son, who I've never even spoken to, has been called in for convenience," revealing that Toki is Fu and Tae's daughter. "If the more I give up someone, the more I love them, then I wish I had grown up somewhere else," she reveals, revealing her complicated feelings.
Regarding Sannojo feelings when he revealed the secret of Toki's birth, Hashizume explains, "Rather than saying that line for Toki's sake, Sannojo said it for himself."
"Sannojo is someone who grew up without a lot of love from his parents. I thought about what kind of action he would take if, just before his parents died, he felt that their love was not yet directed towards him, and I came up with this line. I think how Toki takes this will be the highlight of the drama, but I felt that it was very typical of (scriptwriter) Fujiki Mitsuhiko to respond so casually with, 'I knew that, but so what?' In that sense, I think Sannojo's line in this scene was one of the lines that determined the direction of the drama."
◇ Rihito Itagaki: "He's living the life of Sannojo just as he is."
Hashizume says that Sannojo is a "very different character" in this work, which shines with its comical portrayals. He explains his role as "someone who carries the burden of tragedy while everyone else lives happily."
"While Toki and her family are going through hardships and accepting the changes of the times, the one who has changed the least is actually Sannojo. In writing the script, Fujiki-san had the most difficulty with Sannojo, and I think the most difficult part was figuring out how to bring him to life in this drama. Because he is so different, if you portray him too deeply he becomes strong, but if he is too weak he won't come across... We are creating the character of Sannojo through repeated discussions."
Sannojo is said to be a spice to the drama. It is a difficult role that carries the dark side of the story, but Hashizume is impressed with Itagaki's acting, saying, "I think that Itagaki not only has his own charm, but also thinks deeply about the role and brings Sannojo to life as he is."
"Looking at Sannojo objectively, I think he is a very pitiable character. He needs to do something, but he is unable to do anything, and he lives in anguish, not knowing what to do. I think it is precisely because Itagaki-san has faced the role head-on and embodied it that he appears so pitiable. He was raised as a rich kid, and doesn't even have the ability to think, but he is the kind of person who stands there, legs shaking, trying to do something despite that. There is a realism to that, and I was impressed that no one other than Itagaki-san could have gone to such lengths."
