Akari Takaishi stars in the NHK morning drama series "Bakebake" (General TV, Monday to Saturday, 8:00 AM and others). Takaishi, who plays the main character, Toki Matsuno, looked back on the series so far and talked about the highlights of the eighth week, which begins on November 17th, as well as behind-the-scenes stories from the filming.
◇Toki is "too much himself"
"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."
Takaishi said about the character she plays, Toki, "She's so much like me. When I read the script, I think, 'Why are they saying what I'm thinking?' and 'These lines are really me!'"
"After talking with production manager Hashizume Kuniomi, I realized that Toki's ability to clearly draw the line between herself and others, and her tendency to not impose her own feelings or interfere, may be similar to mine. She believes that 'people are fine the way they are,' which is why she is able to accept her grandfather (Fumiyo Kohinata) and father (Takashi Okabe) for being so adamant about being samurai, and why she is able to treat Heaven (Tommy Bastow) as usual."
He adds, "Another characteristic of Toki is that from a young age he has had the sense of wanting to protect his family. I think it's also out of a sense of duty that he takes on the responsibility of his poor family. It's not that he wants to be kind, but rather that he just feels that way. He is the son of a samurai family, so I think that's cool."
◇With Chizuru Ikewaki, who plays the mother, "I feel like our faces are starting to look alike (laughs)"
The interactions between the friendly Matsuno family are also a highlight. Takaishi commented with a smile, "Everyone in the Matsuno family is really wonderful and kind, and I feel like I'm gradually starting to look like Ikewaki Chizuru (who plays the mother, Fumi) (laughs). I can't help but like the way my grandfather and father are pathetic but still love Toki. The script is interesting, and with Kohinata and Okabe playing them, they become even more lovable characters, and even though they do some pretty hateful things, you can't hate them (laughs)."
"I'll never forget the scene where Toki and Nishikori (Ryo Yoshizawa Ryo) meet for the first time; I laughed the whole time," he said. "When we started the ad-lib battle, I felt an incredible sense of security knowing that Yoshizawa accepted all of my moves. Sometimes he didn't just accept them, he would hit them back, which made me laugh (laughs). However, I'm not trying to make people laugh; I think this script is one that will fail if you try to do something different. So it feels like everyone's weapons have been stripped away, but they still go to fight. I'm working hard to achieve the ``playfulness of not doing anything.'' Through ``Bakebake,'' I'll do my best to ``disguise'' myself as an actor!"
She also said of her co-star, "Tommy, who plays Heaven, I had heard that he is someone who makes people all over the world fall in love with him, and when I met him, I realized that this was true. He is a gentleman, very kind, and just loves Japan. He has some similarities with Heaven, so I'm sure he will help me a lot with the acting, and I think that viewers will become even more captivated by the wonderful Tommy."
◇ Mother Fumi's remark "for Lady Otae" was "a shock"
Looking back on the filming so far, he commented, "Fujiki Mitsuhiko's book is so interesting that I don't think I've ever come across a script that makes me laugh out loud while reading it this much. There was a lot of attention to detail in the direction as well, for example the lighting is really dark and the Matsuno household is really cramped (laughs)! It's so cramped that everyone had to leave the house to touch up their makeup, there's a lot of dust, and we've even added dirt to the clothes to make it look more realistic, so please pay attention to that as well." He added, "I'm really happy that we've been able to film while feeling that it's becoming a good production, and that I can say with confidence that I want everyone to see it. Toki may not be able to aim high, but he doesn't look down, he lives his life looking forward. I hope that seeing that will make people chuckle every morning."
Regarding Toki, who decides to become a maid in the sixth and seventh weeks, she imagines what was going through her mind: "The moment Otae-sama (Keiko Kitagawa) bowed her head as a beggar, I felt that the image of Otae-sama that Toki had always had in her mind, as well as many other things, crumbled. Seeing her give up one of the things that she had been protecting and passing down, such as the family's status, I think she thought there was only one thing left for her to do. There was something she could do (maid) in front of her, and it was the only thing she could grab, so I think she grabbed it with all her might."
She continued, "In episode 35 (broadcast on November 14th), Toki's mother said, 'If it's for Otae-sama who gave birth to me, (Toki thought it would be okay to become a Rashamen)' which was a shock. Toki had no such intentions, but everyone was now family. That included the Ushimizu family, so I think she was emotionally shaken by the shock of hearing her mother's true feelings, and by Sannojo's words, 'I want you to remove me from Otoki's family.' Because I was so confused, I said very strongly, with only one thought in mind: I have to get Sannojo to accept the money! I was desperate. Afterwards, when my mother begged my grandfather to let her continue working as Heaven-sensei's maid, I was overwhelmed with all kinds of emotions, and I think I was probably in tears. Something that isn't in the script is always born as I act."
◇The scene where Heaven teaches them how to skip. "We both had a good time."
Looking back on the eighth week, which began on November 17th, he said, "It was so much fun!"
"I read this week's script with a good laugh. There's an episode where Heaven asks me to look for "beer," but the way I should introduce the candidates for "beer" was entirely up to us, so even though I thought, "What should I do...?", I was excited and really looked forward to what I could do when I went on stage. Toki's lines were exactly as they were written, and Heaven's reactions were improvised by Tommy, but I hardly felt like I was saying lines, it was just so much fun...!"
He also said, "In the scene where we all learn from Heaven and try skipping, we were each left to decide how to do it, so I think we all had a sense of, 'Oh, so that's how this person does it' (laughs). In the scene where we were first taught how to skip, both Toki and Heaven were drunk, so we just went along thinking that it didn't matter what we did, and we both ended up laughing. I think that comes across perfectly on film (laughs). I was laughing as Toki and Heaven, but I'm sure it looked real. Week 8 was filled with many moments where we were living as our characters, but it became unclear who our real selves were."
