Akari Takaishi plays the heroine in the NHK Asadora drama "Bakebake" (Monday to Saturday, 8:00 AM and other times). In the 44th episode (broadcast on November 27th), a scene was depicted in which Kan'emon (Fumiyo Kohinata) has his love fortune told at Yaegaki Shrine, which attracted the attention of viewers. We spoke to Hashizume Kuniomi, Chief Producer (CP) who is in charge of production, about Kohinata's behavior in this scene and the appeal of Asaka Mayumi, who plays Tatsu.
In episode 44, Toki (Kana Kita) decides to go out with Rio (Kita Kana) to keep her away from Heaven (Tommy Bastow). Rio takes them to Yaegaki Shrine, a love fortune-telling pond. Then, she hears a familiar voice praying, "Sink me." When Toki turns to look in the direction of the voice, she sees Kan'emon doing a love fortune-telling... and so the story unfolds.
Regarding this scene, Hashizume said, "It was completely the idea of screenwriter Fujiki Mitsuhiko. We all burst out laughing when we read the script. Fujiki's humorous writing shines through."
"Everyone, including Kohinata-san, was looking forward to filming this scene. It's a comical setting in which Kan'emon does love fortune-telling, but if you try to make it funny it won't be funny, so Kohinata-san acted seriously and didn't try to make it a comedy skit. That's why I think it turned out to be a funny scene."
When asked about Kohinata's reaction when he read this scene in the script, Hashizume replied, "I think he was surprised."
"Kohinata-san is someone who finds these kinds of scenes amusing, so he acted out scenes while saying, 'If it were Kan'emon, he might do it like this.' He kept talking in between takes, and the set was really bright and fun with Kohinata-san there."
It could be called a "love between old people," but she reveals that Kan'emon is actually "not that old. Around his late 50s."
"There is a set age, but we try not to make it too obvious. That's because we prioritize the way the drama is portrayed when casting. If someone in their 50s played Kan'emon, they wouldn't look like an old man in modern times, so we had Kohinata, who is 71 years old, play the role. The ages set in the drama and the actors' ages are different, but we prioritize how they appear in modern times."
Regarding Asaka Mayumi, who plays Kan'emon's love interest Ueno Tatsu, he revealed, "I asked Asaka to appear after we worked together on the historical drama 'Aoi Tou wo Tsuke'."
"I think she's a refined grandmother, but also a strong person. I really felt that sense of humor in her. Since it's a guest role, she's having a lot of fun on set."
Kan'emon's love begins to move ahead of Toki and Heaven's romance. How will Kan'emon's feelings end? You won't be able to take your eyes off the future developments.
