The new cast for the NHK Asadora drama series "Bakebake ," starring actor Akari Takaishi , was announced on December 1st. The newly announced cast members will be Masato Ibu and Nobumitsu Onishi, who will play the characters that the heroine Toki Matsuno(Takaishi) and Lefkada Heaven (Tommy Bastow) meet in Matsue. This will be Onishi's first appearance in a Asadora.
This will be Ibu's first appearance in a Asadora in nine years since "Beppin-san" in the second half of 2016. He will play the head priest of Daio-ji Temple in Matsue City, who tells Toki and Heaven ghost stories that are passed down at the temple.
Onishi, who is making his first appearance in a Asadora, plays Nagami Kenzo, a former samurai turned rickshaw driver. His catchphrase is "I'm clumsy," and he is a very earnest and honest man. After being introduced by Nishikori (Ryo Yoshizawa Ryo), he becomes Heaven's exclusive rickshaw driver.
"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."
◇Comment from Masato Ibu
The script is a series of fresh and truly enjoyable scenes. I look forward to watching it every day.
The main character , Akari Takaishi, is great. Her expressions are very expressive. It's a long and difficult shoot, but I hope she will do her best to light up the story.
Tommy Bastow struggles alone in Japan, a country with a different culture. It can be frustrating at times, but it's also fascinating. I hope you'll fall in love with Japan and take home lots of stories.
The two of them acting together makes a golden pair. I really want to support them. I'm really looking forward to seeing how things develop in the future.
◇Comment from Nobumitsu Onishi
Onishi Nobumitsu plays Nagami Kenzo, the Matsuno family's personal rickshaw driver who appears in the latter half of the story.
I was a bit nervous as this was my first Asadora, but the Matsuno family welcomed me warmly, and I felt like I was able to naturally enter the world of "Bakebake" amidst a gentle sense of tension.
I will play the role of a clumsy man who goes beyond the framework of a simple employment relationship and is different from the feudal master-servant relationship of the past, serving the Matsuno family with honesty and sincerity from the bottom of my heart.
◇Comment from Production Director Kuniomi Hashizume
The head priest of Daiouji Temple is Masato Ibu. Daiouji Temple is home to a ghost story that was very important to Yakumo Koizumi. In the drama, this ghost story also becomes very important to Heaven and Toki. On set, the ghost stories told by Ibu were not only powerful, but also filled with a sadness and beauty that resonated deep in the heart.
We asked Onishi Nobumitsu to play Heaven's exclusive rickshaw driver, Nagami. Like Toki and the others, he is a samurai who was forced to work during the Meiji era, but his honesty makes him clumsy and he simply pulls the rickshaw with a simple dedication. The pure and straightforward nature that only Onishi can portray makes Nagami a very charming man. As a new member of the Matsuno family, he adds excitement to the world of "Bakebake."
During the broadcast, the story of Toki and Heaven slowly began to unfold. How will the two of them fall in love and become a couple? Together with the new cast, we will continue to carefully weave their story.
