Onishi Nobumitsu (Shima) plays the role of former samurai rickshaw driver Nagami Kenzo in the NHK morning drama series " Bakebake " (General TV, Monday to Saturday, 8:00 AM and others), starring actor Akari Takaishi . This is Onishi's first appearance in a Asadora, and he talked about his feelings when he received the offer and the memorable filming experience.
◇How did you feel when you found out you were going to appear?
"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.
Nagami, played by Onishi, is a very earnest and honest man whose catchphrase is "I'm clumsy, so..." He becomes Heaven's (Tommy Bastow) personal rickshaw driver through Nishikori's (Yoshizawa) introduction.
Looking back on when his role was decided, Onishi revealed, "When I first heard from my manager that I had been offered a role in a Asadora, I thought it would be unfortunate but difficult to make happen given the circumstances. That's because I heard that I would be playing the role of a 'chef' in the Meiji period."
"I thought that in a story about Yakumo Koizumi, there would certainly be a personal chef, but at the time I was preparing for a role in another work, and my head was crew cut and my face was completely tanned. I didn't look like a chef who worked indoors, and I couldn't afford to offend the audience that morning by showing off my clumsy knife skills on a nationally-watched TV show. I didn't think that a quick fix would dramatically improve my cooking skills, so I was at a loss as to what to do. But a few days later, it suddenly occurred to me that in a Meiji-era story, maybe I'd be playing the role of a 'shaf', so I asked my manager to confirm. Sure enough, it was a rickshaw driver (laughs). If that was the case, I thought I could do it even with my tan, and so things started to move forward. It's a funny story now."
Regarding joining the filming midway through, he expressed his gratitude, saying, "No matter what production it is, it's always daunting to enter a filming set as a newcomer where relationships have already been established. But with ' Bakebake,' the Matsuno family welcomed me warmly and I was able to smoothly enter the world of the film. I'm truly grateful."
"Nagami only appears in the show from the 15th week, so I watched ' Bakebake' on air without reading the script up to that point, but each and every character really comes to life on screen, which I think is amazing. After the broadcast, we got excited talking on set, saying things like, 'That scene was great!' Akari Takaishi has extraordinary reflexes and is like a supple cat. It's fun to act with her. Tommy is a studious person with a strong desire for knowledge. On set, he often asks me about the meanings of ancient idioms and four-character idioms."
◇Rickshaws are scary because you're worried they might tip over.
There is also a scene where he pulls a rickshaw, and he revealed his difficulties, saying, "The location shooting was much more difficult than I expected."
"The roads on the set were flat, but on location I had to pull the rickshaw over steep slopes, gravel roads, and bumpy paths with tree roots. It's physical labor, so for the first few days I had terrible thigh muscle pain. As I mentioned at the beginning, I was preparing for a role in another production, and the amount of walking I did last summer unintentionally helped prepare me for the role of Nagami. If I hadn't had stronger legs, I don't think I would have been able to pull the rickshaw so easily."
He continued, "Rather than worrying about myself, I was actually carrying Otoki, Heaven-sensei, and Nishikori, so I had to be constantly mindful of safety so as not to injure them." He continued, "Rickshaws are surprisingly tall, so I was nervous about what would happen if they fell over. The set was also small, so we had to be careful during filming not to hit the rickshaw and damage the gate of Heaven's mansion."
Finally, Onishi said, "I am acting with the intention of making sure that viewers can understand how the story will unfold in the limited screen time that Nagami has. Even though he is a rickshaw driver, he is still a human being, and I'm sure that his relationships with the Matsuno family will develop before they know it."
"Although it's not depicted in the play, Nagami is also a former samurai. He too lost his job in the times and took up the family business of rickshaw driving, which he could do if he was physically able, so I think that because of his circumstances he can understand the feelings of Otoki and Heaven-sensei. Although it's not explained in the dialogue, Nagami's consideration and thoughtfulness subtly exudes from the way he gives passengers a ride in his rickshaw, and I hope that the warm atmosphere that cannot be put into words can be conveyed to the viewers."
