The 72nd episode of the NHK Asadora drama "Bakebake " (General TV, Monday to Saturday 8:00 AM and others), starring Akari Takaishi , was broadcast on January 13th, and Toki (Takaishi) refusing a kiss on the cheek from Heaven ( Tommy Bastow) drew a variety of reactions from viewers.
Toki and Heaven are now a married couple. Heaven asks Toki to call her by her name, but Toki is too shy to do so.
One night, sitting alone on two futons side by side, Toki murmurs, "Good night, Heaven." He continues, "Heaven, your elbow is touching mine," and "Oh, Heaven, you're sandwiched between us," and his fantasy accelerates. Toki is so embarrassed that he blurts out, "I can't do this!" and then chimes in with, "I mean... what? 'Heaven, you're sandwiched between us'."
Just then, Heaven arrives and tells him that she will have two or three days left to finish her Japan travel diary, saying, "I, Nemuru, can't do it." Toki encourages her, saying, "Don't be too late, do your best." Heaven makes a gesture as if asking for something. Toki interprets this as her wanting him to call her by her name and says, "Heaven-sensei..." but Heaven laughs and says, "No sensei. Heaven. Your husband."
It's their first breakfast in their new home. Kajitani (Iwasaki Udai), a reporter who heard about their move, suddenly shows up and asks, "Isn't there anything troublesome about living with a Japanese person?" Heaven replies, "I'm Japanese, I'll do my best." "I'm Japanese."
Later, on her way to work, Heaven tries to kiss Toki on the cheek, saying "Let's go," but Toki is surprised and avoids it. Nishikori (Ryo Yoshizawa Ryo), who came to pick her up, explains, "In the West, a kiss on the cheek is a greeting to a close friend." Heaven presses for a kiss, saying, "Are we... two... lovers?", but Toki refuses, saying, "This is Japan." Heaven says, "We're in the West, so I'll do it," but Toki shakes his head and replies, "I'm sorry... I'm sorry, but please don't," which upsets Heaven.
Various comments were posted on social media, such as "Heaven looks lonely...", "I feel sorry for Heaven-sensei", "I've made so much progress, but I just want a kiss on the cheek and for him to call me by my name. But he doesn't even get that. This is starting to add up", "I'm worried that it will turn out like what happened with Ginjiro", "Kissing is a bit of a challenge...it's the Meiji era after all", "I guess it's embarrassing to kiss in front of everyone. Otoki-chan is so cute", and "They should be excited about their newlywed life, but something feels unsettling and nerve-wracking!"
