Akari Takaishi plays the heroine in the NHK Asadora drama "Bakebake" (General TV, Monday to Saturday 8:00 AM and others). We spoke to Chief Producer Hashizume Kuniomi, who is in charge of production, about the reason for casting Onishi Nobumitsu (Shima), who plays the role of rickshaw driver Nagami Kenzo, who first appeared in the 15th week (January 12th to 16th).
Nagami is a former samurai turned rickshaw driver. His catchphrase is "I'm clumsy, though," and he is very earnest and honest. After being introduced by Nishikori (Ryo Yoshizawa Ryo), he becomes Heaven's (Tommy Bastow) personal rickshaw driver.
Hashizume said that Nagami's character is "completely original," explaining why he included him in the story: "It seems that at the time, rickshaw drivers were often fallen samurai. Heaven also likes samurai, so it seemed natural to create a rickshaw driver character. He's different from Toki (Takaishi) and the others, but I thought it would be nice to have a clumsy fallen samurai who has found his own way in life, so I created him."
"Tsukasanosuke(Takashi Okabe) delivers milk, but I thought I could tell another story about him, and show through Nagami that the fallen samurai of Tsukasanosuke also lead different lives."
Nagami is a very clumsy person, and Hashizume chose Onishi for the role, saying, "I wanted someone who could really portray a clumsy person."
Onishi was born on August 22, 1975, and is 50 years old and hails from Kanagawa Prefecture. He made his film debut in 2003 in the lead role in the film "Akame Shijuhachitaki Shinju Misui" and has since appeared in numerous films. He worked with Hashizume on a film about 10 years ago, and expressed his gratitude, saying, "To be honest, Nagami may not have been a good enough role for Onishi, but he agreed to appear in it."
"It's difficult to describe, but I don't think Onishi is a particularly skillful actor. He's not the type to play any role on the spot, but rather he is able to immerse himself deeply in a role and live as that character. I think he's that type of actor. He has a real 'depth' in his acting, and I think he's a truly wonderful actor with a lot of character."
"I think he's suited to film, but for this role I wanted that kind of depth that Onishi has. I know that may sound arrogant, but (laughs)," he said with a smile, expressing his immense trust in Onishi.
