Akari Takaishi plays the heroine in the NHK Asadora drama "Bakebake " (Monday to Saturday, 8:00 AM and other times). Week 16 (broadcast January 19-23) focused on the complex emotions of Sawa Nozu(Wan Marui ), a childhood friend and best friend of Toki Matsuno (played by Takaishi). We spoke to Hashizume Kuniomi, Chief Producer (CP) and production supervisor, about the reasons for casting Marui in the role of Sawa and the appeal of her acting.
Sawa is the daughter of a former low-ranking samurai and Toki's childhood friend. Born into a poor family, she carries the expectations of her family, who dream of one day living a comfortable life, and aspires to become a teacher in order to achieve a stable life. She is Toki's one and only best friend, who accepts him as he is.
After Toki married Heaven ( Tommy Bastow) and moved from Tengokucho to "the other side of the river," Sawa began to have mixed feelings about Toki, who had become a resident of a completely different world. When she confronted Toki in episode 80 (broadcast on January 23rd), she declared that she would carve out her own path, saying, "My time will come too. I will become a regular teacher, without relying on anyone or borrowing help from anyone."
Regarding the character Sawa, Hashizume explained, "She's Toki's other side. Another Toki who has chosen a different way of life."
"They each have their own way of life, their paths are different, there are things they don't understand, and they probably can't go back to the way they were before, but they are best friends who are connected at heart. I hope to portray that kind of relationship between the two of them."
Regarding Marui, who plays Sawa, he revealed, "He's a very talented actor and is one of the actors highly recommended by the production team, especially director Murahashi Naoki."
"Ms. Marui auditioned for the heroine role in ' Bakebake' and made it to the final selection. When we submitted the audition results to the station, we also decided on a runner-up for the heroine, and we wrote Ms. Marui's name on that list. Her acting is truly amazing, and our team had been talking about wanting to cast her somewhere. We cast her in the role of Sawa, the character closest to the heroine and her counterpart."
Hashizume gave Marui's acting a thumbs up, saying it was "better than expected," and commented on his impression that "in a good way, I don't think he's a very skillful actor."
"Mr. Marui is someone who is able to inhabit a character by being thrown into the scene. I think he is an actor who really comes into his own when he interacts with others and adapts to the atmosphere of the situation. I think that Mr. Marui's unique qualities are a good fit for this cast, and even watching his interactions with Mr. Takaishi, you can tell that he is 'living the role.' He is a truly wonderful actor."
