Akari Takaishi plays the heroine in the NHK Asadora drama "Bakebake" (General TV, Monday to Saturday 8:00 AM and others). Week 16 (broadcast January 19th to 23rd) focuses on the prostitute Nami (Honami Sato), depicting her inner thoughts as she wavers over an offer to buy her freedom. We spoke to Hashizume Kuniomi, the production manager, about the reasons for casting Sato in the role of Nami, the appeal of her acting, and the creation of Nami's character.
◇ Nami is "a woman who has lived at the very bottom of society."
Nami, played by Sato, was born into a farming family and, as the eldest of eight siblings, raised in poverty. To support her family, which was in debt, she became a prostitute at the Tengoku brothel. She is a cheerful and strong woman who does not let her circumstances get her down. She dreams of one day escaping the brothel and believes that "the only way for a woman to survive is to sell herself or to be with a man."
Regarding the character Nami, Hashizume explains, "To put it bluntly, she is a woman who has always lived the life of the lowest class of women at the time."
"Because she's an original character with no real model, I decided how she should end up while I was writing the script. I had a few ideas, like this one where she's bought out and lives a happy life. There was also the idea that she might stay in the brothel forever... I also started the script with other possibilities open, such as her becoming a successful prostitute or dying a miserable death..."
The direction of Nami was decided "after the scripts for weeks 12 and 13, in which Toki (Takaishi) gets married, were completed."
"I decided on it after watching the acting of Sato, Takaishi, and Wan Marui, who plays Sawa. Sato kept asking me, 'What will happen next?' (laughs)"
In the 80th episode (broadcast on January 23rd), Nami is bought by Fukuma (Hiroueno-san) after much deliberation. She visits Sawa with Fukuma and tells him that she is leaving the brothel and heading to the other side of the river.
Regarding the plot in which Nami is bought, Hashizume revealed, "The scriptwriter, Fujiki Mitsuhiko, writes very gentle scripts. I really wanted to make it a story where she is saved in the end."
"Nami was a girl who never had any prospect of being bought. Unlike today, she was over 30 at a time when being over 23 was considered old enough to be single. I wanted the story to develop in a way that suggested there might be something to be had if she kept living. Another big factor was that we can't empathize with Nami's story until the very end. If Nami was the main character and we could empathize with her story until the very end, I think it would be fine for the story to develop in a way that left her feeling hopeless, but I can't go that far."
◇What is the appeal of Honami Sato's acting?
Regarding the reason for casting Sato, Hashizume said, "Bakebake was the first time we worked together, but I've seen her in a lot of plays and other productions and I've always thought she was a really good actress. She's very good at acting," before giving her stamp of approval and looking back on Sato's performance at the heroine audition.
"She was really good, but considering her age and the direction of the play, she wasn't the heroine for this role... so I told her I was sorry halfway through. When I contacted her to let her know she had been unsuccessful, I said to her, 'Although she's not the heroine, I would definitely like to cast her somewhere, so please keep her schedule open.' Her performance was so amazing."
He praised his acting, saying, "He has a difficult past, but he's also very clear-spoken. That kind of acting is truly wonderful."
"I thought her acting would be a perfect fit, so I cast her. She's a very cheerful person and a mood maker on set, so that really helped me out. I'm glad I was able to meet such a great actress."
Nami has finally escaped the red light district and started a new life. When asked if Nami will appear in the future, Hashizume hinted, "She will be depicted a little bit after that, so she won't be completely gone. She may make an appearance again."
