Takaishi Akari plays the heroine in the NHK morning drama "Bakeke" (General TV, Monday to Saturday 8:00 AM and others). The "Kumamoto arc" begins from the 20th week, and Natsume Towa appears as Kuma, a maid for the Matsuno family. We asked Hashizume Kuniomi, chief producer (CP) and production supervisor, what the reason was for selecting Natsume, who is "almost a newcomer."
Kuma is a hard worker who singlehandedly supports Toki (Takaishi) and his family's life in Kumamoto, but sometimes he tries too hard... Natsume is 21 years old and was born on June 14, 2004, in Saitama Prefecture. She played the role of Sarah, one of the "Toyoko Kids," in the currently-showing film "Love Trial" and the Fuji TV drama "Shinjuku Field Hospital."
Natsume also auditioned for the heroine role, and Hashizume explained, "I had always wanted to cast her somewhere. Then, when it was decided that the character Kuma would appear, we held another audition. We contacted participants in the heroine audition who seemed like they would be a good fit for the character, and we decided to have Natsume play the role."
He continued, "She's practically a newcomer, but I feel she has a great sense of acting. She has a cheerful personality, and I hope she will become a character that everyone will like. I think it would be very difficult to join a family halfway through, but I thought it would be good if she could throw herself into it, including her innocence, so I chose Natsume."
In order to have Natsume play the role of Kuma, the most important prerequisite was that he be a good actor, and he also said, "I wanted the Kuma to have a sense of innocence."
"I wanted to see if Natsume could act pure and innocent. I thought that was a good thing, so I asked him to play the role. I also wanted him to not look older than Toki. I wanted to make a character that is a little different from the family, but who also feels like they've become part of the family."
Of course, this was her first appearance in a morning drama, and she was apparently confused and nervous in the studio at first, but it was at times like that that Chizuru Ikewaki, who played the role of Fumi, spoke to her.
"Ikewaki-san was very proactive in talking to me and even invited me out to dinner after filming was over. Everyone, both inside and outside the studio, was considerate so that someone who joined midway through could become part of the family," he said, expressing his gratitude to the cast.
He went on to praise Kuma, saying, "He's friendly, frank, and talkative. He's loved by everyone, and Kuma is very popular among the staff. Even when he first appears, he immediately goes at it with Tsukasasuke (Okabe Takashi), and I really get the impression that he's a really good kid."
