The 104th episode of the NHK Asadora drama "Bakebake " (General TV, Monday to Saturday at 8:00 AM and other times), starring Akari Takaishi , was broadcast on February 26th, and the way a voodoo doll was "used" became a hot topic among viewers.
Heaven ( Tommy Bastow) is looking for material for his writing, so Toki (Takaishi) brings Ise (Imo Yu), while Takeru (Sugita Rairin) and Masaki (Yukito Hidaka) bring Mokichi (Ogata Susumu), and they each talk about their own legends. However, Heaven, who loves Japan, already knows the legends the two are talking about, and is disappointed and upset. While everyone else gives up, Toki asks Ise to tell him the story of how "Ise is cursed."
Ise stubbornly refuses to talk, but finally opens up. When Ise was 10 years old, he lost both of his parents one after the other. There was a legend in the village that if two people in a house died within a year, the third would soon follow, and from the fourth person onwards, even if they survived, they would spend their lives cursed. It was said that this could be avoided by building a small grave called a "doll's grave" and placing a straw doll inside it.
However, Ise and his brother did not build a grave for the doll, believing that such a story was a superstition. Then his brother also passed away, and Ise, who was left behind, hastily built a "doll grave", but he fell seriously ill, fell into debt, and was kicked out of the house by his relatives, and he began to live a cursed life.
Toki sits down where Ise was sitting as he was about to leave. There is a legend in the village that if you sit on the spot where an unfortunate person has sat while the spot is still warm, the misfortune will be passed on to you, and Mokichi worries about Toki, saying, "It's still warm... You'll be cursed." Toki's eyes sparkle as she says, "Being cursed... is fun... and gives me goosebumps," encouraging Ise by saying, "Your misfortune... has possessed me. I'm sure... good things will happen from now on," before collapsing on the spot.
That night, Heaven praises Toki's words and actions, saying, "Your story is sad. But you're wonderful, Dad." Then, she places a voodoo doll where Toki was and tells him, "The curse... is upon you... and you're trapped!" Toki smiles.
This scene drew attention, and "voodoo doll" briefly became a trending topic on X. Comments on social media included, "A voodoo doll makes its third appearance," "This is the correct way to use a voodoo doll," "Who would have thought the voodoo doll would be used in such a perfect way here," "The plot twist about the voodoo doll is resolved here?!", "The flow is so beautiful, I'm moved," "It's so useful here that it brings me to tears," "A wonderful cycle of items," "So sweet, it brings me to tears," and "A beautiful bond between husband and wife."
