Akari Takaishi plays the heroine in the NHK Asadora drama "Bakebake" (Monday to Saturday, 8:00 AM and other times). At the end of episode 111 (broadcast on March Getsuku), Nishikori Yuichi, played by Ryo Yoshizawa Ryo, appears for the first time in four weeks. Viewers were shocked to see how emaciated Nishikori had become. We spoke to Hashizume Kuniomi, the production manager, about the behind-the-scenes filming of this scene and Yoshizawa's role-playing.
Nishikori has built a deep friendship with Heaven (Tommy Bastow) as his literary assistant. In episode 95 (aired February 13th), a shocking scene was depicted in which Nishikori, who was not showing up to see Heaven off as she headed to Kumamoto, complained that he was "not feeling well" and instead coughed up blood in his room. Carrying grudges and separated from his best friend Heaven, Nishikori reappeared after about a month looking dramatically different.
At the end of the 111th episode, Nishikori was shown coughing violently and coughing up blood. The trash can was overflowing with papers used to wipe up the blood he had vomited, and his face was gaunt and emaciated, making it clear at a glance that his illness was progressing.
Looking back on this scene, Hashizume revealed, "When I was casting Yoshizawa, I told him that the role was of a character who gets ill. At that time, Yoshizawa told me his condition: 'I want there to be at least one month between filming before I reappear in Matsue.'"
"In fact, filming took place nearly a month apart, but Nishikori's illness had been progressing even before that, so he had been gradually losing weight during filming, and in the past month he has lost a lot of weight. He has lost so much weight that it has become worrying, and it is surprising that he has apparently lost around 13 kilograms in about a month. Although he has had a trainer and is losing weight within a safe range, when I met him again for the first time in a while on set, his transformation was so great that I thought, 'This guy might really be going to die.'"
Regarding Yoshizawa's condition during filming, he said, "He had reached his limit in terms of weight loss and his voice was hoarse. He was filming while saying, 'It's really hard.' Even in that state, there was still a sparkle in the depths of his skinny eyes and I think it was an intense shoot."
When asked about Yoshizawa's appeal, Hashizume was impressed by his impressive acting, saying, "He really gets into his role. His acting ability is as expected."
"His body is weakening, but his mind is sharper, and I think his eyes alone convey his tenacity, or rather, his desire to achieve something. He's so frail and looks like he's on the verge of death, yet he has a sharp gaze. You can sense that all of his feelings are packed into his eyes, and I think he's a rare actor who can act like that."
Hashizume-san revealed that the 23rd week will be "Nishikori's week." How will Nishikori perform, and what will happen to his relationship with Heaven? I want to see what happens to Nishikori until the very end.
