Rairu Sugita, who played Jo, the younger brother of Yuichi Nishikiori ( Ryo Yoshizawa ), in the NHK Asadora drama series "Bakebake " (NHK General, Monday-Saturday 8:00 AM, etc.) starring Akari Takaishi , spoke about working with Yoshizawa and his feelings towards his "older brother."
He was cast in " Bakebake" after an audition, but he revealed the difficulties he faced in preparing for the role, saying, "There are lines in English, but I'm terrible at English (laughs). What was especially difficult was writing in cursive. I wasn't taught cursive at school, so I had never written it before. Furthermore, I'm left-handed, but apparently at that time, left-handed people were forced to use their right hand... I practiced many times at home until I could write with my right hand, and now I can write in cursive with my right hand and even use chopsticks with my right hand (laughs)."
Regarding working with Yoshizawa, he reflected, "In terms of the role, Jo respects his older brother, but he thinks that 'nothing is expected of him.' So, the scene in week 19 where he and his brother talk about the future together is one of my favorite scenes because it feels like his brother is acknowledging him. When we were filming the scene where he tells his brother he's going to Kumamoto, I was wondering what Jo wanted his brother to say. But there was this strange atmosphere that I can't quite put into words, and I also understood why his brother didn't say anything."
In the 19th week, Joe decides to go to Kumamoto, and the actor said, "He likes Professor Heaven (Tommy Bastow) and probably wanted to learn more from him, but I think he also felt that he was doing it 'for his older brother.' Joe knows that his older brother and Professor Heaven are good partners and important to each other. I played the role thinking that by going to Kumamoto, he would be the one to keep the two of them together."
Although his older brother Yuichi passed away from illness, Joe said, "I don't think Joe will ever forget his brother, even after he's gone. And without anyone telling him to, Joe will carry on his brother's legacy in his own way. I'm sure he'll live in a way that his brother wouldn't be ashamed of." He spoke of his feelings for his great brother.
"Actually, I was surprised when I read the script myself, but something happens at the very end that reminds me of my older brother. There's a line that says, 'Like my older brother,' and Jo's feelings come through very strongly, so I hope you'll pay attention to that as well," he revealed, highlighting the key points of the story as it heads towards the end.
