Takaishi Akari plays the heroine in the NHK morning drama "Bakeke" (General TV, Monday to Saturday, 8:00 AM and others). In the 18th week, Toki (Takaishi) faces a series of difficult events as society looks down on her, triggered by an article written by Kajitani (Iwasaki Udai). The performances by the cast were impressive, but the performance of Ikewaki Chizuru, who plays Fumi, who embodies the "strength of a mother," shone brightly. We spoke to Hashizume Kuniomi, Chief Producer (CP), who is in charge of production, about the appeal of Ikewaki's acting.
Toki's mother, Fumi, played by Ikewaki, grew up in the home of a senior official at Izumo Taisha Shrine. She is knowledgeable about the tales of the gods of Izumo, the living and dead, and the invisible, and often shares stories with Toki. She is kind and reliable, and more than anyone, she wants Toki to be happy. In the 18th week, Fumi's strength as a mother was evident when she resolutely defended Toki after someone threw stones at him after rumors of him being a Rashamen spread.
Regarding Ikewaki's acting, Hashizume praised her, saying, "It's so amazing that I don't need to explain it to you." He added, "She's like a mother who accepts everything. It really comes across that the Matsuno family exists because of Fumi and because Ikewaki plays her."
"I sometimes spoke with Ikewaki about the role, and it seems she had about 10 times as many discussions with director Murahashi Naoki as I did with her. Especially in the early stages of filming, she seemed unsure how to act. Tsukasa (Okabe Takashi) does whatever he wants, and even though it's a period drama, the dialogue is modern, so how should we respond to that? There were various plans for the play, and she was unsure which one to go for. It seems that she created Fumi through trial and error."
Regarding the character of Fumi, Hashizume said, "She might be the most difficult character to act with," explaining, "At first glance she may seem like a clueless mother, but she is actually the one who supports her family the most. She handles Tsukasasuke well, has the generosity to embrace Toki, and is also very accepting of Heaven (Tommy Bastow)."
"Ikewaki-san is someone who takes her acting very seriously. The serious scenes are of course great, and the funny scenes are funny because they are so serious. The words Ikewaki-san speaks are often the funniest. Of course, everyone is doing their job seriously, but Ikewaki-san's seriousness is so strong, and I think that is what makes her acting so great."
