Actor Ryo Yoshizawa appeared live on NHK's morning information program "Asaichi" (Monday to Friday, 8:15 AM) on February 13th. Yoshizawa, who plays the brilliant Matsue boy Yuichi Nishikori in the NHK morning drama "Bakeke" (General TV, Monday to Saturday, 8 AM and others), commented on the rumors that Nishikori will be leaving the tournament.
In the final scene of episode 95 of "Bakeke," which aired that day, Nishikori did not go to see Heaven (Tommy Bastow) off as she headed to Kumamoto, saying that he "wasn't feeling very well." Nishikori was sitting at his desk in his room reading Heaven's "Japan Diary" when he suddenly began coughing and coughing up blood. The last 54 seconds were dialogue-free, with footage of Nishikori's moist-eyed profile and lonely-looking back captured on screen, and the episode came to a close.
Immediately after the broadcast, Yoshizawa appeared on "Asaichi" with a smile and greeted, "Good morning! I'm Yoshizawa Ryo, who plays Nishikori Yuichi." When Hakata Hanamaru of the comedy duo "Hakata Hanamaru and Daikichi" began by saying, "I'm glad you're safe and sound," Yoshizawa responded, "I'm fine!" Hakata Daikichi seemed shocked by the final scene of "Bakeke," saying, "I hadn't heard anything about you being unwell..." and "I thought you were definitely faking it."
Afterwards, Daikichi asked about the reaction to "Bakeke," to which Yoshizawa replied, "It really is clear that so many people from a wide range of backgrounds love this work, and it makes me very happy." When Daikichi confirmed, "Nishikori, today isn't the end, is it?" Yoshizawa smiled and said, "There's more to come."
Furthermore, in response to a question from a viewer asking, "Will there be any further interactions between Yoshizawa Ryo (and Heaven) from now on?", Yoshizawa answered with a strong, "There will be!" At the end of the program, he sent a message to the viewers, saying, "Thank you for always watching. The Kumamoto arc is about to begin, but Nishikori will still be appearing, so please support him until the end."
It has been said among viewers that when cast members of morning dramas appear on "Asaichi," they often "exit" during the main program, and many voices of concern were raised before the broadcast of "Asaichi." On social media, there were many voices of relief, such as "Nishikori isn't leaving!", "I'm relieved to hear he's not leaving," and "It's so cool that Nishikori himself declared in response to rumors of his departure that he'll "still appear."
