Akari Takaishi plays the heroine in the NHK Asadora drama "Bakebake" (Monday to Saturday, 8:00 AM and other times). In the 110th episode (broadcast on March 6th), the scene of Toki (played by Takaishi) giving birth was depicted, attracting the attention of viewers. We spoke to Hashizume Kuniomi, the chief producer (CP) who is the production supervisor for this series, about what happened behind the scenes of this scene and Takaishi's reaction.
◇The birth scene "makes a wonderful birthday present"
In episode 110, six months have passed in the blink of an eye, and Toki's due date has arrived. Heaven (Tommy Bastow), Tsukasanosuke(Takashi Okabe), Takeru (Rairin Sugita), and Masaki (Yukito Hidaka) pray for a safe delivery and fire a gun at the pillar of the house. With Fumi (Chizuru Ikewaki), Kuma (Toru Natsume), and the midwife (Fukiko Hara) looking on, Toki and Heaven's child is finally born... and that's how it unfolds.
Hashizume reveals, "One of Takaishi's dreams was to become the heroine of a Asadora. And apparently, as the heroine of that Asadora, she wanted to act out a scene where she gives birth."
"Takaishi-san kept asking me, 'Is there a scene where I give birth?' So when the script for this scene was finally completed, I was so happy, I said, 'My dream has come true.'"
This scene was filmed on December 19th of last year, which was Takaishi's 23rd birthday. Hashizume recalls, "It seems that Takaishi had been looking forward to filming this birth scene for a long time. It was a coincidence that the filming coincided with her birthday, but we all celebrated Takaishi's birthday together and were able to film a scene that she had always dreamed of, so it was a wonderful birthday present. It turned out to be a great scene, and I think it was a day where dreams came true."
This was the first time Takaishi and the other cast members had come face to face with a baby. Although filming with a newborn often requires careful consideration of hygiene, the set was apparently calm and peaceful.
"When a baby comes on set, everyone's cheeks start to relax. Even though they were being careful with the baby, everyone was smiling and saying, 'How cute!'"
◇The aim of depicting the birth scene
The decision on whether to depict the scene of Toki giving birth was made during discussions with screenwriter Fujiki Mitsuhiko.
"There was an idea that we didn't need to depict the birth scene in order to simply express the fact that she had given birth, and I told Takaishi that there might not be a birth scene. However, after discussing it with Fujiki, we came to the conclusion that by filming a birth scene, we would be able to see the joy and various other emotions of Toki and Heaven, and that it would make a proper drama. Takaishi had thought there might not be a birth scene, so she was very happy when she found out that one would be filmed."
He said that he created the birth scene "with the hope that they would be truly happy," and added, "Toki and Heaven have been carrying a lot of things up until now, but I wanted the scene to be one in which they can forget all of that for a moment and be consumed by the joy of birth."
"Giving birth is a moment that surpasses everything else, and for just a moment you can forget all the worries you've had up until that point. I'm sure that once the baby is born, many worries will arise, but for just that moment you can forget everything and be immersed in the joy of life. I wanted this to be a scene like that."
With the birth of a new member, the Matsuno household has become even more lively. How will Toki and Heaven's story unfold from here on out? You won't be able to take your eyes off it until the very end.
