Interview with the production supervisor of "Bakebake": Toki and Heaven's "final moments"

NHK's Asadora drama series "Bakebake, " starring Akari Takaishi as the heroine, airs Monday through Saturday at 8:00 AM on NHK General and other channels. Episode 122 (broadcast on March 24th) depicted the final moments between Toki (Takaishi) and Heaven ( Tommy Bastow). We spoke with production supervisor Kuniomi Hashizume about the behind-the-scenes details of this scene and the intention behind the approximately 30-second silent scene.

◇Toki & Heaven, tears flowed naturally

Toki and Heaven sat side by side on the veranda. In the garden, the cherry blossoms had bloomed again, and Heaven said, "They bloomed...to say goodbye to me." Then Heaven said to Toki, "I will not... cry... I will never do that." Heaven rested her head on Toki's shoulder, and Toki could no longer hold back her tears. A single tear rolled down Heaven's cheek.

Reflecting on this scene, Hashizume explains, "The veranda scene was something I had in mind since we started making this drama. We hadn't decided whether it would actually be on a veranda, but I wanted to create a lovely scene for the two of them in a west-facing room. In the end, I was hoping to depict a final scene in Heaven that involved the setting sun."

"I was determined to see that scene, so I went to the set and watched the filming. Heaven tells Toki not to cry even if he dies, but as the creators, we thought it didn't matter whether she cried or not. Even if she didn't intend to cry, it was okay if she couldn't hold back and cried, and we thought it would be a moving scene either way."

Takaishi had reportedly said during rehearsals, "Heaven told me not to cry, so I'm absolutely not going to cry," and Basto also seemed determined, saying, "I'm absolutely not going to cry." However, when they actually started filming the scene, neither of them could hold back their tears, and the tears that flowed naturally were captured on camera.

Hashizume reflected, "That's perfectly fine. There's not much dialogue, and the lines are understated, but I think it became a scene that encapsulates the love between the couple, a scene where love is concentrated."

◇The reason for the silent staging is "to allow the audience to deeply connect with the two characters' profound emotions."

In that scene, after Heaven rests her head on Toki's shoulder, withered leaves are blown around by the wind, followed by a silent scene of about 30 seconds that captures Toki and Heaven's expressions, their clasped hands, and their backs to the camera.

Regarding the intention behind this scene, Hashizume explains, "It's the last scene for the two of them, and I thought a silent scene would be good. Naoki Murahashi, the chief director in charge of this week's episodes, had told me beforehand that he wanted to use a silent scene, and I thought it would be the best way to reflect on the two of them."

"While guiding them with music is important, they had already built up a solid foundation, so I thought that the silence would allow us to delve deeper into their feelings and depict things that could only be portrayed without sound. I felt that this was the effect of using silence in the production."

During the broadcast, an alarm would sound if there was more than 30 seconds of silence, so they had to notify viewers in advance. Hashizume said, "An error would occur in NHK's system, so I requested in advance that this scene be made silent. It was a scene that I wanted viewers to really connect with the deep emotions of the two characters, even if it meant going to such lengths."

Toki is heartbroken after her beloved Heaven has passed away. With only three episodes remaining until the finale, what kind of ending awaits Toki? You won't want to miss a single episode.