Bakebake Backed by Mitsuhiko Fujiki’s Distinctive Script—NHK Morning Drama Debut

A Method of Captivating Without Dialogue

Actor Akari Takaishi (23), starring as the heroine in the morning drama Bakebake (NHK), has entered the second half of the series with the new year. In the 14th week aired at the start of the year, Toki Matsuno (Takaishi) and Lefkada Heaven (Tommy Bastow, 34) pledge eternal love at Izumo Taisha. However, in Episode 70, broadcast on January 9, during the wedding party, the secrets of the Matsuno and Amashimizu families are exposed by Mr. Heaven, who hates lies.

This tense and thrilling turn of events has viewers equally excited, with many online admitting to crying uncontrollably.

At this point, attention is also focused on the writing finesse of screenwriter Mitsuhiko Fujiki.

Set in Matsue, Shimane Prefecture, during the Meiji era, the series tells a tumultuous story of a married couple navigating the transformation from Edo to Meiji Japan, seen through the eyes of the protagonist modeled on Setsu, the wife of the famed writer Lafcadio Hearn, known for his collection of ghost stories, Kwaidan.

“In Episode 70, the Matsuno family’s huge debt is revealed. Sannojou (Rihito Itagaki, 23) lied that he had become president and was receiving a monthly living allowance from Toki. Furthermore, Tae (Keiko Kitagawa, 39), revealed to be Toki’s other mother, causes total chaos between the Matsuno and Amashimizu families. Yet, after the storm, the family comes together. In the final scene, everyone yells ‘Darakusoga~’ and blows away their frustration, reaching a joyful conclusion. This extraordinary 15-minute single-shot dialogue scene has prompted viewers to call it a divine episode immediately after airing,” says a director from the production company.

Even in Episode 65, the last broadcast of the year, Fujiki’s writing shone brilliantly.

After seeing Mr. Heaven off, Toki quietly sheds tears on Matsue Ohashi Bridge upon realizing her feelings for him. A long shot in backlight, capturing the couple holding hands by the lakeside of Lake Shinji at dusk, is so cinematic that it grips viewers’ hearts.

“In scenes where the couple understands each other without words, the story is conveyed without dialogue. In the world of morning dramas, where narration has traditionally explained everything in a watching while being told style, this has driven a significant wedge,” says the aforementioned director.

But what originally brought the two closer? It was likely the moment when Toki shared ghost stories with Mr. Heaven.

Portraying Unfair Daily Life with Humor

In Week 12, Mr. Heaven awakens to ghost stories through the bittersweet tale “The Woman Buying Starch”, which speaks of a mother’s love. In “The Futon from Tottori”, Toki learns that he was married in the past. And in “The Abandoned Child Story”, he discovers Mr. Heaven’s sad childhood, abandoned by his father, bringing the two hearts much closer together.

Toki was raised listening to ghost stories from her mother Fumi (Chizuru Ikewaki, 44). Mr. Heaven, who grew up on Irish fairy tales and was drawn to mysterious stories during his days as a newspaper reporter, is similarly captivated. One might say that these ghost story scenes serve as the very love scenes where the two connect emotionally. Seeing these developments, it becomes clear that this is a world only Fujiki-san could depict—and I am surely not the only one to have noticed.

“Fujiki-san has only written two full-length drama series scripts alone: 2020’s Today’s Cat Village (TV Tokyo) and 2021’s Asagaya Sisters’ Easygoing Life (NHK). He has known Takashi Okabe (53), who plays Toki’s father Tsukinosuke, as a theater colleague for 15 years. Fujiki is also known for writing the script for Muro Tsuyoshi’s (49) stage play Muro-shiki, but until now, he was mostly known only to those in the know.

Executive producer Kunio Hashizume explained why Fujiki was chosen: ‘In today’s so-called divided society, we wanted to tell a story about ordinary people bringing warm light. This was our first time working with Fujiki-san, but we wanted him to depict the absurdities of daily life with humor. That’s why we reached out.’ I can only marvel at Hashizume’s discernment in selecting a morning drama screenwriter out of the blue,” says a producer from the production company.

Screenwriter Mitsuhiko Fujiki, showing his extraordinary writing finesse in this series, has propelled Bakebake into a new chapter. Viewers are left wondering what kind of captivating writing mastery he will deliver next. One thing is clear: it will be impossible to take your eyes off it until the very end.