A Stalker's Guide: Kimura Takuya

This article was written by Elisabetta in collaboration with NinaJade82 (aka JADEEYES from DDramatards). Both authors got together to share their love for Kimura Takuya and brought you some of his best characters in one fun package! Hope you enjoy reading. ;)

"What's up with all the fuss about this guy?"

This is what you ask yourself every time you see a picture of Kimura Takuya if you're not one of his fans...yet.

We know because this is exactly what we had asked ourselves in the past. However, it all changes once you immerse yourself into one of his dramas because once you start one, you will not want to stop. Kimura Takuya is a mesmerizing actor. It’s hard to say whether it’s because of his boyish charm; manly, deep voice; expressive eyes or insane acting skills – but he has "it." What makes him such a great actor is that he is so expressive; thus, his acting always goes beyond enacting scripts. You can always feel that there is more to his characters. Perhaps it might just be his glances or mimics, but he always makes his characters seem so real, that you really start to feel for them.

Actually, I am a quite new to stalking Kimmy. Many times before when I was browsing dramas I saw his name quite often and I was always wondering – “what is all the fuss about? Isn’t he like in his 30 or 40? He doesn’t even look that great on that picture..” So I skipped his dramas, and boy what I was missing… Don’t make that mistake! Later on I tried Pride and was instantly in love with his character and the way he played him. - Elisabetta

I watched Good Luck!! just because I wanted to try something different from always stalking that pretty boy from that band, and I fell in love with Kimmy right from the moment he opened his mouth. I think it was his voice what did it for me at first, and then everything else started falling into place and making it all clear for me: this is what the fuss is all about! He is freaking awesome!! - NinaJade82

We love him so much; naturally, we thought he should be shared with all of the drama fans. And so, we bring you a...

Stalker Guide to Kimura Takuya!

Even with combined strength, we weren't able to cover all of his dramas - he has been in this business for quite a while now, but we hope it will at least get you started. ><

If you want something positive and motivational:

Good Luck!! - Shinkai Hajime

Kimura-san’s character, Shinkai Hajime, is not some kind of typical drama superman; he is not even that great of a pilot. However, you soon realize that he’s actually a really nice guy that is good at understanding other people and helping them. Even though his flying skills aren’t yet top-notch, whatever obstacles may arise, he will give it his all to keep going, because it is his lifelong dream to do this job. What can be more motivating than a story of people giving it their all to do what they love? Also, I need to say that due to my inner fan-girl, Kimura in uniform is too awesome for his own sake!
Worth noting is that all of the cast were great too. For the most part, it’s a drama about two guys stuck in the cockpit. Still, their story will really drag you in. I pretty much swallowed this drama in one go and then spent hours reading about aviation.

Engine - Jiro Kanzaki

Is it possible to connect the story of a racer in the down of his career with the story of children in an orphanage? Well, if you want to...why not; it’s a drama world!
Jiro, played by Kimura-san, is a great counterbalance to all of the kids’ drama. He always comes in at the most dramatic and inappropriate moments, and manages to dissolve the tension with his, “What are you yelling for?” Initially, he is not quite a responsible adult, but he connects well with the kids, and for that, they really like him. He is the perfect oniisan - he doesn’t seem to really care, but he will always help the kids anyway.

CHANGE - Asakura Keita

I don’t know about you, but I really loathe politics. It seems that the only thing politicians do is--well--politics, and they fail to solve actual issues. However, what would happen if you gave that power to a genuinely good and non-ambitious person? Well, in drama, it can happen.
Asakura Keita, Kimura-san's character, was pretty much dragged against his own will into the world of politics. Even so, he has a rule in which, whatever he does, he gives it his best. So, when he is chosen to be Prime Minister, although he doesn’t have the experience, he takes on the responsibility of being Prime Minister and treats every case with his full attention. He might seem naive in some moments, but he proves to be very skillful and a very dedicated leader. No wonder the public loved him and named him the "Parliamentarian Prince." Still, will he survive in this cruel world?

If you want something dramatic:

The Grand Tribe - Manpyo Teppei

This is a story that pulls you in from the get-go. The drama shows the history of how Japan became a financial and industrial powerhouse and depicts the people responsible for it.
Kimura-san plays the eldest son, Teppei, of the powerful Manpyo family. He is an admirable character, with big dreams, and makes the impossible become possible while developing the Japanese iron industry. Whether in his personal life or business life, he keeps to his moral rules, which is what brings him success. He is a really great person. I got all excited wishing him to fulfill his dream and conquer all that crap surrounding him. Where he got his moral backbone I really don’t know, because it was definitely not in his blood. The Manpyo family is the most messed-up family ever. Under the façade of being a wealthy and respected tribe, power struggles, immoral conduct, and family secrets run rampant. Building a financial and industrial empire has its costs.

One Million Stars Falling From the Sky - Ryo Katase

This is a complicated story about entangled human relations. Unfortunately, Ryo, played by Kimura, is in the center of it all. He is a really mysterious person because in one second he can change from a serious and cold face to a joyful and caring smile. While other characters are quite obvious with their emotions, you can never tell what Ryo is thinking. Does he or does he not care? Is he bad or good? Why does he do the things he does? Is he just playing with people? Kimura-san really excelled here. If you already know how charmingly he smiles, you will also learn how disturbing his cold, indifferent glances can be. Whatever Ryo’s purpose is, he is really able to stir strong feelings in other people--love, hate, jealousy, loneliness...etc. This drama is a deep study of emotions.

If you want something real:

Nankioku Tairiku - Kuromachi Takeshi

Perhaps one of the most important aspects of this drama is that it is based on a true story. To think that this man truly went through this ordeal and managed to change the lives of so many people is beyond merit.
Kimmy plays Kuromachi Takeshi, a professor at Todai, who becomes the one in charge of a sled of 19 Sakhalin Huskies for a big expedition to Antarctica. This expedition took place after the end of WWII in which Japan had fallen behind as a nation and was eager to prove its value. The dogs were not only an add-on for pure dramatic effect, but they proved to be the soul of this drama and the biggest influence in Kuromachi’s life.
While Kuromachi wanted to be part of the expedition--not as the leader of the scientists, rather, just as one of them himself--since he failed on a previous expedition due to bad judgment, he was initially left out of this one. He was later reintegrated as the dog trainer.
This drama is a tearjerker, but as much as I run from tearjerkers, I ran to this drama because of Kimura at first, and later because I learned that it was based on a true story. I love dramas that are about human values and fighting adversity with honor and courage - dramas that are not about one person but many working together as a team in which they learn to trust one another and face obstacles together with the determination to become heroes of life.
Kimura pulled me into this drama with his charming smile, natural ways of showing awkwardness as a man in love, and passion as a man with a vision and spirited character.

If you want some romance:

Pride - Halu Satonaka

It was my first drama of Kimmy, so it has a special place in my heart. Halu, at the beginning, in my eyes, seemed to be a cocky, cold guy. Well, he’s a hockey player, what would you expect? But when he opens up to Aki, and you start to see the complexity of his character - how he craves for love and how insecure he is.
What is noteworthy about Kimmy is that he’s not your typical wooden doll when it comes to love scenes, and there is no drama that proves it better than this. In spite of the simplicity of the plot (or sometimes even some unexplainable loose ends), the emotions are overflowing. There are some scenes with scarcely any dialog in them, but with such great acting, you almost feel the same emotions as the characters.

If you don’t really want romance:

HERO - Kuryu Kohei

In HERO, Kimura plays Kuryu Kohei. Kohei is a man who earned his high school GED after having dropped out of school and becoming a juvenile delinquent. Despite his doubtful past he goes on to take the Law Board Exam and becomes a self-taught public prosecutor.
Plain and simple: Kohei is odd. He has some kind of countryside/boy next door vibe going, wearing a silly bright orange bomber jacket and jean overalls. He is obsessed with home TV products. He buys whatever he sees on the Home Product channel, tries it out, and later has it stacked up in his office. While interrogating the subjects, he asks all kinds of senseless questions, and although he is fierce in his approach to bringing down justice, he is also very laid-back, doesn’t say much, and goes about his business without caring to explain much of his actions. To all of these, you add a highly clever mind and quick instincts, and you have got the offbeat Kohei that everyone tries to avoid, but will later come to understand and care for.
Characters like Colombo came to mind because of how Kohei seems to be aloof and act like he is above all, but in reality, he is more engrossed in what’s happening than you would ever know.
Kimura pulls this character off superbly. It is hard to believe how in the past, he has been labeled as a "decent actor who can only play one character." Here, if not in any other drama, he does it with such ease you will never think he is, in fact, acting and that Kohei isn’t real.
I read somewhere that the idea of having Kohei be a nut for TV products was Kimura’s own idea.

Mr. Brain - Tsukumo Ryusuke

Kimura plays Tsukumo Ryusuke, a gigolo, who suffers a freak accident from which he comes out a genius after having surgery. He not only became extremely smart but also had a change in personality and we end up with: Mr. Brain, a forensic with a peculiar personality. He helps the police department investigate and ultimately solve the most interesting (as in weird) cases.
Kimura did a great job with this character. I wouldn't say it was his best performance, but this character was different to most roles prior to this one, so perhaps it was a challenge.
The drama, being a police procedural, does not allow for much insight into the characters. Even so, there are enough perks in the drama to show us how much of an eccentric person Mr. Brain is. ;)

There are many other great dramas of Kimura Takuya that we have yet to watch. All of his apparently excellent older dramas like: Ordinary People, Beautiful Life, Long Vacation and many others. I’m just worried, that when we see his younger version, we might just fall head over heels for him. Those of you who have already seen those, please share your thoughts with us.

And if you want to keep up with his current career - did you know that he has a new drama this season?

Priceless - Kindaichi Fumio

A story about a man whose only wish throughout the day is to drink one cold beer. Yeah, you know you have to watch his story.
What could have happened to this man that the thought of having a can of cold, refreshing beer became the power that propels his ambitions? Kindaichi is the man in question played by Kimmy, and let me tell you his trouble in a few words: jobless and homeless in one day. To be honest, Kimmy’s acting, being once again “priceless” (all pun intended lol), is not the only reason why I would recommend this Kimura drama. The plot has the quirky, off-the-wall humor that, when done well--adding smart-funny dialogue and two adorkable kids - is something hard to find. So, once you hit that moment of realization, you end up asking yourself what took you so long to find it! ;)
Kimura excels as the new-found penniless guy who has to make 500 yen a day in order to earn his roof for the night. At the same time, he is trying to make an extra 300 to have that ONE beer that will potentially wash all of his worries away…er, for the day.

This great actor has more than two decades of bringing us good characters and stories through dramas and films. We hope that we’ve encouraged you to try some of Kimmy’s dramas.

One more fun fact:  Did you know that Kimura-san gave the voice to Howl in Howl’s Moving Castle? It has certainly added even more charm to that character.

On a sugar rush? Here have a doughnut ;)

If there is an actor or an actress that is worthy of a Stalker's Guide, in your opinion, and you have watched enough dramas of his/hers to prove it, please contact Elisabetta (https://mydramalist.com/profile/Elisabetta ) about it.