A Stalker's Guide to Kubozuka Yosuke

              A Stalker's Guide to Kubozuka Yosuke

Women love him both cause of his looks- he's beautiful, gorgeous, and so damn attractive, and his talent. Men love him because of his choices of roles and his acting. I love him too both cause of his acting and looks, plus I'd add that so little few actors in the world have this effect on me like he has: to make me totally glued to the screen, to steal my mind and soul every time he appears, to make me feel literally like I'm in drama or movie living the life of some character there- Yosuke with his expressive eyes, with his devilish smile, with his passionate gestures, with his crazy and lunatic moves, with his various and abnormally brilliant acting skills has that effect. 

This 36 year old guy has been in the world of acting for quite some time now. Before he landed into Japanese cinematography he was a model for some magazines and appeared in some TV commercials which is totally logical based on his sex bad boy appeal. I'm not familiar with his private life nor I'm interested in that, all I know that his first role was in GTO and that after that role he started to climb higher and higher. The one fact I know and that was so fascinating and unbelievable to me is that he fell from the balcony of his ninth-floor apartment and stayed fine and alive which is totally awesome and at the same time totally crazy, it doesn't matter whether he wanted to kill himself or it was accidentally, it matters that he stayed healthy and alive. 

I was introduced to him for the first time in drama Ikebukuro West Gate Park and when I saw the King I was instantly fascinated and fell in love, with role of Takashi he captured my heart and Takashi stayed as my all time favourite character in whole dramaland. After that my stalking has started and day after day I watched everything that I could find with him, any movie or drama. My admiration for him as an actor only grew by each of his roles, my respect for him only went higher because only the rarest ones could portray those characters like he did. He has done all kind of roles, from crazy twisted and obsessed, through angry violent and bad, to sweet romantic and in love ones, he was a delinquent, a teacher, a retard, a crazy ping pong player, boxer and a smart-ass computer kid, yet that's still not the limit to his acting. Awesome talent indeed. And that's why I love him. And I hope at least you'll have desire to see this miracle of a man in action. ;)

Apart from his great acting and looks, I love him even more cause he doesn't always choose main roles, he has so many projects where he's supporting character and even being second to lead role, he always becomes like a main one, every single time he steels the spot light and becomes the shine and glory of every drama or movie he's in putting almost everyone else behind. 

Also what is cute about him is that he's not shy about his appearance nor his pictures, he has so many crazy ones, I laughed so much while watching them and had a feeling like he's some ordinary dude from the costume party I've just attended. ;)

Anyway I'll talk first about his dramas which MUST be seen:

                     1. Long Love Letter

This is personally one of my all time dearest dramas and my favourite with Yosuke. So many emotions, so many great characters, so many tears, laughter, hope, despair, and so many feelings I experienced while watching this one. I fully recommend it to everyone because although with its flaws at the very end, the message it gives is the best message and lesson I've ever seen in dramas, and sadly so realistic. Yosuke stars as a high school teacher full of optimism, courage, desire to help and be strong, he is a teacher I wished to have back in school, he totally rocked this role, so kind and sweet. Plus he develops a  relationship with a woman played by Tokiwa Takako, they have such a great chemistry and both were amazing in their roles as adults who were trying to keep the kids calm and fight to survive. The whole plot of the drama revolves around the disappearance of a high school after an earthquake with all the students and teachers in it, who were there that day for make up class on 7th January. It is a human slice of life drama that will make you wonder where, how and why do we live on this Earth. For me it was unforgettable journey and after watching this drama I definitely wasn't the same. Plus the cast is so fantastic- Yamada Takayuki, Karina, Tsumabuki Satoshi, Ichihara Hayato, Osugi Ren, even Yamapi was great. ;)

2. Ikebukuro West Gate Park

A drama based on a novel written by Ira Ishida about delinquents and gangs, about one tough guy trying to survive, fighting to solve the murder of one of his friends without being in any gang, but in the end having to choose where he'd go and with whom he'd join hands, police detective, gang of his crazy friend from high school or the new gang. This drama is a mix of almost every genre, packed all together very well. You get to see hip-hop youth gangs fights, juvenile delinquency, prostitution, drug abuse, Yakuza, rape and murder and in all that humor and fantastic, awesome bromance are also added, it brings to it very relaxing feeling. As I already mentioned this was my first drama with Yosuke and his character here is too memorable, as the leader of gang called the King, Takashi is a real badass, smart, brave, always for fair game, so spontaneous, crazy and quirky. I've never met someone like him and Yosuke was brilliant in portraying him, I think no other actor could have done that better than Kubozuka. With big names like Watanabe Ken and Nagase Tomoya in main roles, this drama with its plot, development and controversial topics succeeded to become one of the most popular Japanese dramas going in group of cult and classic television series.

3. Lipstick

I cannot explain how much I love this drama. First of all I loved the dark atmosphere of it, second I loved the music and third the cast and characters- simply outstanding. I have to admit I started it not because of Yosuke, I didn't even know that he was in it. I started this drama because of the male lead Mikami Hiroshi, an actor, who is in my opinion, is so underrated. He is an actor who can give you the most powerful performance, he is the best of the best when it comes to portraying difficult, tormented, tragic serious roles, I'd give him an award for his performance in Kono yo no Hate. So when I saw that Yosuke is here I was happy, although he wasn't a lead, he gave a strong performance as much as the two leads gave. I enjoyed how in his scenes, he was twisted, obsessed and dangerously intelligent, at moments I got scared from the look in his eyes, he was that amazing. In the center of the story is one girl played by Hirosue Ryoko (she was fantastic here and I love this actress so much, I don't get why many people can't stand her, she is at least for me one of the best out there) who because of a small crime arrives in prison for juvenile delinquents and there she meets and befriends some girls and falls in love with a warden who himself has his own demons and secrets. I really really loved the whole atmosphere of this drama with tormented souls, their dark pasts, crazy lunatics, tragic happenings, in these kind of dramas I enjoy the most. Somehow I found it very artistic, poetic and the romance part was also very appealing to me.

4. Strawberry on the Shortcake

With friendship as the main theme here, this drama deals with young people trying to figure who they are and what they want to achieve in their lives after high school. There are lots of romance, couples, unrequited love, forbidden love, passionate love. I quite enjoyed this drama, I liked the cast, Hideaki and Kyoko were satisfying and decent in their portrayal, but the highlight and magnificent one was of course Yosuke. Once again being the side character but putting everyone else behind, he was superb, his character was so real, so natural, so damn attractive with the best lines, he gave me goosebumps while saying all those wonderful and powerful sentences. If you still haven't fallen in love with him, you're gonna go crazy after seeing him here, whether you're a guy or a girl. ;)

5. GTO

This was Yosuke's breakthrough role, he was a real high school kid back then so his performance of computer sarcastic smart kid was even more believable and realistic. GTO is a true classic of Japanese television, it became the most popular school drama even in other countries and the cast is one of the best, at that time the two main leads were the most recognizable actors. Sorimachi as an unconventional teacher who is the leader of a motorcycle gang was incredible, you could easily feel his passion for teaching and although going through many difficulties he finally become a teacher whom students loved and respected and totally accepted his weird, spontaneous way of teaching. Whereas Nanako was the total opposite of his style of living and teaching but gradually becoming more close in mutual desire to help and teach children. I've seen lots of better dramas with more serious topics but this one really stayed with me as warm, funny and close to my heart drama, one of the first I've seen.

And movies, he's more of a movie actor which I totally respect and like even more. Movies that I'd put right on my list are: 

  1. Monsters Club

This is definitely one of the weirdest and strangest movies I've ever seen and definitely isn't for everyone. I read that many didn't like it and many even hated it. but for me this movie is a masterpiece. I experienced it in such a powerful way, with very strong emotions, Eita and Yosuke are my all time favourite actors, and words CAN NOT describe their brilliance. I loved their interactions in this movie and sentences which engraved in my heart forever. They play brothers, where one of them is dead, and the other one sees him, while watching the movie you won't be sure who's alive and who's not, what is a dream and what not but at the end everything is revealed. I seriously think that this movie has the best script and lines, and the art, too powerful to say. That's what captured me and both of them have to play in some drama together, it is a crime against world's cinematography and television not let these two star together once again. ♥

2. Go

Two words: FREAKING GREAT. I was mesmerized and blown away by Yosuke's acting. I was so deep into the story and so deep into two of them, he and Shibasaki, are just too damn hot and had incredible chemistry. They really convinced me of their characters as if they were right in front of me. Being born in Japan from Korean parents, Sugihara has to live as half Japanese, half Korean and when he comes to regular Japanese highs school that's where his problems begin. Skilled in fights and being a real badass but falling in love with Japanese girl, he has to find his own way of dealing with all this. One thing is sure, this movie won't let you stay silent for a second, it's romantic and sweet and at the same time brutal and cruel. Yosuke won an award for this movie, I can see why, the guy damn rocks it, what a grand talent indeed. 

3. Tokyo Tribe

This has to be in top 5 the most quirkiest movies I've ever watched. Combination of hip hop, comedy, bloody gory, action, and with the weirdest characters ever. Its uniqueness has won me and it become one of my all time favourite movies. It's not for everybody but for those who like something different and crazy, you're gonna love this. Yosuke plays such a freaking odd and original character, he made me burst out laughing, he and Suzuki- are the perfect combination. I think I could watch them all day long, such fantastic actors who can deliver magnificent performance and play any kind of role. Tokyo Tribe, is a movie about different tribes, about their leaders where some want to have peace and non violence, where others want blood. The music is awesome, everybody's singing rap and hip hop songs, even grandma, so freaking cool. 

4. Helter Skelter

I found this movie actually very real despite its supernatural effects, horror and crazy colours. It's about a supermodel who's wish is to be beautiful forever and never age, so she underwent full body plastic surgery. But when her body begins to break down as the effects of treatment, the whole twisted story starts. Erika was so amazing, her portrayal of a desperate woman who wanted to be loved is simply incredible, I enjoyed her performance very much. And her and Kubozuka had outstanding chemistry, I wonder how awesome it'd be seeing the two of them again in some romance drama or movie but with dark atmosphere, both are made for that. In the end Helter Skelter left me thinking and wondering about the world of plastic surgery and famous people who do that more and more. That if one day we, or their close friends/family won't be able to recognize them from all the surgeries they had. Quite an interesting movie, if you ask me. 

5. Ping Pong

A story about two friends learning to play ping pong. It is about two friends with opposite personality who in their process of learning the game go through many problems and obstacles, and finally become the best players, but also rivals. Very inspiring movie about dreams, hope, fight, despair and ultimate friendship. I loved it. From the beginning till the end. Every second of it. I think this is my dearest movie about a sport. Yosuke was outstanding as always, how he played Peco, a weird tough kid who had to fight to make his comeback in the world of ping pong, he was really so great and he had great chemistry with Iura Arata.

6. Laundry

Playing a mentally disabled man, who had an accident when he was small which left him with impaired intellectual to the point that he can no longer see the difference between his fantasies and the real world. He meets a young woman played by Kato Koyuki and falls for her. This is actually one of the rarest Yosuke's roles where he plays a sweet, romantic kind of guy, one of his rare romance movies. Of course he couldn't be normal in this one too, so he had to play some non ordinary character. But he was so so sweet in this movies, I can say that I fell in love with him, his gestures, his smile, in Laundry you get to see so many times Yosuke's smile, wonderful. Once again he delivered fantastic acting and without him the movie would be so ordinary and boring, but he made it so alive and full of sweetness. 

- Himizu- i loved this movie, well as a fan of Sion Sono it'd be strange that I didn't. Very intelligent, personally my favourite Sono's movie beside Love Exposure. The cast is beyond brilliant, Shota and Fumi were amazing, Yosuke had a minor role but I liked his interactions with the others. Himizu is a movie definitely worth seeing. 

- Love’s Whirlpool, is a mature movie with lots of sex and nudity, Yosuke plays a shop assistant and of course has some crazy sentences, you gotta love him. Nothing special about this movie actually but I kinda wanted to see him even for a second, I miss the man. 

- Ichi, seeing Kubozuka in a historical role was pretty amusing and I'd love to see him more in a historical drama. I liked how he handled this role too and somehow I could see him play a villain in historical movie. Entertaining movie with lot of action and the choice of actors is good. 

- Sanbun no Ichi, again Yosuke with his quirkiness, I don't get how other actors got main roles and he only got a supporting role but once again he stole the show and for me was the only thing that kept me watching this movie till the end. Crime mixed with comedy, action and typical happenings in these kind of movies but Kubozuka made it less boring and more fun. 

He played in a few more movies but some of them I haven't seen yet, couldn't find them, and some of them I didn't mention cause they're not worth mentioning. 

Anyway I think this is enough for starting a journey and going to adventure with an actor who makes the world of cinematography more interesting and of better quality.

After the incident where he fell from the ninth floor he stopped acting in dramas, as I read in the news, but he has become a musician, reggae artist called Manji LINE and I must say he's really great, I love his songs and genre, also his videos are pretty original, well nothing less then what I'd expect from him. :P

Some of his songs that I really like have such great vibe, actually I love most of his songs, they simply make you wanna dance and smile:

As you could see he is a multi talented guy who knows exactly what he wants to do, and he's doing it amazingly. Controversial yet secretive, sexy as hell yet sensual, bad boy style yet charismatic, talkative yet shy, Kubozuka Yosuke is simply a man full of mystery, uniqueness and talent, either you like him or not he's gonna make his mark in your heart. In mine he is very close to be number one. ♥

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 KatelynJaynea about it.