Takuyafs charm
By MICHAEL CHEANG
Takuya Kimura is one hot, sexy and talented star who is every girlfs favourite in Asia.
[image]
In a land where sexy male idols are a dime a dozen, and countless fresh young faces are unveiled every other day, Takuya Kimura reigns supreme.
A member of supergroup SMAP, Takuya Kimura reigns supreme as Japanfs sexiest man.
Considered by many to be gJapanfs Sexiest Manh, the 35-year-old is perhaps currently one of the most enduring and recognisable faces in Japan.
He was recently voted as Japanfs Favourite Man for the 13th consecutive year by Japanese fashion magazine An-An, and even featured in People Magazinefs International Males: Hot Around the Globe list of sexiest men in the world, a list that is topped by Brazilian model Romulo Pires, and also includes British bad-boy singer Robbie Williams and former French international footballer Zinedine eHead Buttf Zidane.
Of course, melting womenfs hearts is not his only talent. Takuya, an accomplished TV actor with some of Japanfs highest rated TV seriesf under his belt, has appeared in films by acclaimed directors Wong Kar Wai and anime maestro Hayao Miyazaki and is also a member of arguably Japanfs biggest pop group – SMAP.
In fact, it was SMAP (which stands for Sports and Music Assemble People) that gave Takuya his initial platform to stardom. Entering showbiz in 1987 when he signed on to boy-band specialists talent agency Johnny & Associates (also known as Johnnyfs Jimusho), he was chosen to form SMAP in 1988 together with Masahiro Nakai, Goro Inagaki, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, Shingo Katori and Katsuyuki Mori (who left the group in 1996).
The group did not find it easy to get going initially. In fact, looking back, it is hard to believe that the supergroup that is now an integral part of Japanese pop culture history was practically a failure when it released its first ever single, Canft Stop!! back in 1991 (they allegedly posted the worst-ever sales figures in the history of Johnny & Associates during that period).
It is perhaps fitting that it turned out to be Takuya who played the biggest part in rescuing SMAP from obscurity in 1993 when he became an overnight sensation playing the lead role in manga-based teen drama Asunaro Hakusho.
Riding the waves of Takuyafs newfound popularity, SMAP also released its hit single $10 that year, and helped by a variety show called I Love SMAP, the guysf rise to superstardom was meteoric.
Takuyafs star continued to shine with SMAP and away from the group. In 1996, he starred in TV drama Long Vacation alongside Yamaguchi Tomoko, which was a huge hit in Japan and other Asian countries.
Around the same year, SMAP also introduced SMAP X SMAP, a weekly variety show that served as a platform for the group to let loose and do whatever they wanted on TV.
In 1999, Levis Jeans appointed Takuya as its first-ever Asian spokesperson, and he subsequently went on to star in series Beautiful Life, which increased his popularity even more throughout Japan and Asia.
Like any pop culture icon, Takuya is no stranger to controversy.
In 1997, his character in TV series Gift (who uses a switchblade as a weapon on the show) was said to be the ginspirationh for a rise in teenage crime at the time.
Then in 2000, he shocked his legion of fans when he married fellow idol Shizuka Kudo, who is two years his senior. It turned out that Shizuka was pregnant at the time with their first daughter Kokomi (The couple had a second daughter in 2003).
Nevertheless, the shotgun wedding hardly caused a ripple in Takuyafs popularity, as he subsequently scored yet another string of hit TV series like Hero, Sorakara Furu Ichiokuno Hoshi, Good Luck!! and Pride, making him one of the highest rated TV actors in Japan ever.
While it is in TV that Takuya is best known, he has also made several movies, with the most eye-catching title in his filmography so far being Wong Kar Waifs 2046. Takuya plays the Japanese boyfriend of pop diva Faye Wongfs character.
That particular movie also featured a stellar cast of other Asian superstars like Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Zhang Ziyi and Gong Li.
After that, Takuya voiced the lead character Howl in the Japanese version of Hayao Miyazakifs animation Howlfs Moving Castle, which was based on Diana Wynne-Jonesf best-selling childrenfs novel of the same name.
Takuya recently earned critical acclaim for his role of a blind samurai in Bushi no Ichibun (Love and Honour), the third instalment in a trilogy of samurai films by acclaimed director Yoji Yamada (the first two instalments were The Twilight Samurai and The Hidden Blade).
Despite all his solo ventures, Takuya remains loyal to SMAP, and still regularly hosts SMAP X SMAP.
The group released its 40th single Thanks last October, which was to commemorate the groupfs 15th anniversary.Selected Filmography (Movies):
2006 – Love and Honour
2005 – Howlfs Moving Castle (voice: Japanese version)
2004 – 2046
1995 – Kimi Wo Wasurenai (aka Fly Boys, Fly)
1994 – Shoot (with SMAP)
Selected Filmography (TV):
2004 – Pride
2003 – Good Luck!!
2002 – Sora Kra Furu Ichioku No Hoshi
2001 – Chushingura 1/47
2001 – Hero
2000 – Beautiful Life
1998 – Oda Nobunaga
1998 – A Sleeping Forest
1997 – Boku Ga Boku De Aru Tameni
1997 – Love Generation
1996 – SMAP X SMAP (TV host, with SMAP)
1996 – Long Vacation
1994 – Wakamono No Subete
1993 – Asunaro Hakusho
![[image]](http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y269/2triky/f_18takuya.jpg){kind=link}