Takuya Kimura

Takuya Kimura (木村 拓哉 Kimura Takuya, born November 13, 1972, nicknamed Kimutaku (キムタク)) and the "Drama King" is a Japanese singer and actor. He is also a member of the Japanese idol group SMAP. Most of the TV dramas he starred in produced high ratings in Japan. He has become one of the most well-known and successful actors/singers/entertainers in Japan and Asia.

Biography

Early life

Born in Tokyo, Kimura lived in Minoo, Osaka Prefecture until he was six years old. Then, he lived and attended elementary school and junior high school in Chiba. His aunt sent in an application to the Johnny & Associates talent agency, which specializes in young male teen idols, and he became a member of Johnny's Juniors, a group of trainees, in 1987. Then he became one of the 12 members in a unit called "Skate Boys". Skate Boys used to be backup dancers of Hikaru Genji, which at the time was a very popular group. In 1988, SMAP was created, and he joined.

Career

The year 1993 was a breakthrough year for Kimura and SMAP. After years of starring in low-budget dramas, Kimura played a leading role in the teen drama Asunaro hakusho as Osamu Toride, a college freshman in love with a friend Narumi Sonoda. The series, based on a then-popular manga of the same name, quickly became a hit. Toride, an ordinary student, the supporting role in Asunaro hakusho made Takuya popular, even far more popular than the leading actors. The thick, black-rimmed glasses he wore in the series sold extremely well. SMAP also released their hit single "$10". In 1994, a phrase "Kimutaku Syndrome" started to be reported in some media. The term refers to a phenomenon in which some young boys copy his fashion.

Takuya Kimura (baseball)

Takuya Kimura (木村 拓也 Kimura Takuya, April 15, 1972 – April 7, 2010) was a Japanese baseball player for the Yomiuri Giants. He previously played for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp before being traded to the Giants in 2006. He played for the Giants through the 2009 season before retiring as a player, returning to the Giants for 2010 in a coaching capacity.

Kimura was born in Miyazaki, Miyazaki, Japan. He joined the Nippon-Ham Fighters from outside the amateur draft in 1990 after graduating from high school, and went on to become the leading utility player in Japanese baseball. His solid hitting, speed, and strong arm made him a valuable offensive and defensive player. He played games at every single position except pitcher, catching four games in the 1999 season. He played first base for one game in 1998. He was registered as an outfielder, but played more games in the infield in recent years. In 2004, he was recruited for the Athens Olympics for his skills as a utility player.

Takuya

Takuya is a very common male Japanese given name.

People named Takuya include:

  • Takuya Asanuma (born 1971), Japanese guitarist and former member of Judy and Mary who performs as "TAKUYA"
  • Takuya Hirai (born 1958), Japanese politician, member of the Japanese House of Representatives
  • Takuya Igarashi, Japanese anime director
  • Takuya Inoue, Japanese hentai artist
  • Takuya Jinno (born 1970), Japanese professional football (soccer) player
  • Takuya Kimura (born 1972), member of the Japanese pop vocal group, SMAP
  • Takuya Kimura (baseball) (1972–2010), baseball player
  • Takuya Kirimoto, Japanese voice actor
  • Takuya Kondo (born 1991), Japanese figure skater
  • Takuya Kurosawa (born 1962), Japanese race car driver
  • Takuya Murata, Japanese futurist
  • Takuya Onishi (born 1975), Japanese astronaut candidate from JAXA
  • Takuya Satō, Japanese script writer and anime director
  • Takuya Sugi (born 1983), Japanese professional wrestler
  • Takuya Takagi (born 1967), Japanese professional football (soccer) player and coach
  • Takuya Tasso (born 1964), Japanese politician, governor of Iwate Prefecture
  • Uverworld

    Uverworld (stylized as UVERworld) is a Japanese rock band consisting of six members and originating from Kusatsu, Shiga. They have released eight studio albums and over twenty singles, most of them being successful. They have sold two million records worldwide.

    History

    2000–2005: Beginnings and debut

    The five-member band known as Uverworld first formed in 2003, and were known as Sound Goku Road, (more popularly known as "Sangoku Road" in the independent music scene). The band originally consisted of seven members, and released Prime'03, a demo CD which ended up selling 3,000 copies. Unfortunately, two of the band members, the saxophonist Seika, and Ryohei the second-man vocalist left. After Seika's departure Ace∞Trigger renamed himself Takuya∞ and the band renamed itself Uverworld.

    According to an interview with the band there was another vocalist who left the band, however this vocalist hasn't yet been identified. It seems that this vocalist may have left the band quite some time before Seika did, as Seika is the only one of the two credited on the demo CD and pictured with very early live photos of the band pre-Uverworld.

    Takuya (singer)

    Takuya Asanuma (浅沼 拓也 Asanuma Takuya, born 9 September 1971), known better by his stage name TAKUYA, is a Japanese guitarist and record producer. He was formerly the second guitarist of Judy and Mary. He currently works as a solo artist under the name Takuya and also had a solo project called Robots which was dissolved in 2009. He was previously married to a former geisha from Gion, but they divorced in 2006. His most recent release was a duet with Aya Kamiki titled "W-B-X (W-Boiled Extreme)", the theme for Kamen Rider W.

    Discography

    Singles

  • "Koibito" (コイビト Friend, September 1, 1997)
  • "Robot" (October 29, 1997)
  • "Palette" (パレット Paretto, February 25, 1998)
  • "she-through" (May 13, 1998)
  • "Alchemist" (September 9, 1999)
  • "Irotoridori no Sekai" (イロトリドリ ノ セカイ, September 9, 1999)
  • "Jumping Jack" (November 3, 1999)
  • "Cloud Collector" (January 1, 2000)
  • Digital singles as Robots
    1. "Greatest delight" (June 18, 2006)
    2. "Kill Me Lil Bee" (キルミーリルビー Kiru Mī Riru Bī, May 28, 2007)
    3. "Zero" (December 24, 2008)
    4. "Butterfly" (バタフライ Batafurai, January 28, 2009)
  • Podcasts:

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