Ken Watanabe

Ken Watanabe became interested in acting at the age of 24 when a director of England’s National Theatre Company told him that acting was his special gift. The Last Samurai was the movie that introduced him to Western audiences. Ken here has been in tons of movies and I imagine that most Americans would recognize his name, or at least his face. Out of the three actors here, I’d say Ken Watanabe would be regarded as the most well known and famous.

Check him out on IMDB.

Ken Watanabe’s Best Japanese Movie

Ken Watanabe has been in a lot of movies, but I think Tampopo has to take the cake for his best Japanese one. This movie is so great that Koichi even did a full write up of it in his post Tampopo: The Movie That Teaches Us About Living Life Via Ramen & Food. And that’s really what it does. Koichi thinks it’s one of the greatest movies ever made. I’m not arguing with him.

Ken Watanabe’s Best American Movie

Letters From Iwo Jima is a phenomenal movie. It’s directed by Clint Eastwood and even has Kazunari Ninomiya from the pop group Arashi in it. Ken Watanabe has also been in Inception and The Last Samurai, both excellent movies in their own right. However, I have to give this one to Letters From Iwo Jima. This movie is fantastic and you owe it to yourself to check it out.

Hiroyuki Sanada

Hiroyuki Sanada first became famous as an action star for his role in The Shogun’s Samurai in 1978. He started his career doing mostly action pieces but now is known as one of the most talented actors in Japan. He’s been in lots of movies but as far as American movies go, he’s yet to really star in one. So far he’s mostly been in supporting roles, but I hope to see this change over time. He’s a great actor and definitely deserves a bit more of the spotlight in my opinion.

Check him out on IMDB.

Hiroyuki Sanada’s Best Japanese Movie

Admittedly, I’ve yet to see The Twilight Samurai. However, it is on my list. I really need to get around to it. Everything I’ve seen and heard concerning the film sounds promising. The film has plenty of drama and action, and if you want to read more about how great it is, check it out over on RottenTomatoes.com.

Hiroyuki Sanada’s Best English Language Movie

Okay, so you don’t actually see Hiroyuki Sanada in this trailer, but I promise you, he is in the movie. Also, I say “English language” for this one since this movie is British, but if you didn’t know you’d probably just figure it was a Hollywood movie, so it’s no big deal.

Anyway, Sunshine is great. Seeing this movie on a huge screen with a nice sound system is truly an experience. Even just writing this and looking up the trailer for the movie makes me want to go and watch it again. Hiroyuki Sanada has also been in The Last Samurai, Speed Racer, and Rush Hour 3, but I think Sunshine is definitely the best out of the bunch. The Last Samurai is a close second though.

Tadanobu Asano

Tadanobu Asano is awesome. Described by some as a cross between Johnny Depp and Toshiro Mifune, people say he’s the hippest, if not the single most important, Japanese film actor working today. I will not argue with these people.

Tadanobu Asano is one of those actors that I just love to watch. I feel like many people feel that way about Johnny Depp, so I can really understand the parallels there. I’ve seen him in tons of movies and he never disappoints. He’s slowly working his way into American movies and I can’t wait for him to get bigger and better roles.

Check him out on IMDB.

Tadanobu Asano’s Best Japanese Movie

Not only is Survive Style 5+ the best Japanese movie that Tadanobu Asano has been in, it’s just the best Japanese movie in all of the ever. I wrote about the movie before in my Top 10 Strange Japanese Films You Need to Watch post, and the movie also starts Abe Hiroshi, one of my all time favorite J-drama actors. No need for plot summary here, I think the trailer pretty much speaks for itself. You have to watch this movie.

Tadanobu Asano’s Best American Movie

Tadanobu Asano is barely in this trailer twice and he doesn’t play a huge part in the movie, but still, he’s in Thor. Tadanobu Asano has yet to have a really big role in an English speaking film, but he’s getting there. He was in Battleship (which was just awful, I’ve heard) and he will return in Thor 2. Hopefully he’ll get more screen time in the second one. I was so excited when I saw him on screen when watching Thor. I had no idea he was in it beforehand so I was really excited to find out that he was. I was happy for him. Tadanobu Asano is awesome.

So tell me, who is your favorite Japanese movie star? Have they broken out into the international movie scene yet? What do you think of the three listed above? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Karina

Karina is a model and an actress and has also been in three of my favorite J-Dramas. She usually plays a sort of no-nonsense woman, usually with a bit of a tomboyish attitude. She’s a very strong female character and always excels at any role she plays. I’m currently watching her in the show PRICELESS where she co-stars alongside Kimura Takuya (see below).

Best Drama She’s Been In: Watashi ga Renai Dekinai Riyuu
For more information and a list of all the shows she’s been in, check her out on DramaWiki.

Abe Hiroshi

Abe Hiroshi. My dude. Even when he ends up in a show or a movie that isn’t that great, I still enjoy watching just because he’s in it. He just has a way of talking and carrying himself that makes everything so interesting. He stars in my all time favorite Japanese drama (Kekkon Dekinai Otoko) as well as my all time favorite Japanese movie (Survive Style 5+). He’s a pretty awesome guy.

Best Drama He’s Been In: Kekkon Dekinai Otoko
For more information and a list of all the shows he’s been in, check him out on DramaWiki.

Aragaki Yui

Aragaki Yui is adorable. She doesn’t always find herself in the best roles in dramas, but she’s managed to make it into two of my all time favorites. She is hilarious to watch, and when she has a good character to play, she does a really great job of it. I think she does best in roles where she plays a high schooler. The stuff I’ve seen where she plays someone older just isn’t as good in my opinion.

Best Drama She’s Been In: Papa to Musume no Nanokakan
For more information and a list of all the shows she’s been in, check her out on DramaWiki.

Yamashita Tomohisa

Yamapi here is another actor that’s in a ton of great shows. He’s been in two of my top favorites, and he’s been in at least one “classic” J-Drama that I’ve unfortunately not gotten around to watching yet. He’s always fun to watch, and he co-stars alongside Kitagawa Keiko in the excellent J-Drama Buzzer Beat.

Best Drama He’s Been In: Proposal Daisakusen
For more information and a list of all the shows he’s been in, check him out on DramaWiki.

Kitagawa Keiko

Kitagawa Keiko is really pretty. Along with Buzzer Beat, she’s also been in a great drama called Tsuki no Koibito where she co-starred alongside Kimura Takuya. She played very different roles in these two shows, but she played each equally as well. She’s also been in a decent amount of movies and just recently stared in a J-Drama alongside Gackt. The show is called Akumu-chan and I’m really looking forward to checking it out.

Best Drama She’s Been In: Buzzer Beat
For more information and a list of all the shows she’s been in, check her out on DramaWiki.

Nagase Tomoya

Nagase Tomoya is hilarious. Without him, My Boss My Hero would just not have been the same. Since this was the first show I saw him in, I really have trouble seeing him play anything else, but he really is a talented actor. Apparently he sings too, but I’ve never looked up any of his stuff. Aragaki Yui was his love interest in My Boss My Hero, and they had many hilarious scenes together.

Best Drama He’s Been In: My Boss My Hero
For more information and a list of all the shows he’s been in, check him out on DramaWiki.

Kuninaka Ryoko

I’ve actually only seen Kuninaka Ryoko in one show. Kekkon Dekinai Otoko. But I just thought she did such a good job with it. Maybe it was just the character she was playing in it that made her so enjoyable. Or maybe it was the awkwardly cute pug that she had in the show. I dunno. If you have any other suggestions for dramas she’s been in, please let me know.

Best Drama She’s Been In: Kekkon Dekinai Otoko
For more information and a list of all the shows she’s been in, check her out on DramaWiki.

Kimura Takuya

Kimura Takuya is like a magic man. He’s been in so many good shows and so many of them are rated way higher than your run of the mill J-Drama. I consider a viewership rating of 13% and up to be pretty good – Kimura Takuya’s shows are more often than not 20% and above. Either he makes the shows so much better than they normally would be, or he just really knows what roles to choose. Either way, he’s a great actor and definitely deserves all the fame and recognition he’s gained.

Kimura Takuya is also in tons of commercials, and he’s a member of the pop group SMAP. He really does it all. He’s even a licensed hairdresser. Along with Karina, he stars in a show called PRICELESS. This is the drama I’m currently watching, and so far it doesn’t disappoint. Hopefully it stays good enough for me to see it all the way to the end.

Best Drama He’s Been In: Pride
For more information and a list of all the shows he’s been in, check him out on DramaWiki.

So tell me, who’s your favorite J-Drama actor/actress? Whats your favorite show that they’ve been in? Share your recommendations down in the comments!