This is a reply to a member below, who doesn't find Kimutaku's face or figure "objectively hot". Since in my opinion he's the sexiest Japanese actor ever, I'm taking the chance to talk a lot about him and his accomplishments 😍
Kimutaku is regarded as a Japanese "icon" for his looks, acting, musical career, and being the longest “idol” in Japan (16 years in a row since he was 19). Due to his fame he’s been been ambassador for a lot of brands, now including McDonalds and Nissan.
1. Let’s talk about his sexiness and handsomeness.
In 1994, men in Japan started copying his fashion and style and what he wore became instant hits. The phenomenon was collectively called the "Kimutaku syndrome". Then in 1996 after the drama Long Vacation became such a massive success that created a social phenomenon called the "Lon-bake phenomenon" where "all women disappear from the city on Mondays" (to watch the drama), he became the hottest and sexiest Japanese in the country and abroad, for a long, long time. In 2012 Oricon Style asked 500 Japanese “men” from 16 to 48 years old, who they thought was “The most handsome Japanese men”, and Kimutaku ranked #3.
And still today in lists with guys who are half his age: #3 “Most Handome and Talented” (BrandedGirl April 2022) – #1 “The most beautiful Japanese in the world” (Coppershop March 2020) – #8 “The hottest Japanese men” (Reelrundown 2022) – #13 “The most handsome Japanese actors” (BestofLists March 2021) – #10 “10 Japanese actors you should be swooning over right now” (the ultimate ikemen, Philstarlife).
2. Let’s talk about his acting.
He’s a living legend, not just because since 1994 until last year 2021 he has won 46 awards out of 50 nominations, but because no one else in Japan has ever achieved his rating success. In 1996 he was named "The King of Ratings" as his tv series got the highest viewership and each one of them became a “social phenomenon” when they were airing. To date, he has been the lead in 8 of the top 10 most viewed series in Japanese history (the first top 7 and the 10th place). Some other of his dramas have ranked top in their broadcast years. And he also starred in blockbusters films (Love and Honor, Hero). There's a very good article “The phenomenon That Is Kimura Takuya” that explains how he became such a big star and acting household name in Japan.
3. Let’s talk about his musical career.
Kimutaku was one of the lead singers of SMAP, which took the Japanese music by storm and became one of the most successful boy bands in Asia. It dominated the Japanese pop culture since it was founded (1991) and won many awards including the year they disbanded (2016).
The band is often referred to as "national treasure".: It released 55 singles, all of them went to "top 10" in the charts and 22 of them were "consecutive #1 singles". 24 of their 27 albums were “top 10 albums" and 14 of these were “#1 albums”. "The One and Only Flower in the World" (2003) is the #1 bestselling single in the 21st century and the third bestselling single in Japanese history. It has become the most recognized song in Japan as it appears in school books and children are taught to learn the song. Four other bestselling singles have also become the most popular there. The band has sold 38 million records in Japan alone so far. It also held live concerts every year (except 2004).
In 1996, SMAP launched their weekly variety show which became one of the most famous tv shows in Japan. It ranked No. 1 in the annual household ratings in 1996, 1997, 1999-2002, 2006, and 2016 making it the most watched tv show in Japan. One episode aired in January 2002 is ranked 7 for the most watched in Japanese history. The show is also the 8th longest-running in Japan (20 years in a row).
He's such a hot, sexy, talented and family-man guy ❤️💕❤️
Actually, this was based on a novel, which shows they get married and have kids. The reason the drama doesn't…
It's not a filler but the connecting plot for both the reason why Jie Li's father frees Rong Hao and the character background of Jie Li, who is the girl in the third love story.
It goes without saying that 30,000+ ratings (which popular dramas have) are more trustworthy than 1000 ratings.…
I truly believe that people should do a little research before commenting. First, this website is only for Asian dramas. Second, this is a poll, not an "editorial" article or a recommendation list, and in this community we respect the votes of our members. Third, you don't know the composition of MDL members to state that the results of this poll, or the ratings in MDL are slanted because MDL got a lot of members in the past 2 years. In the top MDL, there are plenty of dramas older than 7 years (1 Litre no Namida, Healer, Reply 1988, Nirvana in Fire, Signal, Goblin, etc). And everyone has different tastes; what you consider a 'classic', for others may be just a good drama. Finally, The Untamed obtained a total of 43 awards and 32 nominations. Moreover, (i) it has a rating of 7.7 in Douban (the Chinese film and tv rating website), which is considered high and which was given by 1.7 million people (also a big number in Douban); (ii) a rating of 8.8 in imdb, the largest film and tv rating website in the US; (iii) the highest rating in Viki website (9.8) given by 64 thousand international users; and (iv), a 9 rating by 37 thousand MDL members (from 13 to 65+ years old). None of this has anything to do with "strongholds".
Just read that on Weibo there were 1800 hot search topics related to this drama with 26 billion views, the topic with the drama's title #蓝兰诀# alone had 16 million discussions and 17 billion views. It also ranked 1 in viewership (24%) and in the drama lists of Baidu, Guduo, Maoyan, Vlinkage, Detawen, Yien, and Dengta. In TikTok was also top 1 in dramas, the main topics viewed 10 billion plus 800 hot searches. As for Dylan, he had a cumulative exposure on Weibo of more than 20 billion, a V index of 96.5 points for entertainment, 14 billion views on related topics, and 3.98 million discussions. New terms have been born (and used also by international viewers) like 'Jue people' suffering from 'Jue syndrome', the 'Jueren', and 'Jue Digging Machine' talking about little details (the statue opening her eyes, the moons in FL hair, etc).
I’m considering a theory about the pattern of abrupt endings. If we actually witness the “end” of their…
Actually, this was based on a novel, which shows they get married and have kids. The reason the drama doesn't show this, is because, as many articles by critics have pointed out, one of the factors that made this drama such a success in china and abroad, is "no fillers", "no redundancy", but a compact story focused on character development and various kinds of love (a hero who didn't sacrifice the heroine as in other xanxias for the good of everybody, personal love, friends love). By the final episode we already know that when he comes back he'll continue to be the moon supreme, and we have already foreshadowed their marriage life when he dreamed about it. The foreshadowing, which was key to the drama success, continued until the end: Orchid nurtured his return under the crown she made for their wedding, implying they'll marry. Extra info: The novel says he's more immortal/stronger than the others and his soul cannot be destroyed, that's why he didn't die and only be held in Haotian Tower, why his spirit didn't need to be extracted as it was with orchid or shidi, and why it only took 500 years for him to come back.
She never became the Moon Queen because she never married the ML. She died as the goddess and was reborn as the…
Yes, they were acknowledging her as moon queen due to her showing her love and strength, all assuming they'd get married as the ML announced to everybody, but they still needed to get married to be official.
yeahh i feel the same. It kinda fell short for me after FL's sacrifice. I was expecting some really heart-wrenching…
Both the producer and scriptwriter strictly followed the character development (and were praised by many critics for this). Besides the fact that it would have been against the original novel, this drama is a "no splitting blood every few episodes-no weak hero-no bland hero" which it has been pointed out all over the web as the main key success factor of this drama.
Ok...So Orchid becomes the Moon Queen, then dies and is then the Godess. In the end scene, DFQC comes back.So…
She never became the Moon Queen because she never married the ML. She died as the goddess and was reborn as the goddess. As a goddess, she almost married Changheng, but that marriage could not be completed either.
As I said in another comment, LBFAD raised the bar in many aspects, that's why it's called in china the dark horse…
(i) I've seen comments with subtle swearing (hot AF, sh*t) but most users don't swear. Going by the ratings stats, I believe the majority of the members are younger than 24 years old (zoomers or gen Z) followed by millenials or gen-y. You'll get the gist of it if you read the chats, but if you're new I sincerely advise that after watching a drama/film, you go to the reviews section and find those similar to your opinion, and start collecting users names to guide you in the future, instead of only the chats comments.
(ii) Things I've noted: Many members who are very helpful and sweet. I think there are quite enough members who'll get the dark humor. I haven't perceived conservatism so far. There's a strong dislike of cheating even if the main lead's partner is a sob or the lead fell in love unknowingly. And I often read angry replies when someone refutes what the original poster said (for example, member A said the drama was boring, member B refutes, then member A gets angry, or a new member C gets angry on behalf of member A or of member B), but maybe I've read the wrong posts or there were from the few hard-die fans we have. It doesn't bother me, I'm older, frequent traveler, and in the finance sector for so long that I got a lot of patience for any situation lol
Glad this voting project is useful for you as well! I read an article recently commenting the increasing popularity…
I can't say about 'mini-web series' because I've only watched 2 of them. But if you're referring to online series, then I should note that they are not 'web' . This is (in my opinion) something to be considered in MDL, because the "release channel" is not a characteristic to separate them from a TV series. Since several years ago, online streaming is considered another media channel, and more so since the surge of digital home streaming through smart TVs. You can release a film in a theater, or directly in a blueray, or in a film festival, or on the distributing company's "online channels" (disney, netflix, tencent, etc). The only difference is in distribution. The same for series. The key aspects (pre-production, production, casting, filming-directing, editing, post-production) are the same as if they were to be released in a TV channel. Distribution is not a factor in differentiating series from misi-series. For example, The Love Equations is considered a TV series (not a web or mini series) in imdb, which is the largest pro website that follows the guidelines of the various guilds in the US. ❤️ As to my memorable ones, in my list here in MDL, all I rated 9 and higher are my re-watchable, plus 2 that I rated 8.5 (One Spring Night, and Tomorrow With You). I have a rating system, but I don't have to like a drama 100% to be memorable for me, as I said, only the feelings I remember from them (i.e., they made me laugh, very happy, meditate, melted my heart, stopped it due to suspense, couldn't stopped watching for a second, etc). Nothing sad. I don't like sad endings, I think life's too short to also suffer from fictional situations. ❤️
Thank you so much for this voting project! I didn't know, so I'll follow up for the next time. I've also pondered why I've been watching more C-dramas in the past year (I loved my latest, LBFaD). I think it's because of their pace (in my opinion, they're faster in plot speed), most of them are light entertainment (we're all living under a lot of stress lol), there are more new releases (of course, 1.4 billion people...), varied genres and some not easily found in other Asian dramas (sports, xanxia, school/college) and almost always have english subtitles. However, when it comes to the most memorable ones for me, my personal "keepers", most of them are K-dramas, because of their originality and the emotions they left in me after watching them.
If not for the other characters occupying a lot of airtime I would give this a 10. the ending was nicely wrapped…
You should watch Love Between Fairy and Devil, it took the world by storm and long after it ended, there are still hundreds of online threads about it.
1 
Kimutaku is regarded as a Japanese "icon" for his looks, acting, musical career, and being the longest “idol” in Japan (16 years in a row since he was 19). Due to his fame he’s been been ambassador for a lot of brands, now including McDonalds and Nissan.
1. Let’s talk about his sexiness and handsomeness.
In 1994, men in Japan started copying his fashion and style and what he wore became instant hits. The phenomenon was collectively called the "Kimutaku syndrome". Then in 1996 after the drama Long Vacation became such a massive success that created a social phenomenon called the "Lon-bake phenomenon" where "all women disappear from the city on Mondays" (to watch the drama), he became the hottest and sexiest Japanese in the country and abroad, for a long, long time. In 2012 Oricon Style asked 500 Japanese “men” from 16 to 48 years old, who they thought was “The most handsome Japanese men”, and Kimutaku ranked #3.
And still today in lists with guys who are half his age: #3 “Most Handome and Talented” (BrandedGirl April 2022) – #1 “The most beautiful Japanese in the world” (Coppershop March 2020) – #8 “The hottest Japanese men” (Reelrundown 2022) – #13 “The most handsome Japanese actors” (BestofLists March 2021) – #10 “10 Japanese actors you should be swooning over right now” (the ultimate ikemen, Philstarlife).
2. Let’s talk about his acting.
He’s a living legend, not just because since 1994 until last year 2021 he has won 46 awards out of 50 nominations, but because no one else in Japan has ever achieved his rating success. In 1996 he was named "The King of Ratings" as his tv series got the highest viewership and each one of them became a “social phenomenon” when they were airing. To date, he has been the lead in 8 of the top 10 most viewed series in Japanese history (the first top 7 and the 10th place). Some other of his dramas have ranked top in their broadcast years. And he also starred in blockbusters films (Love and Honor, Hero). There's a very good article “The phenomenon That Is Kimura Takuya” that explains how he became such a big star and acting household name in Japan.
3. Let’s talk about his musical career.
Kimutaku was one of the lead singers of SMAP, which took the Japanese music by storm and became one of the most successful boy bands in Asia. It dominated the Japanese pop culture since it was founded (1991) and won many awards including the year they disbanded (2016).
The band is often referred to as "national treasure".: It released 55 singles, all of them went to "top 10" in the charts and 22 of them were "consecutive #1 singles". 24 of their 27 albums were “top 10 albums" and 14 of these were “#1 albums”. "The One and Only Flower in the World" (2003) is the #1 bestselling single in the 21st century and the third bestselling single in Japanese history. It has become the most recognized song in Japan as it appears in school books and children are taught to learn the song. Four other bestselling singles have also become the most popular there. The band has sold 38 million records in Japan alone so far. It also held live concerts every year (except 2004).
In 1996, SMAP launched their weekly variety show which became one of the most famous tv shows in Japan. It ranked No. 1 in the annual household ratings in 1996, 1997, 1999-2002, 2006, and 2016 making it the most watched tv show in Japan. One episode aired in January 2002 is ranked 7 for the most watched in Japanese history. The show is also the 8th longest-running in Japan (20 years in a row).
He's such a hot, sexy, talented and family-man guy ❤️💕❤️
Second, this is a poll, not an "editorial" article or a recommendation list, and in this community we respect the votes of our members.
Third, you don't know the composition of MDL members to state that the results of this poll, or the ratings in MDL are slanted because MDL got a lot of members in the past 2 years. In the top MDL, there are plenty of dramas older than 7 years (1 Litre no Namida, Healer, Reply 1988, Nirvana in Fire, Signal, Goblin, etc). And everyone has different tastes; what you consider a 'classic', for others may be just a good drama.
Finally, The Untamed obtained a total of 43 awards and 32 nominations. Moreover, (i) it has a rating of 7.7 in Douban (the Chinese film and tv rating website), which is considered high and which was given by 1.7 million people (also a big number in Douban); (ii) a rating of 8.8 in imdb, the largest film and tv rating website in the US; (iii) the highest rating in Viki website (9.8) given by 64 thousand international users; and (iv), a 9 rating by 37 thousand MDL members (from 13 to 65+ years old). None of this has anything to do with "strongholds".
The foreshadowing, which was key to the drama success, continued until the end: Orchid nurtured his return under the crown she made for their wedding, implying they'll marry. Extra info: The novel says he's more immortal/stronger than the others and his soul cannot be destroyed, that's why he didn't die and only be held in Haotian Tower, why his spirit didn't need to be extracted as it was with orchid or shidi, and why it only took 500 years for him to come back.
https://twitter.com/WangHeDiFans/status/1579117663464222720
(ii) Things I've noted: Many members who are very helpful and sweet. I think there are quite enough members who'll get the dark humor. I haven't perceived conservatism so far. There's a strong dislike of cheating even if the main lead's partner is a sob or the lead fell in love unknowingly. And I often read angry replies when someone refutes what the original poster said (for example, member A said the drama was boring, member B refutes, then member A gets angry, or a new member C gets angry on behalf of member A or of member B), but maybe I've read the wrong posts or there were from the few hard-die fans we have. It doesn't bother me, I'm older, frequent traveler, and in the finance sector for so long that I got a lot of patience for any situation lol