geri_chan | Kimura Takuya--the inspiration for Katou?

In this discussion thread on the Nitta Youka BB, it was mentioned that singer/actor Kimura Takuya might be the model for Katou Youji in Haru wo Daiteita (starting around comment #6). In the afterthoughts of Book 1 of the manga, Nitta-sensei hints that Katou is modeled after a certain celebrity, but never explicitly names him. It seems that many people think that Kimutaku (the nickname given to Kimura by his fans) is a likely candidate, and I had noted the resemblance previously myself. In the above-mentioned thread, I wrote:

Haha, a long time ago I was thinking about who I would cast in a live-action version of Haru, and Kimura Takuya came to mind for Katou! His usual shoulder-length hairstyle reminds me of Katou's, although his personality seems very different, from what little I've seen of him in interviews and such--he came across to me as being very serious and soft-spoken, compared to the more exuberant and outgoing Katou. Of course, Katou shows his exuberant side more in private than in public, and I'm sure that Nitta-sensei wasn't making Katou exactly like Kimutaku (the fans' nickname for Kimura), even if he was the inspiration.

I couldn't really think of anyone offhand that really reminded me of Iwaki, though.

Kimura first rose to fame as a member of the Japanese boy band SMAP, but has also acted in a number of dramas and movies and was even nominated for a Japanese Academy Best Actor award for his role in Bushi no Ichibun (released in the US as Love and Honor, which I reviewed during last year's National Blog Posting Month. According to his Wiki entry, "he declined it because his agency, Johnny & Associates, was reluctant to have him compete with the other nominees, who are experienced film actors." The way I originally heard it, he humbly declined because he felt that he wasn't worthy of being considered along with such accomplished and experienced actors, but it makes more sense that his agency made him decline it. If that's true, I think it's kind of silly--even if he didn't win, it still seems like it would be good publicity and an honor just to be nominated. OTOH, maybe his humility makes him look good to the public--rather like my fanon portrayal of "Prince" Onozuka.

Speaking of Onozuka...Kimura starred in a drama called CHANGE, in which he played a schoolteacher named Asakura Keita who is reluctantly persuaded to run for office after his politician father and his older brother (the heir designate) are killed in a plane crash. His father's political party only intended him to be a placeholder who would keep the father's seat in the ruling party, but Keita's good looks, idealism, and naive earnestness make him incredibly popular with the public, and he is soon dubbed "the Parliament Prince" by the media. It seems like a perfect role for Onozuka! ^_^

Anyway, you can judge for yourself if Kimutaku looks like Katou: I've uploaded a couple of photos of him here and here to my Scrapbook. I chose some publicity photos from MR. BRAIN (a comedic detective drama in which he plays an eccentric neuroscientist who helps the police solve crimes) because his hair looks more Katou-like than in CHANGE--long, flowing shoulder-length locks.

Feel free to chime in with your opinion in the comments, as to whether you think Kimutaku looks like Katou or not. And can anyone think of a Japanese actor or other celebrity who would make a good Iwaki?

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I also have a couple more Haru tidbits to share: first, a beautiful new Iwaki/Katou wallpaper is available on the Nitta Youka website--see the free downloads section to grab it. And second, I recently bought volume 11 of the Haru tankoban, one of the few missing books in my collection, and it has a gorgeous color illustration of Miyasaka, Iwaki, Katou, and Onozuka with all four guys shirtless and looking so sexy that I just had to share it. I particularly like the way Onozuka is wearing a ring on the tip of his finger--it looks like a woman's ring that's too small to slide all the way down his finger. I just thought it would be a clever way to use the Prince in an advertisement for a line of women's jewelry--maybe I'll work the idea into a fic someday.