ギフト / Gift

GIFT

1997 11-episode, Fuji-TV comedy/thriller of sorts that starred (drumroll please) Kimura Takuya as Yukio/Takehiro - a hot dude with long, sexy hair he wears back in a ponytail while delivering things to clients, and then when the job is done, he removes the band to let the glorious mane fly free ^^;

I couldn't find a decent image of this drama to post here, so I found a pic of him from around that time period (he looks pretty much that way in the show).

At the start, the theme song took me by surprise when I heard Bryan Ferry & Roxy Music doing Tokyo Joe - nice touch!

But, then I began to resent the way, too long intro ten minutes into every episode but the last.
Also had viewing issues with this one at aznv.tv, which forced me to risk a computer virus having to watch this at disgustingly scary dramacrazy.net.

Pop-up paradise that website, and ad-laden to the hilt, too!

Every five, danged minutes (your movie will appear in 30, 29, 28 ...)

EF YOU!

I hate having to abandon aznv.tv, but for KimuTaku, I'll do anything  (*^.^*)

Anyway, if you haven't seen this one, or you've forgotten what it was about after all these years (LOL) - the story begins when a woman who's just stolen billions from some research facility is tracking down her boyfriend, who appears to have absconded with the loot.

When she arrives at his place, she follows a trail of blood to his room, opens a closet door, and out falls a naked and badly beaten (damn, that guys got amazing skin, huh?) Yukio, who now has amnesia and can't remember anything about his past, including his own name.

She takes him in and gives him the delivery job, all the while hoping he'll get his memory back and tell her where her long-lost lover has run away to, but 3 years pass where Yukio can't recall a thing still.

Each episode has him delivering a new and interesting item to a new and interesting character, but it isn't until the very end that we realize what each of those encounters is supposed to mean to Takehiro (his real name).

Someone at aznv.tv wrote a totally snarky comment about this being Japans sleazy way of offering soft-core to Take-kun's adoring fans, and as per usual, I couldn't DISagree more.

Yes, he was shown in black briefs and falling out of that closet numerous times, but c'mon now - do you honestly believe that was ALL they were trying to convey?

Grow up and get a life.

I know it's old news, and I know everyone is like WAY over him now, but ....... I LOVE THIS GUY!

Still haven't heard him sing, yet, though.

Anyway, Yukio eventually gains back his memory, and it isn't pretty what he discovers about his past, but the ending is a good one!

Here's a brief article I found while searching for a decent image of the drama, and I think you'll get a kick out of what he has to say.

Takuya Kimura
Written by Jack Herbert
The sexiest man in Asia
Takuya Kimura Actor/singer/TV star Takuya Kimura, popularly known as "Kimutaku", is a member of pop-group SMAP and Japan's biggest male star. He is regularly voted Asia's best-looking man and is a major sex-symbol in Asian gay culture.

However, he is an atypical heart-throb. In his frequent acting roles, he performs his own stunts, which hospitalised him after he fell onto some rocks in 1998.

The hysteria surrounding him might be dangerous, especially given his talent for "bad-boy" roles. His use of a butterfly knife in 1997 TV drama 'The Gift' allegedly prompted a spate of copycat attacks by disaffected teenage fans on teachers and other students.

Despite a macho image (by idol standards), he seems to have a curious fascination with cosmetics, which frequently feature in his TV commercials. He's also rumoured to carrying a bag of make-up at all times, and wear platform shoes to compensate for his teeny (167cm) stature.

In 2000, he married singer Shizuka Kudo, to the dismay of millions of Japanese girls (and a slightly smaller number of Japanese men). They have 2 children.