Takuya Kimura's Howl works because charm does not make him easy company. We welcome that awkwardness in an actor so often cast as the appealing hero, and would like more parts that leave it intact.
Fi1m perspective
In Howl's Moving Castle (2004), the affection between Kimura's Howl and Chieko Baisho's Sophie leaves room for both of them to be difficult. Baisho's firmness keeps the tenderness from turning sugary and gives Kimura someone who need not find everything about him agreeable. We were moved by their affection because neither performance asked us to overlook the irritation that came with it. This is persuasive work in a film worth forgiving for its tangled plot.
Television had already established him as an appealing lead. Long Vacation (1996) was the breakthrough, followed by Hero (2001), with idealists and rule-breakers becoming familiar parts for him. Film work took him into Wong Kar-wai's 2046 (2004) and Yoji Yamada's period drama Love and Honour (2006), then the samurai lead in Takashi Miike's Blade of the Immortal (2017). The period and action parts offer a sensible way beyond the familiar television hero.
The persistent criticism is that Kimura remains recognisably the star, whatever the character's name. We take that concern seriously without requiring an actor to become unrecognisable in every part. Howl offers a better test: can familiar charm make room for behaviour that is awkward or unappealing? Kimura and Baisho persuade us that it can, because neither treats affection as a reason to smooth away the other person's faults.
Hayao Miyazaki cast him again in The Boy and the Heron (2023), voicing Shoichi Maki, the father of its young protagonist, Mahito. The boy is at the centre this time, with Kimura among the adults around him. We recommend the film warmly, with a caveat about a second half that grows crowded and spends too long explaining itself. We would welcome more parts that let somebody else be the centre of attention.
Biography
Takuya Kimura is a Japanese actor and singer. Born on 13 November 1972 in Tokyo, he first gained prominence as a member of the boy band SMAP before establishing himself as a leading actor in television dramas and films.
His notable film roles include Tak in 2046 (2004), Shinnojo Mimura in Love and Honor (2006), Manji in Blade of the Immortal (2017) and the voice of Howl in Howl's Moving Castle (2004). He provided the voice of Shoichi Maki in The Boy and the Heron (2023). He has also appeared in Space Battleship Yamato (2010) and Redline (2009).
Kimura starred in several high-rating Japanese television series, including Long Vacation (1996) and Hero (2001), and has received multiple acting awards.
