It’s hard being the most famous commercial star in Japan since every project starring Kimura Takuya is scrutinized for whether it conforms with his past string of successes or a sign that his star is waning with a less than stellar reception. KimuTaku’s dramas nearly double his movie projects his his most recently released detective movie Masquerade Hotel has turned out to be a box office champ to start off the new year 2019. The movie costarring Nagasawa Masami has been number 1 in the box office for two straight weeks and looks hella entertaining from the trailer chock-a-block with so many cameos to keep up. It’s based on the same title mystery novel by writer Higashino Keigo about a grizzled detective going undercover as a hotelier in order to catch a serial killer at the location he/she is projected to strike next. There’s an added bonus of the director for Masquerade Hotel having worked with KimuTaku multiple times before with Long Vacation, Hero, and Priceless. Continue reading →