Crush Of The Day: Koyuki

Koyuki in Kimi wa Petto

I’ve loved model/actress Koyuki ever since I first laid eyes on her as Kashiwabara Takashi’s sweet and petite fiancé in the awesome, awesome drama Renai Kekkon No Rule (one of my Top Five favorite j-dramas of all time, don’t you know), and spent many weeks declaring my love for her against friends telling me: “She’s too Thin!” or “She has Too Much Makeup!” Oh, such catty comments- It was obvious to ME that Koyuki was just about as perfect as you can get!

Koyuki in Renai Kekkon No Rule

After that I didn’t really see her in too many things though I have many memories of downloading makeup commercials with her in it. Her big break, or course, came with her mainstream performance in that LAST SAMURAI movie that everyone loves so much.Me, I could take it or leave it, but high marks for Warner Bros. not only casting Koyuki, but awesome actor Sanada Hiroyuki, as well!

Kimi wa Petto 2

The best thing about THE LAST SAMURAI was that while working for a video store, they got some promotional posters for the movie when it was getting its original DVD release, and there was this one poster set that had mini-posters of the cast members, and when I saw that one of them featured Koyuki, believe you me, I swept THAT item up! (And I still have it, as a matter of fact!)

The Last Samurai DVD Promotion Posters

Though Koyuki appeared sporadically in dramas every now and then, they were shows I didn’t get to see, and it wasn’t until much later when a friend of mine gave me a copy of the movie Always~ Sanchōme no Yūhi, that I was reminded in an instant how much I loved her. My friends all heard the required gushing that accompanied my rediscovery of the former Ms. Kato!

with Ryuta Sato, Kimi wa Petto

Meeting Nagatsuka Kyozo in Kimi wa Petto

And now here we have her in the totally hen drama Kimi wa Petto, the Japanese dramedy starring Koyuki as journalist Iwaya Sumire and Matsumoto Jun as Momo, her…dog? Yes, it’s true! I mean, really, this is one of the more bizarre drama ideas I’ve come across, but anything outside of the “run of the mill” drama romances” are ALWAYS interesting to me, even if it entails Matsujun running around on all fours barking “Wan Wan!” while Koyuki lovingly hugs and pets him!

with Matsujun as the titular pet in Kimi wa Petto

But, hontoni, Koyuki is really a dream in this show. Smart, forceful AND feminine, this was all the elements I love so much in my heroines. Plus, since she’s a business journalist, I got to see her draped in the most delectable outfits, silky blouses and tight skirts, DAMN! I think I’ve mentioned before how much I LOVE a Pretty Lady in Pretty Clothes.

PS: Shortly after completing this wacky drama, I finally got around to seeing Koyuki in the drama “Boku to Kanojyo to Kanojyo no Ikiru Michi” and MAN! Once again, Koyuki managed to totally captivate this heart and I realized I was a bonafide Koyuki fan for life!