| | Engine nine shock-face/10
obtained from daddicts.com
http://www.d-addicts.com/forum/viewtopic_25927.htm bittorrent Theme song: I Can See Clearly Now by Jimmy Cliff Stars: Kimura Takuya, Koyuki, Toda Erika, Ueno Juri, Nakajima Yuto, Kaho, Ishida Houshi, Arioka Daiki, Hirota Ryo, Komura Yuta, Ahira Natsume Summary: Kimura Takuya (Consistantly voted Hottest Man Alive; front-man of SMAP) plays Jiro, a failed racer. Although he has dreams of being an F1 racer, his hot temper and proud demeanor have cost him his career. Now, when he has nowhere left to turn, he returns to his old home, which his father has turned into an orphanage, the Kaze no Oka Home. There he meets the teacher, played by Koyuki (Kana from IWGP, and the main character in "Kimi wa Petto"), and the kids. Each kid has a unique circumstance which lead them to Kaze no Oka Home. Kaze no Oka Home, although striving to be a stable home for the children, struggles with legal problems. Selfish Jiro, who has always been only concerned with his own success, must take the lead. Review: Thoroughly enjoyable show. Although there are a few episodes where the pace could have been speedier, every kid at the home becomes dear to you. 
The reaction to Kimura Takuya as Jiro is: Ahh, he really deserves that title of hottest man alive... ahhahahha. Well the character of Jiro seems to be a stock drama character at first. Similar to Makoto in IWGP, Jiro is another hot-headed and simple-minded manly man, getting the ladies on both sides, he never fails to impress in the end. However, Kimura Takuya realistically portrays the man til the end. 
Nakajima Yuuto is really cute as usual; his acting skills really shine here in Engine where he has to play a cold and distant young boy. It's a little creepy that he has to play such a child, seeing as how his usual roles are much more cute. In one of his early roles, it is interesting to see Nakajima's skill on display. 
Koyuki plays the typical idealistic woman teacher. It was a bit annoying to see such a stereotypical woman character in a drama. I was frustrated as I waited for her to open her eyes and become the strong teacher we all knew she would become in the end. However, this was made up for with her good looks. This is her second best good-looking role, in my opin. 
Here's Jiro's racecar. The races are one of the unique factors of the show. Each scene involving racing was especially interesting and captivating. The cars really do look like "pocket rockets" or toys when they are shown racing around the track. It was very impressive footage and shooting it must have cost a lot. In fact this entire drama is so chock full of stars, along with the racing that this must have been the most expensive drama in 2005. The race scenes were very informative and in the end I came away with a much appreciated better knowledge of the way races, cars, and racing works. 
The kids in the show are very lovable. Many are really cute! The individual stories of the kids were not a chore to work through. The plight of the Kaze no Oka Home becomes very tense toward the end. Each character has grown to become special to the viewer. This is one of my favorite pictures from the show because it captures each character looking very happy and contented. Part of the message of the show, which i thought was unique and touching was: The children all know that nothing lasts forever, through their personal experiences and hardships they have matured and grown in order to accept this fact, finally they all come to realize that they must enjoy each moment all the more because it is fleeting. 
From close to far: Ueno Juri (Nodame from Nodame Cantabile) plays an 18 year old Hoshino Misae and the eldest in the home. Her character is refreshing and quickly becomes a viewer favorite. I enjoyed every scene she shared on screen. Her character was a nice foil or contrast to Koyuki's naive teacher character. Ueno's acting is always on the mark. Misae is mature, responsible, and reasonable. Her serious good-looks are a welcome contrast to the typical "cutesy" Japanese girl. Next to Misae we have Kaho as Ninomiya Yukie (she was the sister in Joou no Kyoushitsu). She plays a cute and shy girl. What they call "painfully shy" girl. I liked her. Then there's the girl who is in love with Hello! Project (Company which runs Morning Musume, Biyuden, W, Melon Kinenbi, and Matsuura Aya), and dreams of being an idol. I liked the scenes where she sings along to idol songs. That was amusing and understandable! That fat boy was kind of gross how he loved food. But his story was very very touching. His acting skills are superb and he overcomes any kind of physical lacking with an outstanding story. Akira, the lying boy comes next, he and the other little boy are adorableeeeeeeee. 
This side of the table is full of really touching stories. The first boy, played by Shioya Daisuke, played by Ishida Houshi (the main character of the live action Grave of the Fireflies) quickly became one of my favorite characters. He's really really good-looking. He's hot. That may seem shallow. But for girls that's what it's all about. Hahaha. No really, I admired his stamina, his courage, and his outstanding morals. Everything he did in the show, I would do in the same position. Daisuke's strenghth of character really shines in this show, he's one of the outstanding children in the Kaze no Oka Home. Next comes the famous Toda Erika (Tatta Hitotsu no Koi, Nobuta wo Produce, etc), always beautiful, cute, and pretty, she once again shines in an acting role. Again, although not the main character, she enriches the drama and her sole appearance in the show provides a key reason for watching. The show keeps one guessing about her character, Harumi's, true life story until close to the end, but when things come to a head, unexpectedly, her story is one of the most touching in the show. Harumi and Daisuke together, contribute to two of the most powerful moments in Engine. Although seemingly flighty and dumb at the beginning, Harumi's dreams are realistic, modest, and admirable. She matures immensely over the course of the show and is my second favorite character, tied with Daisuke. Arioka Daiki (from Johnny's Entertainment group J.J. Express) is a serious boy intent on taking care of his sister, seated next to him. I loved how tough he tried to be and the care with which both siblings took care of each other. Overall a worthwhile show, there is a character for every viewer. Celebrity eye-candy abounds in a show with a solid storyline. At first appearing stereotypical, Engine soon grows into more than just a family drama, encompassing various issues and topics. |
