I am not sure if it qualifies as a crush (since he's also a guy), but I really have a thing for Fukuyama Masaharu, being obsessed with Ryoma Den, now
the hot Drama here in Japan. I am not really aware of his career outside Ryoma Den, but from what I understand he's a popular Actor/Singer/DJ.
Ryoma Den is BAD ASS though, that's all I have to say. It's a historical drama about the life of Sakamoto Ryoma, a leading figure amongst the pationate young revolutionary Samurai of the Bakamatsu period that led to the Meiji Restoration. Ryoma was responsible for uniting the once bitter enemy clans of Choshu and Satsuma, and eventually stringing in his birth clan of Tosa. This united resistance would eventually be responsible for the fall of the Shogunate and Japan's rapid modernization that prevented it from falling into the hands of Western powers like China or India.
Ryoma was a visionary who gave his all to defend his country, while seeking democracy, equality among classes, gender and religion and modernization for the country; despite being a master swordsman of one of Japan's most elite schools, he did everything in his power to seek out non-violance even in the revolution. Despite living in the bloody period of the Bakamatsu, he killed only one man in his whole life, out of self-defense.
It is a truly epic tale, and Fukuyama enacts Ryoma brilliantly-- from Ryoma's green bully-magnet naive youth to his becoming a great leader infamous across the country, Fukuyama portrays it . . . absolutely . . . brilliantly. I can't believe it's almost over . . . :( (only 3 more episodes)
My favorite scene from the drama:
Ryoma and his comrades find themselves between swords, as trading Samurai from Satsuma and Choshu discover each other at a drinking house in Nagasaki. Both sides bear their swords, looking to settle the grudges between the two powerful western clans. Saigo Takamori, General of the Satsuma forces reveals himself, unafraid of the enemy. A Choshu Samurai lunges forward with his sword drawn, but Ryoma grabs him bare-handed, restrains and disarms him.
「やめやーおまんら! こんな狭い部屋の中に刀を抜きおうて、まるで、鶏小屋の中に、鶏同士がけんかしゆうぜよ!」
"Stop there you all! Drawing your swords in this narrow room-- it's as if chicken's were looking to fight in a chicken coop!" Ryoma cries out, staring down the two groups.
Both sides scream cries of outrage at the insult, but two of Ryoma's comrades stand up and cry back, "That is exactly how it is!" "All of you, if things continue as they are, then Japan will fall to civil war, and be destroyed by those damn foreigners!"
「一番恐ろしいテキは誰ぜ!異国じゃろうが!」
"Who is the most terrifying enemy-- it's the foreigners isn't it!"
Ryoma proclaims, turning to Saigo and brashly raises his still-sheathed sword.
「日本人同士でけんかしゆう場合か、え! 西郷さん!」
"Is this any time for us Japanese to be fighting amongst ourselves!? Saigo-san!"
Ah, I cried manly tears at the sheer epic.