Kimura Takuya's 42-Day Birthday Challenge: Living the Kimura Takuya Way No.1
「無理」という言葉を壁と思うかバネと思うか、
それだけで人生は大きく変わる。
Whether you think of the word "impossible" as a wall or a spring,
that will greatly change your life.
By 木村拓哉
By Kimura Takuya
"Impossible", "It's impossible"; these are such easy words, easy phrases to say. These are words, phrases I find easy to say. After all, it's easier to say "impossible" rather than try and fail; why take the risk when it's safer not to? It's easier to say "impossible" when you've tried and failed, and when nobody expects you to succeed anyway; why do something when everyone is expecting you to fail?
Because the word "impossible" doesn't mean that it's the end of the line; it just means that this is a turning point towards something something extraordinary in my life.
That is what Captain has taught me.
Despite his current image and reputation of being good at everything he does, Captain didn't start out this way. Singing, he once confessed, was the hardest thing he ever had to do because of how much of himself he had to expose; unlike acting where he could hide behind his character, in singing, to truly give the song, the meaning of the song, the message of the composer justice, he had to search deep within himself and lay himself bare. This didn't stop him from singing from the heart; this didn't stop him from reaching out to the fans, to concert and live audiences, and holding them enthralled with his emotions and his expressiveness.
Even now, he still admits that he isn't a "singer" or even an "artist" (and he doesn't consider himself to be particularly good at singing), but rather than use that as an excuse, rather than shying away and saying that it is "impossible" to expect more because he is an idol and not a singer or an artist, Captain still gives 120% (he refuses to lip-sync and only ever sings live, he throws himself whole-heartedly into practicing, he takes rehearsals very seriously, he plays the guitar professionally, he doesn't allow himself to be anything less than the best that he can be), and because he does, his song, his singing now touches lives; he connects with fans and in concerts, he makes every single person in the audience feel involved and special.
When talking about the "Golden Era of Japanese Drama", you'd be hard-pressed to avoid mentioning Captain's name, but before he was renowned for award-winning and highly-rated productions (with a number of acting awards to his name), he was a boy who locked himself in the toilet and cried because stage rehearsals were too harsh to bear; he was an idol who was criticized and looked down upon because "idols" weren't "actors". This didn't stop him from pursuing an acting career so successful that he revolutionized the Japanese drama industry; he doesn't have just one hit drama under his belt, he has a whole string of them, and until today, continues to be the measuring standard in the industry. Professional actors and actresses, directors, producers and scriptwriters, have praised his attention to the subtlest of details in his creation of his characters; his dramas are a social phenomenon and his characters an inspiration to people because of his ability to go beyond "acting" and to, instead, "live" as his character.
Even now, he continues to battle with his critics who dog his every step, who watch his every move waiting for him to fail, but rather than allow "impossible" circumstances and the criticisms of others to weigh him down, Captain pushes forward and today, continues to bring to life characters who are real and engaging, creating dramas that delight his fans and keep them desperately wanting and eagerly awaiting more.
Captain didn't see "impossible" as a wall, a dead end; rather, he saw it as a spring, the chance to leap higher than he has ever reached before.
And, what bigger success can you have than to prove everyone wrong and "make the impossible possible".