Fridae

Japan's heartthrob Takuya Kimura starred in the 2001 TV series Hero as a slacker-turned-court prosecutor. With his star power, the TV show became one of the most watched series in Japan's history. Now he's back for the big screen version of the series, which has gone on to become the biggest box-office blockbuster ever for Japan.

The film's success is testimony to Takuya's appeal as well as the likeability of the plot and characters. For the film, Takuya plays the legal eagle who is assigned to a supposedly straightforward case of a security guard who had accidentally killed a man during a fight. But when Takuya saunters into court, the security guard had changed his plea from guilty to not guilty. Takuya is floored. He is forced to investigate the case more deeply, a task that takes him and his assistant (Takako Matsu) all the way to Korea to uncover the mysterious disappearance of the guard's van.

Although Hero is more courtroom dramedy than anything else, we can see how this simple, enjoyable movie managed to make such a titanic impact of the box-office. Ultimately, it is a high-accessible and generous-spirited story that entertains everyone and offends no one. It is so broad in its appeal than everyone from that 18-year-old twink to 88-year-old grandmother would enjoy it.

So would you.