Kaze no Shounen: Ozaki Yutaka Towa no Densetsu (2011)

This special is a great tribute to Ozaki Yutaka, and Narimiya Hiroki did an excellent job in the lead role. The story was well written and paced, and the characters are well developed through their interactions with one another, especially between Ozaki and his manager.

Narimiya recorded several of Ozaki's hits for the soundtrack. While he does not sound like a professional singer, he did decently well with them, and his charisma makes up for any lack of singing skill. He was coached by Ozaki's former producer/manager in preparation for the film. Compared to Ozaki's original tracks, Narimiya does a good job capturing the original style and feel of the music.

I will definitely rewatch this again. It's a heartwarming and enjoyable two hours. Covering themes like growing up and finding one's place in society, growing as an artist and going through dry periods, and struggling with family issues and drug abuse, it is pretty inspiring. This is Narimiya at his best.

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