Mao Inoue

Mao Inoue (井上 真央, Inoue Mao) (born January 9, 1987) is a Japanese actress. She debuted as a U-15 idol in 1999. She is best known to Japanese television drama audiences as Akane Imai (今井 茜, Imai Akane) in Kids War (キッズ・ウォー, Kid's War) and as Makino Tsukushi in the popular Hana Yori Dango series.^[1][2]

Career

Dramas and films

Inoue Mao started her career as an actress at five years old. She has been in many dramas since then. The viewers took notice of her in the series Kids War which ran from 1999 to 2003. In 2005, Mao took the lead role in the drama adaptation of the popular manga Hana Yori Dango, with Arashi member Matsumoto Jun, Shun Oguri, Shota Matsuda and Tsuyoshi Abe. Mao was awarded Best Actress by Television Drama Academy in the same year that the drama was aired.

In 2006, she co-starred in her first film: Check It Out, Yo! with Hayato Ichihara, Yūta Hiraoka, and Tasuku Emoto. The film was in theaters April 22, 2006.

In early 2007, Hana Yori Dango Returns aired and was better-received than the first season. In the same year, Inoue co-starred in the drama First Kiss with Check It Out, Yo! co-star Yūta Hiraoka. Her outstanding performance from her past dramas landed her the lead role in the drama special Hanaikusa as a maiko-turned-geisha.

Come 2008, she played the lead role in a drama special Anmitsu Hime as a princess, followed by Anmitsu Hime 2 in the following year, where she sang the theme song with Shoko Nakagawa. After the success of the two Hana Yori Dango dramas, a film was announced in August 2007, just months after the end of the 2007 sequel. It was Inoue's first starring role in a film.^[3] The film was released on June 28, 2008. It topped the box office Japan for a few consecutive weeks and became the second fastest earning film in 2008. It also became a phenomenal success, not only in Japan, but in many parts of Asia, bringing the name "10 billion yen actress" to Inoue Mao.

Mao stepped back from acting to concentrate on her studies. Right after her graduation from Meiji University in March 2009, she started filming for the film adaptation of the manga Boku no Hatsukoi wo Kimi ni Sasagu, in which she shared the lead with Masaki Okada; it was released in theaters in October 2009. In April of the following year, My Darling is a Foreigner was released in theaters in with Inoue starring opposite Jonathan Sherr.

Three years since her last drama, she reunited with Hana Yori Dango co-star Shun Oguri for the drama Jūi Dolittle (獣医ドリトル, Veterinarian Dolittle), which began airing in October 2010.^[4] She also starred in the 84th asadora drama Ohisama (おひさま, The Sun), portraying a woman who lived through World War II.^[5] It was planned to air from March 28, 2011, to September 24, 2011, but it was delayed due to the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan. It started to air on April 4, 2011. She won "Best Actress" in the 70th The Television Drama Academy Award.

In February 2011, a film was released in theaters with Mao, costarring known actor Yutaka Takenouchi, called Taiheiyou no kiseki ~Fox to yobareta otoko (Oba: Miracle in the Pacific), about World War II holdout Captain Sakae Oba. Filming took place in Thailand. It was also revealed in late September 2010 that Inoue Mao would star in the film Youkame no Semi which was released in April 2011.^[6] Both films were successful at the box office. But it is in Youkame no Semi that her excellent portrayal of a daughter with a difficult past earned her a few film awards, including her first "Best Starring Actress" Award in the 35th Japan Film Academy Awards.^[7] The film also won nine other awards that year.

Inoue Mao was chosen to chair the Red team in the New Year's Eve Singing Contest "Kōhaku Uta Gassen 2011". This team became the first female-led Red team to win the "Kōuhaku Uta Gassen" in seven years.

Because of her incredible performance in Oba: Miracle in the Pacific, she was chosen to star in the comedy Tsuna Hiichatta!,^[8] which will be released in 2012.

It was announced in May 2012 that Inoue Mao will play the lead role in a summer drama called Tokkan Tokubetsu Kokuzei Choushukan,^[9] reuniting her with director Tsuna Hiichatta. The drama will air in July 2012.

She appeared alongside V6's member Junichi Okada and Haruma Miura in a war film called Eien no Zero.^[10] Filming started June 2012 and released in December 2013. The film topped the Japan Box Office for 8 consecutive weeks and broke box office record. The film also won The Audience Award at the Udine Far East Film Festival.

It was announced that she will reunite with few of her former costars like Abe Sadao, Okada Masaki,Yutaka Takenouchi and Yasuko Matsuyuki,and Tokkan /Tsuna Hiichatta! director in a comedy film "King of Apology" which will be released in September 2013.

In March 2014, Mao Inoue appeared in a leading role in the mystery suspense film The Snow White Murder Case, directed by Yoshihiro Nakamura.^[11]

June 2014, it was announced that Inoue Mao will star her first taiga which will be on air from January to December, 2015.

Print and television endorsements

Aside from acting in films, Inoue has been chosen to represent Mizuho Bank and Chocola BB Eisai series, NTT fleet West and Asahi Breweries's Asahi Direct Shot. Regarding Asahi Beer Direct shot, Inoue Mao is collaborating with Tomohisa Yamashita. She also appears on the covers of various magazines, such as Bomb, Steady, Weekly Shonen, among others.

Voice acting

After many years of working as an actress, Inoue has finally decided to expand her career and debuted as voice actress. She was chosen to provide the voice of Apple Boy in one of the Anpanman films. The anime film was released in July, 2014.

A new animation film is said to be her next voice project titled 3DCG Rudolph and Ippaiattena. It was announced on 31 July 2015. This film was released on August 6, 2016.

Stage

Inoue Mao was cast in a butai( stage play) called MIWA in 2013.

A new stage play was announced called "Anger" with great cast as Inoue Mao, Eita, Abe, and Matsu Takako. It will run from January to April, 2016.

Personal life

Inoue Mao revealed in one show that her mother encouraged her to join performing acts to learn when she was at the age of 4. She was also learning music and arts. Acting wasn't her priority then but when she received her first fan letter, she decided to continue acting. Despite joining the show business at an early age, she also put priority to her school. In 2004, despite the rise of her popularity from the Kid's War series, she decided to put her acting on hold as she concentrated on graduating from University of Japan and enrolling at Meiji University. In 2005, at 18, Inoue enrolled in Meiji University, majoring in theater and literature; she chose Chinese as her second language elective. In her last year of college, she concentrated solely on her studies. In March 2009, she graduated from Meiji University.^[12]

Filmography

Television dramas

Films

Documentaries

• 2011: "The message of life 100 years old Shigeaki Hinohara"- Narration
• 2012: "Nadeshiko Japan-30 years of Japanese Women's Football"- Narration
• 2012: "Bright Woman"- Featured in the documentary- Inoue Mao
• 2012: "The Passion Continent"- Interview with Oda Kazumasa
• 2013: “Goal of a 13 year old. Even kids have dreams”- Narration
• 2014: “NHK Special "- Takashi Yanase" Anpanman life”- Narration

Variety

• 2011- Kouhaku Uta Gassen- MC
• 2013- 36th Japanese Film Academy Awards- MC
• 2014- "JAPAN project Ikegami Akira"- Guide
• 2014- Kouhaku Uta Gassen- Judge

Stage

• 2002: Higuchi Ichiyō
• 2013: MIWA
• 2016: Anger

PV appearances

• 2007: Kazumasa Oda- "Kokoro"
• 2008-09: Amnitsu Hime PV-Inoue Mao "Diamonds"

Endorsements

• Asahi Cream Brown Rice Bran
• Lipovitan
• PUMA Playtime
• Asahi Breweries Asahi Direct Shot (2012 ~ present)
• Sega Saturn Segata Sanshiro Christmas commercial (1996)
• Glico Ice [real] (2010 ~ present)
• NTT West FLET (2010 ~ present)
• Mizuho Bank (2006 ~ present)
• Eisai's Chocola BB [Series]
• Panky (2007 ~ present)
• KAGOME (2007 ~ present)
• Dralion (2006 ~ present)
• Kateikyoushi no Try (2006 ~ 2007)
• Shirakabe Gura Mio Sparkling (2016 ~ )

Awards and nominations

Television and film

Other awards

• 2007 Nail Queen Actress Category
• 2009 22nd Japan Best Dressed Eyes Awards
• 2011 Fountain Pen Award
• 2011 Elan D'or Awards

References

External links

• Official Site
• Inoue Mao Official Blog
• Mao Inoue at the Internet Movie Database
• Mao Inoue at Anime News Network's encyclopedia