Mao Inoue

Mao Inoue(井上 真央,Inoue Mao, born January 9, 1987) is aJapaneseactress. She is best known toJapanese television dramaaudiences as Akane Imai(今井 茜,Imai Akane)inKids War(キッズ・ウォー,Kid's War), asMakino Tsukushiin theBoys Over Flowersseries,and as Sugi Fumi (ja) in the 54thtaiga dramaBurning Flower. She also appeared in a number offilmsincludingI Give My First Love to You,RebirthandThe Snow White Murder Case.
Inoue began her acting career when she was 5 appearing in the seriesKids Warfrom 1999 to 2003. In 2005, she portrayed Tsukushi Makino in the television dramaBoys Over Flowers,receiving a Best Actress Award from the Television Drama Academy.
In 2006, Inoue co-starred in her first film,Check It Out, Yo!which was released intheaterson April 22, 2006.
In early 2007,Boys Over Flowers 2aired and received more positive reviews than its first season. In the same year, Inoue co-starred in the dramaFirst Kissalongside herCheck It Out, Yo!co-star Yūta Hiraoka. Her performances led to her getting the lead role in the drama specialHanaikusa,portraying amaiko-turned-geisha.
In 2008, she played the lead role in a drama specialAnmitsu Himeas a princess, followed byAnmitsu Hime 2in the following year, where she sang the theme song withShoko Nakagawa. After the success of the twoBoys Over Flowersdramas, afilmfor the franchise was announced in August 2007, just months after the end of the 2007 sequel. It was Inoue's first starring role in a film.On June 28, 2008, the film made its debut. It topped the box office in Japan for several weeks and became the second-fastest-earning film in 2008. It was also successful in many parts ofAsia, bringing the name "10 billion yen actress" to Mao Inoue.
Inoue stepped back from acting to concentrate on her studies. Following her graduation fromMeiji Universityin March 2009, she started filming for the film adaptation of the mangaBoku no Hatsukoi wo Kimi ni Sasagu, in which she shared the lead withMasaki Okada; it was released in theaters in October 2009. In April of the following year,My Darling is a Foreignerwas released in theaters with Inoue starring oppositeJonathan Sherr.
Three years after her last drama, she reunited withBoys Over Flowersco-starShun Ogurifor the dramaJūi Dolittle(獣医ドリトル,Veterinarian Dolittle), which began airing in October 2010.She also starred in the 84thasadoradramaOhisama(おひさま,The Sun), portraying a young woman who lived throughWorld War IIin Nagano prefecture.It was planned to air from March 28, 2011, to September 24, 2011, but it was delayed due tothe earthquake and tsunami. It started to air on April 4, 2011. For her role, she won "Best Actress" in the 70th The Television Drama Academy Awards.
In February 2011, Inoue, together withYutaka Takenouchi, co-starred inOba: The Last Samurai, a film aboutWorld War IIholdoutCaptainSakae Ōba. Filming took place in Thailand. It was also announced in late September 2010 that Inoue would star in the filmRebirthwhich was released in April 2011.Both films were successful at the box office. In Rebirth, her portrayal of a daughter with a difficult past earned her several film awards, including her first "Best Starring Actress" award in the 35th Japan Film Academy Awards.The film also won nine other awards that year.
Inoue was chosen to chair the Red team in the New Year's Eve Singing ContestKōhaku Uta Gassen2011. This team became the first female-led Red team to win theKōuhaku Uta Gassenin seven years.
Because of her performance inOba: Miracle in the Pacific, she was chosen to star in the comedyTug of War!released in 2012.
It was announced in May 2012 that Inoue would play the lead role in a summer drama calledTokkan Tokubetsu Kokuzei Choushukan,reuniting her with director Tsuna Hiichatta. The drama aired in July 2012.
She appeared alongside V6's memberJunichi OkadaandHaruma Miurain the war filmThe Eternal Zero.Filming started in June 2012 and wasreleased in December 2013. The film topped the Japan Box Office for 8 consecutive weeks and broke box office records. The film also won The Audience Award at the Udine Far East Film Festival.
It was announced that she would reunite with a few of her co-stars and herTug of War!director in the comedy filmKing of Apology, which was released in September 2013.
In March 2014, Inoue appeared in a leading role in the mystery suspense filmThe Snow White Murder Case, directed byYoshihiro Nakamura.
In June 2014, it was announced that Inoue would play the lead role of Sugi Fumi in the 2015NHKtaiga drama,Burning Flower. After the series received historically low ratings during its run, Inoue took the responsibility for the low viewership, stating, "I am the starring actress, so it has to be from my lack of ability."
On August 23, 2017, after a year and a half hiatus, Inoue made a drama comeback in a Fuji TV drama in fall titledSchool Counselor. Broadcast began on October 17, 2017.
In 2019, Inoue starred in a comedic and cinematic period filmTalking the Picturesand the special 5-episode NHK drama titledBoy Torajiro. The next year, On January 8, 2020, her movie titledAngry Rice Wiveson which the story was set during the 1918 Rice Riots, was released on various cinemas in Japan.
In May 2020, it was confirmed that Inoue will have a role in the NTV dramaPay To AcealongsideYuya YagiraandShigeaki Kato. The series was originally scheduled to air in July 2020 but was postponed due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.
Aside from acting in films, Inoue has been chosen to representMizuho Bankand Chocola BB Eisai series,NTTfleet West andAsahi Breweries's Asahi Direct Shot, collaborating withTomohisa Yamashita. She also appears on the covers of various magazines, such asBomb, Steady, Weekly Shonen, among others.
In 2014, Inoue debuted as a voice actress, providing the voice of Apple Boy in one of the Anpanman films. The anime film was released in July 2014.
Her next voice project was the animated film 3DCGRudolf and the Black Cat. It was announced on 31 July 2015. The film was released on August 6, 2016.
Inoue was cast in a stage play called MIWA in 2013.
A new stage play starring Inoue was announced calledAnger. It ran from January to April 2016.
Inoue revealed in one show that her mother encouraged her to join performing acts to learn at the age of 4. She was also learning music and arts. Early on, acting was not her priority, but when she received her first fan letter, she decided to continue acting. Although she entered show business at a young age, she gave her school priority. In 2004, she rose in popularity from her role in theKid's Warseries. Despite this, she chose to put her acting on hold as she concentrated on graduating from the University of Japan. In 2005, at 18, Inoue enrolled inMeiji 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.