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Mao Inoue (井上 真央 (いのうえ まお) Inoue Mao, born January 9, 1987 in Yokohama, Japan) is a Japanese actress. She is best known for her roles in the television dramas, Kids War, Hana Yori Dango, Juui Dolittle, Ohisama, and Hana Moyu. Inoue has also established herself as a film actress with roles in I Give My First Love to You and The Snow White Murder Case

Inoue starred as Tsukushi Makino in the popular drama Hana Yori Dango. She reprised her role in Hana Yori Dango Returns and Hana Yori Dango Final.

Biography[]

Early life[]

Mao Inoue was born on January 9, 1987 in Yokohama, Kanagawa. At the age of four, Inoue was placed in the management company, Gekidan Tohai (劇団東俳 () ) by her mother.[1][2] Inoue graduated from Meiji University with a degree in literature.[3]

Career[]

Early success[]

Returns-cast

Inoue with her Hana Yori Dango Returns costars

Inoue debuted in 1992 in Manatsu no Keiji playing a child that dies after being hit by a car. She first gained recognition for her role as Akane Imai in the Kids War series, which ran from 1999 to 2003. Her catchphrase in the series, "Zaken na yo!" (ざけんなよ! () ), became popular.[1] In 2005, Inoue had her first starring role as Tsukushi Makino in Hana Yori Dango opposite Jun Matsumoto and Shun Oguri.[4] She also had a dual role in the television special, Grave of the Fireflies, with Nanako Matsushima the same year.[5] Inoue had her first film role in Check It Out, Yo! in 2006.[6] She reprised her role as Tsukushi in the 2007 sequel, Hana Yori Dango Returns.[7] The same year, she starred in the drama, First Kiss,[8] and the television specials Hanaikusa[9] and Osama no Shinzo.[10]

In 2008, Inoue starred Hana Yori Dango Final, putting an end to the Hana Yori Dango series.[11] The same year, Inoue appeared in the live-action special of Anmitsu Hime as the title character,[12] and reprised her role in its 2009 sequel.[13] She next starred alongside Masaki Okada in the film, I Give My First Love to You (2009).[14] The next year, Inoue reunited with Oguri in the television drama Juui Dolittle,[15] and starred in the film My Darling Is a Foreigner.[16] She played the lead role in the asadora drama Ohisama in 2011.[17] The same year, she appeared in the films Oba: The Last Samurai[18] and Rebirth. For the latter, she won Best Starring Actress at the 35th Japan Academy Prize.[19] In 2014, she starred in The Snow White Murder Case with Go Ayano.[20] The next year, Inoue appeared in NHK's taiga drama Hana Moyu.[21]

Steady projects[]

Inoue left Seventh Avenue in August 2016 and joined Un et Neuf the following December.[22] Nearly two years after Hana Moyu, Inoue returned to television to star in Ashita no Yakusoku (2017).[23] In 2018, she appeared in a television special Ran Hansha,[24] and a film Yakiniku Dragon.[25] Inoue starred in Shonen Torajiro, a television prequel of the Otoko wa Tsurai yo film series, in late 2019.[26] She reprised her role in special episode of Shonen Torajiro the following year.[27] She went on to appear in the ensemble films Katsuben! (2019)[28] and Ichido mo Uttemasen (2020).[29] In 2021, she had a starring role in Daikomesodo as Ito Matsuura.[30] Her next project was the television drama Nigatsu no Shosha: Zettai Gokaku no Kyoshitsu the same year.[31] In 2022, she starred in the film Watashi no Okaasan.[32] and the television special Yoru no Agura.[33]

In 2023, Inoue starred alongside Takeru Satoh and Kenichi Matsuyama in Why Didn't I Tell You a Million Times?.[34]

Filmography[]

Television dramas

Year Title Role Notes
1992 Manatsu no Keiji Child Guest
Gakko ga Abunai! Mami Asakura (young)
Itsumitemo Haran Banjo Midori Satsuki (young)
Tsubusareta Kao! Zankoku na Shashin Special
1993 Kokoro no Tabi Series "Namida Machi"
1994 Kagishi 2 Kaori Nohira
Mayonaka no Jokyaku Special
Ninja Sentai Kakuranger Tsuruhime (young)
1995 Kura Retsu Tanouchi (young)
1996 Genki o Ageru Maiko Nitani
Asahi ni Wakare no Seppun o Arisa Kobayakawa
1997 Abarenbo Shogun VII Sayo Episode 17
Mito Komon season 25 Chie Episode 14
Hanshichi Torimonocho
Gourmet Mystery Onna Shutchō Ryōrinin ga Iku! Special
Kin no Tamago Episode 3
Terakoya Yume Shinan Osa
1998 Toyama no Kinsan vs Onna Nezumi Tonbo Episode 8
Hi no Ryosen
1999 Kai Ayako Tomita
Kids War Akane Imai
2000 Kids War 2 Akane Imai
Otosan Yu Omura Special
2001 Kids War 3 Akane Imai
2002 Kids War Special Akane Imai
Kids War 4 Akane Imai
Kids War Special: Ai Koso Subete da! Akane Imai
2003 Kids War 5 Akane Imai
Kids War Special: Kore de Final! Akane Imai
2004 Home Drama Shoko Nagamine
2005 Kyumei Byoto 24 Ji 3 Kokubo Episodes 1-4
Hana Yori Dango Tsukushi Makino
Grave of the Fireflies Natsu Sawano (young)
Keiko Mitsumura
2007 Hana Yori Dango Returns Tsukushi Makino
Osama no Shinzo Sakura Kariya Special
First Kiss Mio Fukunaga
Hanaikusa Mineko Iwasaki Special
2008 Anmitsu Hime Animitsu Hime Special
2009 Anmitsu Hime 2 Animitsu Hime Special
Karei naru Spy Ami Yoshizawa Episode 1
Kyumei Byoto 24 Ji Sae Kokubo Episode 4
Tengoku de Kimi ni Aetara Natsuko Nonogami Special
Yonimo Kimyo na Monogatari: Kensaku Suru Onna Kanako Okazaki Special
2010 Mominoki wa Nokotta Uno
Juui Dolittle Asuka Tashima
2011 Ohisama Yoko Sudo
2012 Tokkan Miki Suzumiya
2013 Paji Momo Sakita (older)
2015 Hana Moyu Sugi Fumi
2017 Ashita no Yakusoku Hinata Aizawa
2018 Ran Hansha Mitsue Kayama Special
2019 Shonen Torajiro Mitsuko Kuruma
2020 Shonen Torajiro Special Mitsuko Kuruma Special
2021 Nigatsu no Shosha: Zettai Gokaku no Kyoshitsu Mai Sakura
2022 Yoru no Agura: Ane to Ototo to Watashi Akiko Special
2023 Why Didn't I Tell You a Million Times? Yui Soma

Films

Year Title Role Notes
2006 Check It Out, Yo! Yui Haebaru
2007 GeGeGe no Kitaro Mika Miura
Kaidan Ohisa
2008 Hana Yori Dango Final Tsukushi Makino
2009 I Give My First Love to You Mayu Taneda
2010 My Darling Is a Foreigner Saori
Surely Someday Shoko Goto
2011 Oba: The Last Samurai Chieko Aono
Rebirth Erina Akiyama
2012 Tug of War! Chiaki Nishikawa
2013 King of Apology Noriko Kuramochi
The Eternal Zero Miyabe Matsuno
2014 The Snow White Murder Case Miki Shirono
Soreike! Anpanman: Ringo Boya to Minnano Negai Ringo Boya Voice
2016 Rudolf the Black Cat Rudolf Voice
2018 Yakiniku Dragon Rika
2019 Katsuben! Kotoe Tachibana
2020 Ichido mo Uttemasen Utama Fukuhara
2021 Daikomesodo Ito Matsuura
2022 Watashi no Okaasan Yuko

Notes[]

  • She previously belonged to Seventh Avenue, the same agency as Nanako Matsushima who played Tsubaki in Hana Yori Dango. Hana Nochi Hare stars Riku Kashima and Sho now belong to Seventh Avenue.
  • Inoue reunited with Shun Oguri in the television drama, Juui Dolittle (2010).

  • References[]

    1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 http://www.talent-databank.co.jp/interview/2005/1101/ (Japanese)
    2. http://www.kanaloco.jp/article/73495/cms_id/87914 (Japanese)
    3. http://mao-inoue.jp/profile/ (Japanese)
    4. http://www.tbs.co.jp/hanayoridango/cast.html (Japanese)
    5. http://www.ntv.co.jp/hotaru/cast/index.html (Japanese)
    6. https://www.shibuyabunka.com/soft.php?id=1004 (Japanese)
    7. http://www.tbs.co.jp/hanadan2/cast/ (Japanese)
    8. https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/46317/full/ (Japanese)
    9. https://www.fujitv.co.jp/b_hp/hanaikusa/ (Japanese)
    10. https://www.ntv.co.jp/shakespeare/ (Japanese)
    11. https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2007-08-20/hana-yori-dango-final-movie-to-end-live-action-drama
    12. https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2007-10-26/classic-shojo-manga-anmitsu-hime-gets-television-drama
    13. https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-11-17/tv-drama-based-on-anmitsu-hime-shojo-manga-gets-sequel
    14. https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-12-02/boku-no-hatsukoi-o-kimi-ni-sasagu-manga-gets-2009-film
    15. http://www.tbs.co.jp/jyuui-dolittle/cast/ (Japanese)
    16. https://japantoday.com/category/entertainment/mao-inoue-and-jonathan-sherr-to-star-in-my-darling-is-a-foreigner
    17. http://www9.nhk.or.jp:80/ohisama/cast/ (Japanese)
    18. http://15th.japanesefilmfestival.net/film-oba.html
    19. http://www.tokyohive.com/article/2012/03/youkame-no-semi-dominates-the-35th-japan-academy-awards/
    20. https://www.scmp.com/magazines/48hrs/article/1643385/film-review-snow-white-murder-case-shows-many-sides-murder-mystery
    21. https://mdpr.jp/news/detail/1457369 (Japanese)
    22. http://www.hochi.co.jp/entertainment/20161209-OHT1T50356.html (Japanese)
    23. https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2096083/full/ (Japanese)
    24. https://dot.asahi.com/info/2018080900071.html?page=1 (Japanese)
    25. https://natalie.mu/eiga/news/265462 (Japanese)
    26. https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2140256/full/ (Japanese)
    27. https://www.nhk.or.jp/dramatopics-blog/20000/436873.html (Japanese)
    28. https://realsound.jp/movie/2019/08/post-408495.html (Japanese)
    29. https://mdpr.jp/cinema/amp/1948693 (Japanese)
    30. https://www.sanspo.com/geino/news/20191022/geo19102205030012-n1.html (Japanese)
    31. https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2156437/full/ (Japanese)
    32. https://realsound.jp/movie/2022/06/post-1060512.html (Japanese)
    33. https://www.nikkansports.com/entertainment/news/202203240000654.html (Japanese)
    34. 34.0 34.1 https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2257234/full/ (Japanese)
    35. https://wezz-y.com/archives/58402 (Japanese)
    36. http://koalasplayground.com/2017/04/07/j-actress-inoue-mao-coyly-confirms-relationship-with-long-rumored-boyfriend-matsumoto-jun/

    See also[]



    External links[]

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