Jun Matsumoto

Jun Matsumoto (松本 潤, Matsumoto Jun, born August 30, 1983), often called by the portmanteau nickname MatsuJun (松潤), is a Japanese idol, singer, actor, and radio host. He is a member of Japanese boy band Arashi and is best known to Japanese television drama audiences for his portrayal as Tsukasa Dōmyōji in the Hana Yori Dango series, in which he won GQ Japan's Man Of The Year Award under the singer/actor category for his work in the drama.

Matsumoto began his career in the entertainment industry when he joined the Japanese talent agency Johnny & Associates in 1996 at the age of 12. Prior to his debut as a singer with Arashi in 1999, Matsumoto started an acting career when he was cast as Teddy Duchamp for the stage play Stand by Me, which was based on the film of the same name. Since then, he has gone on to appear in numerous dramas and movies, receiving a number of awards and nominations for his roles.

Early life

Matsumoto was born in Toshima, Tokyo, as the youngest child in his family. He has an older sister whose support of KinKi Kids influenced his decision to join Johnny & Associates in 1996. Thinking it might bode good luck, he sent his application to the agency on his elementary school graduation day and received a phone call weeks later from president Johnny Kitagawa himself, inviting him to attend a rehearsal instead of being auditioned. Due to this, Matsumoto is frequently referred to as one of the elite within the agency.

Shun Oguri

Shun Oguri (小栗 旬, Oguri Shun, born December 26, 1982) is a Japanese actor, voice actor and film director.

Career

Shun made his TV debut in NHK's drama Hachidai Shogun Yoshimune in 1995. In 1998, by playing the bullied and abused child Noboru Yoshikawa in the drama Great Teacher Onizuka, Shun started to be recognized by the public. His act in that drama attracted the attention, and brought him bigger roles. In 2000, he played a deaf person in Summer Snow. Two years later, he starred in the popular drama Gokusen, in which he played a part of a bully, rather than the bullied as he did in Great Teacher Onizuka. In 2005, Shun lent his voice as a voice actor in Fullmetal Alchemist the Movie: Conqueror of Shamballa together with his brother Ryo Oguri.

Shun rose to prominence after his breakthrough role as 'Hanazawa Rui' in the popular drama Hana Yori Dango in 2005 and his first lead role as 'Shinichi Kudo' in the first Detective Conan live movie Detective Conan: Shinichi Kudo's Written Challenge in 2006. In 2007, he starred in the drama Hanazakari no Kimitachi e as 'Izumi Sano', cooperating with Toma Ikuta and Maki Horikita. In 2008, Oguri took up another lead drama role in Binbō Danshi by playing a poor college student named 'Kazumi Koyama'. At the same year, he played in the drama Tokyo Dogs as an American detective 'So Takakura' in the leading place. In 2009, Oguri lent his voice as a voice actor once again in Wangan Midnight as 'Akio Asakura'.

Boys Over Flowers

Hana Yori Dango (花より男子, lit. "Dango [Preferred] over Flowers") is a Japanese shōjo manga series written and illustrated by Yoko Kamio. The story is set in Eitoku Academy, an elite school for children from rich families. It follows lead protagonist Tsukushi Makino, a student from a working-class family, and the members of Eitoku Academy's elite Flower Four, commonly known as the "F4".

Hana Yori Dango was serialized in Shueisha's bi-weekly Margaret magazine from October 1992 to September 2003, and was collected into 37 tankōbon volumes. The manga has been adapted into a 51-episode anime series (which closely follows the manga) and an anime film. The manga has been licensed by Viz Media for publication in the United States. The manga series has also been adapted into live-action television drama series in both Japan and Korea, and in Taiwan it was also adapted into two live-action films.

Boys Over Flowers won the 41st Shogakukan Manga Award for Shōjo.Hana Yori Dango is also the best-selling shōjo manga in Japan of all time, having sold 54 million copies as of 2005.

Mao Inoue

Mao Inoue (井上 真央, Inoue Mao) (born January 9, 1987) is an award-winning 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, Kizzu Uo) and as Makino Tsukushi in the popular Hana Yori Dango series.

Career

Dramas and movies

Inoue Mao started her career as an actress at the young age of 5. 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. The drama became a big hit, with viewers demanding a second season. 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 movie: Check It Out, Yo! with Hayato Ichihara, Yūta Hiraoka, and Tasuku Emoto. The film was in theaters April 22, 2006.