Erina Mano's Major Debut

Erina!

Hello! Project member Erina Mano will make her major label debut as a soloist next month. Her first single, "Otome no Inori," is set to go on sale March 18.

Last year, Mano released three indie singles: "Mano Piano," "Lucky Aura," and "Lalala-Sososo." Like those songs, her new tune is composed by KAN and arranged by Taisei (Sharam Q), with lyrics written by Yoshiko Miura.

In addition to the single's regular edition, there will be three different first edition versions. Fans who purchase a first edition copy will be able to enter a drawing for a special event being held in five cities at the end of March.

A video clip for the song is being made available digitally on Recochoku between February 4 and February 10.

It has also been decided that Mano will hold her debut concerts in June. She will perform at Nakano Sun Plaza on June 6, followed by a show in Osaka at Matsushita IMP Hall on June 14.

ARASHI's Kazunari Ninomiya Stars In "Door To Door"

Nino!

Arashi's Kazunari Ninomiya is starring in a TBS drama special called "DOOR TO DOOR." This is the third and last in the network's "kandou drama" series, which includes last year's "Marathon" and 2006's "Sukoshi wa, Ongaeshi ga Dekita Kana." Ninomiya also starred in those two specials.

These dramas are based on true stories about young men overcoming illnesses. "DOOR TO DOOR" is inspired by Bill Porter, an American door-to-door salesman who achieved the highest sales for his company despite suffering from cerebral palsy. In the U.S., Porter's story became a successful book, and it was turned into an Emmy-nominated made-for-TV movie on the TNT network in 2002.

TBS's version of "DOOR TO DOOR" is set in Japan, with Ninomiya playing the lead as a man named Hideo Kurasawa. His supporting cast includes Kanako Higuchi as his mother and Rosa Kato as a co-worker. Filming started on Sunday. TBS will air the drama on March 29 at 9:00pm.

DVD Release Of Live-Action Death Note "

Death Note 2

VIZ Pictures announces DVD release of Live-Action Death Note 2: The Last Name feature film

VIZ Pictures, an affiliate of VIZ Media, LLC that focuses on Japanese live-action film distribution, has announced the highly anticipated DVD release of DEATH NOTE II: THE LAST NAME, based on the hit supernatural action mystery manga (graphic novel) and animated series. The DVD will feature both the original Japanese dialogue with English subtitles and the English dubbed version by the outstanding voice cast of the animated series. The Red Hot Chili Peppers again contribute the theme song. Bonus features include a special segment, “Making of DEATH NOTE II” and the original Japanese theatrical trailer. The DVD will carry a suggested retail price of $24.92 and will be distributed in North America by VIZ Media. The estimated street date for DEATH NOTE II: THE LAST NAME is February 10, 2009.

DEATH NOTE II: THE LAST NAME is the sequel to the phenomenal hit live-action movie DEATH NOTE, based on the hit manga series written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata. The DEATH NOTE live-action DVD, released in September 2008, was ranked as #1 in Japanese Films in North America and #34 in the Live-Action category. As the sequel of DEATH NOTE and once again directed by the renowned monster filmmaker Shusuke Kaneko, DEATH NOTE II: THE LAST NAME concludes the titanic battle between the two geniuses Light and L.

The story picks up with Light Yagami (Tatsuya Fujiwara) joining the investigation team in pursuit of the serial killer known as ‘Kira’. While L (Kenichi Matsuyama) still strongly suspects that Light is ‘Kira’, Light continues to seek out the real name of L so that he can kill him with his Death Note. Making things even more unpredictable is the ‘Eyes of Death’ that the second Kira possesses, enabling the owner to know the true identity and lifespan of any person. Light Yagami soon learns the identity of the other Kira and wants to join forces to get rid of L. Will L be able to catch “Kira” before he gets killed? Who will be the last name written in the Death Note?

“We’re very excited to announce the highly anticipated DVD release of DEATH NOTE II: THE LAST NAME,” says Seiji Horibuchi, President and CEO of VIZ Pictures. “Is Light Yagami a crazed serial killer or merely society’s self-appointed solution to crime? DEATH NOTE is the latest manga and anime series to gain widespread international popularity, and the success of the first live-action film has primed audiences for this edgy sequel. As interest in DEATH NOTE continues to grow, we invite fans to delve into the psychological drama of this newest release from VIZ Pictures.”

VIZ Pictures has also announced 2 special giveaway promotions to coincide with the DVD release. Fans are encouraged to go to www.viz-pictures.com and answer the quick survey before February 28. 10 random winners will be selected to receive a special DEATH NOTE II poster.

Readers of SHONEN JUMP magazine are encouraged to enter the exclusive DEATH NOTE II contest where 10 lucky fans will each win a copy of the DEATH NOTE II DVD, and 3 very lucky fans will each win a copy of the DVD and an autograph from one of the lead actors (Kenichi Matsuyama, Tatsuya Fujiwara and Erika Toda). Contest details will be in the March 2009 issue of Shonen Jump magazine, which will hit newsstands on February 3.

The DEATH NOTE manga and animated series have become extremely popular domestically. The 37-episode animated series is seen by millions each week on cable broadcast and the series is also distributed on DVD by VIZ Media (rated T+ for Older Teens). On the print side, DEATH NOTE 13: HOW TO READ, a companion volume to the successful manga series, also published domestically by VIZ Media, was recently ranked in USA Today’s Top 150 list of America’s best-selling books.

The animated PV for Arashi's next single, "Believe," is a collaboration with animation studio Tatsunoko. The collaboration is linked to the upcoming l

Believe


The animated PV for Arashi's next single, "Believe," is a collaboration with animation studio Tatsunoko. The collaboration is linked to the upcoming live-action movie based on Tatsunoko's "Yatterman" franchise, which stars Arashi member Sho Sakurai and uses "Believe" as its theme song.

In the music video, each of the five Arashi members will "transform" into a character from a different Tatsunoko series. Sakurai will obviously take on the role of Yatterman No. 1. The other shows being used are "Yattodetaman" (Kazunari Ninomiya), "Time Bokan" (Satoshi Ohno), "Otasukeman" (Masaki Aiba), and "Zenderman" (Jun Matsumoto).

The "Yatterman" movie opens on March 7. "Believe" goes on sale as a CD single on March 4, the same day the PV becomes available through media site Dwango. A live-action music video for "Believe" is also being made.

Oricon: 2009's Promising Young Actors

Research firm Oricon conducted a survey of 1,000 young men and women, asking them which actors they have high expectations for in 2009.

The #1 answer was Haruma Miura, who ranked third in last year's survey. Miura landed his first starring drama role this past fall when he played a genius hacker in "Bloody Monday."

1. Haruma Miura
2. Takeru Sato
3. Junpei Mizobata
4. Hiro Mizushima
5. Hayato Ichihara
6. Kenichi Matsuyama
7. Shohei Miura
8. Yu Shirota
9. Yusuke Yamamoto
10. Osamu Mukai