<figure id="attachment_451059" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 3980px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-451059"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="ba5d8567"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/12/4cc00345fbfc70fcb6518d2ede8e6a86.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-451059" class="wp-caption-text">Mao Inoue, playing the heroine in the January ’26 drama “Saikai ~Silent Truth~” (TV Asahi)</figcaption></figure>
<h2>Really, classmates?</h2>
<p data-start="126" data-end="225">Wearing a blue cardigan and jeans, Mao Inoue (38) waved her hand with a bright, refreshing smile.</p>
<p data-start="227" data-end="510">In mid-December, filming for the January drama “Saikai ~Silent Truth~” (TV Asahi) was taking place inside a building in a commercial area of Sagamihara, Kanagawa. Several cameras and monitors were set up around the building, and a small crowd gathered to watch from a distance.</p>
<p data-start="512" data-end="678">After a while, a well-dressed man in a suit emerged from inside the building—Ryoma Takeuchi (32), the lead actor. Following him was Inoue, appearing as the heroine.</p>
<p data-start="680" data-end="1209"><strong>&#8220;The drama is based on Dai Yokozeki’s novel ‘Saikai,’ which won the 56th Edogawa Rampo Prize. The story begins when four elementary school students discover a handgun used in a past incident and bury it under a cherry tree. Twenty-three years later, Junichi Hina (played by Takeuchi), now a detective, reunites with his first love and classmate Makiko Iwamoto (played by Inoue), who has become a suspect in a murder case. Past sins resurface, affecting their lives in this human love mystery,&#8221;</strong> explained a TV magazine writer.</p>
<p data-start="1211" data-end="1423">Most of the filming was indoors, so it was difficult to observe closely. However, when Inoue and Takeuchi came outside, cheers rang out from spectators watching from the rooftop of a building across the street.</p>
<p data-start="1425" data-end="1607">Later, the two waited outside for the next scene’s preparations. Takeuchi chatted with the staff, while Inoue maintained a serious expression, seemingly fully immersed in her role.</p>
<p data-start="1609" data-end="1855">This marks Inoue’s first terrestrial drama in three years since “100 Million Times I Should Have Said It” (TBS, ’23). In a promotional video currently on TV Asahi’s official website, Inoue spoke about her six-years-younger co-star Takeuchi:</p>
<p data-start="1857" data-end="1930"><strong>&#8220;We’re not the same age, so I really feel sorry. Really, classmates.&#8221;</strong></p>
<p data-start="1932" data-end="1969">Regarding playing Makiko, she said:</p>
<p data-start="1971" data-end="2127"><strong>&#8220;Even after reading the original and the script, this character was completely different from any role I could immediately relate to or empathize with.&#8221;</strong></p>
<p data-start="2129" data-end="2271">She admitted it’s been a daily challenge to shape the character. Still, she ended with a smile: &#8220;But I think Takeuchi-san is really cool.&#8221;</p>
<p data-start="2273" data-end="2371">Fans are looking forward to seeing how Inoue’s first terrestrial drama in three years turns out.</p>
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<div data-friday-nextpage-lead="Mao Inoue with a serious look on her face between photo shoots"></div>
<figure id="attachment_451060" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 3632px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-451060"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="6bd7ef2f"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/12/29c80f6e294bdb2ba061169edf211606.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-451060" class="wp-caption-text">Mao Inoue during the filming of a drama</figcaption></figure>
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<figure id="attachment_451061" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 3734px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-451061"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="80fc245f"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/12/7c11d416d9d26cbb9920f611367cefc0.jpeg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-451061" class="wp-caption-text">Mao Inoue, who seems to be fully absorbed in her role, keeps a serious expression on her face during the filming.</figcaption></figure>
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<figure id="attachment_451062" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 5475px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-451062"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="31c987bc"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/12/198893d8f9423ab75bec41640f6b226c.jpeg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-451062" class="wp-caption-text">Mao Inoue in her first terrestrial TV drama in three years.</figcaption></figure>


 Kumataro Arai

 In mid-December, filming for the January '26 drama "Reunion" was taking place in Sagamihara, Kanagawa, and we spotted the heroine Mao Inoue! Inoue never lost her serious expression between takes and seemed to be fully into the role.

Mao Inoue Spotted on Set of January Drama, Balancing Cheerful Smiles and Serious Focus

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