Actress Mao Inoue will finally be making her long awaited return to acting! According to Yahoo! Mao will be playing the role of a female teacher in a Fuji TV drama series that will begin airing in October.

This will be Mao’s first appearance in a drama series since the 2015 Taiga drama “Hanamoyu”. After the release of “Hanamoyu” Mao did not sign on to appear in many projects, her sole role being a voice acting spot in the CGI children’s movie Rudolf the Black Cat. The same month the movie was released Mao announced that she would be parting ways with her agency “Seventh Avenue”, whom she belonged to since the start of her career as a child actress.

Idol umbrella Hello! Project have revealed their plans to release more downloadable songs and videos.

In the announcement on their official website, Hello! Project explains how each group in their roster have consistently released 2 to 3 physical singles a year, but to make things even more fun for fans, they want to try new methods of releasing a variety of additional songs digitally.

From here on out, fans can expect more solos, the return of shuffle units and the potential of including H!P OG members in the mix too. Each group will continue to releases physical CDs as usual, but they will now also be releasing additionally content for sale digitally from time to time.

Following the announcement for the formation of the new unit PANDORA, it has been revealed that the producer duo will be providing the opening theme for “Kamen Rider Build” featuring Filipino avex soloist Beverly.

PANDORA is a new unit formed by TM NETWORK producer Tetsuya Komura and Daisuke Asakura, producer of pop duo access—the group that Hiroyuki Takami, the actor currently portraying the character Dan Masamune in Kamen Rider Ex-Aid, is the vocalist and lyricist for.

In “Kamen Rider Build“, Japan is divided into three parts by a formation called the “sky wall” after scientists discover an alien artifact on Mars. Strange beings known as “smash” begin to appear, and a young physicist transforms into Kamen Rider Build in order to fight back.

Check out the short version below!

Former actress Fumika Shimizu has made her first official public appearance since retiring from the entertainment industry to devote herself to Happy Science. Fumika was introduced to the Happy Science lifestyle by her parents, and while it’s officially labeled as a “religious and spiritual movement” the controversial moment is regularly criticized for being a cult.

Founded in 1986 by CEO Ryuho Okawa, the basic teachings of Happy Science are “Exploration of the Right Mind” and the “Principles of Happiness“. Okawa claims to channel the spirits of Muhammad, Jesus Christ, Buddha and Confucius, and is the incarnation of the supreme spiritual being called El Cantare. This isn’t a cult at all!

The event was held at Tokyo Dome in support of a new film titled “Saraba Seishun, Saredo Seishun”. Fumika appeared under her new name, Yoshiko Sengen, having previously announced that she will return to acting under Happy Science’s ARI Production company. Fumika who stars as the main heroine of the film, sang the films theme song at the event. “Saraba Seishun, Saredo Seishun” is currently scheduled to be released next year. The arena was full of blue penlights as she belted out the theme, thanking fans for their support and encouragement.

Despite not making any official public appearances since the announcement, Fumika has been active on social media regularly posting on her official twitter account and blog. Pictures from the event and a short preview of her performance can be seen below.

The short version of new single from EDM trio DANCE EARTH PARTY entitled “POPCORN” has been released to the official Avex YouTube channel.

The unit DANCE EARTH PARTY is part of EXILE USA’s solo project DANCE EARTH and bridges EXILE TRIBE with new E.G. Family as a mixed-gender group. EXILE USA is joined by EXILE TETSUYA as a performer and Dream Shizuka as vocalist.

EXILE USA commented, “This single is filled with songs to be performed on “DANCE EARTH FESTIVAL”. As the title of the new song suggests, this song is created with the idea ‘burst like popcorn and release a power.’“

Is Dragon’s Quest the most beloved RPG series in Japan? Recent numbers show it could very well be a top contender for that crown. After just two days Dragon Quest XI has sold well over 2 million copies. The game was released July 29th on Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation 4. It’s estimated that roughly 1.1 million units were sold on the 3DS, while the PS4 version moved 950k. What makes this number even more impressive is that digital sales have not been added to the grand total yet. A Nintendo Switch version of the game is also planned to be released in the future.

In comparison to other popular game franchises Pokemon Sun & Moon sold 1.9 million copies after three days of sales. Final Fantasy XV managed to sell 694k in one week, while The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild shifted 230k units after three days.

The very first Dragon Quest game was released in 1986 for the Famicon/NES and has since went on to become one of the most successful RPG franchises. The game has become renowned for it’s classic turn-based game play, beloved slime mascot, and art by Akira Toriyama (Dragonball, Dr. Slump, Chrono Trigger)

Dragon Quest XI is scheduled to be released overseas sometime in 2018. A trailer for Dragon Quest XI can be seen below the jump.

The MV for AI and Naomi Wantanabe‘s anticipated collaboration “KiraKira” is here!

The song serves as the theme for the TBS Drama “Kanna-san!“, which stars Naomi as the titular character. Based on the manga series “Kanna-san!” by Kahoru Fukaya, the drama follows Kanna Suzuki (Naomi) who works as a fashion designer. She is happily married with a child, until one day Kanna learns that her husband is having an affair. Promptly kicking him to the curb, Kanna struggles with raising her son and maintaining her career as a single mother.

In the video AI and Naomi wreak a little bit of havoc in the office of popular radio station “J-wave 81.3 FM”. The two wander around with Naomi eventually trying to answer multiple phones at once at the front desk and, and the duo using an official broadcast room as a “stage”. A bunch of photos are also featured which showcase Naomi’s colorful fashion sense and goofy personality.

“KiraKira” was released as a digital single, and is AI’s 24th overall. Watch the short MV below the jump!

We’re back with this week’s edition of Oricon Flashback. This is where we look back on what topped Oricon this week 5, 10, 15, and 20 years ago. Think of it as a way to reminisce and learn about the past of Japanese music.

Note: Last week’s edition was the final one featuring the RIAJ Digital Track Chart, since the RIAJ killed it off this week in 2012. We are currently looking for an alternative that features digital sales.