Actress Yuri Mizutani will star for the first time in a play titled "Tokyo Toushindai II ~Ikizurai Onnatachi~," directed by Ayako Oki.

The story centers around three young women in Tokyo in search of themselves. Mizutani plays Sarina, a charismatic nail stylist who is actually a "himono onna" (one whose love life has "dried up").

Seiyu and singer Yuuka Nanri and model Ayaka Onoue will co-star. Other cast members include Yui Taoka and former Morning Musume member Yuko Nakazawa.

Performances will take place on August 28-30 at the Astro Hall in Harajuku.

Music group BEGIN has founded its own music label named PIG PINK, also known by the nickname "Buta House." The label started in July as part of Imperial Records, the J-pop branch of Teichiku Records.

Last fall, BEGIN started working on their music in a pink-walled house on Okinawa. Their label's name is based on the building's color, and is also a reference to "Music from Big Pink," the debut album of Canadian-American rock group The Band.

BEGIN plans to collaborate with and produce other artists from Okinawa. The label's first two projects are BEGIN's new single, "Koko Kara Mirai e," and a compilation album titled "Okinawa no Home Song 1."

On August 22, Sony is releasing a two-disc compilation titled "Climax Dramatic Songs," which includes some of the most popular TV drama themes from the 1990s. Several of the songs are million-sellers - combined, the compilation's 30 tunes have sold more than 20 million copies.

Former Takarazuka top star Saki Asaji, also known by the nickname "Mariko" (her real name is Mariko Ishii), will take on the lead female role in Takashi Miike's stage production of "Zatoichi." The main role of Zatoichi is being performed by Sho Aikawa.

Asaji's character in "Zatoichi" is named Akenodayuu, the head of a six-person traveling theater troupe. After her group is attacked by robbers, she and the only other survivor are forced to build a new troupe.

Asaji is best known for playing male roles, even after she retired from the Takarazuka Revue in 1998. In regards to playing a woman for "Zatoichi," she remarked, "I'm probably the most surprised out of anyone."

"Zatoichi" opens on December 3 at Tokyo's Shinjuku Koma Stadium, moving to the Umeda Arts Theater in Osaka on December 20, then to the Aichi Pension Hall in Nagoya on January 4.

22-year-old Taiki Nakabayashi, the amateur actor selected to play Godai in TV Asahi's "Maison Ikkoku" drama special, has finally been signed to a major agency and cast in a new role.

According to an arrangement with TV Asahi, Nakabayashi was not allowed to sign with an agency until after "Maison Ikkoku" was aired in May. Since then, several firms have been competing to pick him up. It has now been decided that he will be part of major player Stardust Promotion.

Nakabayashi's next role is in TV Asahi's drama remake of the novel "Hanochi," which was announced last month. Kippei Shiina is playing the main character, while Nakabayashi plays a ramen shop employee who holds the key to the story's mystery.

Masahiro Kobayashi's "Ai no Yokan" (also known as "The Rebirth") has been awarded the Golden Leopard at this year's Locarno International Film Festival. The last time a Japanese film won the top prize at the festival was in 1970, when Akio Jissoji earned it for "Mujo" ("This Transient Life").

The five-episode anime series "Afro Samurai" will be shown in Japanese theaters this fall. The big screen version includes the five original television episodes, plus new scenes.

Plans for a live-action movie, also starring Samuel L. Jackson, are still in progress.