On March 7th, Fuji TV announced more characters of their upcoming musical drama 'Kaeru no Oujo-sama' ('Princess of the Frog'), starring Amami Yuki.

'Kaeru no Oujo-sama' is a musical drama about a legendary musical star (Amami) who has �just returned to Japan after several setbacks on the Broadway in New York. Back home, she will be using all of her energy and experience to help a Mamasan Chorus, "Chansons", from having to break up. In order to do so, she modifies the concept of a chorus by adding dancing to their performance. Naturally, this idea doesn't sit well with everyone in the chorus, especially one very conservative housewife (Ishida Yuriko), who aggressively opposes Amami's unconventional ideas.

Among the additions to the cast is AKB48 member Oshima Yuko, who will be able to fully utilize her versatile entertaining skills by combining acting, singing, and dancing. Oshima will be playing a college student who is currently hunting for a job but has already received 53 consecutive rejections. She's also a member of the "Chansons", but due to her timid nature, she has problems adjusting to the strict coaching of their new leader. Soon, she starts to think that she's holding back the group, although she loves to sing more than anyone else.

The producer revealed that they picked Oshima because of her extraordinary expressive power when she's singing and dancing. "There is no other actress with similar abilities," he said.

Oshima herself commented, "Just like her, I do love singing, even though it's not our strong point. She doesn't lose to anyone with her love for singing, which is a feeling I can absolutely empathize with. I hope that her personal growth while she's chasing her dream, as well as the great strength and unity of the 'Chansons' will reach the viewers. Since it's the first time I have to sing as an actress, I'm going to be a lot more careful about my singing."

More members of the chorus include Katase Nana,� Tamayama Tetsuji, and Kikuchi Mika, who all play characters of the most diverse professions. Furthermore, Koizumi Kotaro is going to play the husband of Ishida Yuriko, while Kishibe Ittoku is going to disguise himself as the despicable mayor who tries to get rid of the "Chansons".

Every episode will be featuring one or two famous songs, such as THE BOOM�s �Kaze ni Naritai�, and�Kome Kome Club�s �Roman Hikou�, in addition to many songs from the from the 1970s, various enka songs, and of course many great pop songs.

Fuji TV will be airing 'Kaeru no Oujo-sama' every Thursday at 10:00 pm, with the first episode airing on April 12th.

Source: Sanspo (1,2,3)