 The viewers took notice of her in the series "Kids War" which ran successfully from 1999 to 2003.In 2005, Mao took the lead role in the drama adaptation of the popular manga "Hana Yori Dango", with Arashi member Matsumoto Jun, Shun Oguri, Shota Matsuda and Tsuyoshi Abe.Mao was awarded Best Actress by Television Drama Academy in the same year that the drama was aired.