Alternative TitlesEnglish: Glass Mask (2005) Japanese: ガラスの仮面 (2005)
Information
Type: TV
Episodes: 51
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Apr 6, 2005 to Mar 29, 2006
Duration:
25 min. per episode Rating:
G - All Ages
L represents licensing company
StatisticsScore: 8.351 (scored by 2900 users)
Ranked: #1622
Popularity: #1705
Members: 7,816
Favorites: 150 1 indicates a weighted score
My Info
Popular Tags
shoujo |
SynopsisTwo Girls. One Dream. And the entire world for a stage.
At 13 years old, Maya Kitajima seems destined to spend the rest of her life toiling in a crowded restaurant alongside her bitter and unstable mother. But when her incredible acting talent is discovered by the legendary diva Chigusa Tsukikage, Maya finds a new future filled with both golden opportunities and terrifying risks.
For Ayumi Himekawa, success has always been assured, yet she longs to be recognized for her own talents and skills, not her famous parents' connections.
For both, the ultimate prize is the role of The Crimson Goddess in the play of the same name, a part created by Chigusa. To achieve this goal, both Maya and Ayumi must seek out and conquer every acting challenge, pushing the limits of their talent and endurance to the utmost, until they are worthy of the part…
But for one to win, the other must fail!
(Source: Sentai Filmworks) |
Related AnimeAdaptation: Glass Mask
Alternative version: Glass no Kamen
Other: Glass no Kamen Desu ga
Characters & Voice Actors
Staff
Reviews
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StarMasayume
73 of 91 people found this review helpful
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21 of 51 episodes seen
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| Overall |
10 |
| Story |
10 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Character |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
Glass Mask doesn't have the following it deserves (which is a shame, it's practically an icon in Japan, older than Sailor Moon and even references to "Mr. Purple Rose" or characters can be found in newer material such as Skip Beat). Started in the 70s or 80s, the manga after a hiatus is only just nearing completion at over 40 volumes. It's an epic romance with the drive of a young girl, starting at the age of 12 as she embarks on the journey to become an actress and grows up over the y...ears. If you like characters who follow after a dream at all costs, than you will find this series empowering and crave more of seeing Maya overcome all sorts of trials. If not, you may simply enjoy it for the romance aspect which is at first subtle and grows more over time.
Even without those, I'm always fascinated by the stage plays throughout the stories.... some very well known such as Little Woman, Hellen Keller in the Miracle Worker, the Prince and the Pauper, Midsummer's Night Dream, or ones I've never heard of that make me very interested in... almost as if I'm sitting in the audience and watching Maya act this plays for real. It always feels new and fresh and I love seeing Maya when she finally discovers her role, or her perspectives of the role. It truly is like putting on a mask, she lives that character's life.
The 2005 anime has taken liberties with the art style and characters, and though I'm sad (I fell in love with the mangaka's style even though it initially turned me off in the beginning), I think it was a good call. The characters look more familiar to modern-day anime watchers and their updated looks still pleasing. There's nothing fancy or awe-inspiring about the artwork of the anime, but then it's not that kind of anime and doesn't need to be. It's the story and characters that drive the story.
We're all familiar with the clumsy girl character who isn't good at anything, but I find something especially endearing about Maya's character. From a poor background, she's been brought up being called useless even by her own mother. The dramas on TV and a glimpses at the theatre wipes everything else from her mind and she becomes quite oblivious to all else. A natural genius for acting, she can recite a 2 hour play she watched once but can't recall one rule in math. I think it's very easy to get attached to her character. She's childish but you see her mature too and her devotion to acting is wonderful if sometimes heart-breaking.
Ayumi is the princess of the story, the complete opposite of Maya and good at whatever she does... prestigious background, actress since she was five, top of school, singing, dancing... a born prodigy and utter beauty. Perhaps you want or expect to hate her at first but I grew to love her just as much as Maya. Her love of acting and recognition of Maya's talents drives her to mprove herself, no matter the hell she puts her body through. And no matter how high in the limelight she gets, or how derisive the media or people are towards Maya, she cherishes Maya as her only Rival. The bond these two form through their acting careers... not even spending all that much time together, is especially amazing to me. I love the idea of rivals that pushes each other up instead of down, who hold each other in such high regard. I love the times when Maya and Ayumi actually meet or even get to act together.
This is a story that can hook you into it. No matter how long this series is, I'm never bored. No number of episodes is ever enough. I got two friends to watch and love it with a marathon sleepover (one who didn't expect much at all and ended up squealing throughout it), and I hope others will similarly give this anime a try. It doesn't deserve being forgotten or bypassed. I've made two recommendations for other animes, and in the reverse, if you liked anime such as Hikaru no Go and Kaleido Star you will definitely like this one. read more
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sayami
58 of 74 people found this review helpful
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51 of 51 episodes seen
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| Overall |
9 |
| Story |
10 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Character |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
I am truly fascinated by this anime. It took more than a year to search for the episodes and to watch them, but it really worth it. To be a shoujo manga adaptation it is full with realistic allusions and it appears that the mangaka put a lot of work to form the story and the characters. This 51 episodes perfectly enough for the story to progress and also for the characters’ development.
Story: I have to say it is really amazing. The best shoujo anime I’ve seen so far and of course the second Tv anime adaptation of the great manga, Garasu no kamen. Unfortunatelly I haven’t read the manga, but truly did enjoy the anime. Already the first episode caught my attention and I was determined to find the rest of it and in spite of it took really long, I was able to complete it.
First maybe you think of it as another shoujo anime, with romance and ’I want to be an actress’ and the main character actually a genius who captivate everybody around with her talent and pureness. Of course it wouldn’t be a shoujo, if it doesn’t contain these parts. But the creator somehow put these things together so right, so realistic and many times so dramatic that you can’t stop watching it and you’re always curious what is going to happen next. It shows you not only the sparkling, amusing side of the theatre but also the cruel things. I liked especially the plays and how the roles were formed almost perfectly. The unusual love made it really sad but romantic, unforutanely it isn’t well developed. At the half of the series there is a tragic happening that the most heartwrecking thing that I’ve ever seen in anime. Of course the consequences were well made and the most character development happens at this point.
Another point of view this is a story of growing up, we can see how the little, clumsy Maya becomes a wonderful actress and the whole hard work she does for it. It is really good to see how the good or bad things make her stronger but she doesn’t lose herself and she is always keeps going forward for somebody who is always support her from the backgrounds. There is always the one that we fight for and unknowingly that person becomes our most important thing, but do we really have to lose that thing to realize how precious it was? 10 points
Characters: The characters were the soul of the whole anime. Their personalities were made real, living, I liked them the most in it.
In details:
Maya is going through a lot of things, grow up in front of our eyes, become a famous and wonderful actress but also lose precious things in her life, but no matter what, she keeps going forward and does her best to reach her goal and play the role of Kurenai Tenjou. She shows us that pure talent is not enough to fulfill our dreams, we also have to make sacrifices for it. We can’t earn something without doing anything. I liked in her that until she got to know about the Kurenai Tenjou she did acting because this was the only thing Maya was good at, acting was her life and doing it made her feel happy. She has friends to support her and a secret fan who encourage her with the well known purpe roses, which always gives Maya a push to do her best. While growing up she learns more about herself and about acting and she fall in love for the first time, she is a real shoujo heroine.
Himekawa Ayumi: She is the daughter of a famous actress but she tries to separate herself from her mother’s fame and earn recogniction on her own. She also realized Maya’s ultimate talent in acting and this is what motivates her to be the best and don’t lack the hard work. She even takes special trainings on her own or with the lead of Tsukikage Chigusa. Unusually she doesn’t recognize Maya as an enemy and doesn’t try standing in her way with nasty tricks. Also she sometimes helps her to develope her talent. She just see Maya as a rival who she must surpass and that’s why she starts do acting seriously. She also claims that she couldn’t beat Maya in acting a single time since she appeared. Like Maya, acting is everything to her, she hasn’t got even friends because she thinks she doesn’t needs them. Acting is a special bond between them and unconsiously they became really close friends and they support each other in a way. Ayumi is a real lady also in her actions and speach and I really liked this in her.
Hayami Masumi: He is the president of the Daito Entertainment and he was enchanted by Maya’s talent and pureness and in spite of the age difference he falls in love with her. Masumi appears to be a cold hearted business man but Maya really starts to melt the ice around his heart. He supports her as Mr. Purple Rose and he tries to make it easy for Maya to develope her talent. He suffer from the love for her and he doesn’t know what to do about it, because of the age difference he feels guilty. He has a really complicated personality, while he loves Maya he also tries to keep a distance from her, calling her Chibi-chan or tease her, but he knows how important his purple roses for Maya. He also can’t forgive himself causing Maya so much suffering in an incident and that made him easy not to allow Maya to be close to him. Unfortunatelly their relationship wasn’t developed so much in the anime, but it is really beautiful relationship.
Tsukikage Chigusa: She is the former Kurenai Tenjou and she was a genious in he young years, but because of an accident she has to quit from acting. She is desperately tries to keep away the entertainment companies from Kurenai Tenjou, because she would like to find the one who can play it and it is also the only thing that left from her late lover. She is very strickt but she only want to develop Maya in acting and she is like a mother to her. I liked her character because of it’s admirable and respectfull aura that’s surrounds her. She once was a well known actress but after so much time people still recognize her as the greatest actress, and this is a proof of her highness. Also in spite of her bad health she just keeps doing her best to protect the Kurenai Tenjou and she just wants to live until one of the actresses are able to play her role. If she was a real person, I would truly respect her.
The characters were so detailed and well formed that I can't skip so I gave it 10 points
Art: The art is great, a little bit different form the original, but it is a product of the 21. century so I think it is well animated. And of course it developes time to time and the last episodes concentrating on the Kurenai Tenjou are really fascinating. Also the animation of the plays are great, detailed, the colors are vivid so it is good to see. The facial expressions are real too and these are really important in an anime like this. 9 points
Sound: The ost was really suited for this anime and highly affected the enjoyment. Sometimes especially during the plays, I had goosebumps from them so they were truly great. The opening themes and endings were also fit for the story and style of the show, some of them were quite energetic and they all gave the impression of a shoujo anime.
I was really fascinated by the seiyu performances, because they did a very important role in this. I mean they had to play their character also they had to be able to do the roles of the plays. And they did a really great job, for example Kobayashi Sanae as Maya. She became my favourite seiyu because of this role, also I really like Ayumi’s seiyu. Thanks to them the characters became alive and they formed them the best way they should be. I appreciate their work. 9 points
Enjoyment: I really enjoyed the series and I hoped for a continuation for it. Truly every episode was special, I knew so many plays and roles. Some of their performances impressed me the rate I searched for the book or the story for example I read Wethering Heights influenced by Glass Mask. And this, that they also used real plays, stories to perform was a great choice form the creator. With this, Glass Mask is really the story of a real girl and not just a fictional one. And this makes it so special and mostly the best shoujo story of all. 10 points
Overall: I enjoyed the show from the begining till the end, and I highly recommend it to everyone who would like to watch a truly great anime. Of course this is especially for shoujo fans but don’t ignore it because it is a shoujo and you don’t like them. Just give it a try and I’m sure you will like it for sure. 9 points
P.S. Don’t just say this is not helpful because you don’t agree with me.
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Recommendations
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Both main characters go into show business and have to over come many challenges in order to act well. They both have trouble finding out how to act out characters as well.
the protagonist trying to make it as an actress + the development of the relationship with an older guy, big name of the industry
both are shoujo anime with an actress. Glass Mask is better though :D
Both anime's are about the acting industry with a powerful elusive male helping to push them to their dream. Skip Beat has more comedy while Glass Mask is more dramatic, but the story line of them trying to reach for the top and their natural talent is very similiar. If you love one, you'll probably love the other.
They both are focused around becoming famous actresses- and for the most part have similar motives for wanting to act. 1) they want to prove someone wrong and 2) because they find a passion for it. The actresses also have a 'relationship' for an older man, which in both cases the male character has conflicting emotions about how he should go about their 'relationship'. Although Glass mask is more on the dramatic theatrics where as Skip Beat! is more of a comical anime, if you like one of them, you are sure to like the other. :)
Both are about two great actors and later falls in love with one of their mentors. Maya in glass mask is a genius at acting while Kyoko from skip beat has some hidden/unknown ability to act. Ren from Skip beat and Masumi from glass mask resembles each other too xD. Glask mask is more dramatic while skip beat has more comedy.
Both female protagonists, Kyoko from Skip Beat and Maya from Glass Mask are both very similar, since they both have an extraordinary talent in acting. The male characters within the animes, Ren from Skip Beat and Masumi from Glass Mask are also similar, since they have a great influence on the female protagonists. However, I think that Glass Mask has more drama in it, whereas Skip Beat has more comedy and both do have elements of romance in them.
If i were to choose which one was the best... Skip Beat is the winner all the way ^^
Glass Mask is about a young 13-year-old girl, Maya Kitajima, who has no specific talent for anything--except acting. Once she is discovered by an old, famous actress, she is taken under her wing and trained into an amazingly talented, award-winning actress, all the while striving to beat out her rival, acting prodigy Ayumi Himekawa, for the role that made her mentor famous: the Scarlet Angel in "The Scarlet Angel".
While Glass Mask is more stage acting oriented, there are certain times where they go into acting for TV shows and movies like Kyoko does in Skip Beat. Glass Mask has a lot more drama than Skip Beat and isn't as funny, but it has about the same amount of romance, if not more, than Skip Beat does.
Glass Mask is my favorite anime of all time, to be honest, and is much, much better than Skip Beat. So, if you loved Skip Beat, I STRONGLY suggest you watch the anime that is based off of a manga that was the #1 bestselling shoujo manga in Japan for 30 years (it's #2 now, but yeah--and yes, it's an old series, but it still isn't complete yet!). Trust me, you will not regret it. :)
both girls strive to learn and survive in the world of acting. both showing amazing amounts of talents, and along the way, find love....(in the manga that is...)
Both about acting, both about Girls whose dream is to be the greatest
but it doesn't mean they're too similar! They're indeed different and alike at the same time
anyways, if you enjoyed one - you're definitely going to enjoy the other!
The main girl tries to become an actress, and everybody is surprised at her level of skill for such a low level of experience.
Ren and Hayami are similar characters, being the older guy who likes to tease the main girl, but is actually in love with her. However, they restrain themselves because of the age difference and also partly because of their position. The main girl starts off hating them, but as she gets to know them better she respects them and looks to them as a mentor.
Both of these titles are about acting and both are in the shoujo and romance genres. The main characters are somewhat alike with their serious and surprising ways of acting. Glass mask tends to be more serious, though.
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These two shows are extremely similar, both focusing on a teenage girl with a big dream and trying to make it. The only difference is that in Kaleido Star they focus more on things like gymnastics and dancing, while in Glass Mask it's about acting.
To reach one's dream, one's goal. Many obstacles stand in their way, but they forever push on.
Kaleido Star is an ever optimistic series, whose clear message is to keep trying and aim for their dreams. Sugary and upbeat, little kids will love it, but it's not too much that older people can't watch it.
Glass Mask (2005) is an adaptation of a famous (at least in Asia) 70's manga, set to a more modern setting. Less upbeat, and much more dramatic than Kaleido Star, but it's the same "reaching for their goal" genre. Probably appeal to more older fans, but most people will enjoy both.
same type of story. both are about girls trying to succeed at something and there's lots of boys around too ;)
Both of these girls are willing to follow their dreams through any obstacle!
The style and the rival are very similar.
Both are good animes with solid drama, adventures of 2 girls who tried their best to fulfill their dreams, sharing their tough and happy times.
Both girls found not only their dreams but also their precious friendships, and a bit of romance. Although they belong to shoujo in genre, it's recommended to all audience.
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Opening Theme#1: "Promise" by Candy (eps 1-26)
#2: "zero" by Ikuta Aiko (eps 27-51)
Ending Theme#1: "Yasashii Sayonara" by Aina (eps 1-13)
#2: "Step One" by Sister Q (eps 14-26)
#3: "Sunao ni Narenakute (I Couldn't Become True)" by Splash Candy (eps 27-39)
#4: "Hello Hello ～another star～" by CORE OF SOUL (eps 40-51)
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Related ClubsGlass mask, everything club, Shinichiro Miki Fanclub, Romance+, Showbiz Fan Club, Genre of the Arts Fanclub!, Romance Lovers, Glass Mask Fan Club!, Shoujo Wonderland-少女アニメと漫画大好き, BOY-GIRL-BOY/ REVERSE HAREM GARDEN <3, True Anime, jenny's entertainment busness, Asian Drama Addicts, Artistic Matter, [[ Live Action Adaptations ]], Hana to Yume FC, Idol Anime Club, Daisuke Namikawa Fan Club!
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