Kaleido Star

The Kaleido Stage is known throughout the world for captivating audiences with its amazing acrobatics, innovative routines, and extravagant costumes and sets. It is a place for guests to believe in magic, and Sora Naegino wants nothing more than to be a part of that magic—by becoming an acrobat for the famed circus herself.

To realize her dream, she travels from Japan to California to audition for a place in the group. However, Sora learns that she needs much more than her natural talent to bring joy to the faces in the crowd. She quickly discovers just how difficult it is to be a professional performer where the stakes—and the stunts—are higher and mistakes spell danger! To put on performances worthy of the Kaleido Stage, she will need to endure rigorous training, unconventional assignments, fierce competition, and the antics of a mischievous spirit named Fool.

Can Sora reach new heights, make new friends, conquer her fears, and surpass her limits to become a Kaleido Star?

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Edit

Background

Kaleido Star premiered Thursday April 3, 2003 at 5:25 PM on TV Tokyo. Starting with episode 27, the show moved to a morning timeslot of Saturdays at 9:30 AM, and added the subtitle "New Wings" to the title.

"Special Thanks Dio" in the end credits refers to Dio Kobayashi, a Japanese circus performer who traveled all over the world. He was invited to the project by its director Satou Junichi and became a special adviser for the show. The character Dio is based on him.

Episode Videos

Edit

Related Anime

Sequel:	Kaleido Star: Aratanaru Tsubasa - Extra Stage
Spin-off:	Kaleido Star: Good da yo! Goood!!

More characters

Characters & Voice Actors

Naegino, Sora

Main

Hirohashi, Ryou
Japanese

Hamilton, Layla

Main

Ohara, Sayaka
Japanese

Fool

Main

Koyasu, Takehito
Japanese

Oswald, Leon

Supporting

Sakurai, Takahiro
Japanese

Passel, Rosetta

Supporting

Mizuhashi, Kaori
Japanese

Jonathan

Supporting

Kozakura, Etsuko
Japanese

Wong, May

Supporting

Nakahara, Mai
Japanese

Killian, Yuri

Supporting

Hayamizu, Risa
Japanese

Heart, Anna

Supporting

Watanabe, Akeno
Japanese

Dupont, Sarah

Supporting

Hisakawa, Aya
Japanese

More staff

Staff

Satou, Junichi

Director, Episode Director, Storyboard, Key Animation, Original Creator, Creator

Hiramatsu, Tadashi

Director, Storyboard, Key Animation

Daichi, Akitarou

Director

Hiraike, Yoshimasa

Director, Episode Director, 2nd Key Animation

Edit

Opening Theme

	1: "Take it Shake it" by Sugar (eps 1-13)
	2: "Yakusoku no Basho e" by Chihiro Yonekura (eps 14-26)
	3: "Tattoo Kiss" by r.o.r/s (eps 27-51)

Edit

Ending Theme

	1: "Real Identity" by Sugar (eps 1-13)
	2: "Boku wa Kokoni Iru" by SOPHIA (eps 14-26)
	3: "Escape" by r.o.r/s (eps 27-50)
	4: "Yakusoku no Basho e (約束の場所へ)" by Chihiro Yonekura & Kaleido Stars (eps 51)

Reviews

Aug 1, 2007

ZJun

Recommended

Kaleido Star was a big surprise for me as I expected it to be a typical shoujo with probably many cheesy moments...
I was proven wrong..

Animation:
Overall, it was beautiful, bright colours and flowing movements that even appeared graceful, a very colorful setting that didn\'t appear too flashy....it totally captured the brilliance of a circus and the lovely performances that I just had to rewatch again. However it had its flaws, I noticed that several episodes had seemingly worse animation compared to the rest in which the characters looked distorted, thankfully this was hardly significant during the performances which kept their high standard throughout the whole ...

Open

Gift

Mar 22, 2010

Splitter

Recommended

You have a dream don't you? Of course you do. Everyone has one. A dream to do something that no one else has ever done, or maybe someone else has done it and you want nothing more than to follow in their footsteps. It could have started when you were a child, maybe even recently, but no matter what, your heart doesn't let it rest. It's something you want more than anything, even more than you think you want it.

Kaleido Star is the story of our dreams. How they all start from tiny things. Memories from days gone by that we think are insignificant, ... but at the same time, have really touched us and inspired us to become who we are today. Our dreams are not easy though. There will always be detours and obstacles in our way, and no dream can be reached without putting our own inner selves to the ultimate test, but if we can overcome these obstacles, befriend our enemies, and see the good in everyone's dreams that they aspire for as well, then your dream can come true.

Despite the formulaic way Kaleido Star goes about fulfilling the dreams of the characters, it works splendidly because of how sincere each and every character is about wanting their special dream to come true, and how the series treats the sincerity of each character with a great deal of respect to the point that the formulaic contrivances such as the cliched "special training" and running away only to come back having "found yourself" feel like genuine happenings.

Likewise, this series as it is couldn't be anything without its characters. The main focal point of the series is seeing the growth and struggle of all the members of Kaleido Stage from the primadonna to the lowly stagehands, and oh how they grow, and oh how they struggle. I credit this series immensely with how it puts each and every character through their own personal wringer, good guys and "bad guys" alike. It never lets them take the easy way out. Each and every accomplishment any character achieves is 100% earned. There are no gimmes.

And oh the accomplishments! I can't go into detail because of spoilers but this is where the technical aspects really shine! For as much as people seem to tease GONZO for being GONZO, this is arguably their opus. A setting such as Kaleido Stage requires dazzling animation to fully bring out the Cirque du Soleil atmosphere of the stage, and the animation astounds every time, especially the climaxes of both halves of the series. They are so gorgeous, that don't be surprised if you forget to breathe for a moment.

The soundtrack is also quite lovely with lots of wonderful performances, especially Ryou Hirohashi as Sora, who brings the same radiance and energy that Sora herself embodies.

With outstandingly gorgeous animation, heartwarming performances, characters that make you believe that everyone in this world, no matter how heartless or cruel they may be, are all good people inside, and a story that invokes you to believe your dreams, no matter how great or small, can all come true. Kaleido Star is one of the best anime I have ever seen. Heartwarming, heartbreaking, and inspiring to all. This is the stuff true dreams are made of.

Overall, I happily give Kaleido Star a 10 out of 10.

Open

Gift

Jul 18, 2008

HiGHFLYiN9

Mixed Feelings

Preliminary (26/51 eps)

This review is based on the first 26 episodes. Kaleido Star is about a girl and how she joins a stage in America and performs. Kaleido Stage is about performance, so the trials and tribulations of the character were centered around how she struggles to pull off a series of acrobatic maneuvers and interfaces with the audience. The series took this very seriously, which can feel slightly strange at times, reminiscent of Yakitate Japan which is incredibly serious about breadmaking, but I found that disconnect a bit more entertaining.

Kaleido Star falls into the comedy/drama genre, however it's mostly drama. There are a few humorous ...

Open

Gift

More stacks

Interest Stacks

Anime of the Year (Series)

by AstralSky

47 Entries · 99 Restacks

150 Animes with good female characters - Part 2

by TudoYas

50 Entries · 35 Restacks

Realistic Jobs and Mature Development

by GonXalo

40 Entries · 127 Restacks

More recommendations

Recommendations

View All

More news

Recent News

Producer of Kaleido Star Passes Away

According to the official blog of seiyu Iwao Junko, anime producer Ikeda Tohyoh passed away on February 17th due to liver cirrhosis. He was 38 years old. He launched...read more

Feb 23, 2013 7:15 AM by dtshyk | Discuss (75 comments)

Director Sato Junichi's Original Anime Project 'Wish Angel' Gets Suspended

Anime production studio Encourage Films has announced that they have suspended director Sato Junichi's original anime project "Wish Angel". Ikeda Toyo, the President...read more

Aug 23, 2012 3:31 AM by dtshyk | Discuss (32 comments)

More discussions

Recent Forum Discussion

Poll: Kaleido Star Episode 24 Discussion gohdan - Feb 4, 2010	7 replies	by Safrichh »» Feb 27, 7:48 PM
Poll: Kaleido Star Episode 23 Discussion gohdan - Feb 3, 2010	9 replies	by Safrichh »» Feb 11, 8:40 PM
Poll: Kaleido Star Episode 22 Discussion gohdan - Feb 3, 2010	13 replies	by Safrichh »» Jan 6, 7:51 PM
Poll: Kaleido Star Episode 42 Discussion gohdan - Feb 15, 2010	5 replies	by LotteGiants »» Dec 22, 2023 9:05 PM
Poll: Kaleido Star Episode 34 Discussion hirahira - Jan 11, 2009	13 replies	by LotteGiants »» Dec 22, 2023 8:54 PM

Recent Featured Articles

American Studios and Production Committees: Risks and Rewards

In the early-mid 2000s, US licensing companies were involved in numerous anime Production Committees. It didn't go so well for them. This year, several US licensors are trying their luck on Production Committees again. Will it go better this time?

by removed_user

22,808 views

Analysis Studios History and Culture Editorial

Kaleido Star

Alternative Titles

Information

Statistics

Available At

Resources

Streaming Platforms

Synopsis

Background

Episode Videos

Visit MALxJapan
MALxJapan -More than just anime-

Related Anime

Characters & Voice Actors

Naegino, Sora

Hamilton, Layla

Fool

Oswald, Leon

Passel, Rosetta

Jonathan

Wong, May

Killian, Yuri

Heart, Anna

Dupont, Sarah

Staff

Opening Theme

Ending Theme

Reviews

Interest Stacks

Recommendations

Recent News

Recent Forum Discussion

Recent Featured Articles

MoreTop Anime

MoreTop Airing Anime

MoreMost Popular Characters

Kaleido Star

Alternative Titles

Information

Statistics

Available At

Resources

Streaming Platforms

Synopsis

Background

Episode Videos

Visit MALxJapan MALxJapan -More than just anime-

Related Anime

Characters & Voice Actors

Staff

Opening Theme

Ending Theme

Reviews

Interest Stacks

Recommendations

Recent News

Recent Forum Discussion

Recent Featured Articles

MoreTop Anime

MoreTop Airing Anime

MoreMost Popular Characters

Visit MALxJapan
MALxJapan -More than just anime-