Glass no Kamen (2005)

This is one of the best anime I've ever seen. 'Glass Mask' is simple, but it's simple in a very beautiful way. This story is about reality, but I still feel like things there are from a different world, but I don't think that it is bad. I'd say this reality that is filled with fantasy makes me hope that life could be even better than it is.
In short, the story is about an ordinary girl who has a special talent in acting. She is so talented that at the beginning almost no one notices it, but something so wonderful can't be ignored. The story ... from it's beginning til it's end made my heart pound faster and faster. Miracles do happen.

What can I say about this anime...at first after I went through my Skip beat phase I was looking for anything similar and yet not so similar I felt like it was a cheap repeat, ironically I came across this title which came before it.

A remade adaption, I have no yet looked at the original but I plane to do so in the later year.

At first IMO it's hard to get into it, all you see if a girl who simply likes to "pretend" and some strange woman that things she's something but the thing is that she is something!

Watching her one stage, watching her ... struggles and how she grows, really grows is what attracted me to this anime, I felt I was watching her, and each time she performed I was in my seat, wondering "Will she do it? Can she make it?"
and no once did she fail, maybe traditionally but it is something you just have to see to understand, it's a very original story, plot, and characters, hell I even love her rival just because she herself is very original.

I would highly recommend this anime if you're looking for a little drama without the girl-slap.

This anime can be enjoyed by anyone, as it does have similar patterns to most anime. However, it is true that the central theme and the various climaxes it presents are something so specific that the "general" anime audience, especially those who prefer shonen genre, may find it boring and not get past half an episode. I don't blame them, if they're looking for a shonen, they won't find it here, even though it has all the elements of self-improvement and character evolution.

The main characters, the ones we see in the poster image, have a development and depth that is more than notable. Even the ... secondary characters are more than just fulfilling their roles. They all have clear motives that drive and evolve the plot very effectively. It is true that there are moments of "coincidences," even the same one repeated 3 or 4 times, but they are quite common coincidences in the world of real acting (the typical situation where the protagonist wasn't going to perform but at the last moment, they are left without an actress and only she is there to fill the role). However, most of the obstacles and triumphs come from something meaningful and lead to something meaningful.

The series consists of various arcs, almost like micro-arcs, one for each theater play that is going to be performed. Although there are changes in the central part that diverge significantly from what was seen before. The formula repeats itself, with certain variations, but it doesn't get boring as each play is quite different from the others.

The astonishing quality of the art, animation, and voice acting is worth mentioning, as they manage to convey the characters' emotions to the viewer in such a way that you can see when a character is acting well and when they are not, when they subtly change their movements or expressions to portray a certain posture according to what they have to interpret. The soundtrack is also noteworthy, with 4 or 5 pieces that are very fitting for the situations they cover.

The art style maintains, to some extent, the original style of the manga, making it appear somewhat older. However, they have managed to adapt that style to the time of its production, reminiscent of the early 2000s.

At first glance I thought this anime was going to be too dramatic or exaggerated but everything was kept in great proportion to the story. It honestly reeled me in from the first episode and I was hooked, finished the series in two days, but was ultimately really let down by the ending. They did a great job building up the characters but fell short on the climax and ending. Everything seems completely rushed and a lot of answers were left, well, unanswered. That being said, the ending was the only disappointing aspect of this anime to me, but then again ... that's a pretty big deal. Despite that, I'd definitely say watch it because it really will make you feel something and you will be emersed into the world of acting that they portray very well.

Glass Mask!!
Yeah the art looks kinda old and the name isnt very appealing and furthermore its not very popular if im correct. BUT i decided to watch it and .... it was pretty good :)
Story being about this average girl and her love for acting. A legend in the acting field approaches her and offers to train her to become the next Scarlet star and succeed a rare play that only she may perform. I know the story sounds weak and there are alot of episodes but believe me its a good anime. The challenges she faces are realistic and interesting. Her feelings and determination ... towards acting may move some of the viewers the anime paid close attention for things like facial expression and tone from the voice actors. There is a very interesting romance story that is somewhat like a mystery that the viewer and character must discover.
Its also the best to finally watch the main character perform on stage and on TV as she progresses through her acting career.

Its interesting, appreciate the detail to sounds and the characters movements. Not every episode is attention catching and it is 51 ep long but stick with it. :)

Thank You. Yume Tang

There are no spoilers in this review. My rating system counts story for 30% of the total, characters as 30%, art as 20%, and 20% for the sound.

Under the my formula, this anime would receive a 7.3. But I feel it has greatly affected me and I can't stop thinking about it so I'm going to give it an 8 simply becauase of my enjoyment and its deeep impact it had on me. For those looking for a brief summary, skip to the “Overall” at the bottom of this review.

Story: 8

The story of this anime itself is not very original but ... the pacing and execution is incredible. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the screen and breezed through all 51 episodes in 2 days. The story focuses on an aspiring actress’s journey to stardom. I would have loved to given this anime a higher story rating but the ending left me unsatisfied. I feel as if the anime ended off in the middle of a story arc, and in the anime’s defense, it wasn’t left with much of a choice since the manga is still unfinished but I couldn’t help but feel disappointed as the ending credits rolled. Still, even with the lackluster ending, I thoroughly enjoyed the series.

Characters: 9

The characters of this anime were amazing. I now realize I have a huge weakness for the MC’s who are hardworking and diligent even as life knocks them down. Maya, the MC of this anime captured my heart within the first few episodes and my affection for Maya only grew as it progressed. The supporting characters, especially Masumi, were spectacularly layered so that this anime wasn’t a case of good vs. evil because the different characters had so much depth and so many layers to their background.

Art: 7

Since I saw this anime over 10 years after it was produced, I think it has a huge disadvantage compared to what is produced nowadays but since it didn’t get in the way of the fantastic characters and brilliant execution of the story, I will give it a 7. I especially loved the art of each of the characters.

Sound: 4

The sound of this anime definitely appeared as the weak point for me. What specifically comes to mind is the incredible overuse of unnecessary evil laughs and the music that always followed Chigusa wherever she went. I found myself noticing the music quite a lot but only because I thought, “that music is really distracting me from this scene,” or “that music is really overkill and should be gentler for this scene” or “ANOTHER EVIL LAUGH?” I think this anime could have actually been much better with better fitting music.

Overall: 7.3

I enjoyed this anime immensely. Even though it was 51 episodes long, I couldn’t stop watching and haven’t felt this hooked to an anime since I saw “Your Lie In April” nearly a year ago. Although the story has been done many times before, the execution and pacing of Glass no Kamen was brilliantly done. The main character captured my heart and even the supporting characters had a great amount of depth to them. Unfortunately, the art is nothing special compared to what is released now, but it didn’t hold me back from fully enjoying this anime. The sound, however, was not good and held me back from the full extent of this anime. Even though it has now been over 10 years since this anime’s release, I eagerly await a second season if there ever is one.

Watching glass no kamen was a great enjoyment for me, i loved the world of acting that this anime represents in a great way, however, I'm not very happy with that opened ending... I still want to see and discover more about what would happen next !!
I'm sure that I'll never forget this anime, it gives a strange strength to me so I can do what I really love in this life...
I highly recommend it for those who think that the world hate them and they can't ever be useful (you don't know where and when the luck will reach you), and for those who ... love the stage too.

It was pretty good, It doesn’t have an ending a fully over and done with ending, but it’s one of the few out there that includes acting. It’s a unique story, I can’t really compare it to anything else.

I do recommend it, but there is an age gap, but nothing really develops until… anyways it is a bit older so don’t hate on the art, and especially in the wolf scene I know it was supposed to be serious but you’ll understand if you watch that far. The characters develop well they do change and that’s pretty cool I guess.

Glass Mask dives into the world of theater and acting as we watch two rivals push each other further and further into not only stardom, but becoming masters of their craft.

And that rivalry is what I consider the main strength of this 2005 adaptation of a classic shoujo work. Maya, our main character, is set against Ayumi Himekawa. Ayumi is the daughter of a famous actress and comes from great wealth.

In most anime, you probably already know this character and what she’ll do. But Ayumi's character is done brilliantly! Never does she tear down Maya for coming from a poorer background or from lacking the ... same acting resources she has. Most of the anime, Ayumi is in awe of Maya’s raw talent and even gets a little jealous. The way Ayumi and Maya uplift and encourage each other despite being big rivals really makes Glass Mask stand out from what we’ve seen done so many times.

This series is not without its flaws though. One of the biggest and most noticeable is the mediocre character art and animation. Maya and Tsukikage look great and also close to the original, but not many other characters do.

The character designs from Maya’s original theater troupe friends look very low effort. Ayumi is a mixed bag, she does look more realistic in this than the 1984 anime and original manga, but some of the charm and drop-dead beauty is missing. As far as animation, it can be very stiff and lifeless, while some play scenes were impressive, they needed much more oomph to sell Maya’s talent to us.
There’s also the ending, which I won’t try to spoil but it’s a little open and a little anticlimactic, but still... not the worst I’ve seen.

Was really between a 7 and 8 on this one. And while I chose 7, that's a still a good score in my books and highly recommend this show if you're interested in theater or character drama!