Glass no Kamen: Sen no Kamen wo Motsu Shoujo

This is not so much a sequel as an OVA covering the very beginning of the story of Glass Mask. It begins with Maya, the girl who is not good at anything... aside from her fascination with all that is movies and dramas. Even her own mother believes her a useless girl. If a tv is on, she won't hear a word you say, if you send her out to deliver Ramen she may come back hours later, she can't remember a single formula for school... but she can recite any play she's watched once by heart. As a habit, she acts out her favorite ... dramas in the park to some kids where she is spotted by an mysterious old woman. You will see Maya's growing devotion as she finds the one thing she may be good at and the trials as she first establishes this dream.

This series of Glass Mask is good for two instances. One: A taste to see if this is a series you would like to watch in full or to have someone else watch to get them hooked. Or if you're already hooked on Glass Mask and simply want more and a different perspective on the beginning.

The Girl of a Thousand Masks follows closer to the original manga in story as well as character design. I find it a treat to watch merely because it captures the original character designs with quality animation (unlike the old and flat looking first anime series). As much as I enjoy the 2005 anime, it's nice to see this.

You can read a more thorough review on Glass Mask, 2005 version.

Anyone who is remotely familiar with this series is most likely aware of its two adapatations which are both TV shows that aired in 1984 and 2005 respectively. However, this little OVA here is easily missable despite it actually being TMS' first adaptation of the series before they made the aforementioned one in 2005. Personally, it genuinely surprised me because I was expecting a very forgettable experience initially but was proved wrong just a few minutes in the first episode. So, let me make this clear right in the beginning; Whether you watched any of the TV shows or are looking for a way to ... try out this series - This will make a perfect watch in any case.

As the synopsis already states the OVA covers the earlier events of the series but I'll assure you it completely excels at it in most aspects. The very first minutes of the first episode greet you with the heartbreaking past of Tsukikage-sensei only to cheer you up again and pull you right into the story with one of the loveliest openings in any anime I've seen. The song itself starts with a shoegaze-esque intro and complements the gorgeous sceneries and shots of Maya Kitajima as she rides her bike or shots of individual objects like some pair of Chucks lying in an empty practice hall. Each shot is beautifully composed that I couldn't help but take screencaps at every opportunity. Storywise there isn't anything to write home about as it only covers the very start of the manga but visually it's very clear Tsuneo Kobayashi, a name which I also only discovered after watching this, went overboard with his creativity.

Now, Glass Mask is a Shoujo series that is relatively rich in drama, which as a sidenote happens to be a common thing among Shoujo series in the 70s. Evoking and creating tension as well as maintaining it throughout in certain scenes is not only crucial but not the easiest thing to do either. Tsuneo Kobayashi however, makes full use of his Cinematography knowledge and achieves crafting said scenes exceptionally well. For instance, when Maya first encounters Tsukikage she first reacts sceptically and finally runs away crying after seeing her scarred face. As suggested before Kobayashi makes heavy use of efficient Cinematography so you'll see particularly well-utilized dutch angles and close-up shots very very often, which are of course present in this scene and thankfully in other scenes like this one. The animation quality typical for an OVA only adds to the visual eye candy. This way the tension never fades away and keeps you engaged with the anime throughout its entire runtime. It also results in this adaptation being perhaps the most dramatic one among the series. And it's rather unfortunate to see this not even going beyond the first few stage plays of Maya. However, the amount of adapted material or the character development "lacking" compared to the TV shows shouldn't be a dealbreaker since all of the characters are unique and fleshed out from the get-go. Ayumi is the polar opposite of Maya yet complements her in a way - both ambitioussly strive to become the flawless actress, Masumi takes a liking to Maya quite early on but has to restrict himself to not act stupidly or out of character, Sakurakouji sides with Maya whenever she is being treated unfairly, etc etc and all of that is very well conveyed in this OVA despite its short length.

The VAs also quite deliver and voice their characters pretty well. However, the most exciting part is probably hearing Megumi Ogata as the little and fragile but fierce Chibi-chan I mean Maya Kitajima. Her woMANLY voice doesn't shine through one bit. On the contrary, it fits Maya surprisingly well - be it scenes of Maya raising her voice out of anger, sobbing like a child or simply leisurely conversing with her classmate.

TL;DR unexpectedly well storyboarding and directing nails almost every scene and reinforces the characters' unique traits and personalities which makes this OVA the most worthwile experience for (the beginning of) the series. VAs fit their roles and don't disappoint either.

I'll be comparing this to the OG Glass no Kamen from 1984.

Visuals:
1) A lot darker, creepier and sometimes outright scary!
2) the animation is noticeably recycled and thus breaks immersion easily
3) Bad syncing of voice acting and animation
4) The characters have gone through a massive redesign. The original version from 1984 is visually very faithful to the manga but these OVA characters look nothing like what they should look like


Sound:
... 1) I didn't find the soundtrack memorable
2) perfect english on 3rd episode
3) I'm not a fan of recasting unless in scenarios of death, illness or retirement. Having said that, Maya's seiyuu sounds more childish than the OG but it also gave the character a lot more vocal range, which I thought would be a smart choice considering that Maya could use that for the roles she lands throughout the story. Unfortunately these OVAs cover so little of the story that this vocal range never came into play. Ayumi's voice actress also changed but the tone of voice and vibe have remained the same, despite being a noticeable change. Rei's OG voice actress has returned but she voices Tsukikage, which makes her sound so much more warm and lovable than the OG character. Hayami's voice doesn't fit him at all in my opinion, which was a waste of a legendary seiyuu.
4) The majority of seiyuus would become actual legends in the voice acting industry and by the time this project cast them, the majority of them had already worked together in previous projects and that chemistry was noticeable.


Story and characters:
1) As someone who watched the OG series immediately before this, my memory was very fresh on the plot and characters. I think I would enjoy this a lot more if I had given time to myself to sort of forget the OG series. This is the main reason why I can't just recommend this to every single person. If you enjoyed the OG, then give this a watch but after some time.
2) I prefer this Tsukikage to the OG Tsukikage, as she's not as ruthless and abusive
3) The pedo/grooming vibe from Hayami has also been tone down
4) expect to see more of Maya and her mother's relationship and a bit more of Maya's background before meeting Tsukikage.