Glass no Kamen

       Glass no Kamen is a classic shoujo manga. It has been there since the 70s. It has been adapted into two anime an old version in 1984 and new longer version in 2005. I watched the new one and I'll talk about it here.

1984 Version

2005 Version

           













        The manga is kind of tragic, and there's barely any jokes. So, if you can't take anime with no comic relief, then this one is not for you. Though, the newer version is from 2005, which is relatively new, it still feels old. Most probably because the art of the manga itself is an old school. It somehow resembles that of Rose of Versailles, and other manga which were released in the 70s. The new anime modifies the art a bit, to modernize it, but it still has the old feel to it. 

New Anime Art

Old Anime Art

          As for the story: the main character Kitajima Maya lives alone with her mother. She also works as a delivery girl at the restaurant where her mother is employed. Maya loves acting. She's obsessed with dramas and she dreams of attending plays. One day, while she was doing a little act for some children in the street, a woman sees her and she's fascinated. She calls her the girl with the thousand masks. The woman happens to be the famous former actress Tsukikage Chigusa. She starred in the famous play known as the Crimson Goddess. However, one day she had an accident on the stage that scarred her face and she could never act again. Before he dies, the director of the play gave her the copy rights to the play. Many entertainment firms tried to buy the rights from her, but she would never give it up, since there was no suitable actress for her role. Tsukikage sees potential in Maya and she decides to teach her acting and see what she can come up with. Maya's mother completely rejects the idea. So, Maya runs away from home. Maya seems to have a promising talent, and Tsukikage is willing to go to any extent to make her into the Crimson Goddess. However, Maya is not the only one in the acting business that aims for the role. The talented Himekawa Ayumi, he daughter of an actress and a director, has always dreamt of the role. Maya's acting is unique and creative, but Ayumi's is perfect. Ayumi, also, has the factors of beauty, wealth and elegance, which Maya lacks. So, which one will be the Crimson Goddess?

Kitajima Maya ... Tsukikage Chigusa ... Himekawa Ayumi

        Another side story line is Maya's romance life. Like, the majority of shoujo anime, we, basically have a love triangle. There's Sakurakouji Yuu, whom Maya meets in Ondine's theatre acting school. He he likes Maya, but she's oblivious to his feelings; so, he moves on and gets another girlfriend. As Maya becomes a more famous actress, they grow far apart. They get to work together much later on, and it seems they might still have something going. As for the other guy, that's the complicated one. Hayami Masumi is the vice president and adopted son of the president of Daito Entertainment Company. He gets on the bad side of Maya from the beginning because of the tense relation between him and Tsukikage. Many times he's been involved in incidents that cause Maya to despise him. For Maya's future as an actress, he keeps the role of the villain. However from behind the scenes, he plays the role of her anonymous faithful fan who sends her purple roses after every performance. That' how he gains the name "Murasakibara no hito". When Hayami realizes his feelings for her three things stop him: one is the age gap, since he's older than her with 11 years, another is that he's engaged to a very nice woman who is an heiress to a wealthy family, and finally because Maya despises him wholeheartedly and for very good reasons. So, does Maya ever get to know the identity of Murasakibara no hito? And who does Maya end up with? That's another thing to look forward to.

Sakurakouji Yuu  ......  Hayami Masumi

  
      So, do you get the answers for these questions by the end of the anime? No!

Well then, by the end of the Manga? No!

And, there's your big letdown! The manga has been there since the 70s but it's not over yet. Not just that, the manga-ka decided that she's not finishing the manga since God hasn't granted her permission, yet. -_- So, our lady most probably doesn't know how to end it, or she doesn't want to end it, something of that sort.

       I've watched the anime a few months ago but why I decided to write about it today is because I woke up and one of the soundtracks from the anime was playing in my ears. This anime had some nice soundtracks. Though it has been only a few months ago, but hearing them makes me feel nostalgic. Here's my favorite and, I think, the best track in Glass no kamen (2005).