Glass Mask
Encyclopedia
is a shōjo
manga
series written and illustrated by Suzue Miuchi
, serialised in Hana to Yume
from January 1976, and collected in 46 tankōbon
volumes as of June 24, 2011. The story has also been adapted into anime
and a live action television series. As of 2006, the collected volumes had 50 million copies in Japan
, making it the second best-selling shōjo manga ever. The title refers poetically to the mask of faces that actors wear - while expressing emotions that are not their own, the mask they wear (their acting) is as fragile as glass. If the actors are distracted, their mask will "break" and show on stage the actors' true feelings.
After not publishing a new chapter in the story for more than two years, Miuchi re-launched the series in Hakusensha
's Bessatsu Hana to Yume
(別冊花とゆめ) magazine in July 2008. The story continues from where it left off in volume 42. Miuchi has announced that she intends to end the series soon.
As the story unfolds it encompasses the tangled human relationships of many characters, including Maya's mentor, Chigusa Tsukikage, who discovered Maya's tremendous talent for acting during her search for a successor capable of performing the role of "The Crimson Goddess", and Masumi Hayami, the young president of Daito, who often interacts with Maya as a crafty and cold-hearted entrepreneur, while giving her faithful support and warm encouragement in the disguise of an anonymous fan ("The Purple Rose Person", or "murasaki no bara no hito" as Maya calls him for his trademark gift of purple roses). Hajime Onodera, a director for Daito, wants the rights to "Kurenai Tennyo," which were given to Tsukikage by the playwright; since Tsukikage refuses to sell him the rights, Onodera tries to drive Tsukikage's acting school out of business through a series of nefarious schemes. Since Onodera is working for Hayami, Maya (unaware that Hayami is the "Purple Rose Person") hates him. Though there is an age difference of eleven years, Masumi falls in love with Maya and gives her encouragement in subtle ways.
nickname he's given to her due to their broad disparity in age and height, to satirize her naivete, and eventually out of true affection.
Maya's biggest rival, the honor-bound and noble Ayumi was born as the daughter of a very famous actress, Utako Himekawa (once the student of Tsukikage,) and a successful director and producer, Mitsugu Himekawa, and has been touted as a prodigy from an early age. Ever since learning she got her first acting role just because of her family links, Ayumi has striven to shine on her own and never falls into arrogance. Ayumi becomes aware of Maya's prodigious gift for acting when they first meet in a practice session; from then on she views the younger girl as a life-rival. She is ambitious enough to try to surpass her own mother, who is a widely recognized actress. People have jokingly told Utako that her daughter will steal the role of the Crimson Goddess from her. Even though Ayumi is young, she believes that she will re-vitalize the renowned role. Thus, she takes it upon herself to get as much experience as she can by trying out for any roles, including minor ones. At first, when Ayumi took on the role of Tom in The Prince and the Pauper
, the children in attendance didn't like the performance because they were used to seeing Ayumi as a beautiful young woman rather than a dirty and homely boy. Yet Ayumi soon draws the children's favor by begging for "money" in a hat, to which the children offer her their candy. The people behind the stage were surprised that Ayumi would do such a thing, particularly since Ayumi generally would have thought such things beneath her. Her passion to become the Crimson Goddess is undeniable, however, as she continually strives for perfection to attain the role. Even though critics generally favour her over Maya, Ayumi is upset at being unable to reach the sort of emotional peaks Maya does when she performs. Later during a rehearsal for the Crimson Goddess Ayumi saves a fellow actor from a toppling lamp, resulting in it hitting her head and causing a visual impairment.
Maya's mentor. She once was a very talented and beloved actress, most notable for her role at the legendary play whose performance was so acclaimed that its author left the rights over it solely to her in his will, but she got horribly scarred in an onstage accident (a lamp lighter hit her and burned half her face off) and had to leave the acting scene, opening an acting school instead. She has very weak health and must be hospitalized several times during the story. Yet she is a woman of unstoppable will, refusing to give the rights of "The Crimson Goddess" to Masumi Hayami and his father, as according to her, currently there is not an actress suitable for the main role. After finding potential in Maya, she takes her under her wing despite her mother's objections and strives to shape her into the best actress ever, so she can contest with Ayumi for the leading role in "The Crimson Goddess". Tsukikage understands that an actress's face is her most important feature, and she covers Maya when Maya's incensed mother tries to throw boiling hot water in her daugher's face.
A successful businessman and son/substitute of the president of the , he is brutally attempting to obtain the performance rights for "The Crimson Goddess" from Chigusa, efforts which ultimately lead to the disbanding of her acting school. When he sees Maya act as Beth in "Little Women
" despite a high fever, he is impressed with her strong will and devotion to her acting dreams. He secretly sends her purple roses and financial support as encouragement (thus Maya refers to her anonymous fan as "The Purple Roses Man"; her friends call him Daddy Long-Legs
), but acts mocking, cynical and even cruel in front of her to conceal his anonymous identity. Originally a normal, happy child, his cold exterior grew from the death of his mother, Aya, when he was a child, and his bad relationship with his stepfather Eisuke, who is responsible for the Crimson Goddess author's death. As the manga proceeds, he becomes more and more infatuated with Maya and finally falls deeply in love with her - at one point being the sole person to brave deadly, tsunami-level weather to attend the premiere of one of her plays. He doesn't reveal either his alternate identity or his true feelings for many reasons, one of which is the belief that Maya hates him since he indirectly caused her mother's death.
with animation contributions from Shingo Araki
and character designs by Atsuko Nakajima
. The main voice cast featured Masako Katsuki
as Maya Kitajima, Taeko Nakanishi
as Chigusa Tsukikage, Minori Matsushima
as Ayumi Himekawa and Nachi Nozawa
as Masumi Hayami. The opening and ending theme, and was performed by Mariko Ashibe. This adaptation was broadcasted by Nippon TV.
Then a three episode OVA
, titled as , was the remake of the first 3 arcs of the manga series. The OVA was released by TMS Entertainment in 1998. The voice cast from the 1984 series was not used and instead featured Megumi Ogata
as Maya Kitajima, Keiko Toda
as Chigusa Tsukikage, Naoko Matsui
as Ayumi Himekawa and Jūrōta Kosugi
as Masumi Hayami. The OVA was directed by Tsuneo Kobayashi
with scripts written by Nobuaki Kishima, Tomoko Konparu and Yoshiyuki Suga as well as animation character designs by Akira Hirayama and Masako Gouto.
Seven years later, TMS Entertainment, the company who produced the OVA began a TV series which was directed by Mamoru Hamatsu with series composition done by Toshimichi Saekie and animation character designs by Akira Hirayama as well as music composed by Terashima Tamiya. This adaptation was broadcasted by TV Tokyo
and there were 2 opening themes, Promise which was performed by Candy for episodes 1-25 and zero by Aiko Ikuto for episodes 27-51.
There were 4 ending themes which were for episodes 1-13 by Aina, Step One by Sister Q for episodes 14-24, by Splash Candy for episodes 27-39 and Hello Hello by Core of Soul
for episodes 40-51. Like the other adaptations, the voice cast was not reused and Maya Kitajima was voiced by Sanae Kobayashi
, Chigusa Tsukikage by Toshiko Fujita
, Akiko Yajima
as Ayumi Himekawa and Masumi Hayami was voiced by Toshiyuki Morikawa
. The original voice actor for Maya Kitajima in the 1984 adaptation returned to voice Ayumi's mother, Utako Himekawa.
The 2005 adaptation has been licensed in North America by Sentai Filmworks, and distributed by Section23 Films
. The first half of the season was released on DVD, on January 19, 2010; however, the second half of the season has been cancelled reportedly duo to low sales.
as Maya Kitajima.
Shojo
The term refers to manga marketed to a female audience roughly between the ages of 10-18. The name romanizes the Japanese 少女 , literally: "little female". Shōjo manga covers many subjects in a variety of narrative and graphic styles, from historical drama to science fiction — often with a strong...
manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
series written and illustrated by Suzue Miuchi
Suzue Miuchi
is a Japanese manga artist and author of long running shōjo manga Glass Mask. She was born in Nishinomiya, Japan and grew up in Osaka. She won the Kodansha Manga Award for Youkihi-den and the Japan Cartoonists Association Award ....
, serialised in Hana to Yume
Hana to Yume
is a semi-monthly Japanese shōjo manga magazine published by Hakusensha.The magazine is published on the 4th and 22nd of every month. It is often nicknamed as among the readers...
from January 1976, and collected in 46 tankōbon
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
volumes as of June 24, 2011. The story has also been adapted into anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
and a live action television series. As of 2006, the collected volumes had 50 million copies in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, making it the second best-selling shōjo manga ever. The title refers poetically to the mask of faces that actors wear - while expressing emotions that are not their own, the mask they wear (their acting) is as fragile as glass. If the actors are distracted, their mask will "break" and show on stage the actors' true feelings.
After not publishing a new chapter in the story for more than two years, Miuchi re-launched the series in Hakusensha
Hakusensha
is a Japanese publishing company. It is headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo.The company mainly publishes manga magazines of various genres and is involved in certain series' productions in their games, original video animation, musical and their animated TV series....
's Bessatsu Hana to Yume
Bessatsu Hana to Yume
is a Japanese shōjo manga magazine published by Hakusensha.-Background:Bessatsu Hana to Yume is a sister magazine to Hana to Yume. It was launched in July 1977 as a quarterly priced at 300 yen...
(別冊花とゆめ) magazine in July 2008. The story continues from where it left off in volume 42. Miuchi has announced that she intends to end the series soon.
Plot
Glass Mask is a saga depicting the devotion of Maya Kitajima to the performing arts as a professional stage actress, and her competition with her skilled rival, Ayumi Himekawa. They are both pursuing the degree of acting proficiency and career success required to play the lead role of the legendary stage play "The Crimson Goddess" ("Kurenai Tennyo"). Maya is not particularly beautiful or smart in school, but her passion for acting is all-consuming, to the point where she literally puts her own life on the line several times for the sake of a role. Always told by her mother that she was good for nothing, Maya wants to prove to the world and to herself that she has worth. On the other hand, everyone expects the gifted and multi-talented Ayumi to succeed, so she is determined to reach the top on her own without the help of her prestigious parents.As the story unfolds it encompasses the tangled human relationships of many characters, including Maya's mentor, Chigusa Tsukikage, who discovered Maya's tremendous talent for acting during her search for a successor capable of performing the role of "The Crimson Goddess", and Masumi Hayami, the young president of Daito, who often interacts with Maya as a crafty and cold-hearted entrepreneur, while giving her faithful support and warm encouragement in the disguise of an anonymous fan ("The Purple Rose Person", or "murasaki no bara no hito" as Maya calls him for his trademark gift of purple roses). Hajime Onodera, a director for Daito, wants the rights to "Kurenai Tennyo," which were given to Tsukikage by the playwright; since Tsukikage refuses to sell him the rights, Onodera tries to drive Tsukikage's acting school out of business through a series of nefarious schemes. Since Onodera is working for Hayami, Maya (unaware that Hayami is the "Purple Rose Person") hates him. Though there is an age difference of eleven years, Masumi falls in love with Maya and gives her encouragement in subtle ways.
Characters
. A talented young actress (a 13-year-old at the beginning of the story) who originally worked as a waitress in a Chinese restaurant alongside her mother. Her father died when she was a little girl and her mother, Haru (Louise in the French anime), who is mentally unstable, thinks of Maya as useless (aided in part by Maya's tendency to be sidetracked by anything to do with acting while in the middle of working). She is discovered by the former diva Chigusa Tsukikage and starts a promising, yet thorny acting career under the older woman's wing. Her mother discourages her daughter from an acting career, believing that her daughter would be a laughingstock. Maya's mother refused to attend a school play Maya was in, especially because Maya's role was that of a pitiful and wretched minor character, which only confirmed her belief. Maya performed the role magnificently, giving more depth and sadness to a character who was originally meant to be portrayed as laughable and pathetic. Later on, Maya is given the opportunity to make a living as an actress. Maya proclaimed that she wanted to be an actress. Tsukikage cuts off Maya's ties with her mother, making the decision of becoming an actress adamant. However, Maya is consistently given encouragement through an anonymous fan who sends her a bouquet of purple roses. The person who sends these bouquets is none other than Hayami Masumi, whom Maya shows an antipathy towards, especially since she believes he took malicious enjoyment in bringing down Tsukikage's acting school. Maya's talent for acting comes from both her natural skill and emotional personality, unlike Ayumi whose skills are more technically-driven; in fact, Maya practically 'becomes' her characters when she plays, so brutal her training methods are and so intensely she performs. During the beginning of her training sessions, Maya has always displayed unconventional performances of the assigned tasks, such as laying on the floor to "sit on" a toppled chair. People often note how unremarkable Maya is until she takes the stage. In fact, the prodigy actress Ayumi comments that Maya knows how to captivate the audience, even though she isn't aware of doing so. Despite having enormous potential and raw talent, Maya doesn't seem to recognize her own abilities. She thinks of herself as unremarkable and "useless", as her mother constantly referred to her as, though she is compelled to pursue a career in acting because "acting is all she has". She also harbors moments of inferiority in comparison to Ayumi, who is beautiful, talented, and rich. Despite all this, Maya doesn't harbor any malice or ill will toward Ayumi, though Ayumi is secretly competitive toward Maya. Maya has three nicknames. One is "The Stage Storm," referring to her innate ability to drown out other actors' importance in a play even while in a bit part. Tsukikage refers to Maya as "the girl with a thousand masks" in tribute to her versatility whenever taking on character roles. And she is addressed as by Masumi Hayami, a diminutiveDiminutive
In language structure, a diminutive, or diminutive form , is a formation of a word used to convey a slight degree of the root meaning, smallness of the object or quality named, encapsulation, intimacy, or endearment...
nickname he's given to her due to their broad disparity in age and height, to satirize her naivete, and eventually out of true affection.
Maya's biggest rival, the honor-bound and noble Ayumi was born as the daughter of a very famous actress, Utako Himekawa (once the student of Tsukikage,) and a successful director and producer, Mitsugu Himekawa, and has been touted as a prodigy from an early age. Ever since learning she got her first acting role just because of her family links, Ayumi has striven to shine on her own and never falls into arrogance. Ayumi becomes aware of Maya's prodigious gift for acting when they first meet in a practice session; from then on she views the younger girl as a life-rival. She is ambitious enough to try to surpass her own mother, who is a widely recognized actress. People have jokingly told Utako that her daughter will steal the role of the Crimson Goddess from her. Even though Ayumi is young, she believes that she will re-vitalize the renowned role. Thus, she takes it upon herself to get as much experience as she can by trying out for any roles, including minor ones. At first, when Ayumi took on the role of Tom in The Prince and the Pauper
The Prince and the Pauper
The Prince and the Pauper is an English-language novel by American author Mark Twain. It was first published in 1881 in Canada before its 1882 publication in the United States. The book represents Twain's first attempt at historical fiction...
, the children in attendance didn't like the performance because they were used to seeing Ayumi as a beautiful young woman rather than a dirty and homely boy. Yet Ayumi soon draws the children's favor by begging for "money" in a hat, to which the children offer her their candy. The people behind the stage were surprised that Ayumi would do such a thing, particularly since Ayumi generally would have thought such things beneath her. Her passion to become the Crimson Goddess is undeniable, however, as she continually strives for perfection to attain the role. Even though critics generally favour her over Maya, Ayumi is upset at being unable to reach the sort of emotional peaks Maya does when she performs. Later during a rehearsal for the Crimson Goddess Ayumi saves a fellow actor from a toppling lamp, resulting in it hitting her head and causing a visual impairment.
Maya's mentor. She once was a very talented and beloved actress, most notable for her role at the legendary play whose performance was so acclaimed that its author left the rights over it solely to her in his will, but she got horribly scarred in an onstage accident (a lamp lighter hit her and burned half her face off) and had to leave the acting scene, opening an acting school instead. She has very weak health and must be hospitalized several times during the story. Yet she is a woman of unstoppable will, refusing to give the rights of "The Crimson Goddess" to Masumi Hayami and his father, as according to her, currently there is not an actress suitable for the main role. After finding potential in Maya, she takes her under her wing despite her mother's objections and strives to shape her into the best actress ever, so she can contest with Ayumi for the leading role in "The Crimson Goddess". Tsukikage understands that an actress's face is her most important feature, and she covers Maya when Maya's incensed mother tries to throw boiling hot water in her daugher's face.
A successful businessman and son/substitute of the president of the , he is brutally attempting to obtain the performance rights for "The Crimson Goddess" from Chigusa, efforts which ultimately lead to the disbanding of her acting school. When he sees Maya act as Beth in "Little Women
Little Women
Little Women is a novel by American author Louisa May Alcott . The book was written and set in the Alcott family home, Orchard House, in Concord, Massachusetts. It was published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869...
" despite a high fever, he is impressed with her strong will and devotion to her acting dreams. He secretly sends her purple roses and financial support as encouragement (thus Maya refers to her anonymous fan as "The Purple Roses Man"; her friends call him Daddy Long-Legs
Daddy-Long-Legs (novel)
Daddy Long-Legs is a 1912 epistolary novel by the American writer Jean Webster. It follows the protagonist, a young girl named Jerusha "Judy" Abbott, through her college years. She writes the letters to her benefactor, a rich man whom she has never seen....
), but acts mocking, cynical and even cruel in front of her to conceal his anonymous identity. Originally a normal, happy child, his cold exterior grew from the death of his mother, Aya, when he was a child, and his bad relationship with his stepfather Eisuke, who is responsible for the Crimson Goddess author's death. As the manga proceeds, he becomes more and more infatuated with Maya and finally falls deeply in love with her - at one point being the sole person to brave deadly, tsunami-level weather to attend the premiere of one of her plays. He doesn't reveal either his alternate identity or his true feelings for many reasons, one of which is the belief that Maya hates him since he indirectly caused her mother's death.
Anime
There have been several anime adaptions since the manga began its serialization. The first adaptation was a 23-episode TV series produced by Eiken in 1984 which was directed by Gisaburō SugiiGisaburo Sugii
is an anime director and Nihonga artist. He is currently a member of the anime studio Group TAC, and is most well known for his work as director of the Touch series and the movie Night on the Galactic Railroad...
with animation contributions from Shingo Araki
Shingo Araki
was a Japanese animation artist and character designer. He developed an interest for drawing at age five. He graduated in Aichi Prefecture. In 1955, at age eighteen, he debuted as a cartoonist in the "Machi" magazine. He then joined Mushi Production as animator in 1965 and later founded Studio...
and character designs by Atsuko Nakajima
Atsuko Nakajima
is a Japanese animator, character designer, and illustrator. She is married to anime director and animator Tomohiro Hirata, with whom she also collaborated in the Trinity Blood anime .Ms...
. The main voice cast featured Masako Katsuki
Masako Katsuki
is a Japanese voice actress who was born in Hachinohe, Aomori. Formerly from Theater Echo, she is currently employed by 81 Produce and has voiced in several notable films and tv series...
as Maya Kitajima, Taeko Nakanishi
Taeko Nakanishi
is a Japanese voice actor who works for Aoni Production. She is best known as the voices of the various Panther Claw villiains in Cutie Honey, and Makaiju in the first arc of the Sailor Moon R series...
as Chigusa Tsukikage, Minori Matsushima
Minori Matsushima
, born December 1, 1940, in Chiba Prefecture, is a veteran female seiyū. She currently works for Aoni Production.She is most known for the roles of Candice White , Meat-kun , Sayaka Yumi , Hiroshi , Dororo , and Gyopi .-Notable voice roles:*Candice "Candy" White in Candy Candy *Alexandria Meat in...
as Ayumi Himekawa and Nachi Nozawa
Nachi Nozawa
was a Japanese seiyū, actor, and theatre director from Tokyo. He was affiliated with Office PAC at the time of his death. His real name was...
as Masumi Hayami. The opening and ending theme, and was performed by Mariko Ashibe. This adaptation was broadcasted by Nippon TV.
Then a three episode OVA
Original video animation
, abbreviated as media , are animated films and series made specially for release in home-video formats. The term originated in relation to Japanese animation...
, titled as , was the remake of the first 3 arcs of the manga series. The OVA was released by TMS Entertainment in 1998. The voice cast from the 1984 series was not used and instead featured Megumi Ogata
Megumi Ogata
is a female seiyū and singer from the Tokyo Metropolitan area. As a singer, she goes by the name em:óu. She attended Tōkai University, but left due to lack of interest. She is also best known for voicing Sailor Uranus, Kurama and Shinji Ikari....
as Maya Kitajima, Keiko Toda
Keiko Toda
is a Japanese actress and seiyū. Her most famous role is being the voice of the children's hero Anpanman on the long running anime Soreike! Anpanman...
as Chigusa Tsukikage, Naoko Matsui
Naoko Matsui
is a Japanese voice actress from Hakodate. Matsui was a member of Production Baobab for 20 years before becoming a freelancer. She is also a voice acting instructor....
as Ayumi Himekawa and Jūrōta Kosugi
Jurota Kosugi
is a Japanese voice actor. His deep voice is often used for rough and imposing characters. He is well known for playing the role of Sukashii from Kyattou Ninden Teyandee and Asuma Sarutobi from Naruto....
as Masumi Hayami. The OVA was directed by Tsuneo Kobayashi
Tsuneo Kobayashi
is a Japanese anime director affiliated with Studio Pierrot. He has directed the critically acclaimed anime series The Twelve Kingdoms.- Filmography :As film director :*Glass Mask *Midori Days*Super GALS...
with scripts written by Nobuaki Kishima, Tomoko Konparu and Yoshiyuki Suga as well as animation character designs by Akira Hirayama and Masako Gouto.
Seven years later, TMS Entertainment, the company who produced the OVA began a TV series which was directed by Mamoru Hamatsu with series composition done by Toshimichi Saekie and animation character designs by Akira Hirayama as well as music composed by Terashima Tamiya. This adaptation was broadcasted by TV Tokyo
TV Tokyo
is a television station headquartered in Toranomon, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Also known as , a blend of "terebi" and "Tokyo", it is the key station of TX Network. It is one of the major Tokyo television stations, particularly specializing in anime...
and there were 2 opening themes, Promise which was performed by Candy for episodes 1-25 and zero by Aiko Ikuto for episodes 27-51.
There were 4 ending themes which were for episodes 1-13 by Aina, Step One by Sister Q for episodes 14-24, by Splash Candy for episodes 27-39 and Hello Hello by Core of Soul
Core of Soul
Core of Soul is a Japanese pop band. The group formed when Song met Nakamura and Iizuka at a school in Osaka. They disbanded March 24, 2006 after completing their Asian tour in Osaka.- Albums :* Natural Beauty Reached #35...
for episodes 40-51. Like the other adaptations, the voice cast was not reused and Maya Kitajima was voiced by Sanae Kobayashi
Sanae Kobayashi
is a voice actress who was born in Shizuoka Prefecture. She is affiliated with Production Baobab.-Television Animation:*.hack//Liminality as Mai Minase*.hack//Roots as Ender*.hack//Roots as Pi...
, Chigusa Tsukikage by Toshiko Fujita
Toshiko Fujita
is a Japanese seiyū. She currently works at Aoni Production.-Roles:*Bonobono in the first Bonobono film*Cross in Ginga Nagareboshi Gin*Corazón Muto in Allison & Lillia...
, Akiko Yajima
Akiko Yajima
, born May 4, 1967, is a Japanese voice actress from Kashiwazaki, Niigata Prefecture.-Anime:*Battle Athletes Victory *Berserk *The Big O *Blood+...
as Ayumi Himekawa and Masumi Hayami was voiced by Toshiyuki Morikawa
Toshiyuki Morikawa
is a prolific Japanese male voice actor from Yokohama, Kanagawa, was affiliated with Arts Vision. Lately, however, he has become the head of that a voice actor company he founded in Apr 2011. His name is also sometimes mistranslated as Tomoyuki...
. The original voice actor for Maya Kitajima in the 1984 adaptation returned to voice Ayumi's mother, Utako Himekawa.
The 2005 adaptation has been licensed in North America by Sentai Filmworks, and distributed by Section23 Films
Section23 Films
Section23 Films is an American home video distribution company specializing in anime and Japanese films. The company is one of five successors to ADV Films, as well as the distributor of titles from Sentai Filmworks and Switchblade Films. ADV had announced that it had sold its assets to a group of...
. The first half of the season was released on DVD, on January 19, 2010; however, the second half of the season has been cancelled reportedly duo to low sales.
Live Action
A live action version adapted the first 38 volumes of the series in 1997, and continued in 1998 as "Garasu no Kamen 2." Both productions starred Yumi AdachiYumi Adachi
Yumi Adachi is a Japanese actress, model and singer. Her artistic surname Adachi corresponds to her mother's maiden name. Yuri Adachi, born in 1957, had been a model and actress in her own right.Yumi was born in Taito, Tokyo, Japan...
as Maya Kitajima.
Cast
- Yumi AdachiYumi AdachiYumi Adachi is a Japanese actress, model and singer. Her artistic surname Adachi corresponds to her mother's maiden name. Yuri Adachi, born in 1957, had been a model and actress in her own right.Yumi was born in Taito, Tokyo, Japan...
as Maya Kitajima - Seiichi TanabeSeiichi Tanabeis a Japanese actor. He won the award for best actor at the 24th Yokohama Film Festival for Hush! and at the 27th Hochi Film Award for Hush! and Harmful Insect.-Filmography:* Atashi wa juice * April Story * Blues Harp...
as Masumi Hayami - Megumi MatsumotoMegumi Matsumotois a Japanese voice actress who works for Ken Production.-Notable voice roles:*Dinobreaker *Gakuen Alice *Ga-Rei Zero *Gekitou! Crush Gear Turbo...
as Ayumi Himekawa - Yōko NogiwaYoko Nogiwais a Japanese actress.-External links:...
as Chigusa Tsukikage - Kenji Kohashi as Yū Sakurakōji
- Hinako SaekiHinako Saekiis a Japanese actress who was born on February 16, 1977 in Nara, Japan. Probably her best known role was as Sadako Yamamura in Rasen, the 1998 sequel to the horror film Ring....
as Suzuko Tashiro
External links
- Glass Mask 1984 anime at Eiken
- Glass Mask: The Young Girl Who Hold The Thousand Masks at TMS Entertainment
- Official TV Tokyo Glass Mask 2005 anime site
- Glass Mask 2005 anime at TMS Entertainment
- Glass Mask 2005 anime on Crunchyroll.com
- ANN Review of 2005 anime eps.1-26
- ANN review of Sub DVD Collection 1