Glass Mask
Kitajima Maya loved acting with a passion. But the odds seem stacked against her--working at a noodle shop delivering them and bogged down with school... But nothing could stop her love for dramas... Will she ever get the chance to pursue her dreams? One of the longest running shoujo series at over 40 volumes, Glass Mask is sure to delight all sorts of shoujo audiences and anyone who has ever dreamed of being on stage.
Glass Mask (ガラスの仮面 Garasu no Kamen?) is a long-running shōjo manga by Suzue Miuchi, serialised in Hana to Yume from January 1976, and collected in 43 tankōbon volumes as of January 26, 2009. 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.[1] 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.[2]
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
• Maya Kitajima (北島マヤ Kitajima Maya?). A talented 13-year-old actress, 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), is mentally unstable and for a long time she thinks of Maya as useless. She's discovered by the former diva Chigusa Tsukikage and starts a promising acting career under her wing. 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. Her nickname is "The Stage Storm". In the French anime, Maya's name is Laura Nessonier.
• Ayumi Himekawa (姫川亜弓 Himekawa Ayumi?) Maya's biggest rival, the honor-bound and noble Ayumi was born as the daughter of a very famous actress (Utako Himekawa, one of Maya's idols) and a successful director and producer (Mitsugu Himekawa), and has been touted as a prodigy from an early age. Still, ever since then Ayumi wants to shine on her own, reminded of how she got her first role just because of her family links. Ayumi is said to be practically perfect in technique, but for a long time she's unable to reach the emotional peaks Maya does when she performs. She apparently has serious eyesight problems, which unfold later in the series. In the French anime, Ayumi's name is Sidonie Lecuyer.
• Chigusa Tsukikage (月影千草 Tsukikage Chigusa?) Maya's mentor. She once was a very talented and beloved actress, 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 takes Maya under her wing despite her mother's objections and strives to shape her into the best actress ever, so she and Ayumi can compete to become the star of the legendary play "Crimson Goddess". She has a very weak health and must be hospitalized several times during the story. In the French anime, Tsukikage's name is Chloe de Ste.-Fiacre.
• Masumi Hayami (速水真澄 Hayami Masumi?) A successful businessman and owner of the Daito company, he watches Maya act as Beth in "Little Women" with a fever and is impressed with her strong will and devotion to her acting dreams. He secretly sends her purple roses as encouragement (and Maya refers to her anonymous fan as murasaki no bara no hito, "The Purple Roses Man"), but acts cynical and even cruel in front of her. His cold exterior comes from the death of his mother, Aya, when he was a child, and his bad relationship with his stepfather Eisuke. In the French anime, Hayami's name is Maxime
Happy Hustle High follows the exploits of Hanabi Ozora. Hanabi is an assertive 16-year old who protects her less assertive friends. The all-girls' school that Hanabi attends, Uchino High School, is merged with Meibi High School, an all-boys' school. Once there, Hanabi meets Yasuaki Garaku, a student council member who is also a surfer. Yasuaki expresses the fact that he has no interest in girls. When the Girls' council and the Boys' council start to fight, Hanabi jumps in, hoping that she can convince Yasuaki to change his mind.
Hanabi Ozora (大空花美 Ōzora Hanabi?)
Hanabi, the main character, is rowdy and tough. She used to be a crybaby when she was little, but with the help of Takeru Suno, who helped boost her confidence, she is now an outspoken teenager who likes having her way. She goes to an all-girls school until it turned co-ed. She soon gets infatuated by Yasuaki Garaki after their encounter at the water fountain. They then became boyfriend/girlfriend after a little contest. Afterwards Takeru came back for Hanabi making it a contest against crush vs crush.
Yasuaki Garaku.His mother died very shortly after he was born. As a kid, he was surrounded by men, no experience from girls. In High school, he used to go to an all-boys school, and as a student council member, most popular boy in the school, good at surfing among other things, he's basically an ideal boyfriend, but still sees chicks instead of girls, with the exception of Hanabi, who he saw as a game fowl. However, soon enough, Yasuaki and Hanabi start to date. But it isn't long before he meets Takeru Suno, a childhood friend of Hanabi but the two's closeness causes Yasuaki to go into a fit of jealously, and pick a fight with him. Even though he lost the fight with Takeru, Yasuaki won Hanabi and after other mishaps and misunderstandings they begin to get closer, and in book five they even get intimate. This cures him of his "girl allergy" and allows him to see girls instead of chicks.
Tokihisa AidoA student council member who bullies other students. Tokihisa soon falls in love with Hanabi, but realizes that she only likes Yasuaki. He considers Yasuaki his rival because Yasuaki is better than him at everything, especially sports. If you look in Wild Act, also by Rie Takada, Ryu Eba is chatting with a guy who looks suspiciously like Tokihisa.
Takeru SunoHanabi's childhood friend. He trained Hanabi to be strong. Ultimately making her who she is now.
This series of manga last at least five books and is considered one of the under praised masterpieces to have come out of Japan within the last five years. It is a story full of romance, and packed with cheeky one liners, quirky characters and happy endings
CANDY CANDYCandy Candy (キャンディ・キャンディ?) is a Japanese novel, manga, and anime series. The main character, Candice "Candy" White Ardlay is a blonde American girl with freckles, large emerald green eyes and long, curly hair, worn in bunches with bows. Candy Candy first appeared in a prose novel by famed Japanese writer Kyoko Mizuki in April 1975. When Mizuki joined forces with manga artist Yumiko Igarashi, the Japanese magazine Nakayoshi became interested in Candy Candy. The series was serialized as a manga series in the magazine for four years and won the 1st Kodansha Manga Award for shōjo in 1977. The story was adapted into an anime series by Toei animation. There are also several Candy Candy movies which were never released outside of Japan.[cita
Based on the manga story Candy Candy is primarily a love story. Candy's first love was a character named Anthony Brown, but the series is remembered by the majority of fans as a result of her heartbreaking separation from her true love and soulmate, Terrius "Terry" Grantchester. A recurrent story arc in the series is the "Prince of the Hill", a mysterious boy Candy encountered once as a child. His identity is revealed in the last pages of the manga and in the last chapters of the anime.
Candy is a six year old who lives in an orphanage near Lake Michigan with Ms. Pony and Sister Lynne. Candy was found by them when she was a baby, the same day that Annie--Candy's best friend--was also found during a cold winter day. She frequently causes mischief with her young friends, especially with Annie. She has a raccoon named Clynn that will accompany her in most of her future adventures. One day, Annie consents to be adopted by rich parents, the Brightons (Britter in some countries). This takes place after Candy refuses to be adopted by this same family when she realizes she will be separated from Annie after the proposed adoption. Candy is upset after this betrayal - she gave up her chance at happiness to be with Annie. After Annie's adoption, she writes letters to Candy but soon she tells her that her parents prefer that she forget about her past. Heartbroken, Candy goes to her favorite place, Pony's Hill, to cry. Here, she hears the voice of a boy, telling her: 'Little girl, you are prettier when you smile than when you cry.' The boy is dressed in a full Scottish outfit and carries a bagpipe. Candy is awed by his outfit ("You're a boy but you're wearing a skirt!") but soon they become friends and he plays the bagpipe for her. When she turns around to pick up Annie's letter, the boy mysteriously disappears. The only suggestion that it was not a dream is a brooch in the shape of an eagle with the letter "A" on it. Candy nicknames him 'The Prince of the Hill' and she will daydream about this encounter all her life.
At age 12, Candy is "adopted" by the Leagan family to be a companion to Eliza and later ends up as a maid. The children, Eliza and Neal, often play cruel pranks on her and delight in tormenting her. Mrs. Leagan, whose name is Ruth, does not like her, but Mr. Leagan is kinder to Candy, though he is frequently away on business and therefore cannot be a reliable ally. One day, she meets three cousins: the brothers Archibald (Archie) and Alistair (Stear) Cornwell, and their cousin, Anthony Brown. They are also Eliza and Neal's cousins, and they all belong to the Ardlay family (Andrew family in some countries). It is soon apparent that the boys all have a crush on Candy, but she clearly prefers Anthony because of his striking resemblance to the Prince of the Hill. While Candy is a maid at the Leagan house, Annie and her parents pay a visit to the Leagans. When Annie is introduced to Candy, she acts as if she had never seen her before in order to conceal the "embarrassing" fact that she was an orphan from Pony's Home--following Annie's adoption, the Brightons had told friends and family that Annie was the orphaned daughter of a relative of theirs, rather than a child from an orphanage. Candy is sad that she cannot talk to her best friend, but has a chance to interact with her when she Annie and the Leagans are preparing to go out for a horse ride and Annie's horse takes off with Annie screaming for help (she calls Candy's name, rather than her parents'). Candy gives chase with another horse, and manages to rescue Annie from her hellish horse ride. Before Annie and her parents leave the Leagan's residence, she leaves a ribbon tied to a post so Candy can find it. Candy does find it and is later accused by Eliza and Neal of stealing it from their guests. These two manage to persuade their parents that Candy cannot be trusted to stay living inside the house, and she is sent to live in the horse stable. When Archie, Stear and Anthony discover Candy's mistreatments (and after many adventures), they have the head of the Ardlay house adopt Candy. This mysterious and very wealthy gentleman (referred to as Great Uncle William or Grandfather William in some translations) is never seen. Candy also befriends Albert, a bearded vagabond that lives in a hunter's lodge with lots of animals.
Now Candy has a new social situation and while some of the Ardlay relatives still dislike her (namely Eliza, Neal, their mother and the "apparent" head of the family, Great Aunt Elroy), the three boys make her feel welcome and help her become "a real lady". Her romance with Anthony develops tenderly, and he grows a new breed of white roses that he names "Sweet Candy" in her honor. This romance, however, is brutally cut short when, on the day Candy is officially introduced as an Ardlay, he falls from his horse during a fox hunt and dies--interestingly, seconds before his death, he was going to tell Candy about a boy who looked very much like him and who was always around his mother when he was a baby. Aunt Elroy and Eliza blame Candy for Anthony's death. Candy is heartbroken and returns to Pony's Home to overcome her grief. She does not stay long, for Great Uncle William has other plans for her: he is sending her to the Saint Paul Academy, a boarding school in London. While on the ship to London, Candy wanders out into the deck and she sees a young man who resembles Anthony in the shadows. She tries to approach him because he is crying, but he mockingly brushes her off while denying he was upset. She has met Terry Grantchester.
This boarding school is co-ed, but contact between girls and boys is very limited and severely punished. The Ardley cousins--Candy, Stear, Archie, Eliza and Neal--are all students there. Because Archie and Stear are her adoptive cousins, Candy is allowed to see them, but not as much as she would like. She quickly starts to sneak into the boys residence at night to chat with them. She does this by crossing the park that separates the boys and girls quarters while swinging from tree to tree until she lands on the balcony to their room. Soon after the school year begins, Annie is enrolled in this same school and Candy hopes to finally be able to resume her friendship with her former best friend. Annie, however, pretends not to know her at first. One day, when Annie--who is in love with Archie--witness Archie trying to confess his love to Candy, she runs crying and Candy goes after her to try to calm her down. When Candy finally catches up with Annie, the later speaks of the subconscious resentment and jealousy she had felt since they were children at Pony's Home. Annie compares the perceived favoritism that Ms. Pony and Sister Maria showed Candy, to Archie's love for Candy (which at the time was stronger than the feelings he also had for Annie). While Annie is bitterly crying in this way, Eliza and her friend overhear this exchange. Annie's secret comes to light, and this allows Annie to become Candy's friend again. Candy also makes a friend of her neighbor, Patricia (Patty) O'Brian who ends up being Stear's love interest. The school days are full of mischief as Candy tries to avoid Eliza's evil schemes, and the harsh discipline of the Academy nuns. Also in London, she finds her old friend Albert working at a local zoo. He has shaved his beard and looks like a young adult in his twenties.
Terry, the boy she met on the ship, is also attending the same boarding school. He is a rebel and always causes trouble with the nuns who can't really punish him since his father, the Duke of Grantchester, supports the school financially. Terry teases Candy every time they meet, seemingly because he's in love with her but is afraid to admit it. Most of their meetings end up in a fight. He mostly teases her about her freckles, a fact that makes Candy furious, and her tree-swinging habits. This leads Terry to give candy the nickname "Freckled Tarzan." Candy in the beginning is still grieving the memory of Anthony, and cannot understand Terry's role in her life. She's troubled by this rebellious boy, particularly because she has seen him cry before, and she suspects there is tragedy in his life. One night, instead of entering Archie's room, she accidentally enters Terry's room and finds out he is the son of Eleanor Baker, a famous American actress. Terry is an illegitimate son, and feels torn between a father who has married for duty to his name and social status, and a mother who loves him dearly but thinks it is best not to see each other.
One day Candy reveals to Terry about her first love Anthony. Jealous of the feelings Candy has about another boy, Terry cruelly tells her a person cannot have romantic feelings for somebody that is dead. The school's May Festival dance arrives but Candy is unable to attend because she is placed on detention in a cell-like room by sister Grey for her mischievous ways. Whilst on detention, Candy receives a package from her Great Uncle William who has sent her two costumes for the ball: one of Romeo and one of Juliet. Candy comes up with a plan to attend the ball by initially disguising herself as Romeo in order to escape the detention tower to go to the ball. There she first dances with Annie. Then quickly she runs to the woods where she has hidden the Juliet outfit and changes into Juliet. But Terry catches Candy whilst she is getting changed into Juliet in the woods. At the ball, Terry requests to dance with "Juliet" who he knows is Candy. During the dance, Candy reminisces in her memories of Anthony and tells Terry hoping he would understand. However Terry gets upset by Candy's continuous longing for Anthoy and knowing Candy's fear of horses since Anthony's accident, he takes her to the stables and shoves her brutally on his horse. Candy cries but slowly overcomes her fear of horses, and begins to understand that life after Anthony must go on.
Candy and her friends go to Scotland during the summer. Terry is also there and eventually reconciles with his mother thanks to Candy's intervention. He admits to Candy that he likes acting too and would like to pursue a career in theatre. Over the summer Terry and Candy really bond; she is more comfortable around him, and he is no longer rude to her. One day, while they are sitting alone under a tree, Terry asks Candy to dance with him so she will have nice memories of her summer in Scotland. Candy accepts the invitation and they begin dancing. But soon after they begin their dance, Terry abruptly stops and kisses Candy. Candy, feeling embarrassed, slaps him and tells him that nobody has ever disrespected her in that way. She still cannot admit her feelings for Terry.
When they go back to school in September, Eliza is jealous of Candy's relationship with Terry, which came to her attention during the summer. Eliza had developed a crush on Terry during the summer in Scotland, and vows to separate them. She sets up a rendezvous in the stable for them, fooling them into thinking one needed to talk to the other. She brings the nuns to the stable and they are caught "in scandal." Sister Grey, the head nun at Saint Paul Academy, decides that Candy is to be expelled from the school, but that nothing will happen to Terry because his father financially supports the school. Terry is opposed to the discrepancy in punishments, and decides to solve the problem: he will leave the school instead of Candy, and will go to the United States to pursue his dream of acting on Broadway. Before he leaves the school, Terry plays the harmonica all night for Candy while she is locked in a punishment cell. This was Terry's farewell to his beloved Candy. However, Candy is unaware of his decision and when she finds out, she finally understands how much she loves him and she runs to the port to tell him she's in love with him. However, she arrives too late, and can only watch as Terry's ship leaves across the Atlantic. As Candy cries and calls his name, she decides to return to America too.
After a dreadful journey as a stowaway in a cargo ship from England to America, Candy goes back to Pony's Home and finds that Terry was there only minutes before she arrived. Encouraged by Ms. Pony, she decides to study to be a nurse and takes classes in a school in Chicago, where she excels because of her interpersonal skills. She is reunited with her friends from school when they come back from Europe because of rumors of war. Terry's theatre company comes on tour to Chicago, and they meet very briefly after chasing each other in the city (their meeting being sabotaged by Terry's partner, Susanna Marlowe, who has an unrequited crush on Terry). They start writing letters to each other and maintain a long distance relationship. World War I begins and there are some thoughts of sending young nurses to the war, but Candy is not selected.
One day, a mysterious patient arrives at the hospital: he was injured in a train explosion in Italy and has amnesia; he was brought to Chicago because it is the only name he says in his delirium. Candy is shocked to recognize her good old friend Mr. Albert, and personally monitors his needs. Because he has no family or relatives, Albert must leave the hospital and Candy suggests that they get an apartment together so she can continue to take care of him. The thought of her Mr. Albert who has shown her so much kindness in the past going out alone without his memory greatly distresses her. Albert agrees reluctantly at first, but soon they become excellent friends and are very happy living together.
In the meantime, Terry has landed the lead role of Romeo Montague in William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Terry invites Candy to New York to the premiere. His intentions seem matrimonial: he's been saving money and has sent Candy a one way ticket. Candy daydreams about being his wife and having breakfast with him. However, a terrible accident happens during one of the rehearsals: a lamp detaches from the ceiling right above Terry, but Susanna (who still has an unrequited crush on him, despite him telling her that he loves Candy and should leave her alone) lunges and pushes him away. Her injuries are so severe that her leg must be amputated. Feeling horribly guilty for what happened, and even more so because he knows of her unrequited feelings for him, Terry does not know what to do, as there is increasing pressure that he should marry Susanna from both Susanna and Susanna's mother. It is in this tense atmosphere that Candy comes to New York. Terry tries to keep the incident from her until a better time, but unfortunately Candy finds out during the premiere. She is stunned, and knows that Terry is probably suffering a great deal because of this moral dilemma, yet she is angered that Susanna is blackmailing him into marriage.
Candy decides to go and confront Susanna about this but when she arrives at the hospital she realises there is something wrong. Susanna is missing and the hospital is in a frenzy. Candy quickly rushes to the roof fearing that Susanna may be there to commit suicide. Once on the roof Susanna reveals that she has done what she did because she loves Terry and that she was doing this because she wants Terry to be free of the guilt to love her back. This shocks Candy and she begs Susanna to live because that would be the best thing she could do for Terry if she loved him. Realising that Susanna's love for Terry is real, Candy sadly decides to end her relationship with Terry because she believes that removing herself from the equation is the way to resolve this problem.
In what is probably the most remembered scene of both the manga and the anime for the full emotional impact it carried for both characters, Terry and Candy break up on the hospital stairs. Candy tries her best to farewell Terry by showing her happiness for his future with Susanna but is overcome with tears despite her best efforts to hide them from Terry. Hurt from seeing the tears on Candy's face Terry runs to embrace Candy from behind on the stairs. There Terry also torn between his love for Candy and the moral gratitude for Susanna does not try to convince Candy to continue their relationship. Instead he says the most famous heartfelt line of the manga that he wishes the time would stop there forever. Then they both promise to be happy, as if hoping that the sacrifice of the relationship for someone else's wish would not be in vain. Therefore heartbroken, Candy returns to Chicago under the haze of a high fever and is tormented with the realisation that her dream of marrying Terry has been shattered. In this state, she is consoled and supported by Mr. Albert who has always been the one to kindly provide a shoulder for her to cry on.
The months pass and Candy tries heals from her grief, by devoting herself to her work and to Albert's recovery of his memory. Unfortunately, people begin to whisper about her living with a man she is not married to. Also around this time, Stear, who had joined the army, dies in combat. Soon after Stear's death Patty leaves Chicago. Albert recovers his memory abruptly and remembers who Candy really is and more importantly, who he really is. He hides this from her at the beginning, but once the rumours become unbearable and Candy is fired from the hospital, he decides to leave to avoid causing her more problems. Candy misses him a lot and is worried about his health, as she is unaware he's recuperated his memory in full. One day he sends a package to her and hoping to see him to ensure he's fine, she goes to Rockston, Illinois only to find that Terry is now acting in a low class theatre, drunk. Candy realizes he has arrived to that state because of the pain he feels over their breakup. Since Susanna is still dependent on Terry, Candy knows that the only way she can help him come out of this is to remind him of his dream. By sheer willpower, she manages to reach the actor, who snaps back into action. He sees Candy from the stage in his drunken stupor and delivers a performance worthy of his talents. Afterwards, despite acknowledging that he cannot forget Candy, he finds the strength to go back to his life in New York, and in some way perhaps honoring their mutual wish when they broke up: to be happy despite the circumstances of their separation. This is the last time they see each other, each seeming to go in their separate ways. Before leaving Rockston, however, Candy runs into Terry's mother, who tells her that only one person was capable of saving her son.
Back in Chicago, the days go by peacefully until Neal starts wooing Candy. He is unsuccessful because she remembers how cruel he was to her as a child. He arranges a forced marriage telling her it's Great Uncle William's will and that she has to obey. By Neal's side there are Mrs Leagan, Eliza and the Great Aunt Elroy all trying to talk Candy into this commitment. Astonished, Candy decides to seek the mysterious Great Uncle William to forbid the union. George, his faithful lawyer and consigliere, drives her to the mansion where he is staying. There Candy discovers shockingly that the Great Uncle William is none other than her old friend Mr. Albert. He was the brother of Anthony's mother Rosemary, to whom he had been greatly attached. This also explains the resemblance between the two men (uncle/nephew). His identity was hidden from all partly because of his young age and because he did not wish to be the head of the family and run the business. He makes a dramatic appearance in front of the Chicago society to prevent Candy's arranged marriage to Neal.
Still shocked by her discovery that Albert is the Great Uncle William, Candy goes back to Pony's Home to reflect on the events in her life. On Pony's Hill, she remembers her friends Anthony and Stear who have died. A tear falls from her eyes and a familiar voice says; "Little girl, you are much prettier when you smile..." As she looks up, she has a new surprise: Albert is standing there. Candy realizes he has been the Prince of the Hill all these years. "Albert, Great Uncle William... and then my Prince!" she exclaims as she runs to him. The anime ends with a gathering at Pony's Home front yard, besides Albert there are Annie, Archie, Ms. Pony, Sister Maria, the children of Pony's Home, Clynn (Candy's raccoon) and Mina a dog that was given to Candy by one of her patients. Candy makes a toast to her friends that helped her overcome troubles in life.
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