Glass Mask
Two Girls. One Dream. And the Entire World for a Stage.At 13 years old, Maya Kitajima seems destined to spend the rest of her life toiling in a crowded restaurant alongside her bitter and unstable mother; but when her incredible acting talent is discovered by the legendary diva Chigusa Tsukikage, Maya finds a new future filled with both golden opportunities and terrifying risks. For Ayumi Himekawa, success has always been assured, yet she longs to be recognized for her own talents and skills, not the family connections of her famous parents. For both, the ultimate prize is the role of The Crimson Goddess in the play of the same name, a part created by Chigusa and now portrayed by Ayumi's mother. To achieve this goal, each must seek out and conquer every acting challenge, pushing the limits of their talent and endurance to the utmost, until they are worthy of the part…. But for one to win, the other must fail!
Episodes
Expand / Collapse All- 1: The Girl who has a Thousand Masks Guest
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Life for Kitajima Maya has been rough. When she gets a small part in a school play, her life has suddenly turned around.
- 2: Vivi's Mask Guest
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Tsukikage makes arrangements for Maya to transfer to another school; she also starts training her to become an actress.
- 3: The Escaped Bird Guest
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Kazehaya asks Sawako to meet him after school to discuss her study habits and for help with his homework. The other students learn she is a great teacher, and she starts helping out her other classmates.
- 4: The Stairway of Flame Guest
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Maya asks Tsukikage if she can work her way through acting school. Tsukikage agrees to give her a scholarship to the Tsukikage Acting Troupe.
- 5: The Restrictive Lines Guest
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Maya takes a job working in the park so that she doesn't have to borrow too much money from Tsukikage. Tsukikage gives the girls a new acting assigment which is to do a play only using four words. That night, Ayumi shows up at Tsukikage's class and participates in the lesson by acting as Tsukikage's "assistant".
- 6: My Own Beth Guest
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Sakurakouji sends Maya two tickets to Ayumi's new play. Tsukikage told the class their new play will be "Little Women," and Maya has been cast as the third sister, Beth. Maya now has to live as Beth for a week in order to better understand her role. Masumi meets with Tsukikage to ask her to end her business relationship with Aoyogi and join his Father's troupe.
- 7: The Violet Rose Guest
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Auditions for the role of Beth are held, and Maya wins the role again. Ayumi, Sakurakouji, and all the major critics show up to review the Tsukikage Acting Troupe's first play "Little Women." May receives a bouquet of purple roses from her first fan.
- 8: Walking In the Wind Guest
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Several students quit the acting troupe after the bad review by the critics and nasty rumor about Tsukikage. The investors visit Tsukikage after her release from the hospital and tell her she has to enter the upcoming acting competition in Nagoya.
- 9: The New Midori Guest
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Tsukikage Acting Troupe finds out that the Ondine Troupe is also performing Takekurabe. The troupe starts rehearsals, and Tsukikage locks Maya in a shed out back until she finds herself. This causes Maya to create her role and to make her own Midori. Each troupe is give a day to practice on the stage where the competition will be; but when Tsukikage shows up she finds out that their day was moved up and they missed it. She learns that Onodera was behind this mix up.
- 10: Two Midoris of Takekurabe Guest
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The Tsukikage Acting Troupe and the Ondine Troupe will go head to head in today's competition. The girls go outside to rehearse since it has the same dimensions as the stage they will perform on. Maya's "fan" leaves her another purple rose. The crowd goes crazy over Tsukikage's Acting Troupe's performance.
- 11: Spring Storm Guest
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Tsukikage Acting Troupe is again favored to win in the National Acting Competition. Maya gets the lead in "Gina & the Five Blue Jars". The night before their competition, someone destroys all of their props and costumes. One of the rival troupes volunteers to help with repairing the set props.
- 12: Alone on the Stage Guest
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Since the cast did not return in time for the competition, Maya volunteers to perform solo. There will be two sets of winners announced. One is the audience choice and the other is the judges. Before the judges can announce a winner, Onodera demands that Tsukikage Acting Troupce be disqualified since only one actor performed and not the required 14.
- 13: Tomorrow's Grass Guest
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The girls ask Tsukikage if she will still teach them acting now that the troupe has been disbanded. They all take jobs so that they can pay her. Maya's secret admirer gives her a ticket to see "King Lear." Maya takes a bit part in an upcoming movie.
- 14: The Fated Rivals Guest
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The schools' acting troupe is putting on a new production. When the lead actress has to be rushed to the emergency room, Maya volunteers to tackle the role. Masumi offers to let Maya join the Ondine Troupe. The girls learn of Aoyogi's plan to destroy their troupe.
- 15: Trap Guest
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Maya meets Miss Harada from another troupe and asks to be in her production. Her audition is to express four emotions using one prop, and she gets the role. Ayumi's new roll upsets her audience so much they start to leave, but she is able to engage them again. Maya is a little nervous about her new play because the audience is all adults. She had never considered who the audience would be before taking a role. But the girl whose role Maya take has something up her sleeve for Maya.
- 16: Theater Crasher Guest
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Maya takes a part-time job managing props for another theater. One day as they are waiting on the actors Maya calms down the kids by telling them a story. When it's time to start the play, the kids riot because they want Maya to finish her story. She is promptly fired after the play. Miss Harada informs Tsukikaga that they will never hire Maya again even though they know she will take the stage by storm one day. Maya is asked to audition for the lead in "Wuthering Heights."
- 17: Wuthering Heights Guest
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"Wuthering Heights" starts and the audience is impressed with the intensity of Maya and Ryou, who play the younger versions of Catherine and Heathcliff. Sakurakouji can't believe Maya's intensity and leaves halfway through the play. As more people see the play during its run, the audience is becoming more confused because the younger actors play with much more intensity than their adult actors.
- 18: Role of a Doll Guest
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Tsukikage pulls the troupe together to perform the play “The Stone’s Smile.” Maya is cast in the role of the doll. Tsukikage rents out an old, abandoned café for their acting troupe. Masumi offers to pay all of Maya’s expenses if she will join the Daito Theater. Maya’s Mother has to leave her job due to her deteriorating health.
- 19: The Fallen Mask Guest
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Majima has been coming to all of Maya's plays, as he thinks of her as Cathy and has fallen for her. He takes her out for ice cream and asks her out. Maya is upset because she knows Sakurakouji has not been to this play at all. On the last night of the play, Maya is told her Mother is sick and missing from the clinic in which she was recuperating.
- 20: The Switched Script Guest
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Maya goes on stage when called even though she does not know her lines. Ayumi comes on stage to "save" her, so Maya begins to "play" off her lead. Maya allows her anonymous fan to send her to school. She goes to the principal's office to see if she can meet this person to thank him. Maya is also asked to audition for the role of Helen Keller in Daito's next play.
- 21: Etude of Flames Guest
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Maya is under lots of pressure to win the role of Helen Keller or she will be expelled from Tsukikage's troupe. Tsukikage tries to help her audition for the role but becomes too sick again. All the girls auditioning for the role spend the summer rehearsing for this audition. Ayumi lives among the deaf and blind children and tries to imitate them. Maya goes off to a summer house, blindfolds herself and wears earplugs in order to try and live like a deaf and blind person.
- 22: The Miracle Worker, the Final Audition Guest
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When the girls arrive for the final auditions they judges put them in a room to ask them to "entertain" themselves as Helen would. For the second round they all have to eat as Helen. The third round they have to act how Helen would when she is looking for her Mother after just waking up from a nap. For the final round they sound an alarm and all but Ayumi and Maya react. The judges then pick both Maya and Ayumi to be Helen and they will alternate who plays Helen during the run.
- 23: Show Down! The Two Helens Guest
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Ayumi and Maya both perform their versions of Helen for the Theater Festival; Ayumi is first to perform. When Maya and Utako started their version of Helen, Utako was stunned at first working with Maya's presence on the stage. Utako then transforms her acting abilities to be as intense as Maya's. After the play, Utako tells Maya how glad she was that she got to act with her.
- 24: The Beautiful Maze Guest
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Maya is starting to attract all kinds of autograph seekers and scouts. Masumi warns her that she is now going to have lots of agents seek her out for roles, and she needs to be careful. Maya and Ayumi have both been nominated as Best Supporting Actress for their portrayal of Helen.
- 25: Heavenly Brilliance Guest
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Everyone realizes that Maya has fallen in love with Satomi. The Daito Theater has launched a campaign to spread the word about Maya.
- 26: The Shadow Who Hunts Maya Guest
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Maya's manager reprimands her for falling in love with Satomi. Maya sneaks off on a date with Satomi after announcing to the press they are in love. Maya is flooded with thoughts of her Mother as she starts shooting her first movie. Masumi offers Miss Yamazaki a chance to shoot some commercials that will garner world wide viewing.
- 27: EXTRA: Trailer Guest
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