The Glass Mask anime is based off of it’s fairly popular shoujo manga counterpart, one that has been around for well over two decades. That being said, this is actually not the first time the story has been put into animated form. The first was an anime series that aired in 1984, and later an OVA produced was in 1998. So was Glass Mask good enough to warrant not only an anime series, but a full remake as well?
The story itself is very simple; it’s your classic tale of rags-to-riches while trying achieve your dreams. The story follows an extremely poor, but aspirational young actress named Kitajima Maya, whom wants to be successful. Of course, we watch as she fights on for her dreams, through both happy and sad moments. It’s a story format that has been used countless times in literature, and one that is timeless to some degree.
That being said, while the overarching premise is solid, the annoyance factor here is how the story gets very repetitive over the 51 episode length to this show. Each and every arc grows to feel like a repeat of the previous one, where our heroine Kitajima Maya is faced with strong uncertainties with regards to her new acting role, but somehow pulls together in the end through hard work, and dazzles the audience. I am oversimplifying the plot a bit too much here, but the general idea holds true. Of course, there are your gut-wrenching and dramatic plot twists here and there, and even a very competent rival thrown into the equation, but the overall story is very straightforward. The show just doesn’t take many risks with it’s story format, which is a shame.
On the other hand, Glass Mask does an absolutely terrific job with it’s cast of characters, or to be more specific, the two main heroines to the series. Other characters, such as the teacher, often felt more like plot devices at times. Nevertheless, most of the focus was on the two main characters.
Kitajima Maya, the main heroine, wasn’t portrayed as your typical innocent, helpless girl. Instead, they showed her as being a very straightforward, open minded and talented girl who worked hard at what she does. The key to her characterization, though, was how throughout her journey she was also shown to be a normal young girl, and like any other young girl, has your everyday troubles with love, family, and insecurities about life. She’s a budding actress full of self doubt, yet trudges on forward. Maya has a surprisingly down to earth, realistic personality that keeps her interesting.
Ayumi, Maya’s rival in acting, is also a well rounded character that is developed throughout the series. She initially comes off as your typical stuck-up princess type, but as the series progresses, we learn of how difficult it has been for her to pursue acting. We learn of her diligent hard work, the insecurities she faces, and the hurdles of the acting world. The two heroines to the cast were great to watch, and the full 51 episode length does well in developing both of them as rivals, as well as friends.
Production values, for a 2005 series, weren’t really anything particularly impressive. They were standard for the most part, though the music and art did have standout moments here and there.
In the end, Glass Mask is a mixed bag in my book. It has an excellent character dynamic between the two main heroines, Maya and Ayumi. The story also does an impeccable job with developing the duo. However, the story was surprisingly a weakness, with a level of predictability and repetitiveness that made it difficult for me to sit through the full series. Nevertheless, this iteration of Glass Mask was better than it’s predecessor, and one that I won’t forget about for a while.
Animation/Art: 7.5/10
Music: 8.0/10
Setting: 7.5/10
Characters: 8.5/10
Story: 7.5/10
Overall Enjoyment: 7.8/10
Screenshots are later in the post.
Distant Paradise 