List of characters in Glass Mask

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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 42 tankōbon as of 2006. 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.

[edit] Main characters

[edit] Maya Kitajima

• Height: 155 cm.

• Age: 13 at the beginning, 20/21 in the last chapters

• Birthday: 20 February

Maya seems to be an ordinary and naive girl. She's not clever, pretty and she's a little clumsy but she has a hidden talent for acting. When she's on stage she catches everybody's attention with her passionate acting. She was born in Yokohama but in order to pursue her dream she moves to Tokyo against her mother's will. She enters Tsukikage Theater and becomes Chigusa's pupil. Her dream is playing the role of Kurenai Tennyo. Her life is full of hardships but she can overcome them thanks to her willpower and her secret admirer's support, the purple rose fan.

[edit] Masumi Hayami

• Height: 180 cm.

• Age: 24 at the beginning, 31/32 in the last chapters

• Birthday: 3 November

He's Eisuke Hayami's adoptive son and the vicepresident of Daito Entertainment. He's drop-dead gorgeous, elegant, ambitious, sly and a workaholic. Despite his cool image he has a gentle side. His adoptive father treated him coldly since he was a child and he built a barrier around himself so he can't express his feelings freely. He couldn't choose his own path so that's why he admires Maya so much. He's Maya's secret admirer who sends her purple roses after her performances or when she's feeling down. This admiration turns into love soon. He's after the rights of Kurenai Tennyo and will do anything to get them.

[edit] Chigusa Tsukikage

• Age: About 54 at the beginning, 61/62 in the last chapters

• Birthday: 29 October

She was a famous and beautiful actress in the past but her career was over when a stage-light ruined her right-half face. Her most important role was Kurenai Tennyo and she owns the rights of the play. Many people is interested on them but she won't hand them so easily. She wants to find and train the perfect candidate for the role. The author, Ichiren Ozaki wrote the play with her on mind so it's really important for her. She has a weak health especially of her heart and is often sent to the hospital.

[edit] Ayumi Himekawa

• Height: 168 cm.

• Age: 13 at the beginning, 20/21 in the last chapters

• Birthday: 5 August

She's the daughter of a famous director and an actress. She was born to be an actress and she's considered to be a genius. She's beautiful, elegant and self-confident. She's very clever and skilled: she can act, dance, speak french, play the piano,etc,... Despite being rich and famous she's not a spoiled girl. She has a sense of justice and thinks of Maya as her only rival. She wants to play Kurenai Tennyo and becomes one of the two candidates chosen by Tsukikage.

[edit] Yū Sakurakōji

• Height: 175 cm.

• Age: 16 at the beginning, 23/24 in the last chapters

• Birthday: 5 July

He's a young actor from Ondine theater, where Ayumi works. He's good-looking, gentle and sweet. He falls in love with Maya after meeting her and tries to approach her heart several times but Maya only thinks of him as a friend. He tries to forget about her and even gets a girlfriend, Mai, a girl from Ondine but it's all in vain. He's Maya's partner in some plays and one of the two candidates for the role of Isshin, the lover of Kurenai Tennyo.

[edit] Shiori Takamiya

She's Masumi's fiancee, beautiful, cultured and rich but she has a weak health. Masumi's father chose her for him since their marriage of convenience would be advantageous for both families. She's in love with Masumi but he doesn't love her back. Little by little she realizes Masumi's feelings for Maya and gets unstable. Her love for him is almost obsessive.

[edit] Supporting characters

[edit] Tsukikage Company

[edit] Rei Aoki

• Age: 17 at the beginning, 24/25 in the last chapters

• Birthday: 3 December

Rei is from Tokyo. She's a member of Tsukikage theater and works part-time as a waitress. She's often mistaken for a boy because of her looks. She's Maya's best friend and roommate in later chapters.

[edit] Mina Sawatari

• Age: 16 at the beginning, 23/24 in the last chapters

• Birthday: 16 October

Mina is from Hokkaido. She's another member of Tsukikage theater and works part-time as a tutor. She's the most femenine girl in Tsukikage's company.

[edit] Sayaka Minazuki

• Age: 13 at the beginning, 20/21 in the last chapters

• Birthday: 2 September

Sayaka is from Nagano. She's another member of Tsukikage theater and works/lives at the bakery. She didn't like Maya very much at first since she got the role of Beth in Little Women instead of her but they got along after that.

[edit] Taiko Kasuga

• Age: 16 at the beginning, 23/24 in the last chapters

• Birthday: 12 May

Taiko is from Fukuoka. She's also a member of Tsukikage theater and works/lives at the bakery with Sayaka.

[edit] Unicorn Company

(or Ikkakuju/Ikkakuzyu Company)

[edit] Taichi Hotta

He's the leader of the Ikkakuju theater from Hokkaido. Mina and him fall in love.

[edit] Keiko Ninomiya

The only female member of Ikkakuju theater, she's often mistaken for a boy.

[edit] Satoru Hosokawa

The member of Ikkakuju Company.A guy with very long characteristic hair and beard. His image is that of a mountain ghost.

[edit] Hajime Tabe

The member of Ikkakuju Company.A fat and humorous guy

[edit] Daito art

[edit] Eisuke Hayami

Masumi's stepfather. His obsession is obtaining the rights of the play Kurenai Tennyo since he fell in love with Chigusa Tsukikage. Her love was unrequited so he tried to destroy Ichiren. He adopted Masumi to make him his heir and treated him really bad as a child.

[edit] Saeko Mizuki

• Height: 170 cm.

She's Masumi's secretary, a formal and efficient lady. She's observant and intuitive and she's the first one to realize Masumi's true feelings for Maya (even sooner than him!) She tries to persuade Masumi to reveal his true identity to Maya several times and sometimes she gets scolded for poking her nose into Masumi's bussiness. She becomes Maya's manager when she's working for Daito.

[edit] Karato Hijiri

• Height: 175 cm

He's a secret agent working for Daito. His work goes from spying rival companies to deliver the purple roses to Maya. He's calm and composed. His father was the president of a company which went bankrupt. He decided to suicide with his family but only he and Karato survived, losing their identity. Masumi's father helped Karato: he paid his school fees and let him work for Daito. He's Masumi's friend and confident and only wishes for his happiness.

[edit] Directors

[edit] Ryūzō Kuronuma

A famous director and producer. He's a rather eccentric man and likes drinking too much. He's Maya's director in The Forgotten Wilderness and Kurenai Tennyo

[edit] Mitsugu Himekawa

Ayumi's father, a famous director. He tends to spoil his daughter since he can't spend much time with her due to work.

[edit] Hajime Onodera

He's the director of Ondine theater. He has no qualms and will do everything to direct the play Kurenai Tennyo. He often accompanies Masumi to pester Tsukikage.

[edit] Ichiren Ozaki

Ichiren is the writer of the play Kurenai Tennyo. He helped Tsukikage when she was little and made her an actress. Their love story was impossible.

[edit] Artists

[edit] Utako Himekawa

Utako's Ayumi's mother. She's a famous and beautiful actress. Her acting teacher was Chigusa Tsukikage and she wishes to play the role of Kurenai Tennyo. She's married to Mitsugu Himekawa, an important director. She has performed in some plays with her daughter. She couldn't spend much time with her when she was little because of her work but she loves her very much.

[edit] Genzō Kobayashi

Genzō is Tsukikage's butler, driver, etc,. He admires her a lot and will follow her come what may. He's also a good actor.

[edit] Shigeru Satomi

Maya's first love. He's one of the actors in Ten no Kagayaki where Maya plays Satoko. They start dating although not for too long. He's an idol and some of his fans try to hurt Maya.

[edit] Mai Asō

Mai is a student at Ondine theater. She falls in love with Sakurakoji and they start dating although he can't forget Maya. She is a sweet girl and likes cooking.

[edit] Ryo Majima

An actor chosen to play Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights. He falls in love with Maya (well, not her but her Catherine) and leaves his girlfriend.

[edit] Yuki Egawa

She's Ryo's girlfriend. She auditioned to play Catherine in Wuthering Heights but Maya got the role.

[edit] Norie Otobe

• Real name: Suzuko Tashiro

An aspiring actress from Fukuoka who befriends Maya when she's playing Satoko to take her role away. Her real name is Suzuko Tashiro and hides her real looks and intentions under a dorky, child-like facade. She finally manages to almost ruin Maya's reputation, but Ayumi finds out the truth and punishes her with public humiliation.

[edit] Emi Tabuchi

She's a teen idol and singer. They decide to make a movie with her as the main character but she can't act at all.

[edit] Yuki Asae

A girl working at Eishin Theater. Maya takes her role in the play Onna Gawa so she tries to make her fail as an actress.

[edit] Kikuko Harada

A veteran actress and Chigusa' rival. She works as a teacher and actress at Eishin theater.

[edit] Susumu Hazama

A low ranked actor from Sujin theater. He plays a minor role in Niji no Kioku. Ayumi starts going out with him to understand the feelings of a person in love.

[edit] Ryūko Yamazaki

A famous actress. She used to appear in Nikko's advertisements for eight years but was replaced by Maya.

[edit] Mari Tomoe

She is a famous singer. She was going to play the main role in the movie Shiroi Jungle but the producers chose Maya instead of her. The members of her fanclub try to hurt Maya for this, but Mari is upset and actually apologizes to Maya for the incidents.

[edit] Ruri Egawa

A girl taking auditioning with Maya for a main role in the play "The two princesses".

[edit] Fujiko Kitashirakawa

A lyric singer who played princess Aldis twenty years ago. Masumi arranges a meeting with Maya to help her understand her role better.

[edit] Madoka Enjōji

An actress and dancer who plays Isadora Duncan in the play Isadora!. She wants Sakurakoji to be his partner in the play and asks him when he's rehearsing The Forgotten Wilderness with Maya.

[edit] Others

[edit] Haru Kitajima

Haru is Maya's mother. Her husband died when Maya was a little girl, so she works as a waitress in a Chinese restaurant at Yokohama. Due to Maya's clumsiness, she thinks her daughter is useless and doesn't want her to join Tsukikage's theater. After Maya runs away from home to join Tsukikage's company, Haru gets gravely sick, to the point of contracting tuberculosis and losing her eyesight. She's found and taken care of by Masumi and his people, who keep her away from public spotlight in a private clinic in Nagano, hoping to reunite them later; Haru escapes from the hospital trying to reach Tokyo and find Maya, is injured in a serious accident, and ultimately dies in the seat of a cinema which plays Maya's movie Shiroi Jungle.

[edit] Peter Hamill

He's an American photographer and Ayumi's admirer. He goes to Kurenai Tennyo valley to take photos of her. In the unofficial version of the manga, he grows his feelings for Ayumi more.

[edit] Sōichirō Aoyagi

He's the owner of a big company who sponsors Tsukikage theater.

[edit] Sugiko Okami

She's the daughter of the owner of the restaurant where Maya's mother works.

[edit] Aya Fujimura

Masumi's mother. Her first husband (Masumi's father) was a building worker who died when he fell from a scaffolding. She worked as a maid in the Hayami household and Eisuke Hayami married her to make Masumi his heir. She was a gentle woman and died when Masumi was a child.

[edit] Ishiro-sensei

An acting teacher working at Tsukikage theatre.

[edit] Umeno

Ayumi's baaya, she works a housekeeper in the Himekawa residence. She loves Ayumi since she took care of her when she was little.

[edit] Yōko Saitō

The leader of Shigeru's fanclub. She doesn't approve Shigeru and Maya's relationship and tries to hurt her.

[edit] Hiroko Kusaki

A girl from Maya's class who lends her the book Bianca, the Female Pirate and helps her with her solo performances.

[edit] Hiroshi Yoshizawa

He's a nerd and Kusaki's friend. He writes the script of Bianca the Female Pirate and Passing Rain for Maya.

[edit] Kaikei-sensei

• Real name: Seiji Yamamoto

He's a sculptor and works in the town hall. Sakurakoji stays at his house when he's searching for his own Isshin.

[edit] See also

• Glass Mask drama plays
• List of characters in Glass Mask
• Glass Mask

[edit] External links

• Suzue Miuchi's official website (Japanese)
• Stage Storm's Garasu no Kamen Website (English) Includes character comparison guide from the manga, 80's series, ova, and the 2005 series.
• Maya no Garasu no Kamen (English)
• TV Tokyo - 2005 Glass Mask anime (Japanese)
• YSP Anime Blog - Episode Reviews (English)
• Aresian - Il Grande Sogno di Maya (Italian)
• Glass Mask fansite by AI-sei (English)