Garasu no Kamen Synopses

Tankoubon 3

Little Women.

Maya manages to gloss over her mistake, and everyone feels relief... Included Masumi, who wonders why he has been so worried for that girl. In the backstage, angry Tsukikage asks Maya if she wants to go on playing. Maya obviously wants to, and her performance from that moment improves. Ayumi's school mates think that only Rei (Jo) is a good actress, but Ayumi knows that the shy Beth cannot be outstanding: Maya is doing a good job.
You'll see what that girl is able to do....
Maya is doing her best, but sometimes her speech is out of time. During an other break in the backstage Tsukikage throws a bucket of cold water on the girl. Maya'd better give up... But she is determined to continue. And her performance gets better and better.
Ayumi notices it:
I don't know how she could do that. She doesn't stand out, she is like a wildflower on a road side: simple, common, insignificant. And so why does her become more and more beautiful, once on stage? How? Beth's smile, her shyness, her sadness, are nothing special... And still...
Masumi and Sakurakoji are impressed too.
Finally the scene of Beth suffering with scarlet fever arrives. Maya's performance is more realistic than ever. The audience is completely involved. At the end of the show, the drama critics which Masumi invited criticize harshly the play, influencing the reporters' opinions. Masumi doesn't feel good.
Why do I feel this sense of defeat... This oppression in my breast? I have been to many shows, but this is the first time I've found such a strenght... Where does the little girl hide all that passion?

Purple Roses.

Passion... Have I ever felt passion in my life? Since my childhood...
Masumi stops at a flowers shop. He sees some purple roses, it's a rare kind of flowers! He buys the whole bunch. While getting to Maya's fitting room, he stops.
I've never bought a present for a woman! Go figure flowers...
So he leaves the flowers on the floor, in front of the door. Together with a message:
For Beth. I wish you a quick recovery. Your fan
Maya is overjoyed.
In a bar, Masumi is drinking alone with a rose in his hand. The barman asks him if the flower is from someone who loves him. Masumi thinks of Maya.
In love? Maybe one day that girl will play the role of a woman in love...

Calumnies about Tsukikage.

Back to normal life. Maya at school is a disaster, but her acting skills are more and more popular among her school mates and teachers. Maya always keeps a bookmarker with a petal of purple rose glued on...
Bad news. The newspapers contain a lot of calumnies and negative comments about the play "Little Women". Tsukikage gets mad: surely Masumi Hayami is involved. The woman has an heart attack. Several students abandon Tsukikage School.

Maya for some time neglected her Sunday job at the park. When she gets back there, she finds out that Sakurakoji took her place! The two are closer and closer. Maya likes Sakurakoji. Sakurakoji is in love with her. They have some relax on a boat in the park lake. Maya offers to help him to practice the lines he has to learn for a play. But, after a while Sakurakoji wants to stop. Maya seems more interested in acting than in him!

Chigusa Tsukikage is recovering from her heart attack. She tells her students that Masumi Hayami paid some critics to wrote those lies. Maya hardly believes it. They said Tsukikage has a love affair with Mr. Aoyagi, but this is not true, though it's true that Mr. Aoyagi gave her the funds. Mr. Aoyagi himself arrives at Tsukikage's and he is very angry. His company cannot accept such a slander, and he doesn't want to lose his money. The Tsukikage Company has only one chance: they have to pass the Tokyo selections for the First National Drama Competition which will be held in the spring of the following year in Nagoya. And they have to win, or be at least third.

Enrolling to the Tokyo Selections. Masumi's harsh words.

Maicho Palace, 12th floor, National Drama League. Enrollment to the Tokyo selections. After registering, Tsukikage sensei meets Masumi Hayami and Onodera. She asks her group of students to wait for her in the car. But after a while Maya comes back to see what's happening. So she overhears Masumi's cruel words:
Tsukikage Company is ruined by now. I warned you that it's better not to be against Daito Art Production! I'll go see your show just to kill time... Laughing Masumi turns his head: Maya is looking at him, trembling and with her eyes wide open. Masumi is shocked:
Oh no! I didn't want her to listen to this conversation! She is the last one I would have ever wanted to hear that!
Maya and Tsukikage turn their back to get away, but Maya's bookmarker slips down to the floor. Masumi Hayami picks it up.
Please, give it back to me! It's very important to me! It's from a fan... He made me very happy...
Masumi can't help smiling.
Maya can't help thinking of what she heard from Masumi.

Take Kurabe.

The play which Tsukikage chose for the Tokyo selections is Take Kurabe by Ichiyo Iguchi.
The story takes place in Edo, at beginning of Meiji era.
The young people in Yoshihara quarter are divided into two factions, Yokocho and Omotecho. Midori is the beautiful, stubborn and lively 14-year old sister of the rich courtesan Tamaki. She is the leader of her group of friends. Her best friend is Shotaro (of Omotecho).
Shinnyo is a tranquil and clever boy, school mate of Midori's. He is a bonze of Ryoge Temple, always very reserved and shy. Midori tries to be kind to him, but he looks always unapproachable. One day, Midori pays him a visit at the temple and she sees some daffodils plants. She makes him promise that in spring, when they bloom, he will bring some flowers to her.
During a Festival, the two groups quarrel and Midori tries to be the peace maker. Shokichi, the arrogant leader of Yokocho, throws a sandal at her face and offends her. He says that the 15-year old Shinnyo is with him, against Midori. The girl is shocked: does Shinnyo always stay away from her because she is the daughter of a courtesan?
Since the day of the festival, Midori keeps saying bad things about Shinnyo. Actually Shokichi lied. Anyway Shinnyo, after hearing Midori back chatting about him and flirting with Shotaro, stops talking to her.
On a rainy day, Shinnyo has his sandal broken exactly in front of Midori's house. The girl looks at him blushing. She throws a piece of silk to him, but he ignores her. Midori cries for the first time in her life: she is in love with Shinnyo!
Time passes and the beautiful Midori has to become adult: she will become a courtesan! She will not play in the streets with her friends any longer! One day, she finds some yellow daffodils in her house gate. Who brought them? Midori can't hold back her tears. On the same day, Shinnyo leaves for Kyoto to become a monk.

Maya will play Midori, and everybody encourages her. Even Sayaka agrees that she is the right one.
At Ondine Company, Onodera laughs a lot. They will run the competition with the same play! And Ayumi will perform Midori! At the news, the Tsukikage Company feels discouraged. Maya can't find the strength to go on, she thinks that she will never reach Ayumi.

Masumi is rather thoughtful. He thinks of Maya, who chose the path to follow and who loves it so much that she shines... While he had been obliged to live for Daito since the moment Eisuke Hayami married his mother! Only business unites Masumi and Eisuke...

Maya hasn't reached her Midori completely. Moreover, something else happens. Every candidate company is allowed to have reharsals at the town theatre only once. When it's Tsukikage Company's turn, they found out that it was predated... But nobody told them! It's crazy! How can the company attend the selections without having rehearsals in the theatre even once? In the meantime, Ondine Company is having their rehearsal in the theatre. Maya watches Ayumi's perfect Midori. She is shocked. Since that moment, Maya doesn't go on with the reharsals: she gives up! Tsukikage is mad! She locks her in the repository in the garden, with only a play script. It's a cold snowy day. The rest of the company will go on practicing without her. At the beginning Maya tears the play script into pieces, but after a couple of days she is so bored that she puts the pieces together and starts playing Midori. She realizes that using different tones she can create different Midoris... Finally, she gets it! She will create her own Midori! While practicing, Maya hears suddendly Tsukikage's voice: the woman is playing all the characters but Midori, who will be performed by Maya. The two spend the whole night awake practicing, Maya in the depository and the sensei outside in the snow.
The only way to win Ayumi's genius is to make a completely different Midori!

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Attention!

Original story by Suzue Miuchi. Synopses by Francesca.
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