Garasu no Kamen Synopses

Tankoubon 8

Maya's Catherine.

Maya's Catherine conquers everyone's heart. Ryo/Heathcliff is keen on her. The 2 young actors stare at each others as if the rest of the theatre didn't exist. Yuki understands Ryo's feelings. Sakurakoji can't watch the show any longer, he gets up and walks towards the exit door. Masumi Hayami stops him.
M: Stay until the end of the show. You love that girl, don't you?
S: That's the reason why I don't want to stay.
M: If she knows you went away, she will be hurt. The girl you love is doing her best on stage. If you love her, go back to your seat! Whatever happens, you have to stay until the end of the show!
S: What do you know? You can't understand my feelings at all! ... I'm sorry, I went too far.
Sakurakoji exits the theatre. Masumi should go away with Mizuki, but he doesn't want to.
I'll stay till the end.
The play has come to the end. It has been a success. Not only the popular actors who performed adult Catherine and Heathcliff, but also Ryo and Maya impressed the audience. Maya is sad because her friends told her that Sakurakoji went away during the show. She is alone in the theatre. Someone claps his hands: it's Masumi Hayami, who congratulates for her great performance. Her passionate Catherine looked like a child who taken away the favourite toy... Maya is upset: he guessed it!
How old are you, chibi-chan?
Maya is just 15.
I see... Grow up soon!
Maya hasn't experienced love yet...

Maya's rival.

Bad news. Tsukikage sensei's health conditions are critical. She has been operated and she is in a coma. Maya visits her every day after the show and also Rei, Sayaka and the other girls. At the 4th day of coma, the doctors despair of a recovery, and Maya cries and shouts at the sensei:
You can't die! You promised you would teach me to act! Teach me to interpret "Kurenai Tennyo"!
At those words, Tsukikage starts talking.
I can't die before I pass on "Kurenai Tennyo" to someone.
She grabs Maya's arm.
The one who will interit the role is... You!
Maya is shocked! She can't believe what she has just heard!
But you have a rival...
The girls want to know who the rival is...
You'll find it, sooner or later... Maya, compete with her. If you fail, she will play "Kurenai Tennyo"!

The last show of "Wuthering Heights" was played. Maya and Ryo are more and more popular at every show, though people notice that there is a big gap between the young Catherine and Heathcliff, lively and a little wild, and the adult ones, too refined. Even though for the most the show was a big success, the president of Toyo Theatre is disappointed. The show has been a failure! Maya has got a lot of talent, but she is immature, an unformed actress yet. She played alone on stage, not collaborating with the other actors! Theatre is not like that: the group harmony is important... She still has to understand that.
We will not ask her to work for us any longer: she would ruin our shows!

"A stone's smile"

The Tsukikage Company will put on stage an other play: "A stone's smile".
The story is set in the mid 1900s in London. A billionaire and his wife died in a air crash. Their only daughter Marisa inherits everything. The little girl is already in poor health, but the shock of losing her parents makes her get worse and die. Before dying, she makes a will. She will leave everything to her beloved doll, which has been her only friend, the sister she has never had. A lot of people (far relatives, friends, colleagues, swindlers...) want to take possession of the inheritance, so they do your best to demonstrate they are the only ones who can take care of the doll. It's a tragicomic play.

The Tsukikage Company will work together with some guys of the Unicorn Company. The role are assigned. Maya will be... the doll! Everyone wonders how come Maya will perform such a role. Poor Maya! She will not say a word! She has to stay still all the play long!
Maya's part is very hard to play.
First off she has to learn the limited movements a doll can do. To help her, Tsukikage leaves in secret the hospital for a while and goes to the old church where the company has the rehearsals. She straps bamboo poles on Maya's body, so that she can move only in a limited number of joints, the rest of the body being stiff.
Masumi Hayami who didn't find Tsukikage at the hospital, arrives to the church together with a nurse. He knew where he could find the woman! They want to bring Tsukikage back to the hospital. In that moment Maya who falls down from a chair. Masumi goes to help her, even if Tsukikage shouts at him to let her do herself. Masumi grabs Maya's arm and pulls it. Something cracks. Some blood pours out of Maya's sleeve. Masumi takes her blouse off, and he sees what Maya is wearing. Tsukikage explains everything...
Both Maya and Tsukikage are at the hospital. Masumi thinks that they are insane... Tsukikage replies:
You can't understand the joy of doing something with passion...
Then she tells Masumi about her childhood. She was a poor orphan, stealing for a living, until one day she met Ichiren Ozaki, who introduced her to the world of acting... In theatre, she find the meaning of her life, the reason to live... The same happened to Maya.
Masumi: Did you love Ichiren Ozaki?
Tsukikage: Yes, I did, but he was married. He loved me only as an actress even after his wife died. When he killed himself, I could go on only thanks to theatre. Masumi Hayami, do you know who made Ichiren commit suicide? Your father Eisuke...

Maya's wound has been cured. Masumi takes her home even if she doesn't want. He asks her again to join the Ondine Company. In fact, an actor needs to have some education, while Maya is not going to attend the high school because she can't afford it. If she leaves Tsukikage Company and goes to Daito, they will pay expenses for school and train her as an actress.
I'd rather die than accept
Those words deeply touch Masumi.
The day after, the Seijo School President, talks to Maya. Someone enrolled her to the Hitotsuboshi High School, which is famous for drama. The person left a purple rose and a letter.
Hitotsuboshi Institute is famous for drama activities, I hope you attend it with profit. Please accept my offer. I can't wait to see your improvement as an actress. Your fan.
Maya can't stop crying, and her friends are happy for her.

The second thing Tsukikage teaches to Maya is how to have no thoughts, no feelings, no emotions, like a stone. To this purpose, Tsukikage asks Rei to take Maya to Sansou Zen Temple: a monk will teach them zen meditation.

Sakurakoji, who went to see Maya's performance in the last show of "Wuthering Heights" but who was not allowed to meet her at the end of it, left an umbrella at the reception: it was snowing, and Maya would need it to get back home after celebrating with the other actors. Sakurakoji suffers. He would like to be able to fall in love with someone else, in order to forget Maya...
At school, Maya looks for Sakurakoji to thank him and give him back the umbrella. She is told he is in a bar with some friends. She finds him, and she sees him through the window laughing with some girls. She wants to run away, but Sakurakoki follows her and invites her to enter the bar. He is always kind with Maya, but the girl feels that something has changed...

Maya's mother is fired. Her health conditions are terrible. The Chinese Restaurant keepers are kind with her, but they have to respect their customers as well. They will send Haru to a hospital in the mountain, and they will pay for all the expenses!
During the trip by train to the hospital, Haru sees on a magazine of an other passenger an article about "Wuthering Heights" the play. She is overjoyed to read about her daughter, and she is even proud of her! The poor woman takes the page off the magazine and keeps it...

At Orion Theatre, "Hamlet" is going to be put on stage. In the same days, in a building in front of Orion theatre, the Tsukikage Company will use a underground room, who used to be a cafeteria, to perform "A stone's smile". They have to reorganize and tidy up the room completely, and the audience will have to sit on the ground...
The company at Orion Theatre think they have no chances. But Ayumi warns them: both Tsukikage and Unicorn Company must not be underestimated!

Underground theatre, "A stone's smile", first show. Only a few tickets are sold. But, among the few people, there are Ayumi and Ryo. Unexpectedly, the play is very interesting!! Nobody is bored, the play is funny. The group harmony is perfect. And Maya seems a real doll! Maya's role is very important! Ayumi is impressed; and she is sorry for the guys at Orion theatre. They will lose!
In fact, day by day more and more people goes to the underground theatre.
Ryo understands that he was in love with Catherine, and not with Maya.
Maya notices that her friends get along well on stage... Finally she gets it! That's why Tsukikage made her interpret a doll! She had to understand the importance of working well together! She has acted alone so far, while group harmony is important!

←   →
back to SYNOPSES

Attention!

Original story by Suzue Miuchi. Synopses by Francesca.
I worked very hard to create this website. When other people collaborated I gave them credits. I do not own the copyrights for the original work. Please if you intend to use some content for your website, ask me for permission first and give me credits. In any case, please do not direct link images and do not use anything for commercial purposes. Please, respect other people's work!