Garasu no Kamen Synopses

Tankoubon 9

Maya's failure as an actress. The glass mask.

The play "A stone's smile" has more and more success every day. The Orion theatre has been defeated. Even Tsukikage goes to see her company play, escorted by a nurse. Ryo Majima goes to the underground theatre every day, while Sakurakoji has never been there even once. Ryo offers Maya an ice cream and confesses his love to her. Maya is embarassed: she is so different from Catherine! And she already loves someone else... Ryo apologizes.
Does he love you?
Maya doesn't answer. She thinks of Sakurakoji, who has never come to see her play, and she feels sad.
Maya! I've been happy during the whole play "Wuthering Heights"! Thanks!
Maya runs away.
Goodbye... Cathy!

A member of Daito Art Production Staff observes Maya, and he suggests that she is added to the list of candidates for Helen Keller in "The Miracle Worker". Masumi smiles and agrees.
It's the day of the last show of "A stone's smile". Maya is still at home when Sugiko, the daughter of the owner of the Manpuku Restaurant, visits her. After 2 years! Maya is informed that her mother was fired because of tubercolosis, and that she was sent to a hospital in Yamanashi, but... She disappeared! Maya is shocked. She starts looking around for her. Incidentally she sees her mother crossing the road. Unfortunately the traffic light becomes red and Maya cannot follow Haru, who can't hear her daughter's voice. Haru disappears in the crowd, and it's too late to look for her: the last show will be on stage in 15 minutes!
At the last show, Maya fails. She thinks of her mother: she looked so run down, and she lost weight... Maya starts crying during the play. Rei throws some water on her to save the comedy.
The play has been appreciated anyway, and even the actors of Orion Theatre who came to see it admit the actors are great. But Tsukikage sensei is mad. Maya took off her mask on stage!!! She has to be punished: she will not take part in the next play!
Rei is sorry for Maya's mother, but she explains to Maya that actors have to put on a glass mask, which can be broken by any little event: the talent and skill of an actor is to keep this glass mask on.

"Muenzakura".

Daito Plaza. The play "Muenzakura" by Daito Art Production is going to start.

It's the story of the family of baron Kaidoji (Meiji Era). His 5th son, Yukihiro, dishonoured his noble family. Yukihiro's daughter Chie (whose mother is a geisha) lives with the big Kaidoji family since she was 5; she is a lonely girl, always feeling a sense of shame because of her origins. Yukihiro loved Chie's mother, but the couple was obliged to separate to keep the good name of the family. He loved Chie too. But he left home when Chie was 8. Tsukiyo is the beautiful baron's grandaughter. Her grandfather wants to arrange her a marriage to Mr. Funakura, an influential and important man who is 15 years older than Tsukiyo. One day, the family finds out that Yukihiro joined a group of travelling entertainers. Kyouko and Utahiko, Chie's cousins, insult her so much that she shouts and cries, and she says she will join her father. But the Kaidoji family arranges a marriage for her, so that she can't dishonour her family as her parents did. And this will be the beginning of the family's decadence.

The cast is excellent. Ayumi will perform Tsukiyo. Masumi Hayami is in the theatre to watch the show. The actress who interprets Chie has a little accident, and an actress who will take her place is urgently needed!
Masumi Hayami sees Maya in tears, sitting out of the theatre. She has been looking around for her mother all day long! He asks her to play that role: he knows she can learn the lines by heart in a short time and he knows Maya is looking for a job. He also suggests that the purple rose fan could be in the audience... Maya accepts!
In 45 minutes the girl has to learn the play script by heart. She is so concentrated in her study that she doesn't hear a phone ringing next to her!
The other actors start talking about her fame. She is talented indeed, but it seems she is a show-spoiler... Two actors who will be on stage with her (performing Utahiko and Kyouko, Chie's cousins) don't want to take second place because of that girl! So they decide to substitute her play script with an old one, which has some parts completely different! In the first parts Maya's interpretation is so good and likely that the other actors are amazed and confused... But at the 4th scene Maya realizes in the backstage that the play is getting different from what she learnt. She expected that Chie's father Yukihiro would come back home, while in the re-written play he joins the travelling entertainers. It's her turn again! They are calling her! Masumi loses control; he asks the director to cut Chie's part off, but it's impossible. Masumi tries to stop Maya, but Mizuki stops him. Maya trembles, but she can't help going on. She is determined to work with the actors around her. The two cousins insult Chie because of her parents. Chie should show her sorrow and anger, but Maya doesn't know what she has to say... There's a vase of white lilies in the room. Maya takes one of them and keeps it with his mouth, biting the stem. This way, she can show her feelings without talking. The other actors now don't know how to go on. Ayumi understands that the two stupid ones dug their own hole... She enters, even if it's not her turn. Ayumi wants to make Maya say "It's better to go to my father than to stay in this house!": in this way the play can go on. Ayumi talks as Sugiyo, but she is leading Maya to the lines she has to say. The two girls have a big discussion. They work together perfectly. Everyone is impressed. They are geniuses. Finally Ayumi with a slap in the face makes Maya say those words.

At the end of the show, Maya feels very inferior to Ayumi. It's only thanks to her that she could say the key lines. Moreover, she is beautiful, talented, rich, and her parents are an actress and a director. She lost to her... She can't win...
Ayumi is impressed by Maya's courage and talent. Maya matched her. Maya had the courage to be on stage even if she didn't know what to say... She adjusted her pace on her perfectly... How terrifying!

It's raining and Masumi offers to drive Maya home, but as usual Maya shouts at him accusing him of ruining her company. Masumi seriously admits wanting to get the royalties of "Kurenai Tennyo" by all means. That's enough. Maya runs away crying and hating him more than ever.
Masumi is drinking in a bar and Mizuki joins. She noticed that there is something strange in Masumi's behaviour since that 4th scene of the play, when he panicked and tried to protect Maya. Masumi says he was protecting only the play... But he let the girl shout all those terrible things about him and Daito... That girl is foolish...
But if she hadn't been foolish, she wouldn't have had the courage to perform an unknown scene... I've never met someone like her before!

The day after, Maya is delivered a bouquet of purple roses, some presents and the uniform for the Hitotsuboshi Institute!
I watched "Muenzakura" and I was surprised to see you as Chie... The name of the actress on the booklet was different. Were you a substitute? Congratulations, you were great! I hope this uniform will fit you. I'm waiting for your next performance. Your fan

A purple rose in Masumi's car.

Hitotsuboshi High School. Finally Maya enters the high school. She gets some purole roses, but as usual the person who delivers the flowers doesn't know who sent them. Anyway, in front of the school the car of Masumi Hayami is parked. He has been seen entering the building and going to the school principal's office. Many actors from Daito company attend the Hitotsuboshi institute, and Hayami gives a big donation to the school.
Maya approaches the car and... There is a purple rose on the back seat!
She runs to the school principal's office! Masumi Hayami and his collaborators are in. Maya asks him if he knows who her purple rose fan is: there was a rose in his car... Masumi panics, but immediately bursts into laughters: he gave a lift to an actress who had several bunches of flowers... Maya is disappointed... She would love to thank him! Anyway, Masumi starts teasing her and she gives him her usual terrible answers, then she gets away. Everyone is upset by Maya's bad manners, but Masumi laughs a lot...

The candidates for Helen Keller.

We saw a man with dark glasses watching Maya in "A stone's smile" and following her even in the Hitotsuboshi Institute. Finally we find out that his name is Eiichi Hasegawa of Daito Art Production. He offers Maya the chance to take part in the selections for the play "A miracle worker", which will be on stage in the theatre of the new Daito building in Shibuya, in the next Autumn. Maya doesn't accept, because she doesn't want to work for Daito: moreover, the director will be Onodera, and the part of Anne Sullivan will be interpreted by Utako Himekawa. It's obvious that Ayumi will be selected to play Helen!
But at the hospital, Tsukikage says to Maya that she is out of Tsukikage Company! Infact, the girl played in "Muenzakura" even if she was in probation. Talking about that experience, Maya admits being afraid of Ayumi. Tsukikage fires Maya, but she gives her one more chance: if she passes the selection for the role of Helen Keller, she can get back to the company. Maya has no choice!
Ayumi moves away from home to her father's house in Nagano to prove that she will be chosen only for her talent and not because her mother helps her. The other candidates are Rena Shiratori from Kaze Theatre, Akiko Hayakawa from Tenma Theatre and Emi Kanaya, the best member of Hitotsuboshi Drama Club. The selections will be hard!
Mizuki informs Masumi Hayami that Maya finally accepted to enter the audition.
How about sending her purple roses?
Masumi is upset, but he doesn't say a word...

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Attention!

Original story by Suzue Miuchi. Synopses by Francesca.
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