Garasu no Kamen Synopses

Tankoubon 19

Please take care of Tsukikage sensei!

Maya is shocked: she has just heard in the news that Ayumi will play "Juliet" in a solo performace; a first-rate staff will supervise her rehearsals. She needs a guide to improve! She asks Rei when Tsukikage will visit them at the Underground Theatre, so that she knows when she can talk to her.
In front of the Underground Theatre, Maya begs Tsukikage down on her knees to watch her rehearsals even for a little while: she will have to pantomime a student's everyday life, but she is not self-confident enough... What has she to do to make the audience understand her?
Tsukikage is pleased: Maya started worrying about the audience! The sensei asks the girl to pantomime a girl travelling by train and after that by bus. Rei and the girls are surprised to see how Maya can interpret the two situations by moving differently... Tsukikage explains that Maya's body remembers those movements; the people in the audience watch the pantomime with their memory too! This is Tsukikage's teaching. The rest Maya has to find it herself.

Tsukikage almost fells down. The girls are very worried for her! Is she going to have an other heart attack? A taxi will drive the sensei to the Actor's Studio. Maya would like to go with her, but the woman gets angry: she has to think to her rehearsals! She has to keep performing different roles, up to "Kurenai Tennyo"!

Maya is very worried for the sensei's health condition. If she only could ask someone at Actor's Studio to take care of her... Maya calls Masumi Hayami at Daito Art Production. Masumi is surprised to hear from her! Maya is embarassed, as always when she tries to answer his questions politely! Masumi asks her directly for what reason she has called. Well, Maya can't hide she needs a favour. She explains him in tears that she is worried for Chigusa Tsukikage... She asks him if he can look after her...
Masumi understands: he will contact the doctor and he will take care of Tsukikage. He even promises Maya that he will keep her updated about the sensei's health conditions. Maya thanks him.
Masumi is pleased:
It's the second time you've thanked me. Why did you contact me? I'm an insensitive person. I could have ignored your request, didn't you expect this? Maya is embarassed:
I... I... I know you have a strong influence on Actor's Studio... And... I don't know anyone besides you I could entrust Tsukikage to...
And she blushes... Masumi smiles:
Thanks for remembering me!
Maya is shocked... Why did she think of Masumi Hayami?

Maya's success in "A passing rain".

While Ayumi is trained at pantomime and dance at Ondine Company, Maya spends her days paying attention to every little detail of an ordinary life and trying to remember every little action she will have to pantomime. The members of the School Drama Club have been ordered by the president of the club to observe the girl, but instead of rehearsing she seems to play as a child with Hiroko Kusaki and Hiroshi Yoshizawa in the old shed; her friends at first think that she is playing like a child too, but soon they are involved in her pantomime. Hiroko notices that Maya often twists her hair around her finger when she performs Hiromi, while she has never seen Maya doing that! When Maya performs Hiromi, she IS an other person...

Finally "A passing rain" is on stage... A lot of people overcrowd the shed. Differently from the previous play, this time Maya has been helped by a staff: besides her 2 friends, the Art Club helped her by creating the posters, and the Building Club made the scenography. Even the teachers and the members of the Drama Club are there to watch the play! Maya gets a lot of applauses as soon as she show up on stage: she is very popular!
The president of the Drama Club is jealous. But everyone, included her, is more and more involved in Hiromi Sato's life. They sympathize with her, they understand her feelings. Even if it's a solo performance and the most actions are just pantomimed, nobody is bored, but they are more and more interested. The falling rain expresses Hiromi's different feelings: first it's a cold and sad rain, then a angry rain and so on. At the end of the play, it stops raining: the following day, the sun will shine again!

The show is over: a lot of applauses and compliments to Maya! The president of the Drama Club congratulates with her and asks her to join the Drama Club... It's true, Maya is a professional, but the rules allow her to join the club as a guest actress!
Maya is overjoyed! The Hitotsuboshi Drama Club is equal to a professional theatre company, they won a lot of prizes, they collaborate with many companies. The president understood that Maya's talent will be of use for their club...

The straberry-patterned umbrella.

At the "White Lily" the Unicorn Company is back! They have had a succesful tournee playing a very funny version of "Romeo and Juliet" in the Osaka dialect, and now they are back to Tokyo, ready to collaborate with the Tsukikage Company. Maya is happy for them, even if she cannot take part in their play.
Miss Mizuki comes to inform the girl about Tsukikage's improving health conditions; she even gives Maya a medical certificate. Maya is surprised: Masumi Hayami kept her promise! Mizuki defends him:
Mr. Hayami always keeps his promises!
Maya's friends heard everything. The leader of Unicorn Company observes that Masumi Hayami must be revalued: even if he is very important and very busy, he kept a promise made to a girl, and even sent someone to inform her... The others agree... How unexpected by someone who is said to be cold and unconscientious...

It's three days the Unicorn Company has arrived. Maya is helping them by buying food and things. She is walking downtown in the snow with a cute strawberry-patterned umbrella. She can't help thinking of Masumi Hayami, who kept his promise. And she can't help wondering why she asked him to take care of Tsukikage sensei...
In the meantime, Masumi is being driven to a VIPs party. Suddendly the car has to stop: probably there is an engine breakdown. The chauffeur is trying to repair it, but he is not sure it will be fixed in time. Masumi will reach the Royal Plaza Hotel on foot, it takes just 15 minutes... But it's snowing, he'd better take an umbrella.
In the same moment, Maya is passing by with her umbrella. They stare at each other. Masumi smiles:
Sometimes, even a engine breakdown can be a good thing: it made us meet! It's a long time we haven't met!
Maya is embarassed as usual. She clumsily thanks him for what she did for Tsukikage sensei; when she understands that Masumi needs un umbrella, she offers to go with him, with the straberry-patterned umbrella. Masumi hardly believes it... Then Maya adds that this is to return his favour...
Masumi smiles and accepts. But... He will hold the umbrella: it's a men's task!
The chauffeur can't believe what he has just seen: Masumi with a girl... Under a strawberry-patterned umbrella! While walking together, Masumi asks Maya about her actress activity at the school. Maya always answers in a funny way, while making any effort to be polite... Masumi laughs a lot. Then, he looks around:
It's beautiful to walk in the snow. The city looks like new...
Maya is surprised. Even Masumi Hayami has these feelings?
Do you think I am a robot? I have some human feelings. I love the snow. It's cold, it covers with white everything, even dirty things... It's white and pure... I like the snow!
Maya is confused... Sometimes he looks like someone different from the cold and unconscientious president of Daito...
Some drunk men by the street annoy the couple: they ask Masumi if Maya is his sweetheart. Masumi ignores them, but Maya is upset: she doesn't want to be considered Masumi Hayami's sweetheart! He killed her mother! And he's much older than her! Maya tries to run away from him, but she's crossing the road when the traffic light is red! Masumi grabs her arm and draws her towards his chest. Maya is embarassed. Masumi is embracing her... She can feel his big hand on her own shoulder and she can feel his body's warmth... When the traffict light turns green, Maya rejects him and runs away.
Keep the umbrella, it's to thank you for what you did for Tsukikage sensei! But I don't believe you are a good person!
Masumi stands still:
The traffic light is always red... There's a road between us, a road that cannot be crossed...
While running away, Maya feels confused:
Stupid me! What's the matter? Only for his hand's warmth... What's the matter with me?

The wonderful rival.

"Juliet", solo performance by Ayumi Himekawa, first show. Maya is observing the theatre from a distance. There are a lot of important people come to see her... How different from her audience! Ayumi's parents, and Masumi Hayami and Mizuki will watch her play. Even Tsukikage sensei is there! And also Sakurakoji... With a girl!
Maya wonders what kind of performance her rival is going to do. The day after, newspapers and TV talk about Ayumi's big success. Ayumi might be a candidate for the Art Academy Festival Prize! Ayumi in an interview says that "Juliet" has been a challenge to herself. Maya is encouraged by these words: a challenge to herself! Sure! This is what she is going to do!
What a wonderful rival you are, Ayumi!

"My invention n.707, my darling Olampia".

Hitotsuboshi School, Drama Club. The Drama Club has decided the play to perform at the Cultural Club Experimental Show.
The play is titled "My invention n.707, my darling Olampia", based on the famous ballet "Coppelia", the story of a young man who falls in love with a beautiful young woman, who is actually a robot.

The play is the modern version of this story. The eccentric inventor Johannes Coppelius is a 32 year-old bachelor. He spends his time and money creating weird things. He fired all his servant and created Lulu, a robot who looks like a human being, but since it's defective, makes a lot of damages instead of helping. It's a very funny character. Coppelius' friend Nicholaus introduces him the physician Spallanzani, who needs his help: Coppelius is asked to create an other robot, who looks like Olampia Reinorth, niece of count Reinorth. The girl committed suicide by drowning herself in a lake: she didn't want to accept an arranged marriage because she was already in love with someone. The count already lost his wife and son. Now he can't forgive himself for being responsible for his beloved Coppelia's death, and he's dying with sorrow. Coppelia's body was not found... If it was possible to create a robot looking like Coppelia, which could just make the old count die in peace... Coppelius creates the robot, and after seeing her the count suddendly recovers his health! The play is a funny comedy, since Lulu and Coppelia are defective, and Coppelius, Nicholaus ans Mr. Spallanzani have a hard time hiding Coppelia's real nature.

Maya will interpret Lulu. The other actors are surprised that she is not worried: she already interpreted a doll in "A stone's smile", where she couldn't even blink! This role will be easier. The president asks her to perform the robot, and everyone is astonished... She is very talented!

Hitotsuboshi Cultural Club, Experimental Show.
"My invention n.707, my darling Olampia" is going to start in a few minutes... The theatre is packed! There are even people standing up... The whole school arrived, even the teachers! The president of the Drama Club can't help admitting it: they came all to see Maya...

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Attention!

Original story by Suzue Miuchi. Synopses by Francesca.
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