Garasu no Kamen Synopses

Tankoubon 43

Sakurakoji leaves Mai.

Maya keeps practicing the role of Kurenai Tennyo, and she still doesn't understand it. During the rehearsals, jealous and angry Mai shows up, approaches Maya and makes a scene, throwing away Maya's dolphin-shaped pendant and Yuu's mobile phone with the photos of them.
Later, Yuu meets Mai and tells her their relationship is over.
Then, he visits Maya and talks to her. Maya wants to give him back the dolphin-shaped pendant, but Yuu confesses his feelings to her and she decides to keep it. Yuu knows she is in love with someone else, but he tells her he will wait for her. Maya says she will give him an answer after the first show of "Kurenai Tennyo".

Shooting stars.

Sakurakoji drives Maya back to her place after dating her. He notices a shooting star and tells Maya. At the same time, Masumi drives home Shiori and she shows him a shooting star. Both Maya and Masumi think that their wish will never come true...

Masumi seems resigned.

Mizuki tells Masumi about Maya's and Sakurakoji's conversation but Masumi remains indifferent. Later, while he's in the car with Shiori, he sees Maya and Yuu eating an ice cream together. Shiori comments that they are a good match, and Masumi agrees.

Sakurakoji tries and encourages Maya

After watching Ayumi's stunning performance of Kurenai Tennyo (rehearsals) on the TV, Maya is lacking confidence more than ever.
Sakurakoji pops by at her place to encourage her. He is her partner and he wants her to tell him about her problems: suffering together is better than alone, and they have something to share: The Crimson Goddess. Maya is deeply moved. She never thought of other people, as if she were the only actress... Rei and Sayaka comment that the two of them are a very good match.

Not the purple roses!

Masumi and his fiancée are having dinner together at a luxury restaurant. He is rather quiet, as usual. Shiori asks him if he is thinking of the Crimson Goddess, and she adds that everytime he is questioned about this topic, he behaves like a child who wants protect something precious. Then she comments on Ayumi's performance: she remained speechless at the young actress' talent. Masumi invites Shiori to dance and she thinks how sweet and kind he is.
Later, while walking out of the restaurant they see a flowers shop. Shiori is looking at all the flowers in enchantement and Masumi offers to buy her any flowers she likes. Guess what, she picks up some purple roses! Masumi immediately says: 'No!', but promptly adds more kindly that other flowers suit her better than those. Shiori hides her feelings, but she is worried and wonders what Masumi's reaction means. She never saw such an expression on his face...

Kuronuma and Masumi meet.

The follwing day, all the newspapers and media talk about Ayumi and apparently many fans are already asking for info about her as the Crimson Goddess. Maya keeps not being able to enter the role at the rehearsals.
In the evening, Masumi invites Kuronuma for dinner at a oden stand. Kuronuma informs Masumi that Maya has a lot of problems in performing her role, especially after seeing Ayumi. The director adds that Maya is actually the only one who can become the Crimson Goddess, not just perform it. She just needs to believe in herself!

Maya and Masumi meet in the rain...

Maya is in a park in the rain, trying to understand the Crimson Goddess, when Masumi Hayami arrives... It's the day after his meeting with director Kuronuma. Masumi greets her, adding that it's a long time they haven't met.
In the meantime Sakurakoji is getting to the same place, bringing an umbrella. He sees Maya and Masumi talk.
Masumi tells Maya about his conversation with Kuronuma; she will not be able to perform if she goes on like that. Maya confirms that she cannot do it, then Masumi asks her why she acts, why she wants to perform that character. Then, he grabs her by the arm and leads her to a flyover, asking her to perform Kurenai Tennyo with all that noise in the background.
Sakurakoji follows them, unseen.
Maya tries to act, but cannot do very much. Masumi asks her again:
Why and for who are you acting? I noticed that: at Daito nobody believes in Kurenai Tennyo, nobody wants to believe in it! It is something that exsists only on the stage, and disappears when the play is ober... Kurenai Tennyo's words and heart are not real in this world... Maya, make me believe in Kurenai Tennyo... Make me feel that she is real in this world, for me and for your audience... And if you succeed...
Then Sakurakoji shows up, interrupting him (!). He remarks that they are getting wet in the rain, and offers an umbrella to Masumi Hayami. He would share the other umbrella with Maya. Masumi doesn't accept his offer and goes away. Sakurakoji tries to talk to Maya but Maya's mind is elsewhere. She finally realizes that if she doesn't believe in herself, she cannot expect other people to do it.
Yes, maybe I can do it...

Maya's and Ayumi's understanding of Kurenai Tennyo

Maya is rehearsing in the woods of a park near KID studio. Bearing in mind Masumi's words (Make me believe in Kurenai Tennyo...), she finally starts to feel the heart of Kurenai Tennyo. She walks barefoot, trying to walk like the goddess. She clumsily falls down, and she worries she might have hurt some insects. While she is concentrated in understanding the role, someone is taking photos of her. Maya goes on thinking about earth, water, fire and wind and her understanding of the elements gets deeper and deeper.

Ayumi in Ondera's studio is practicing and practicing. She is trying to walk like Kurenai Tennyo. Everyone around her stares at her awesome performance. Her talent, elegance and beauty are undeniable.

Maya understands that the place where she can find Akoya's world is in her own heart. Ayumi thinks that she can perform Kurenai Tennyo's by training her own body. Maya feels everything as Akoya, while Ayumi worries about how to express Akoya.

The evening news keep showing how graceful and talented Ayumi is. Maya is finally confident that she is finding her own Kurenai Tennyo, but she also feels that she cannot reach Ayumi if she goes on like that.
The following day, a lot of journalists and photographers gather outside Onodera's studio. A magazine was published, where photos of clumsy Maya and super-agile Ayumi are shown. Maya is defined as Ayumi's poor rival and among other things, it is said that she prefers to go out with her boyfriend Sakurakoji instead of attending the rehearsals (photos of the couple having fun are also publihsed). Kuronuma sends all the people away, and Sakurakoji tries to cheer Maya up, but the girl is obviously upset.

Tsukikage is back!

Tsukikage sensei is still having rest in the mountains. Genzo is always by her side.
They discuss about Maya and Ayumi. Genzo suspects that Chigusa already knows how the trial performance of the two young actresses will be, and Chigusa confirms that.
Genzo then says he feel sorry for Maya, but unexpectedly Chigusa corrects him. For the time being, Maya holds a dominant position!
Genzo is very surprised and wonders what it is, that Tsukikage sensei can see.
Something our eyes could never see....
Finally, Chigusa Tsukikage claims that she is ready to go back to Tokyo.
It's become cold in morning and evening. The time has come, Genzo.

Shiori's discovery...

Masumi is in his office. The magazine which slandered Maya is in the trash bin. He is looking out of the window and thinking of Maya...

Shiori has a date with her fiance, but when she arrives at his office he is not there. It's the first time something like this has happened...
Shiori waits in Masumi's office. She takes a look at the magazine Masumi threw away. Then she notices that one of Masumi's drawer is not completely closed. Inside it are the photos Hijiri took of Maya and Sakurakoji (see volume 42). Immediately Shiori remembers when she found Maya's photo album in Masumi's holiday house by the seaside, a long time ago. It is the album Maya sent to her purple rose fan as a thank you present: it contains photos of all the roles she played.
Shiori starts suspecting something... Masumi is always so cold to that girl, still he keeps so many photos of her...
She heads to Kid's Studio, where Hijiri has just brought some purple roses for Maya Kitajima... Shiori talks to Kuronuma about the mysterious purple rose fan and thinks about Masumi who didn't want to buy her those flowers...
Maya asks Hijiri to record a message for her fan. She says she wants to thank him in person: it doesn't matter who he is, he is the dearest person ever to her. She wants to meet him on the same flyover where someone helped her and made her understand Kurenai Tennyo and how to play her Akoya.

Maya kisses a purple rose!

Masumi has no intention to meet Maya: he is afraid to break the only bond he has with her. Still, he doesn't resist and finds an excuse to drive to the place of the date...
Maya is waiting on the flyover, holding the bunch of purple roses. The two journalists who wrote that bad article approach her and start to harass her. Kuronuma and Sakurakoji have been informed and are coming to protect her, more or less at the same time when Masumi arrives.
The three of them see Maya and the two journalist quarreling, and the bunch of roses falling from the flyover onto the busy road. Maya runs down to try and pick it up, but Sakurakoji manages to stop her before she is run over by the cars. When the traffic light turns green, Maya finds a single rose still in good conditions and she tenderly kisses the flower.
Masumi, Sakurakoji and Kuronuma stare at the young actress. The are astonished: she really looks like Akoya.
Sakurakoji walks Maya away. Kuronuma notices Masumi and confesses to him that he is worried for Maya: the girl is in love with her purple rose fan, and her love is as pure and absolute as Akoya's. Masumi is upset.

Tsukikage at the Kid's Studio

Kuronuma receives a telephone calls and is very nervous and embarrassed. Tsukikage sensei is back, and is coming to see Maya's Akoya...

←   →
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!