Manga Title: Glass Mask
Author: Miuchi Suzue
English Release: None
Total Volumes: 49
I was going through some new manga to read when I came across Glass Mask. I have been following Skip Beat! for a while (2 1/2 years), and this series was on the suggestion list of SB, so I decided to try it out. There are no official english release for this one, only scanlated versions, and sadly, only 39 volumes are available online. (There is an anime available for this manga-- 51 episodes for the updated one and around 20 volumes for the old version)
On to my review.
I am a big fan of the entertainment industry related manga series. This one was definitely one of the best manga I’ve read. The art is that of late 70s early 80s, but that’s when it was released so I don’t really mind; I actually liked it. The ‘masks’ were what made it more appealing to me. That concept itself was well thought out, and the variety of roles were not overwhelming, but exciting.
The love story took long to develop, but that made sense considering that the main character was 13 when the series started out. I wasn’t really in it for the love story, I was reading it more for the development of her characters. Maya, the lead, is a prodigy when it comes to acting. She is able to memorize a whole show by just watching it once. The rivalry between her and Ayumi was more for growth and of respect. Although there are some cringe-worthy scenes made by minor characters, it still made the story work.
On the masks, my favorite would have to be the Helen Keller mask. Her acting throughout the show was enjoyable. The second would have to be the Poison mask. Although it was short, she was able to portray her character with murderous intent. My third would be the Tazu (?) mask-- not sure with the spelling. This was her babysitter mask. It was funny and I seem to like small roles rather than big roles.
There are a few more twist and turns with the story since it mainly revolves around the Crimson Goddess/Scarlet Angel role-- and how Maya is growing as an actress to be able to portray it, but I don’t want to divulge into that since I’ve only read up to vol 39, where they were training for that specific role. I’m aware that the rest of the volumes un-translated is the role itself, but I can’t talk about it since I haven’t read it.
I’m sad to know that for the the past 40 years, it hasn’t been picked up for english publication yet. I hope it happens it the future. I rate it a 9 out of 10. The one point missing is the fact that the last volumes are not available online, and I’m desperate to find out what happens next.
Disclaimer: photos of Glass Mask manga, not mine.
