Glass no Kamen

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Glass mask is one of the best shoujo manga out there. Despite having a common enough shoujo setting, the plot hardly ever falls into any of the comon cliches that shoujo manga often times fall into. The artwork is in a classic 80s style, nothing outstanding, but the mangaka does not skimp on the minor details, and her understanding of common facial expressions is top notch.
Where Glass Mask really stands out is in the main characters and in the story. We are presented with a main character that is hard not to sympathize with and all the supporting characters and antagonists are really well ... fleshed out and have realistic and human personalities. The plot arc is interesting, each mini-arc has trials in the main characters confidence and abilities which she eventually solves to our amazment and the amazment of the audiences. The main arc slowly building until half way through where there is an impending crisis.
Glass mask's theme of working hard, having natural talent, and succeeding despite lacking beauty or grace make it one of my favorites and mark it as something that every shoujo fan should at least try.

This manga had me absolutely hooked. I started reading it and simply couldn't stop. I sat in my chair for about 24 hours and ended up finishing the 169 chapters in one go.

The story is an interesting one as we follow a young girl who dreams to become an actress. She has an abundance of raw talent and passion and then continues to develop her techniques and skills throughout the story. The manga introduces a wealth of different characters who are not always what they seem to be but are ultimately human. They have their own pasts that have shaped their decisions and actions ... which keeps the reader on her toes.

Instead of just giving some key moments the author has insisted allowed the reader to follow almost the entire play which in itself provides exciting new stories that are considered to be classics in real life as well.

Maya's (the protagonist) rival is a girl who has enormous dedication and has, since she was a child, trained to become the best actress of all. Their rivalry is an interesting one as they both respect each other tremendously and also share an understanding of what it means to live for acting.They both improve and get to see things from different perspectives in order to win the leading role in The Crimson Goddess.

Romance also plays a big part in this manga as different people fall in love with Maya while she explores her own feelings for the people surrounding her. The love that fills this manga is sweet and pure and sure to fill the reader with warmth and sunlight.

A key message in this manga is to never give up and to work hard for what you love. It's shown brilliantly and fills the reader with determination as well. Personally I found the art a bit different from I'm used to but I became comfortable with it after a few chapters. All in all I thought this was a masterpiece and I would definitely recommend it to everyone who's looking for an enjoyable feel-good-manga with substance and a good plot.

[edited review to make it more professional-ish, that's what I thought]

Glass Mask a.k.a Garasu no Kamen is definitely one of the oldest manga that is still running on serialization until now. Celebrating its 36th anniversary this January 2012 -- yes it was first serialized on 1976 -- this manga continues on growing even after it's this old, and we still can't guess how is the ending going to be like.

The story revolves around an almost good-for-nothing Maya Kitajima, but has a really great passion for anything about dramas and acting. Once her buried talent is discovered by one of the most renowned actress that had ... retired Tsukikage Chigusa, she continued to pursue her dream on playing the most famous work, Crimson Goddess, which was originally Tsukikage's. But she isn't the only candidate-- there's also another girl that Tsukikage picked to be, which is Ayumi Himekawa, a really well-known actress on the same age as her. Ayumi is like the counterpart of Maya-- she's smart, beautiful, famous.. but who knows that Maya is actually more talented than Ayumi?

Up until this point, the plot is really well-made, original, and awesome!! We're being shown on how Maya continually grows throughout the series, and with awesome dramas and actings, things won't get boring. This manga is the type that will hook your attention since the very beginning on reading this series, and will make you eager to read more. Oh, I forgot to mention that this manga, just like other shoujo mangas, also shows bits of romance. But the romance ain't no ordinary romance. No spoilers from me, you can just read, see, and get stunned on how the love bloomed so beautifully between Maya and that particular man. Maybe there's some cliches in the romance, but nevermind that, it's still awesome. Their love is eternal, dear to all of us Glass Mask fans.

The characters, slowly but surely, grow in this series. Maya, who was so timid and not confident, began to realize her true potential and never gives up on pursuing her dreams. Ayumi, who was so cocky in the beginning, turned out to be a real gentlewoman (?), she admits defeats and always does her best to win from Maya after that.

Don't speak about characters and story because in all those aspects, this series is a complete masterpiece. The only decent point is the art, which is your classic old 80's, nothing remarkable, but the mangaka is really good on drawing emotions and delivering it to the readers. You might found the art funny at the first time, but believe me, as the story goes on and you keep on reading, you'll get used to it.

It's really cool to see how things change from the first chapter up til the latest chapter out, and believe me, you won't regret reading this.