Glass Mask

Japanese Title: Garasu no Kamen 「ガラスの仮面」
Mangaka: Miuchi Suzue
Genre: shoujo, drama

Synopsis: Kitajima Maya looks just like any other girl. But when she acts on stage, she captivates the the audience with her acting prowess. The story begins when she she runs away from home against her mother's wishes to pursue her love for acting. She joins the Tsukikage Theater under the tutelage of one Tsukikage Chigusa. Tsukikage-sensei used to be a famous actress herself. During her heyday, her greatest achievement was playing the lead in the critically-acclaimed The Crimson Goddess. However, a freak accident disfigured her face which caused her early retirement. Now, she is looking for a capable actress worthy of reviving the role of the crimson goddess and she has her eyes on Maya. Will Maya deliver?

Other Characters: Masumi, the director of Daito Corporation, is hell-bent on getting the rights to The Crimson Goddess for his own theater. Maya hates him for trying to force Tsukikage-sensei to hand over the rights for the play. Masumi is a great fan of Maya but because of the conflict between their theatres, he is unable to express his feelings directly. Instead, he becomes her anonymous sugar daddy benefactor and sends her purple flowers after every performance.

Himekawa Ayumi, a talent of Daito, is a celebrated young actress from a family of entertainers. No one was able to match her skill until Maya showed up. She, too, is after the role of the crimson goddess.

Comments: This is the stuff soap operas are made of. It's got rivalry, intrigue, love triangles, the works. It's also amazing how this series is still running after more 30 (?) years. May I just add that Masumi, Maya's love interest, is dangerously close to becoming a pedophile -- come on, Maya was 14 and he was 24 at the beginning of the story. Maya's performances are always fun to watch, even if they're just drawn pictures.

Scanlator: Mangasync (I think they also distribute subtitled copies of the anime version)