Glass Mask: Introduction

There is an injustice in this world. Far too many anime fans have gone at great lengths about how the best anime to have come out is Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Steins;Gate, or even Avatar: The Last Airbender (truly a statement that reveals ignorance) without having considered the best anime to have graced us with its presence.

None consider the anime that has influenced entire generations of anime, the show that started a literal religion, the show that has characters so likable and recognizable that they’ve jumped whole genres successfully.

The show, is Glass Mask, specifically the 2005 rendition. You probably haven’t heard of it, that’s why I’m writing this in the first place. I’ll admit that last paragraph was a little hyperbolic, the author started a religion, not the story itself, and the ‘other genre’ version is a three-minute flash animated comedy. But it still has affected and inspired multiple generations of anime.


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It’s a show that not many people have watched, but nearly all who have loved it.

In an effort to help educate people on why this show is so fantastic, and why it’s taken my number one spot, I’ll be covering an episode a week for the shows duration.

But before we begin, I figure I should cover some of the interesting history behind Glass Mask.

Glass Mask was, and is currently, written by Suzue Miuchi (Dynamite Milkpie) in January of 1976, and is currently still ongoing. Due to its massive success, an 1984, 23 episode anime adaptation was in order. Needless to say, I’ve only heard terrible things about it.

About ten years later, in 1997, a live action drama adaptation began airing.

Glass Mask Body 2
A screen shot from the OVA series

About the same time, in 1998, a three-part OVA series was also animated. I haven’t heard anything terribly positive, nor negative about it. A completely average adaptation.

Seven years after that we get the mind-blowingly good 2005, 51 episode adaptation (the one we’ll be covering, in case you haven’t figured that out).

And in 2013 we got a 17 episode, flash parody animation that “reimagined Maya and Ayumi as a pair of rival delinquent girls vying to become the new leader of the Crimson Goddess gang.” (Source)

This wasn’t the only thing we got that year, an animated movie titled  “It’s Glass Mask But… the Movie: Female Spy’s Love! The Purple Rose Has a Dangerous Scent!?”  This is also in line with the flash, as it was “a parody which reimagined Maya and Ayumi as a pair of students who become junior spies after their mentor, Chigusa, is kidnapped.”

And now, in the present (actually a year in the past) the author has stated that she’s almost done with the series.

The history of Glass Mask is a little strange, full of many iterations that perhaps we’ll check out after this one.

But for now, let’s take this one episode at a time, I hope you’ll watch Glass Mask with me, you’ll probably love it (I wasn’t the only one).

You can watch Glass Mask for yourself legally free at Crunchyroll. Check it out, I hope you do.

GJ Corban
GJ Corban
Hi there, I'm GJ Corban, that stands for Gregory Jr., but I've been accidentally called CJ, DJ, JJ, and even Jesus... thrice. Other than that I'm just a guy obsessed with storytelling and the culture and news that surround it.