"Garasu no Kamen," which first appeared as a strip in a girls' comic magazine in 1976, and has been one of the biggest girls' comics hits since then, is now into its 40th volume. More than 40 million copies of the comics have been sold in the last 21 years, and the story has also been made into a stage play. Miuchi, a born storyteller, has proven that comics don't need sex and violence to be irresistibly interesting. The enduring title brings back memories for women in their 30s, who may now be watching "Garasu no Kamen" on TV with their daughters. Letters concerning the show--both favorable and critical--have been pouring in to the offices of TV Asahi from people who used to read the comics. Its central figure is Maya Kitajima, an average high school girl with one remarkable talent--impersonating TV actors and actresses. As is often the case in this kind of story, Maya is "discovered" one day by Chigusa Tsukikage, a well-known actress who retired from the limelight after an accident that left her face terribly disfigured. The ailing actress sees Maya as her successor, who will one day perform the title role in a legendary play called "Kurenai Tennyo" (The Crimson Goddess), to which she owns the production rights. Having decided to pursue acting as a career, Maya leaves her mother and joins Tsukigage's company. The transition does not go smoothly, however, as Maya soon becomes the target of practical jokes at the hands of her jealous colleagues. Moreover, a competitor for the lead role in "Kurenai Tennyo"----the beautiful Ayumi Himekawa--appears on the scene. Ayumi is no ordinary comic book rival who bullies the heroine and loses in the end. Instead, she is a capable actress in her own right, and Tsukikage soon realizes that she is a worthy candidate for the lead role. Also involved is Masumi Hayami, a young and ruthless entertainment executive who is determined to acquire the rights to The Crimson Goddess at all costs. The handsome Hayami is a typical male lead in girls' manga. So is Yu Sakurakoji, a teenage actor who is Maya's classmate and the first boy she dates. Hayami has a fiancee, but that doesn't stop him from gradually succumbing to Maya's innocent charms and becoming a Sugar Daddy of sorts who anonymously supports her financially and sends her large bouquets of purple roses on the opening night of every new play she stars in. Overly romantic, you say? The stuff of Barbara Cartland novels? Perhaps, but the message contained in Miuchi's story is straightforward and genuine, and this is why finding the right cast is crucial to making the story believable and even moving in a live-action format. "Everyone, including myself, wanted to watch 'Garasu no Kamen' on TV, and we somehow knew it would be adapted for television someday," said TV Asahi producer Satoko Uchiyama. "It was among a list of project ideas that we had in mind to do with Yumi (Adachi) last year, and we decided to go ahead with it because we thought it was perfect for her and something that she can do only now," she added. So far, Adachi, who is 16, has hit the right note in playing Maya, a character who is able to wear any number of masks with ease. Playing a character who plays other characters has its challenges. "When I'm playing Maya on stage, I can't look like her or me. That's difficult," Adachi said in an interview with The Yomiuri Shimbun. "I've also got to try not to betray the image that so many readers have of Maya. But I'm enjoying myself and looking forward to trying lots of different roles in the story." Much like the fictional Maya, Adachi has a natural flair for acting. She plays numerous characters in "Garasu no Kamen," including Helen Keller. "Yumi has a kind of aura about her," producer Uchiyama told The Daily Yomiuri. "She is really marvelous in front of a TV camera." Although Adachi, who has worked in television since childhood, has never acted on stage professionally, she appears to be up to the challenge. "Speaking on stage feels good," she said. "It makes me feel like doing a play someday." Perhaps the most surprising casting decision of all was assigning the role of Tsukikage to veteran actress Yoko Nogiwa, who has made a name for herself playing doting mothers. Who could ever imagine that a character who appears to exist only in comic books could be brought to life in such a convincing manner? "This is the most difficult role I've ever done," Nogiwa said. "So I had a wig and a costume identical to those in the comic strip made to recreate Tsukikage first by appearance. But this wig is itchy and gets into my eye!" On the TV program, greater emphasis has been placed on Maya's mother, whose death brings the series to its climax and provides our heroine with her biggest emotional hurdle. This shift is justified since the long story must be told in only 11 episodes, and all the more so as Mariko Fuji is cast in the role of Maya's mom. The casting of Fuji as Maya's poor, tired mother is ironic, because 10 years ago she played the role of Maya's rival beautiful Ayumi on stage. The contrast between Maya, an exceptional acting talent with no money, and Ayumi, challenger born with a silver spoon in her mouth, would have been more dramatic if the acting skills of Megumi Matsumoto, who plays Ayumi, were more up to par. The best that can be said for her is that she looks the part. Seiichi Tanabe, who plays Hayami, lacks the businesslike manner that his character sports on the outside to hide his inner feelings. Like many of Miuchi's stories, "Garasu no Kamen" contains timeless virtues--purity, imagination and passionate devotion --themes contained in dramas that have previously aired in the same time slot, said producer Uchiyama. Yes, the plot may appear naive. Maya may look too childish for her age and other characters are somewhat stereotyped. But isn't that what drama is all about, a world of make-believe where you can cast aside reality? [Excerpt from Daily Yomiuri article]

STARRING: PART 1: Adachi Yumi, Nogiwa Yoko, Matsumoto Megumi, Tanabe Seiichi, Fuji Mariko, Kato Kazuko, Kohashi Kenji, Satoi Kenta, Togawa Kyoko, Saeki Hinako, Saitou Nozomi and more.

PART 2: Adachi Yumi, Nogiwa Yoko, Matsumoto Megumi, Tanabe Seiichi, Kai Gamon, Kato Kazuko, Kohashi Kenji, Satoi Kenta, Haba Yuuichi, Arisaka Kurume, Togawa Kyoko
THEME: "Calling" by B'z / "Polar Star Kimi Dake Shinjite" by Harubara Yuuki [PART 2:] "Calling" and "Happiness by B'z
NETWORK: TV Asahi
DURATION:  Their are two series.  The first aired from July through September 1997 and the second series was aired from April to June 1998. The special which concludes the series was aired on September 30th, 1999.
REVIEWS:

I recommend the first series which was very good.   The second series dealt more with personal relations between the characters and the added addition of a brother for Aya.-KNDY