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List of KAlaeido Star Characters
List of Kaleido Star characters
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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This article lists the characters associated with the Japanese animation Kaleido Star.
[edit] Characters
Sora Naegino
Sora Naegino
Sora Naegino (苗木野 そら, Naegino Sora?)
Sora is the primary protagonist of Kaleido Star. Her parents took her to Kaleido Stage when she was young. Although they died shortly thereafter, and Sora went to live with her aunt and uncle, Sora is inspired by this childhood memory to become a member of the Stage when she reaches adulthood. With her aunt and uncle's hesitant approval she travels to the United States to audition. While Sora wanders around lost, her bag is stolen. As a consequence of chasing the thief and speaking to the police, she is late to the audition; Layla will not allow her to audition, but the owner Kalos gives her a chance to perform in the actual show. Most of the cast do not accept Sora at first because of the special circumstances through which she joins; Sora wins them over with persistence and hard work along with a magnetic personality.
In the beginning of the series Sora is the only one who can see the magical stage spirit Fool. This character reveals she has been chosen by the stage. In the first season, Fool reveals only she can perform the Legendary Great Maneuver with Layla. In the second, he reveals that she has the potential to become a "true star".
Voiced by: Ryo Hirohashi (Japanese), Cynthia Martinez (English)
Layla Hamilton (レイラ・ハミルトン, Reira Hamiruton?)
Layla is an accomplished and seasoned performer. She is a stubborn character and plays an antagonist-like role in the beginning of the story, but like many of the other characters, she finally befriends Sora after they become partners for Arabian Nights.
Layla is the daughter of Mr. Hamilton, a wealthy hotel chain owner; he would prefer Layla to be an actress and is frequently trying to push her into doing so, and he's also very work-a-holic and had little time for his daughter. Layla eventually stands up to her father and rejoins the circus; she loves the Kaleido Stage because she clearly remembers how her deceased mother enjoyed going there. At the end of the first season, after attempting the great Mystical Act and seriously injuring her shoulder Layla gives up the circus and retires to Broadway.
Voiced by: Sayaka Ohara (Japanese), Sandra Krasa (English)
Mia Guillem (ミア・ギエム, Mia Giemu?)
Mia is a close friend of Sora's. In the second episode, Mia accepts Sora's presence on the stage after Sora attempts to perform the Golden Phoenix. Later in the series, Mia becomes passionate about writing the scripts for Kaleido Star's performances; she has a keen interest in introducing literature into Kaleido Star's acts. She occasionally has inner conflicts between performing and tending to her sick grandmother, who is Mia's biggest fan.
As Mia's English language voice actress revealed at the Brattle Anime Festival 2007 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Mia was originally meant to be portrayed as an American who was born in Holland.
Voiced by: Chinami Nishimura (Japanese), Nancy Novotny (English)
Anna Heart (アンナ・ハート, Anna Hāto?)
Anna is also good friend of Sora's. She too, like Mia, comes to accept Sora after the second episode. Anna is talented in many areas and frequently plays more serious parts. Anna truly wishes to perform comedy and usually tries to get Mia to write comedy into her parts. The request is almost always denied. Anna takes her love of comedy from her estranged father Jack, a stand-up comedian; when they meet each other after several years, though, Anna is perturbed by his bitterness, but with a push from Sora and Mia they part amiably. In season two she gets paired up with two girls that find her extremely funny and help her with her comedy acts for the shows.
Voiced by: Akeno Watanabe (Japanese), Kira Vincent-Davis (English)
Yuri Killian (ユーリ・キリアン, Yūri Kirian?)
Yuri, like Layla, is an experienced performer, yet he's deeply traumatized by a terrible tragedy. During a flashback, it is revealed that his father died attempting the Mystical Act, and he never forgave Kalos for letting his father try. Yuri plays a pivotal role in the second half of the first season when he betrays the stage, first by stealing away a good portion of the cast and later by buying out the stage and taking control of it. He later agrees to return it to Kalos if Layla and Sora accomplish the same Mystical Act that caused his father's death; when they manage to do so, he fulfills his promise. In the second season, Yuri helps Sora get into the Circus Festival in Paris. He appears to be a bitter rival of Leon's, and feels that he is responsible for the death of Leon's sister.
Voiced by: Susumu Chiba (Japanese), Illich Guardiola (English)
Fool, The Stage Spirit (フール, Fūru?)
Fool is the mysterious spirit of the stage. He is about the size of an action figure, and appears as a type of jester or clown. He appears to Sora shortly before she appears on the Kaleido Stage for the first time. Fool is invisible to everyone but those who are destined to do great things on the stage and/or whose heart is completely dedicated to the stage. He seems to be the spirit of a true jester who once was devoted to a princess who never smiled.
Although a ghost, Fool is a pervert who tries many times throughout the series to see Sora, and sometimes her friends, naked (usually by suggesting that they should take a shower). Sora is quick to prevent Fool from peeking in any given situation by trapping him somewhere or rebuking him forcefully, most often in a comedic, slapstick fashion. Later in the first season, Layla becomes capable of seeing Fool as well; the same happens to Rosetta at the end of the second season, who takes his advice more seriously than Sora, most of the time where Sora can tell he is only doing so to satisfy his perversion.
In his more useful moments, he acts as a fortune teller, revealing possible futures to Sora (in the first season he reads the future from tarot cards, in the second season he reads and reveals the hidden workings of intercharacter relationships via astrology). He is also the one who explains the inner mechanics of the Mystical Act to Layla and Sora in episode 25, An Amazing Bond.
Voiced by: Takehito Koyasu (Japanese), Jay Hickman (English)
Sarah Dupont (サラ・デゥポン, Sara Dyupon?)
Sarah is the diva of Kaleido Stage as well as the building manager for the dorms where everyone lives. Many want Sarah to sign on a record label because she is so gifted in singing, but she stays true to Kaleido Stage. She is an avid fan of martial arts, and frequently proposes bizarre alternative methods to help Sora achieve her objectives.
Sarah is well acquainted with Kalos and has been with the Stage from the beginning, when she and Kalos were performing on the streets with another friend. This friend, Andy, returns once to try to persuade Sarah to leave Kaleido Stage with offering her a singing career, but she refuses.
In the English dub, Sarah has a heavy British accent.
Voiced by: Aya Hisakawa (Japanese), Luci Christian (English)
Ken Robbins (ケン・ロビンス, Ken Robinsu?)
Ken is the stage manager for Kaleido. He is unable to perform due to a heart condition. Ken also greatly admires Sora, in many respects, and seems to be crushed out on her, but never has the guts to confess his feelings for her. This does not stop Ken from doing everything he can to help Sora out; frequently he acts as her personal trainer, warning her of the dangers she might encounter, and acting as the voice of reason for the group on several occasions.
Voiced by: Hiro Shimono (Japanese), John Swasey (English)
Kalos Eido (カロス・永戸, Karosu Eido?)
Kalos is the head manager of the entire Kaleido Stage and gives Sora many helpful pieces of advice throughout the anime. He also maintains high expectations of everyone he encounters. Before Kaleido Stage, Kalos was a stage magician and acrobat and used to perform on the street with Sarah; their past relationship is rather vague. Kalos founded Kaleido Stage with the money he got from the insurance company after he injured his fingers during an audition for a spot in Las Vegas. As a professional, he has strict standards when it comes to how things are run at the Kaleido Stage and how his performers should conduct themselves. While he's firm in his decisions, occasionally he'll give in and let people spread their wings as they please. Kalos is also the one who trained Yuri's father for the Mystical Act, but sadly this failed and Yuri's father died, traumatising Yuri and embittering him. He is the only person who can tell Layla and Sora how to train for the act.
Voiced by: Keiji Fujiwara (Japanese), Rick Burford (English)
Mr. Policeman (Jerry) (ポリス, Porisu?, Police)
Jerry is self-described throughout the show as Sora's "#1 fan". He's a tall, muscled policeman who has helped and supported her from episode one. . He is also secretly in love with Kate, a doctor who occasionally appears to help cast members through physical injuries. In the second season, Jerry gathers up his courage and proposes to Kate.
Voiced by: Unshou Ishizuka (Japanese), James Reed Faulkner (English)
Marion Benigni (マリオン・ベニーニ, Marion Benīni?)
Marion is a young girl living near the stage. Her father is a designer and works on the sets, but her mother Cynthia (a former trampoline artist) is dead due to an accident. Like many of the others, Marion does not accept Sora at first (and specially when Sora attempts to use trampolines in her acts), but is quickly won over to her side. In the second season Marion begins to perform with the group on the Children's Stage.
Voiced by: Fumiko Orikasa (Japanese), Kim-Ly Nguyen (English)
Jonathan (ジョナサン, Jonasan?)
Jonathan is a baby seal that Sora picked up one day. Unable to keep pets, Sora tries to hide him. However, the secret is revealed and instead of kicking him out, Marion's father Jake builds a tank for him. He is capable of doing many tricks and sometimes seems more coordinated than Sora, creating comical performances that the children attending love. During the second season, Jonathan becomes closer to Marion and refuses to perform with anyone else.
Voiced by: Etsuko Kozakura (Japanese), Tiffany Grant (English)
Rosetta Passel (ロゼッタ・パッセル, Rozetta Passeru?)
Rosetta is a Belgian-born, French-raised world champion diabolo performer. After her first performance at Kaleido Stage, Kalos kicks her off the stage because her act was unsatisfying: he explains that despite being perfect in the technical field, she lacked passion at what she was doing, so everyone was bored by her act. Feeling this wasn't fair, Sora takes the girl under her wing, teaching her how to put audience enjoyment before technical perfection. In return, Rosetta teaches Sora diabolo, which Sora returns to when she needs help learning new acts. Towards the end of the first season, Rosetta returns to join Sora after Kaleido Stage is taken over by Yuri. She joins Sora's troupe and witnesses Sora and Layla performing the Great Legendary Maneuver together. Rosetta returns in the second season wishing to become a trapeze artist, following in Sora's steps.
Voiced by: Kaori Mizuhashi (Japanese), Serena Varghese (English)
May Wong (メイ・ウォン, Mei Won?)
First appearing in the second season, May is an ex ice skater and new recruit who challenges Sora's position. Sora and May have a tense rivalry for most of the second season, which aids both in becoming better performers. May turns out to be exceptionally talented and becomes Leon's partner for the Dracula show. However, during one of the performances, Leon drops her off and causes her to dislocate her shoulder; this allows Sora to obtain the spot for the Circus festival they were practicing for. May, realizing that it takes more than work and self-confidence to be a good star, refuses to give up her spot just like that and overtakes Sora with a new one armed trick, finally besting Sora and putting her on top. As she does so, May lays off her arrogance and becomes a better person.
Voiced by: Mai Nakahara (Japanese), Hilary Haag (English)
Leon Oswald (レオン・オズワルド, Reon Ozuwarudo?)
Leon is a very famous trapeze performer who arrives in the second season. He comes off as arrogant, refusing to perform with Sora because she is not skilled enough for him. His true desire, however, lies in a promise he made to his dying sister Sophie: to see the Angel's Act, an unrivaled and beautiful trapeze act they had developed, completed. He is a rival of Yuri Killian, whom he blames for the death of Sophie in an accident.
Voiced by: Takahiro Sakurai (Japanese), Mike MacRae (English)
Mr. Kenneth (ケネス, Kenesu?)
Mr. Kenneth is an elderly man and representative for the Stage's stockholders. He is often portrayed as a producer, seemingly giving him executive powers often rivaling or superseding that of Kalos. He has great experience in show business and often aids Sora. He knows Ken personally but never calls him by his real name.
Voiced by: Mitsuo Senda (Japanese), Jason Douglas (English)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
This article lists the characters associated with the Japanese animation Kaleido Star.
[edit] Characters
Sora Naegino
Sora Naegino
Sora Naegino (苗木野 そら, Naegino Sora?)
Sora is the primary protagonist of Kaleido Star. Her parents took her to Kaleido Stage when she was young. Although they died shortly thereafter, and Sora went to live with her aunt and uncle, Sora is inspired by this childhood memory to become a member of the Stage when she reaches adulthood. With her aunt and uncle's hesitant approval she travels to the United States to audition. While Sora wanders around lost, her bag is stolen. As a consequence of chasing the thief and speaking to the police, she is late to the audition; Layla will not allow her to audition, but the owner Kalos gives her a chance to perform in the actual show. Most of the cast do not accept Sora at first because of the special circumstances through which she joins; Sora wins them over with persistence and hard work along with a magnetic personality.
In the beginning of the series Sora is the only one who can see the magical stage spirit Fool. This character reveals she has been chosen by the stage. In the first season, Fool reveals only she can perform the Legendary Great Maneuver with Layla. In the second, he reveals that she has the potential to become a "true star".
Voiced by: Ryo Hirohashi (Japanese), Cynthia Martinez (English)
Layla Hamilton (レイラ・ハミルトン, Reira Hamiruton?)
Layla is an accomplished and seasoned performer. She is a stubborn character and plays an antagonist-like role in the beginning of the story, but like many of the other characters, she finally befriends Sora after they become partners for Arabian Nights.
Layla is the daughter of Mr. Hamilton, a wealthy hotel chain owner; he would prefer Layla to be an actress and is frequently trying to push her into doing so, and he's also very work-a-holic and had little time for his daughter. Layla eventually stands up to her father and rejoins the circus; she loves the Kaleido Stage because she clearly remembers how her deceased mother enjoyed going there. At the end of the first season, after attempting the great Mystical Act and seriously injuring her shoulder Layla gives up the circus and retires to Broadway.
Voiced by: Sayaka Ohara (Japanese), Sandra Krasa (English)
Mia Guillem (ミア・ギエム, Mia Giemu?)
Mia is a close friend of Sora's. In the second episode, Mia accepts Sora's presence on the stage after Sora attempts to perform the Golden Phoenix. Later in the series, Mia becomes passionate about writing the scripts for Kaleido Star's performances; she has a keen interest in introducing literature into Kaleido Star's acts. She occasionally has inner conflicts between performing and tending to her sick grandmother, who is Mia's biggest fan.
As Mia's English language voice actress revealed at the Brattle Anime Festival 2007 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Mia was originally meant to be portrayed as an American who was born in Holland.
Voiced by: Chinami Nishimura (Japanese), Nancy Novotny (English)
Anna Heart (アンナ・ハート, Anna Hāto?)
Anna is also good friend of Sora's. She too, like Mia, comes to accept Sora after the second episode. Anna is talented in many areas and frequently plays more serious parts. Anna truly wishes to perform comedy and usually tries to get Mia to write comedy into her parts. The request is almost always denied. Anna takes her love of comedy from her estranged father Jack, a stand-up comedian; when they meet each other after several years, though, Anna is perturbed by his bitterness, but with a push from Sora and Mia they part amiably. In season two she gets paired up with two girls that find her extremely funny and help her with her comedy acts for the shows.
Voiced by: Akeno Watanabe (Japanese), Kira Vincent-Davis (English)
Yuri Killian (ユーリ・キリアン, Yūri Kirian?)
Yuri, like Layla, is an experienced performer, yet he's deeply traumatized by a terrible tragedy. During a flashback, it is revealed that his father died attempting the Mystical Act, and he never forgave Kalos for letting his father try. Yuri plays a pivotal role in the second half of the first season when he betrays the stage, first by stealing away a good portion of the cast and later by buying out the stage and taking control of it. He later agrees to return it to Kalos if Layla and Sora accomplish the same Mystical Act that caused his father's death; when they manage to do so, he fulfills his promise. In the second season, Yuri helps Sora get into the Circus Festival in Paris. He appears to be a bitter rival of Leon's, and feels that he is responsible for the death of Leon's sister.
Voiced by: Susumu Chiba (Japanese), Illich Guardiola (English)
Fool, The Stage Spirit (フール, Fūru?)
Fool is the mysterious spirit of the stage. He is about the size of an action figure, and appears as a type of jester or clown. He appears to Sora shortly before she appears on the Kaleido Stage for the first time. Fool is invisible to everyone but those who are destined to do great things on the stage and/or whose heart is completely dedicated to the stage. He seems to be the spirit of a true jester who once was devoted to a princess who never smiled.
Although a ghost, Fool is a pervert who tries many times throughout the series to see Sora, and sometimes her friends, naked (usually by suggesting that they should take a shower). Sora is quick to prevent Fool from peeking in any given situation by trapping him somewhere or rebuking him forcefully, most often in a comedic, slapstick fashion. Later in the first season, Layla becomes capable of seeing Fool as well; the same happens to Rosetta at the end of the second season, who takes his advice more seriously than Sora, most of the time where Sora can tell he is only doing so to satisfy his perversion.
In his more useful moments, he acts as a fortune teller, revealing possible futures to Sora (in the first season he reads the future from tarot cards, in the second season he reads and reveals the hidden workings of intercharacter relationships via astrology). He is also the one who explains the inner mechanics of the Mystical Act to Layla and Sora in episode 25, An Amazing Bond.
Voiced by: Takehito Koyasu (Japanese), Jay Hickman (English)
Sarah Dupont (サラ・デゥポン, Sara Dyupon?)
Sarah is the diva of Kaleido Stage as well as the building manager for the dorms where everyone lives. Many want Sarah to sign on a record label because she is so gifted in singing, but she stays true to Kaleido Stage. She is an avid fan of martial arts, and frequently proposes bizarre alternative methods to help Sora achieve her objectives.
Sarah is well acquainted with Kalos and has been with the Stage from the beginning, when she and Kalos were performing on the streets with another friend. This friend, Andy, returns once to try to persuade Sarah to leave Kaleido Stage with offering her a singing career, but she refuses.
In the English dub, Sarah has a heavy British accent.
Voiced by: Aya Hisakawa (Japanese), Luci Christian (English)
Ken Robbins (ケン・ロビンス, Ken Robinsu?)
Ken is the stage manager for Kaleido. He is unable to perform due to a heart condition. Ken also greatly admires Sora, in many respects, and seems to be crushed out on her, but never has the guts to confess his feelings for her. This does not stop Ken from doing everything he can to help Sora out; frequently he acts as her personal trainer, warning her of the dangers she might encounter, and acting as the voice of reason for the group on several occasions.
Voiced by: Hiro Shimono (Japanese), John Swasey (English)
Kalos Eido (カロス・永戸, Karosu Eido?)
Kalos is the head manager of the entire Kaleido Stage and gives Sora many helpful pieces of advice throughout the anime. He also maintains high expectations of everyone he encounters. Before Kaleido Stage, Kalos was a stage magician and acrobat and used to perform on the street with Sarah; their past relationship is rather vague. Kalos founded Kaleido Stage with the money he got from the insurance company after he injured his fingers during an audition for a spot in Las Vegas. As a professional, he has strict standards when it comes to how things are run at the Kaleido Stage and how his performers should conduct themselves. While he's firm in his decisions, occasionally he'll give in and let people spread their wings as they please. Kalos is also the one who trained Yuri's father for the Mystical Act, but sadly this failed and Yuri's father died, traumatising Yuri and embittering him. He is the only person who can tell Layla and Sora how to train for the act.
Voiced by: Keiji Fujiwara (Japanese), Rick Burford (English)
Mr. Policeman (Jerry) (ポリス, Porisu?, Police)
Jerry is self-described throughout the show as Sora's "#1 fan". He's a tall, muscled policeman who has helped and supported her from episode one. . He is also secretly in love with Kate, a doctor who occasionally appears to help cast members through physical injuries. In the second season, Jerry gathers up his courage and proposes to Kate.
Voiced by: Unshou Ishizuka (Japanese), James Reed Faulkner (English)
Marion Benigni (マリオン・ベニーニ, Marion Benīni?)
Marion is a young girl living near the stage. Her father is a designer and works on the sets, but her mother Cynthia (a former trampoline artist) is dead due to an accident. Like many of the others, Marion does not accept Sora at first (and specially when Sora attempts to use trampolines in her acts), but is quickly won over to her side. In the second season Marion begins to perform with the group on the Children's Stage.
Voiced by: Fumiko Orikasa (Japanese), Kim-Ly Nguyen (English)
Jonathan (ジョナサン, Jonasan?)
Jonathan is a baby seal that Sora picked up one day. Unable to keep pets, Sora tries to hide him. However, the secret is revealed and instead of kicking him out, Marion's father Jake builds a tank for him. He is capable of doing many tricks and sometimes seems more coordinated than Sora, creating comical performances that the children attending love. During the second season, Jonathan becomes closer to Marion and refuses to perform with anyone else.
Voiced by: Etsuko Kozakura (Japanese), Tiffany Grant (English)
Rosetta Passel (ロゼッタ・パッセル, Rozetta Passeru?)
Rosetta is a Belgian-born, French-raised world champion diabolo performer. After her first performance at Kaleido Stage, Kalos kicks her off the stage because her act was unsatisfying: he explains that despite being perfect in the technical field, she lacked passion at what she was doing, so everyone was bored by her act. Feeling this wasn't fair, Sora takes the girl under her wing, teaching her how to put audience enjoyment before technical perfection. In return, Rosetta teaches Sora diabolo, which Sora returns to when she needs help learning new acts. Towards the end of the first season, Rosetta returns to join Sora after Kaleido Stage is taken over by Yuri. She joins Sora's troupe and witnesses Sora and Layla performing the Great Legendary Maneuver together. Rosetta returns in the second season wishing to become a trapeze artist, following in Sora's steps.
Voiced by: Kaori Mizuhashi (Japanese), Serena Varghese (English)
May Wong (メイ・ウォン, Mei Won?)
First appearing in the second season, May is an ex ice skater and new recruit who challenges Sora's position. Sora and May have a tense rivalry for most of the second season, which aids both in becoming better performers. May turns out to be exceptionally talented and becomes Leon's partner for the Dracula show. However, during one of the performances, Leon drops her off and causes her to dislocate her shoulder; this allows Sora to obtain the spot for the Circus festival they were practicing for. May, realizing that it takes more than work and self-confidence to be a good star, refuses to give up her spot just like that and overtakes Sora with a new one armed trick, finally besting Sora and putting her on top. As she does so, May lays off her arrogance and becomes a better person.
Voiced by: Mai Nakahara (Japanese), Hilary Haag (English)
Leon Oswald (レオン・オズワルド, Reon Ozuwarudo?)
Leon is a very famous trapeze performer who arrives in the second season. He comes off as arrogant, refusing to perform with Sora because she is not skilled enough for him. His true desire, however, lies in a promise he made to his dying sister Sophie: to see the Angel's Act, an unrivaled and beautiful trapeze act they had developed, completed. He is a rival of Yuri Killian, whom he blames for the death of Sophie in an accident.
Voiced by: Takahiro Sakurai (Japanese), Mike MacRae (English)
Mr. Kenneth (ケネス, Kenesu?)
Mr. Kenneth is an elderly man and representative for the Stage's stockholders. He is often portrayed as a producer, seemingly giving him executive powers often rivaling or superseding that of Kalos. He has great experience in show business and often aids Sora. He knows Ken personally but never calls him by his real name.
Voiced by: Mitsuo Senda (Japanese), Jason Douglas (English)
Kaleido Star
Kaleido Star
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kaleido Star
Kaleido Star (カレイドスター, Kareido Sutā?) is an anime series produced by Japanese studio Gonzo Digimation Holding.[1] The series was created by Junichi Sato, who also directed the first season, and written by Reiko Yoshida. Kaleido Star: New Wings was directed by Yoshimasa Hiraike.
Kaleido Star follows Sora Naegino, a Japanese young girl who comes to the United States to fulfill her dream: to perform at the world famous Kaleido Stage.
Three original video animations have been produced, as well as a manga series and a novel.
Plot
First Season
Sora Naegino, a young Japanese girl with a great talent for acrobatics, comes to America in hopes of auditioning for the Kaleido Stage, a world famous circus which has mesmerized her since childhood. However, she runs into difficulties as soon as she arrives. She gets lost on her way to the Stage, is leered at by a mysterious stranger, and has her bag stolen by a nimble thief. Employing her acrobatic skills, Sora chases down the criminal.
A kind police officer gives her a ride to Kaleido Stage, but she discovers that she's missed her audition. Her idol, the star performer Layla Hamilton, advises her to return to Japan but a performer's unexpected injury provides Sora with a window of opportunity. She's given the rare chance to perform by the Stage's owner, Kalos (who turns out to be a mysterious man who had eyed her legs earlier). After a faltering effort, Sora is dismissed from Kaleido Stage and prepares to return to Japan, but then Kalos reconsiders, and lets Layla know that someday Sora's performance will be the main draw at the circus.
Sora spends the beginning of the season as an outcast, as the other performers believe that she had relations with the director to gain her position. Layla is particularly cold towards her, and sees her alternately as either an annoyance or a threat. With the help of her friends (stage manager Ken Robbins, the performers Mia Guillem and Anna Heart, and young Marion Begnini) as well as a lot of hard work and determination, Sora begins to earn the respect of those around her. Her incredible personality wins her a variety of friendships (including that of a baby seal!) as well as several increasingly major roles in the productions. Over time, she even manages to form a friendship with Layla.
However, things begin to go astray as Layla's father pressures her to leave and insiders plot to take over and shut down Kaleido Stage. Sora must rely on her winning personality, hard work and close friendships to keep the stage afloat.
New Wings
In the second season Sora returns to the stage after attempting the Legendary Great Maneuver with Layla. This leaves Layla's shoulder injured and unable to perform. The absence of her co-star, having retired to further a career in Broadway productions, prompts a slight decline of the Kaleido Stage. Because of this Kalos brings in a new recruit, Leon Oswald (a lofty trapeze artist). It seems at first that Leon is reminded very much of someone due to Sora's presence, and at times this causes him to either be really rude or really sweet to Sora.
Despite this, however, Leon does not accept Sora as worthy of being on the stage with him. This leads to the most talented of the new Kaleido Stage recruits (the Chinese May Wong, who is also an ex-figure skater) to question and challenge Sora's position as Leon's partner and star of the show.
Sora's first goal in the season is to attend the circus festival in Paris, but the competitors will do anything to attain the title of 'festival winner': betray, deceive, or even attack their opposers. The atmosphere and attitude this creates does not bode kindly to Sora's carefree, optimistic, ultra-idealistic outlook. It inturn causes her to withdraw from the competition in the middle of her act (or the Angel Act) with the redeemed Yuri Killian, leaving friends, family and, worst of all, Layla confused and otherwise disappointed with Sora.
Most of the season concentrates on Sora finding, questioning, and pursuing new dreams. After many trials and rejections, Sora aims to become a "True Kaleido Star" while creating a fun, conflict-free stage, the complete opposite of what she experiences at the festival in Paris.
The Amazing Princess Without a Smile
The first OVA looks at a new production in the works that follows the Kaleido Stage's success with Swan Lake, about a female princess that is unable to smile and a jester of hers that is hoping to bring her smile back. The idea for the production came to Mia from a painting that featured a character that looked very similar to Rosetta and a jester in the background that looked surprisingly like Fool (the stage spirit that can be seen only by very talented students).
Rosetta is assigned the lead role as the princess. Unfortunately, despite the likeliness of her being able to comprehend the role fully as she herself never carried a smile when she first came to Kaleido Stage, she has difficulties acting out the part and leaves the rehearsals mid-way frustrated. Will Rosetta be able to play the role right? What ties do Fool have with the painting of the princess and the jester?
Legend of Phoenix ~Layla Hamilton Monogatari~
Layla and Sora are about to launch different interpretations of the same show "Legend of Phoenix" on opposite coasts. Layla is preparing at the Broadway but is dissatisfied with her performance. She feels that she cannot perform the role properly if she is not truly reborn as a new Layla Hamilton. In a desperate attempt to be reborn, Layla runs off on a solo bicycle trip to upstate New York in hopes of rediscovering herself.
Meanwhile, Sora is also attempting to find her own Phoenix, but when she learns of Layla's disappearance she, Ken and May run off to New York to find the former Kaleido Star who at that instant was on a bike journey with no set destination.
Layla meets various strangers and reminisces memories of her childhood along the way as she thinks of how she can change herself. But while she tries to find a new self, she spends her entire time alone thinking about Sora until she comes to realize just how much Sora has been a muse to her. Once she realizes that, she is reborn. The nature of this revelation, though speculated in different ways by various fans, is up to interpretation. During the end credits, we are shown two different Phoenixes.
Good day yo! Goood!!
Good day yo! Goood!! is a 22 minutes OVA that is rendered by computer graphics. All of the characters are presented super deformed. The OVA is split up into three parts. The first part is a lesson in Chinese cooking presented by May Wong; the dish that is presented is mapo doufu. The second part is a lesson on how to use the diabolo by Rosetta Passel. The final part is a lesson in seal lingo presented by Marion and Jonathan to Sora.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kaleido Star
Kaleido Star (カレイドスター, Kareido Sutā?) is an anime series produced by Japanese studio Gonzo Digimation Holding.[1] The series was created by Junichi Sato, who also directed the first season, and written by Reiko Yoshida. Kaleido Star: New Wings was directed by Yoshimasa Hiraike.
Kaleido Star follows Sora Naegino, a Japanese young girl who comes to the United States to fulfill her dream: to perform at the world famous Kaleido Stage.
Three original video animations have been produced, as well as a manga series and a novel.
Plot
First Season
Sora Naegino, a young Japanese girl with a great talent for acrobatics, comes to America in hopes of auditioning for the Kaleido Stage, a world famous circus which has mesmerized her since childhood. However, she runs into difficulties as soon as she arrives. She gets lost on her way to the Stage, is leered at by a mysterious stranger, and has her bag stolen by a nimble thief. Employing her acrobatic skills, Sora chases down the criminal.
A kind police officer gives her a ride to Kaleido Stage, but she discovers that she's missed her audition. Her idol, the star performer Layla Hamilton, advises her to return to Japan but a performer's unexpected injury provides Sora with a window of opportunity. She's given the rare chance to perform by the Stage's owner, Kalos (who turns out to be a mysterious man who had eyed her legs earlier). After a faltering effort, Sora is dismissed from Kaleido Stage and prepares to return to Japan, but then Kalos reconsiders, and lets Layla know that someday Sora's performance will be the main draw at the circus.
Sora spends the beginning of the season as an outcast, as the other performers believe that she had relations with the director to gain her position. Layla is particularly cold towards her, and sees her alternately as either an annoyance or a threat. With the help of her friends (stage manager Ken Robbins, the performers Mia Guillem and Anna Heart, and young Marion Begnini) as well as a lot of hard work and determination, Sora begins to earn the respect of those around her. Her incredible personality wins her a variety of friendships (including that of a baby seal!) as well as several increasingly major roles in the productions. Over time, she even manages to form a friendship with Layla.
However, things begin to go astray as Layla's father pressures her to leave and insiders plot to take over and shut down Kaleido Stage. Sora must rely on her winning personality, hard work and close friendships to keep the stage afloat.
New Wings
In the second season Sora returns to the stage after attempting the Legendary Great Maneuver with Layla. This leaves Layla's shoulder injured and unable to perform. The absence of her co-star, having retired to further a career in Broadway productions, prompts a slight decline of the Kaleido Stage. Because of this Kalos brings in a new recruit, Leon Oswald (a lofty trapeze artist). It seems at first that Leon is reminded very much of someone due to Sora's presence, and at times this causes him to either be really rude or really sweet to Sora.
Despite this, however, Leon does not accept Sora as worthy of being on the stage with him. This leads to the most talented of the new Kaleido Stage recruits (the Chinese May Wong, who is also an ex-figure skater) to question and challenge Sora's position as Leon's partner and star of the show.
Sora's first goal in the season is to attend the circus festival in Paris, but the competitors will do anything to attain the title of 'festival winner': betray, deceive, or even attack their opposers. The atmosphere and attitude this creates does not bode kindly to Sora's carefree, optimistic, ultra-idealistic outlook. It inturn causes her to withdraw from the competition in the middle of her act (or the Angel Act) with the redeemed Yuri Killian, leaving friends, family and, worst of all, Layla confused and otherwise disappointed with Sora.
Most of the season concentrates on Sora finding, questioning, and pursuing new dreams. After many trials and rejections, Sora aims to become a "True Kaleido Star" while creating a fun, conflict-free stage, the complete opposite of what she experiences at the festival in Paris.
The Amazing Princess Without a Smile
The first OVA looks at a new production in the works that follows the Kaleido Stage's success with Swan Lake, about a female princess that is unable to smile and a jester of hers that is hoping to bring her smile back. The idea for the production came to Mia from a painting that featured a character that looked very similar to Rosetta and a jester in the background that looked surprisingly like Fool (the stage spirit that can be seen only by very talented students).
Rosetta is assigned the lead role as the princess. Unfortunately, despite the likeliness of her being able to comprehend the role fully as she herself never carried a smile when she first came to Kaleido Stage, she has difficulties acting out the part and leaves the rehearsals mid-way frustrated. Will Rosetta be able to play the role right? What ties do Fool have with the painting of the princess and the jester?
Legend of Phoenix ~Layla Hamilton Monogatari~
Layla and Sora are about to launch different interpretations of the same show "Legend of Phoenix" on opposite coasts. Layla is preparing at the Broadway but is dissatisfied with her performance. She feels that she cannot perform the role properly if she is not truly reborn as a new Layla Hamilton. In a desperate attempt to be reborn, Layla runs off on a solo bicycle trip to upstate New York in hopes of rediscovering herself.
Meanwhile, Sora is also attempting to find her own Phoenix, but when she learns of Layla's disappearance she, Ken and May run off to New York to find the former Kaleido Star who at that instant was on a bike journey with no set destination.
Layla meets various strangers and reminisces memories of her childhood along the way as she thinks of how she can change herself. But while she tries to find a new self, she spends her entire time alone thinking about Sora until she comes to realize just how much Sora has been a muse to her. Once she realizes that, she is reborn. The nature of this revelation, though speculated in different ways by various fans, is up to interpretation. During the end credits, we are shown two different Phoenixes.
Good day yo! Goood!!
Good day yo! Goood!! is a 22 minutes OVA that is rendered by computer graphics. All of the characters are presented super deformed. The OVA is split up into three parts. The first part is a lesson in Chinese cooking presented by May Wong; the dish that is presented is mapo doufu. The second part is a lesson on how to use the diabolo by Rosetta Passel. The final part is a lesson in seal lingo presented by Marion and Jonathan to Sora.
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