is a Japanese

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

series animated by Japanese studio

Gonzo Gonzo may refer to: People * Gonzo (nickname), a list of people with the nickname * Radislav Jovanov Gonzo (born 1964), Croatian music video director Radislav Jovanov, also known as Gonzo * Matthias Röhr (born 1962), German musician whose sta ...

. The series was created by

Junichi Sato is a Japanese anime director, best known for working on '' shōjo''-based anime and in the magical girl genre. He was formerly associated with TYO Animations (formerly Hal Film Maker). Born in Ama, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, his first major ...

, who also directed the first season, and written by

Reiko Yoshida is a Japanese screenwriter. She has written and supervised numerous screenplays for anime series, live-action dramas and films. Her major works include ''Kaleido Star'', ''Aria'', ''Maria-sama ga Miteru'', '' D.Gray-man'', ''K-On!'', ''Bakuman' ...

. ''Kaleido Star: New Wings'' was directed by

Yoshimasa Hiraike is a Japanese storyboard artist, screenwriter, and director. He has collaborated with famed director Junichi Sato in series such as ''Aria'', ''Kaleido Star'', and ''Prétear''. Anime involved in *''Excel Saga'': Episode Director (7, 12, 17, 22, ...

. ''Kaleido Star'' follows

Sora Naegino This article lists the characters associated with the anime ''Kaleido Star''. Characters Sora Naegino ; : : Sora is the main protagonist of Kaleido Star. Her parents took her to Kaleido Stage as a child. Although they died shortly thereafter ...

, a young Japanese girl, who travels to the United States to fulfill her dream of performing at the world-famous Kaleido Stage. Three

original video animation , abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the first part of an OVA s ...

s have been produced, as well as a

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

series and a novel. Internationally, the first series was aired on

Cartoon Network Latin America Cartoon Network is a Latin American pay television channel distributed by Warner Bros. Discovery for the Latin American audience and the Caribbean. It is the Latin American version of the original Cartoon Network television channel in the United ...

in 2004.

Plot

First Season

is a young Japanese girl with great acrobatic talent who travels to Cape Mery (a mix of

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

and

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

), California 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 thief. Employing her acrobatic skills, Sora chases down the criminal. A kind police officer gives her a ride to Kaleido Stage only to discover she had missed her audition, an event upon which her idol,

Layla Hamilton This article lists the characters associated with the anime ''Kaleido Star''. Characters Sora Naegino ; : : Sora is the main protagonist of Kaleido Star. Her parents took her to Kaleido Stage as a child. Although they died shortly thereafter ...

, advises her to return to Japan. However, after a performer is injured, the owner of the circus, Kalos offers her a chance to perform. Sora, humiliated by her failed efforts decides to return to Japan. Kalos, having seen her earlier chase, reconsiders and informs Layla that Sora's performance will eventually be the main act at the circus, earning her reluctant respect. The other members of Kaleido Stage, particularly Layla, are dissatisfied with Sora. With the help of stage manager Ken Robbins, the performers Mia Guillem and Anna Heart, young Marion Begnini, as well as a lot of hard work and determination, Sora begins to earn the respect of those around her. Her personality eventually earns the respect of the performers as well as several increasingly major roles in the productions. She also befriends Layla over time. However, Layla's father pressures her to leave and insiders plan to take over and shut down Kaleido Stage. Sora relies 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 disapproves Sora as worthy of being on the stage with him. This leads to the most talented of the new Kaleido Stage recruits, the Chinese-American 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. After a very ugly incident, however, May begins to question herself and her goals. 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, in turn, causes her to withdraw from the competition in the middle of her act (or the Angel Act) with the redeemed Yuri Killian, leaving her friends, family and 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 eventually 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 ''Swan Lake'' ( rus, Лебеди́ное о́зеро, r=Lebedínoye ózero, p=lʲɪbʲɪˈdʲinəjə ˈozʲɪrə, link=no ), Op. 20, is a ballet composed by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1875–76. Despite its initial failur ...

'', 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 does 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 da yo! Goood!!

''Good da yo! Goood!!'' is a 22 minutes OVA that is rendered by

computer graphics Computer graphics deals with generating images with the aid of computers. Today, computer graphics is a core technology in digital photography, film, video games, cell phone and computer displays, and many specialized applications. A great de ...

. All of the characters are presented

super deformed Chibi, also known as super deformation, or S.D. is a style of caricature originating in Japan, and common in anime and manga where characters are drawn in an exaggerated way, typically small and chubby with stubby limbs, oversized heads, and m ...

. 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 Mapo tofu () is a popular Chinese dish from Sichuan province. It consists of tofu set in a spicy sauce, typically a thin, oily, and bright red suspension, based on douban (fermented broad bean and chili paste), and douchi (fermented black bean ...

. The second part is a lesson on how to use the

diabolo The diabolo ( ; commonly misspelled ''diablo'') is a juggling or circus prop consisting of an axle () and two cups (hourglass/egg timer shaped) or discs derived from the Chinese yo-yo. This object is spun using a string attached to two hand ...

by Rosetta Passel. The final part is a lesson in seal lingo presented by Marion and Jonathan to Sora.

Media

Episodes

Music

;Opening: 1 Take it, Shake it –

Sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or double ...

(Episodes 1-13) * Lyrics: Kyoko Asakura * Music: So Kikuchi * Arrangement: Shinichiro Murayama * Music: Production: Hori Pro Inc. 2 Yakusoku no Basho he – Chihiro Yonekura (Episodes 14-26) * Lyrics: Chinhiro Yonekura * Music Chinhiro Yonekura 3 "Tattoo Kiss" by r.o.r/s (Episodes 27–51) * Lyrics: Mizue Takada * Music:

Dream Field A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensation (psychology), sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around ...

* Arrangement: Keiji Tanabe 4 "Blanc et Noir" by

Ryō Hirohashi is a Japanese voice actress affiliated with Aoni Production. She mainly voices young girls and young boys. She is known for voicing Miles "Tails" Prower in the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series. Biography Hirohashi was born in Niigata Prefecture, he ...

and

Kaori Mizuhashi is a Japanese voice actress who is employed by Arts Vision. Her major voice roles include Mami Tomoe in '' Puella Magi Madoka Magica'', Kuki Shinobu in ''Genshin Impact'', Lava and May in ''Arknights'', Vivio Takamachi in ''Magical Girl Lyrica ...

(''The Amazing Princess Without a Smile'' OVA) 5 "Ray of Light" by

Sayaka Ōhara is a Japanese voice actress affiliated with Haikyō. Her major roles include Alicia Florence in ''Aria'', Milly Ashford in ''Code Geass'', Erza Scarlet in ''Fairy Tail'', Irisviel in the '' Fate/Zero'' and ''Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya'' s ...

(''Legend of Phoenix ~Layla Hamilton Monogatari~'' OVA) * Lyrics: Yuki Matsuura * Music:

Mina Kubota (born on February 5, 1972, in Fukuoka, Japan) is a Japanese composer. Kubota has also worked on vocal music composition and arrangement for anime theme songs. Two notable works would be and which managed to hit the chart positions in Japan ...

* Arrangement: Yuki Matsuura ;Ending: 1 Real Identity –

(Episodes 1–13) * Lyrics: Kyoko Asakura * Music: Satori Shiraishi * Arrangement: Shinichiro 2 Bokuwa Kokoni IRU – Sophia (Episodes 14-26) * Lyrics: Mitsuru Matsuoka * Music: Mitsuru Matsuoka * (Toy's Factory) # "Escape" by r.o.r/s (Episodes 27–50) #* Lyrics: Mizue Takada #* Music: Keiji Tanabe #* Arrangement: Kenji Tanabe # by

Chihiro Yonekura is a Japanese singer and songwriter from Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. History While Yonekura was attending university, she sent off several demonstration tapes to recording companies. She was scouted out, and received the opportunity to do the op ...

with Kaleido Stars (Episode 51) # "Tattoo Kiss" by r.o.r/s (''The Amazing Princess Without a Smile'' OVA) # by

(''Legend of Phoenix ~Layla Hamilton Monogatari~'' OVA) #* Lyrics: Kaleido Stage #* Music:

Hitoshi Sakimoto is a Japanese video game music composer and arranger. He is best known for scoring ''Final Fantasy Tactics'' and ''Final Fantasy XII'', though he has composed soundtracks for over 80 other games. He began playing music and video games in elementa ...

#* Arrangement:

;Insert: # "Ray of Light" by Layla Hamilton (

) (Episode 50) #* Music: Mina Kubota #* Lyrics: Yuki Matsuura

Manga

entitled ''Kaleido Star ~Wings of the Future~'' began serialization in Shōnen Fang's April issue and was released on February 19, 2007. The story takes place fifteen years after the events of the anime series and it revolves around Sora's younger sister, Yume. Because Sora has not visited her family in years for reasons unknown, Yume joins Kaleido Stage in hopes to meet her. Various new characters have been introduced, old ones have also come back including Yuri Killian, May Wong, Ken Robbins, Marion Benigni, Mia Guillem, Rosetta Passel, Jonathan and

Jean Benigni Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * Jean ...

. Serialization in ''Shōnen Fang'' magazine ended in September 2007 when the magazine went defunct.

Novel

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

named was released on February 10, 2006.

Reception

''Kaleido Star'' was generally well received by critics, with the majority of acclaim paid to the first season.

Season 1

In a review of the first Volume,

Anime News Network Anime News Network (ANN) is a news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, video games, Japanese popular music and other related cultures within North America, Australia, Southeast Asia and Japan. The website offers reviews and oth ...

called the series "heartwarming fluff without too many sugar calories" and praised the Japanese voice cast for stellar performances, with particular emphasis on Ryo Hirohashi and Takehito Koyasu. Anime On DVD also noted Koyasu's performance, the quality of the animation in the performance scenes, and the fulfilling climax of the final episode. Mike Lewis of Underland Online noted ''Kaleido Star'' as being "...an extraordinary series is in a class all its own."

Season 2

Despite being put off by the recap episodes, Anime News Network positively reviewed the first Volume of ''Kaleido Star: New Wings''. While critiquing the story as "straight from the shōjo drama playbook," the review held praise for the visuals, stating that "the best thing about Kaleido Star is, far and away, the amazing animation and production values. The circus scenes are wildly original and sometimes breathtaking; the animation quality hasn't dipped at all in the second season." Cynthia Martinez also won notice for developing her performance as Sora. Anime Advanced also looked at the first volume and praised it highly, noting that "Kaleido Star gets my highest possible recommendation. This is a show that dreams are made of." Summing up the series, Chris Beveridge of Anime On DVD said that "Kaleido Star has been a great series overall with a somewhat weak second season that really took its time to find its own voice," but that "it's still a series that's very easy to recommend on a whole and one that is very much worth showing to a younger audience." ActiveAnime's Holly Ellingwood commented that "The finale is climatic and fulfilling." and summarized the series as being "An anime that is a pure joy to watch. Exhilarating, Kaleido Star is a stirring series that is both inspirational and remarkable."

Extra Stage

Anime On DVD proclaimed the OVA to be "a beautiful piece of work and the best way to close out things for a while as it is much more oriented on the comedy and the lighter side of the characters... It's a great little self-contained story that plays strong in a similar fashion to the last episode of the series but without quite so much angst and hardship associated with it. It leaves you laughing and really smiling at the end of the disc."

References

External links

Official sites

Gonzo siteADV Films siteFunimation site

Unofficial sites

* * {{Reiko Yoshida 2003 anime television series debuts 2004 anime OVAs 2005 anime OVAs 2006 anime OVAs ADV Films Anime with original screenplays Drama anime and manga Circus films Circus television shows Funimation Gonzo (company) Shōnen manga Sports anime and manga TVB TV Tokyo original programming