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Kaleido Star: Difference between revisions
took the voice actors off the trope list - people are not tropes, and we have a Characters subpage - added Book Ends, and did other copyediting
(The show's set in LA, not San Francisco. The episode in Vancouver even says as much.) |
(took the voice actors off the trope list - people are not tropes, and we have a Characters subpage - added Book Ends, and did other copyediting) |
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The last clear memory that young [[Genki Girl|Sora Naegino]] has of her deceased parents is the time they took her to an extraordinary circus called the Kaleido Stage, a few months before their deaths in an accident. At age 16, Sora graduates from junior high and decides to try going to the auditions for the [[Cirque Du Soleil]]-esque Kaleido Stage in <s>[[Los Angeles]]</s> Cape Mary, USA. So, with the reluctant blessing of her adoptive parents, she goes to America to seek for her dream...
[[Break the Cutie|But it won't]] [[Training from Hell|be easy]]. After an incident involving the theft of her luggage, Sora arrives late to the audition and is told to go back home and wait for the next round -- a year later. However, when a performer is unexpectedly hurt, the owner [[Stern Teacher|Kalos
''Kaleido Star'' (カレイドスター, ''Kareido Sutāa'') is an anime series co-produced by Japanese studio Gonzo Digimation Holding, Korean studio G&G Entertainment, and American distributor [[ADV Films]]. The series was created by [[Junichi Sato]], who also directed the first season, and written by Reiko Yoshida. The second season, ''Kaleido Star: New Wings'', was directed by Yoshimasa Hiraike. Famed Japanese circus performer and Cirque du Soleil veteran Dio Kobayashi was a special adviser to the production; a character within the show was named "Dio" in his honor.
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* [[The Ace]]: Deconstructed through May Wong (along with [[Tsundere Sue]]), just like Sora is a deconstruction of the [[Purity Sue]].
* [[All of the Other Reindeer]]: At the beginning, almost everyone thought Sora got her spot by sucking up to Kalos and treated her like crap.
* [[Anime Chinese Girl]]: May Wong.▼
* [[Anime Theme Song]]: And several, over the course of its two seasons.
* [[Armor-Piercing Slap]]: Layla on Yuri, later May on Sora.
* [[Ascended Fanboy|Ascended Fangirls]]: Sora, Layla, May, Hannah and Barbara were Kaleido Stage fangirls before being recruited.
* [[The Atoner]]:
* [[Badass Bookworm]]: Mia Guillem is a Kaleido acrobat who also writes her own scripts and invents new tricks for the stage.
* [[Better Than It Sounds
* [[Bifauxnen]]: Anna Heart has ''many'' fangirls for her boyish looks and roles. Two of them, Hannah and Barbara, actually manage to become her partners in the second season.
* [[Big Fancy House]]: Layla's mansion.
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* [[Blooper]]: Anna and Mia's costumes change mid-conversation in one episode.
* [[Boke and Tsukkomi Routine]]: Sora brings some typical ''manzai'' comedy props as a gift for Anna. She immediately tries to rope Ken into a B & K routine. Ken is not amused.
* [[Book Ends]]: In the first broadcast episode, Fool becomes visible to Sora. In the final broadcast episode, Fool becomes visible to ... but that would be telling.
* [[Bratty Half-Pint]]: Marion, in her first episode.
* [[Break the Cutie]]: Sora is the butt of ''lots'' of bullying in the first season, until she proves she's more than Kalos's protege and has her own worth as a performer. And in the second one she's also the target of ridicule and lectures for her [[Wide-Eyed Idealist|rose-tinted vision of circus life]] and her own self-esteem problems.
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* [[Character Development]]: Even the most evil, sneaky and/or annoying characters are given ''[[Hidden Depths|reasons]]'' to be the way they are, and chances to get redemption.
* [[Chilly Reception]]: Sora's first few weeks as a Kaleido Stage member are pretty miserable, with Layla picking on her, the rest of the crew following her lead, and even her future [[True Companions]] regarding her as a cheat and a manipulator.
▲* [[Chinese Girl]]: May Wong.
* [[Clingy Jealous Girl]]: May Wong is a half-romantic, half-hero worship version of this, in regards to Leon Oswald (and, somewhat, to Layla as well).
* [[Cool Big Sis]]: Cathy Taymor, Layla's partner and friend from the second season. Also, Pamela from the itinerant circus Sora and Ken visit once.
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** A lesser example is the first time Fool reveals himself to Sora. Most magical girl characters react to the sight of their [[Fairy Companion]] with awe and acceptance, but Sora considers the talking doll in her hotel room to be a sign of her own [[Sanity Slippage]]. The fact that no one else can see him doesn't help.
* [[Defrosting Ice Queen]]: Layla, in the first season. {{spoiler|Leon, in the second one.}}
* [[Disappeared Dad]]: Anna and her father, Jack "Baron Jack" Heart, were estranged for years and their first encounter after that was ''not'' pretty. Layla's father is a good person, but he's also pushy and workaholic so Layla doesn't have much contact with him as well. {{spoiler|Yuri's father, Aaron, died on-stage when he tried the
* [[Don't You Dare Pity Me!]]: May tells this ''twice'' to Sora.
* [[Economy Cast]]: The only doctor is Kate and the only policeman (after the first episode) is Jerry.
* [[Establishing Character Moment]]: When Sora chases a thief around ''on borrowed roller blades'' during the first episode.
* [[Et Tu, Brute?]]:
* [[Eureka Moment]]: Mia (when she had to rewrite her script) had this right after Sora's pep talk about not giving up. Guess what her new script was about
* [[Fairy Companion]]: Fool
* [[Fan of Underdog]]: Ken, Mia, Anna, Jonathan (sorta) and Marion.
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* [[I Want My Beloved to Be Happy]]: {{spoiler|Kalos tries to pull this to let Sarah become a full-time [[Idol Singer]], but she says she's more than happy in the Kaleido Stage and stays. It doesn't help that the one giving her the chance was Kalos' old friend Andy, who as soon as he learns about the situation ''also'' steps aside so Sarah can stay.}}
* [[Idiosyncratic Episode Naming]]: All the episodes have the word "sugoi" ("amazing") in the titles
* [[Ill Girl|Ill Boy]]: Ken can't be an acrobat because he has a weak heart, so he becomes a manager/trainer. {{spoiler|And in the second season he gets temporarily roped in as the [[Butt Monkey]] of Anna, Hannah and Barbara's routines.}}
* [[Important Haircut]]: {{spoiler|Layla is given one by Sora in an OVA in order to be "reborn" like a phoenix.}}
* [[It's All About Me]]: When May walks into Kaleido Stage in the second season, she's amazed and pissed off that no one but her sees how wonderful and perfect she is and haven't handed her every lead role over the current star who worked for everything she has. [[Break the Haughty|She gets better]], but she'll really make you want to jam your thumbs in your eyes for about a dozen episodes.
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* [[Limited Wardrobe]]: Outside of her stage costumes, Sora seems to have only two outfits most of the time -- a white leotard and a short blue denim overall with a white T-shirt. And as we see when she first arrives at Kaleido Stage, she wears the one under the other.
* [[Lost Aesop]]: In the end, ''was'' it good or not to be competitive? See the entry.
* [[Megaton Punch]]: Sora uses this so many times on Fool...
* [[The Messiah]]: Sora and
* [[Missing Mom]]: Marion and Layla lost their mothers when they were small girls. Rosetta is distanced from her mom for a long time, until she's fully recruited by the Stage.
* [[Mood Whiplash]]: It often goes from drama to comedy without almost any warning.
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* [[No Sympathy]]: Kalos Eidos isn't a bad person ''per se'', but in regards to the Stage, he's incredibly (and borderline [[Kick the Dog]]-ish) harsh. Layla shows this type of behavior too, barring Sora from the tryouts since she was late -- ''because she was mugged on her way to the Stage and groped by Kalos''.
* [[Non-Action Guy]]: Kenneth Robbins.
* [[
* [["On the Next Episode of..." Catchphrase]]: Sora -- "My wings are my dream, and on towards the sky!"
* [[Parental Abandonment]]: Sora's natural parents are dead; her adoptive parents are supportive of her but stayed in Japan for a long time. Layla's mother died and her dad is good-hearted yet ''very'' workaholic. Leon is an orphan who abandoned his abusive adoptive relatives along with Sophie. And Yuri... [[You Killed My Father|well...]]
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* [[Romantic Two-Girl Friendship]]: Sora and Rosetta, to a degree.
* [[Roof Hopping]]: Sora manages a version of this ''in roller blades'', bouncing from awning to awning, while chasing the thief who stole her luggage in the first episode.
* [[Sad Clown]]: Anna Heart is a rare ''female'' version.
* [[Scary Black Man]]: Played for laughs. When Jerry went to Japan, people actually ''ran away''.
* [[Sensual Spandex]]: Mmmmmm.
* [[She's Got Legs]]: Sora often gets the camera to focus on hers, from [[Male Gaze|butt]] to [[Foot Focus|toes.]] In one of the first scenes Kalos grabs Sora's legs when she is standing on the street (even though she doesn't know who he is) and declares her fit to be a performer.
** This trope is true of most of the women to one extent or another, which see [[Sensual Spandex]],
*** Again, hello... [[Sailor Moon]]???
**** And in an interview with Sato, it is revealed that they would often attempt to see how far they could take such. It's in the US singles' releases.
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* [[Shorttank]]: Sora and Rosetta.
* [[Shout-Out]]: Of course, the whole concept of the Kaleido Stage is a ''huge'' shout-out to the [[Cirque Du Soleil]].
** Anna's posse
* [[Show Within a Show]]: Several, going from fairy tales ("Cinderella," "The Little Mermaid") to literature classics ("Dracula," "Romeo and Juliet"). Arguably the whole point of the setting.
* [[Shower of Angst]]: Sora takes one after {{spoiler|she loses Layla's Phoenix Ticket to May.}}
* [[Sink
* [[Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism]]: You have three chances to guess which side this series firmly sits on, and the first two don't count.
* [[Smug Snake]]: {{spoiler|Yuri Killian, in the first season.}}
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* [[Stripperiffic]]: Layla's, Sora's and May's outfits in ''Salome in Vegas''. In the [[Grand Finale]], also, watch Sora perform as Princess Odette in ''[[Swan Lake]]'', explosively shredding her outfit to reveal a costume that looks like a cross between a bellydancer outfit and a white bikini.
** The final single ADV Films DVD release cover takes full advantage of this Fanservice (which see [[She's Got Legs]]).
* [[Talking to Himself|Talking to Herself]]: In the English dub, Sarah and Doctor Kate were both voiced by [[Luci Christian]], and there's one notable scene in the second half of season one where these two have a conversation about
* [[Team Mom]]: Sarah is a rather peculiar version of this trope: despite being an efficient dorm supervisor, an [[Idol Singer]] for the Stage and Sora and Co.'s [[Cool Big Sis]], sometimes she can be [[
▲* [[Talking to Himself|Talking to Herself]]: In the English dub, Sarah and Doctor Kate were both voiced by [[Luci Christian]], and there's one notable scene in the second half of season one where these two have a conversation about {{spoiler|Yuri's changes to Kaleido Stage after he took it over.}}
▲* [[Team Mom]]: Sarah is a rather peculiar version of this trope: despite being an efficient dorm supervisor, an [[Idol Singer]] for the Stage and Sora and Co.'s [[Cool Big Sis]], sometimes she can be [[Adult Child|even]] ''[[Adult Child|more]]'' [[Adult Child|child-like]] than her proteges. She gets bonus points for {{spoiler|being in love with [[Team Dad]] Kalos}} though.
** And double bonus {{spoiler|for actually ''getting'' him in the end.}}
* [[Technician Versus Performer]]: Sora puts her heart in her performances, which makes her clash with the more technically-geared Rosetta, Leon and May.
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* [[Time to Unlock More True Potential]]: Almost every time Sora needs to expand her skills, she finds someone to put her through an ever more grueling [[Training from Hell]].
* [[Tomboy and Girly Girl]]: Mia and Anna, respectively. Sora is the tomboy when with Layla; with May... it ''[[Tsundere|heavily]]'' depends on May's current mood (and curiously, May ''really'' looks the part of the girly girl, thanks to her [[Rapunzel Hair]] and cute wardrobe).
** Let's not forget Sora and Rosetta. Since both are [[Shorttank
** Also Cathy and Layla, as well as Julie and Charlotte.
* [[Training from Hell]]: The series is ''infamous'' for this. And [[Never Live It Down|believe it or not]], Sora is ''not'' the only one who has to go through it once and again and again
* [[Transformation Sequence]]: Sora's explosive costume change {{spoiler|at the climax of the final episode of the second season}} certainly shows the influence of predecessors like ''[[Sailor Moon]]'', even though it's (probably) not magical.
* [[Translation Convention]]: It's made pretty clear that everybody is speaking English to each other, though of course in the raw and subtitled versions it's Japanese. Sora even went to an English conversation school in preparation for the trip to <s> LA</s> Cape Mery.
** Note there are some problems. If you see handwritten or typed English, there are errors. Sarah's name is typed as Salah. Layla's dad's note makes no sense. The twins are playing a wordplay game that only makes sense in Japanese. Aaron Killian's first name is said as "Arlon" during the {{spoiler|Legendary Great Maneuver at the end of season one}}, but is subtitled as "Aaron" in season two's opening recap!
* [[Tsundere]]: May Wong is a ''very'' exaggerated (in the beginning) Type A (tsuntsun, aka "mostly cranky"). She mellows out a bit, but is still quite volatile.
* [[Childhood Friend Romance|Victorious Childhood Friend]]:
* [["Well Done, Son" Guy]]: Layla is a female version of this.
* [[Whip It Good]]: Dio
* [[White-Haired Pretty Boy]]: Leon Oswald.
* [[Wide-Eyed Idealist]]: Boy, does Sora get called out for being one of these
* [[You Gotta Have Blue Hair]]: Sora, with her raspberry-hued locks, is almost the only character in the show with an unrealistic hair color. (Although Leon's silver/platinum hair comes close. Also, the dance captain has lavender hair, but he also seems to be a [[Camp Gay]], so it may be dyed).
* [[You Killed My Father]]: {{spoiler|The reason behind Yuri becoming a [[Smug Snake]] and master of [[Kick the Dog]] acts in the middle of the series. The kicker? It was ''not'' Kalos' fault, but Yuri was so traumatized that nothing would convince him of the truth.}}
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