Kaleido Star

Alternative Names: It has none, as far as I know
Genres: Slice of Life, Fantasy, Comedy,
Number of episodes: Well, that's a bit difficult, 'cause there are 2 seasons, and three ova's...
The two seasons have a total of 51 episodes, season one has 26 episodes, and season two, the restTheme Songs: (from http://www.animenewsnetwork.com)

Theme Songs:

Opening Theme:

#1: "TAKE IT SHAKE IT" by Sugar (eps 1-13)

#2: "Yakusoku no basho e" by Chihiro Yonekura (eps 14-26)

#3: "Tattoo Kiss" by r.o.r/s (eps 27-51)

Ending Theme:

#1: "real Identity" by Sugar (eps 1-13)

#2: "Boku wa kokoni iru" by SOPHIA (eps 14-26)

#3: "Escape" by r.o.r/s (eps 27-50)

#4: "Yakusoku no basho e" by Chihiro Yonekura with Kaleido Stars (ep 51)

Characters:
Sora Naegino:
Sora wanted to join Kaleido Stage after seeing the show with her parents when she was little, which was the last memories of her parents... Years later, she goes to audition, but is too late, and received a scolding from the main star, Layla. But the boss of Kaleido Star let Sora perform in a actual performance, and short thereafter she joins the actual stage. She makes two good friends, and works hard for her goals, which makes people respect her. However, she has no basis, and can only do hard maneuvres, and never had to learn how to heave a good balance and so on... Still, she goes for it!
Layla Hamilton:
Layla is an accomplished performer. She has a very stubborn character who always gets her way. But she came to have respect for Sora, since she takes risks which nobody else takes, and works always her very best. 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, he actually never saw a real performance from her, because he always works. Towards the end of the first season, Layla starts to see Fool and she becomes Sora's partner for a important maneuver. While training in the Grand Canyons, both Layla and Sora start to gain each others trust and become good friends. While performing the great Mystical Act, Layla's arm becomes so severely injured that she cannot perform on Kaleido Stage again. In the second season, she becomes a Broadway actress and her new partner is a producer by the name of Cathy. She visits Sora many times and they still share that special bond. 
Mia Guillem: 
Mia was born in Holland and 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.  
Anna Heart: 
Anna is also good friend of Sora's. She, 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. Without succes ;). The request is almost always denied. 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.
Yuri Killian:
Yuri, like Layla, is an experienced performer, yet he's deeply traumatized by a terrible tragedy. His father, Arlon Brass, died attempting the Mystical Act, and he never forgave Kalos for letting his father die. So he takes revenge.  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, Sophie who was a lot like Sora in many ways.
Fool, Spirit of The Stage:
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. 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. However, 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.
Sarah Dupont:
Sarah is the main singer of Kaleido Stage from the United Kingdom, 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.
Ken Robbins:
Ken is the stage manager for Kaleido. He used to want to perform onstage when he was young, but claims to have a weak heart and decided that it was best to be backstage. Ken also greatly admires Sora, in many respects, and seems to have a huge crush on her, but never has the guts to confess his feelings for her. Though it would appear that everyone else is aware of his feelings for her, in one instance even trying to help him confess to her.
Kalos Eido:
Kalos is the head manager and boss of the entire Kaleido Stage and gives Sora many helpful pieces of advice throughout the anime. Before Kaleido Stage, Kalos was a stage magician and acrobat and used to perform on the street with Sarah and Andy; 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.
=>In the second season, there are many more characters, but you will find those out later...

Summary: Sora joins Kaleido Stage, which she loves with all her heart, but it is not so easy to survive there, and she encounters many problems, but she also makes good friends, and works very hard in Kaleido Stage. Her parents want her to come home, because they're worried, people with grudges, and all those things come together, and every episode has an end to a problem, and sometimes also a next problem. Because Sora is different from the other people, people are often surprised by her, but she always gains their trust in the end. After the first season, she loses her goal a bit, and does a lot of competition with May, but in the end, she withdraws from the competition, and makes her own goal...

My view: A very good serie, certainly worth the time watching it. It encounters a lot of problems, and a lot of solutions, but it isn't one of those series where you can see what's coming, not at all, to be precise. And that's one of the things I like so much about it. You can watch it over and over again, but it's never boring, and I laughed a lot while watching it. Not much series can do that kind of entertainment, but it did make me a bit envious, what they can do with their bodies...
Rating: 9
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