TV-Series
Description
Masumi Hayami is a central figure in the anime The Glass Mask Year 3 Class D, which reimagines the classic Glass Mask story in a high school comedy setting. He is the adopted son of Eisuke Hayami, the president of the Daito Art entertainment conglomerate, and serves as the vice president of the company. His birth name was Fujimura, and he entered the Hayami household at the age of six when his widowed mother, Aya Fujimura, became a servant in the Hayami home. His biological father died in a construction accident when Masumi was two years old. Eisuke Hayami, who was sterile and had no natural heir, recognized the boy’s intelligence and adaptability and later adopted him, marrying his mother and training him to take over the business.
Masumi is portrayed as tall, elegant, and ambitious, with a sharp, calculating mind and a reputation for being cold and ruthless in his business dealings. He was raised under a harsh, pragmatic education that taught him to read people and maintain a flawless public facade. His father showed him little warmth, prioritizing the legendary play The Crimson Goddess over his family. This upbringing left Masumi emotionally guarded and unable to form genuine connections. He rarely shows a real smile and often appears detached or heartless. As a workaholic, he dedicates himself entirely to the company’s interests, including initially attempting to acquire the performance rights to The Crimson Goddess from the mentor Chigusa Tsukikage, which leads to her acting school being disbanded.
Despite this intimidating exterior, Masumi’s first encounter with Maya Kitajima’s acting completely changes him. He becomes her secret admirer and supporter, sending her anonymous bouquets of purple roses. Maya, unaware of his identity, comes to think of him as the “Purple Rose Person.” In contrast, she openly hates Masumi because of his role in Tsukikage’s downfall and her perception of him as a cold-hearted corporate enemy. This duality defines his role in the story: he is simultaneously the antagonistic businessman who obstructs Maya’s path and the secret benefactor who nurtures her talent.
His motivations are deeply tied to his resentment toward his father. Masumi’s true goal is not simply to run Daito Art but to wrest control of The Crimson Goddess away from Eisuke, using the very ruthlessness his father taught him. His love for Maya develops slowly and intensely, but he keeps it hidden because he believes she would reject him if she knew he was the one responsible for her mother’s death and for the destruction of Tsukikage’s school. The age difference of eleven years also contributes to his reluctance.
Key relationships include his adoptive father Eisuke, whom he secretly plans to surpass; his mother Aya, who died saving Eisuke’s precious Crimson Goddess costume, an event that deepened his bitterness; and Maya, who becomes both his obsession and his source of emotional growth. He also interacts with subordinates like Hajime Onodera and others who carry out his business schemes.
Over the course of the series, Masumi undergoes significant development. He begins as a purely business-driven, seemingly heartless figure but gradually reveals his capacity for deep care and self-sacrifice. His secret support for Maya softens him, and he starts to question the cold path he has followed. By the later parts of the story, his feelings for Maya are fully acknowledged, and he strives to protect her and support her dream of becoming the Crimson Goddess, even at the cost of his own ambitions.
In terms of abilities, Masumi is a highly competent corporate executive with sharp strategic instincts and a talent for negotiation and manipulation. He is also physically imposing and carries himself with an air of authority. His most notable habit is sending purple roses as his signature gesture. In the high school comedy spin-off The Glass Mask Year 3 Class D, these traits are exaggerated for humorous effect, but the core of his character remains that of a secretly devoted admirer hiding behind a stern, businesslike mask.
Masumi is portrayed as tall, elegant, and ambitious, with a sharp, calculating mind and a reputation for being cold and ruthless in his business dealings. He was raised under a harsh, pragmatic education that taught him to read people and maintain a flawless public facade. His father showed him little warmth, prioritizing the legendary play The Crimson Goddess over his family. This upbringing left Masumi emotionally guarded and unable to form genuine connections. He rarely shows a real smile and often appears detached or heartless. As a workaholic, he dedicates himself entirely to the company’s interests, including initially attempting to acquire the performance rights to The Crimson Goddess from the mentor Chigusa Tsukikage, which leads to her acting school being disbanded.
Despite this intimidating exterior, Masumi’s first encounter with Maya Kitajima’s acting completely changes him. He becomes her secret admirer and supporter, sending her anonymous bouquets of purple roses. Maya, unaware of his identity, comes to think of him as the “Purple Rose Person.” In contrast, she openly hates Masumi because of his role in Tsukikage’s downfall and her perception of him as a cold-hearted corporate enemy. This duality defines his role in the story: he is simultaneously the antagonistic businessman who obstructs Maya’s path and the secret benefactor who nurtures her talent.
His motivations are deeply tied to his resentment toward his father. Masumi’s true goal is not simply to run Daito Art but to wrest control of The Crimson Goddess away from Eisuke, using the very ruthlessness his father taught him. His love for Maya develops slowly and intensely, but he keeps it hidden because he believes she would reject him if she knew he was the one responsible for her mother’s death and for the destruction of Tsukikage’s school. The age difference of eleven years also contributes to his reluctance.
Key relationships include his adoptive father Eisuke, whom he secretly plans to surpass; his mother Aya, who died saving Eisuke’s precious Crimson Goddess costume, an event that deepened his bitterness; and Maya, who becomes both his obsession and his source of emotional growth. He also interacts with subordinates like Hajime Onodera and others who carry out his business schemes.
Over the course of the series, Masumi undergoes significant development. He begins as a purely business-driven, seemingly heartless figure but gradually reveals his capacity for deep care and self-sacrifice. His secret support for Maya softens him, and he starts to question the cold path he has followed. By the later parts of the story, his feelings for Maya are fully acknowledged, and he strives to protect her and support her dream of becoming the Crimson Goddess, even at the cost of his own ambitions.
In terms of abilities, Masumi is a highly competent corporate executive with sharp strategic instincts and a talent for negotiation and manipulation. He is also physically imposing and carries himself with an air of authority. His most notable habit is sending purple roses as his signature gesture. In the high school comedy spin-off The Glass Mask Year 3 Class D, these traits are exaggerated for humorous effect, but the core of his character remains that of a secretly devoted admirer hiding behind a stern, businesslike mask.