Kaleido Star overview (episodes 1 and 2)

[Current song: Boku wa Koko ni iru (Kaleido Star's 2nd ED)]

Kaleido Star is a story about a 16-year-old Japanese girl named Sora Naegino, who desperately wants to be a member of Kaleido Stage.

In the first episode, she travels by plane from Japan to the U.S., to audition at the world-famous circus.

However, Kaleido Stage is no ordinary circus. Actually, it’s more like a production company of plays, but the dialog and action are performed, instead, by acrobatics. Towards the end of the first episode, we learn that Kaleido Stage’s current production is Romeo and Juliet. We also learn that when Sora visited Kaleido Stage at the young age of five, that Kaleido Stage’s production was Alice in Wonderland.

Sora arrives late to the audition, because she was presumed to be a runaway by the police and taken to the station. Though there is some time to squeeze Sora in to audition, Layla Hamilton, one of Kaleido Stage’s stars, refuses that Sora should be allowed to audition, since “a production always starts on time.” After some events, the boss, Kalos, accepts Sora into Kaleido Stage.

(Note that the above description is really just a paraphrase of the most major events in the episode.)

Episode two. Even though Sora has been accepted into Kaleido Stage, Layla is still convinced that Sora does not belong there, as well as many other cast members. She arrived late, didn’t she?

Sora has a huge misunderstanding with some cast members during class, and Layla overhears the tail end of it. “Think you can perform the Golden Phoenix*? I’d like to see you try.” Sora cannot back out of it, so she is forced to train. If she fails, she has to leave Kaleido Stage for good.

For the remainder of that episode, Sora is training to execute the Golden Phoenix, and at the end, we get to see her get it half right. I was planning on avoiding giving it away, but the thought of, “Hey, it’s a 26 episode series. Who in their right mind would think that the main character would fail with 24 more episodes to go?” made me reconsider. She gets the pose right, but she misses the trapeze bar. She stays because Layla says, “You didn’t get that last part right, but what you did can definitely be called the Golden Phoenix.”

*The Golden Phoenix is a maneuver, performed by Layla in the climax of the production Romeo and Juliet.

Now, for the fun part. Possibly Objectional Material!

Episode one:
Sora choking a flight attendant in her sleep.
Kalos staring at Sora’s legs and then eventually grabbing her thigh.
Sora bouncing off a lawn chair, right between a couple, who are making out. (I didn’t even notice what exactly the two people were before I did frame by frame and it became apparent. The moment in question lasts about a second or two)
Mr. Policeman, who is a big black man. Just for those who find big black man offensive because of racial stereotypes and the like. (He does speak good grammar, though!)
Sora doing warm-ups at the police station, one warm-up including her spreading her legs. (This action is repeated two more times in the episode)
One use of, “Thank God.”
A blonde character, Layla, is not a dumb blonde. For my brothers, who find smart blondes offensive. ;)
Sora throwing her clothes off. (But she’s wearing a leotard underneath)
Sora tackling a person to the ground.
A spirit (The spirit of the stage)
Use of random English in both the opening and ending theme.

Episode two:
Sora takes a shower, not before tying up the spirit of the stage.
Kalos stares at Sora’s legs again.
Ken getting “tested” by Mr. Policeman to see “if [Ken] is worthy enough to be Sora’s boyfriend.”
First use of a tarot card.
One use of, “Oh my God.”

I have screen caps of all the P.O.M. items, in the case someone wants to see.

(I really hope that this wasn't a badly rewritten overview...thing)