Paradise Kiss

Please read my review before pressing that nothelpful button
Cool is what rules in this anime. Everything in the artwork, characters, attitude, and even the story just emanates cool and they even do it with an attitude. As you already know it's about a girl named Yukari thats not to sure about her future. Just by a chance encounter on the street gets discovered by the most unsuitable of characters.


Story - (Outstanding)
The story is a typical love drama, but the setting, characters, and personalities are what make this completely different from the rest of group. It takes a more realistic approach toward drama. Something you'd see ... out of a prime time drama show on TV would be more comparable than any other anime. They take life and their hardships and don't really "anime coat" it. Things like arguing, love, and brainstorming are done with a minimum of two people, its never one sided. When i mean 'anime-coating,' i mean like areguments are hardly ever one sided, both persons actually prove a good point. Love is also a good point, it actually gets some resolve and doesn't stay in "should i confess to him" anime-limbo. But already, I'm saying a bit much but since the anime is a short and fast 12 episodes, it makes sense for it not to drag such emotions like love and friendship. It defintely has the feel of a western drama instead of an anime drama.

Art - (Outstanding)
The art work is also something that surprised me. Like any average viewer, they'd get wierded out if they start seeing their anime characters with proportionate body parts (i.e. normal sized eyes, mouth, and even a nose). Once the shock of adjusting to the art style, this is easily one of the best looking show's i have ever layed eyes on. It's also centered around pop-culture and style, so everything they wear is completely trendy and detailed. From safety pins as piercings, hair stylings, makeup, and even clothing are displayed with insane detail. At any one time, you can count all the earrings on one characters ear, or how many necklaces one is wearing, and even the type of fabric is on their scarf. Every character actually dresses different every episode and thats quite a refreshing take as opposed to the same-school-clothes-everyday-look of other dramas. My favorite part of the show (and what you should notice) is how they manage to make Yukari even more beautiful than before every episode. You'll notice the subtle changes in not her clothing but her attitude and demeanor as well.
On occasion, some anime are only able to survive with great artwork and have a horrible storyline but this manages to have both an outstanding artwork and story. On top of that having to put real world product placement (Jaguar, Benz, Sony, Zipper, etc) just increases the detail tenfold.

Sound - (Outstanding)
The sound effects are nothing spectacular but you will notice one thing. There is a rather large lack of it. And that is how it should be in a drama. Nothing should interfere with the drama unfolding on the screen. So all that you're left with is the top notch, tear jerking, believable voice acting and environmental sound effects. The music is placed very skillfully as well. For the most part, they'll be played on jukeboxes, radios, and the like. And they're actual j-pop songs playing instead of just instrumentals. And speaking of j-pop, the OP was just perfect for for the show, as it had the feel of a Madonna-ish song which gave it a 'glamorous' feeling to set you in the mood of watching it. And the ED song by Franz Ferdinad is just pure fun. Especially how they manage to blend it with the end of the episode to the credits and don't just do a quick cut to the credits like normal.

Character - (Outstanding)
The characters are something to believe as well. Once all the characters are through with the introductions you will notice one thing right away. They are all so carefree and believable. I even had a nostalgic feeling seeing how the characters would talk amongst each other and just enjoyed the moment. Of course it doesn't the story doesn't stray too far away from Yukari since she is the star of this show. They all play their role so believably I can't help but have this feeling of amazement that there ARE anime that can pull off such intriguing drama.

Enjoyment - (Outstanding)
This show is unlike any other drama anime I have seen to date (top right). Rather, its more comparable to things like the likes of Greys Anatomy, the O.C., or even Party of Five. If you like or enjoy shows such as that I highly recommend giving this eye candy of an anime a try. I even found this A LOT better than Lovely Complex. Don't be fooled by the artwork if you find it a turnoff, its one of the best anime drama's I've ever seen.

Xinil said it best: "it's for a mature audience. It doesn't cater to narutards"
...thats the truth

Looking for a quick 12 episode show to watch? Paradise Kiss is just for you. Sure, it\'s a little more for the "Shojo" audience, but it has plenty of stuff to keep any guy entertained. So, what\'d I think about it?

Story
Meet Caroline, the girl who doesn\'t really know what she\'s doing with her life. She happens upon a group of college students that need her to be their fashion model. Interesting premise, and doesn\'t sound too farfetched from what might happen in real life. Good ending that actually makes some sense too.

Art
A little funny looking at times, but the art is definitely nice. Sexy looking ... females. Thumbs up from me.

Sound
Awesome opening (freakin\' awesome) and great ending theme (U.S. band). Can\'t see how you wouldn\'t like the music throughout the anime.

Character
Caroline x George are definitely my favorite characters. Great personalities from each of them and the story really makes you understand why they are the way they are.

Enjoyment
Enjoyable, quick, and happy. 12 episodes of some laughter and some teary scenes.

Basically, you can\'t go wrong with this anime. If you\'re into romance (not some angst crap though), and you like non-stupid anime, check this out.

So there are very few anime in this world that can satisfy you completely. They give you everything you want and then some delivered in a neatly wrapped box with a bow. This anime does nothing but deliver from the very first episode up until the last few seconds of the series. But let me be frank; If you're looking for a cutesy series that sugar coats all of its drama in anime cliches then get out and don't let the door hit you on your way out. This anime is not for you! With that said let's move on.

Paradise Kiss accomplishes so many things ... in just 12 episodes that it can almost leave you thirsting for more but deep down you know that there can be no more. The story itself is the centerpiece of everything and drives itself forward with meaningful interactions and tense drama that thickens the plot as it unfolds. What is most notable about the series is it's realistic approach to drama and how it refuses to sugar coat things and drag out emotions across all 12 episodes. If I recall the main characters quickly start their relationship by about the 2nd or 3rd episode. This anime may seem impatient, but in reality it's just not going to wait around for the fun to start. The show steps into deep waters and treads where most others would not. It goes much farther than I had anticipated and shows how much its characters develop over the course of the series.

The main character goes from being this tense study bug to being a care-free fashion model. Her transformation isn't this instantaneous change that happens at 15 minutes into episode 6 or something; but rather it takes place over time. The first thing that happens is a hair cut. I actually commented out loud as I was watching and said "she actually doesn't look all THAT pretty here..." But I stuck it out and to my surprise she seemed to get prettier every episode. Her style changed, her hair changed, her personality blossomed into something new and exciting, and she becomes someone who is definitely worth watching.

The show tackles a handful of sub plots but doesn't loose control of them or allow them to impede on the main story's progress. the majority of the side characters have stories of their own and are all expertly told in a very short amount of time. In some cases characters stories aren't discussed in the show but rather in the manga and there's even a scene where a character tells you that you can "read more about him" in a particular manga.

The art and sound weave together to create this tapestry of pop-art that seamlessly mixes with the characters. The opening and closing theme were chosen so expertly and serve only to set the mood for the show. The ending theme is even mixed in with the last 10-15 seconds of the show so that it seamlessly transitions into the credits.

This anime is quite possibly the most enjoyable anime I've ever seen with an ending that didn't disappoint. Instead of having this storybook happily ever after ending you are quickly faced with reality. Sure the characters kind of succeeded in what they were trying to do, but reality has to set in at some point and the show reminds us that we live in the real world. The ending however does tie up any and all loose ends and leaves almost nothing to the imagination. It also doesn't leave room for a second season so there's no chance of a spin-off brought on by money grubbing producers. Never have I been faced with an anime that literally left me in a daze after its credits rolled on episode 12.

Overall this anime is a masterpiece in its own genre. It masterfully and skillfully tells a straight forward, but complex story complete with sub plots, exciting drama, and cool music to boot. I also liked that characters didn't spend 10 minutes arguing in tense situations. Example: man is holding a gun pointing it at another character(lets call him teppei kun). Teppei kun gives this long monologue about his life and how he's always been alone and blah blah blah. In reality the guy would've just shot him for talking way too much.

ok. I've talked for far too long now. This anime is a masterpiece. Watch it!

Title: Paradise Kiss

Manga/Anime: Paradise Kiss was originally a manga created by Ai Yazawa (famous for Nana), and ran in the Japanese fashion magazine Zipper from the April 2000 issue to the March 2004 issue. Five volumes have been compiled, and all have been released, both in Japan, and Stateside from Tokyopop.

The anime was produced by Studio Madhouse (famous for Death Note, Paranoia Agent, and Devil May Cry, among others), directed by Osamu Kobayashi (who also directed Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad and Kimagure Orange Road), and ran on Japanese TV from October 13th, 2005 to December 29th, 2005. It has been licensed Stateside by ... Geneon, and the third and final volume was released this April.

Story: The story centers around Yukari, a high school student who's basically been living for nothing but her mom's expectations, figuring out what she wants to do (professional modeling), by virtue of being recruited for a school fashion show by a group of designers who call themselves Paradise Kiss.

The story is WIN. Like Victorian Romance Emma, this show had me grinning like an idiot at least once every episode. This is one of the few shows where I've liked every main character straight off the bat. It's fun to watch all the relationships in this story play out, and to see Yukari deciding what she wants to do with her life and going after it.

At one point, there's a really convoluted love polygon going on, but then it splits into two triangles that kind of connect. But the relationships serve as nice counterpoints to each other, and they're filled with plenty of drama. In fact, there's a mirror to almost every major relationship between characters in this show, and it's really nice. It shows you how things could turn out, or what they could've been like. It's a nice touch.

I don't know how close this is to the manga, but I do know that Ai Yazawa worked pretty closely with Kobayashi on the adaptation, so I don't think people have too much to get worked up over.

WARNING: There is sex, there is nudity, there is a guy who dresses up and acts like a girl. If this makes you go 'EW!', don't watch this series.

Art: The art for this series can be summed up in two words: absolutely beautiful.

Really, though. Madhouse has a bit more realistic style than you see from other studios, and it really fits this series to a tee. The random SD that pops up is fun, too. And the colors they use for clothes and backgrounds tend to reflect atmospheres.

I'm giving the outfits a whole separate paragraph, because they deserve it. You can tell that Madhouse gave this series a big budget, because characters change outfits at least once an episode, usually even more. And the outfits were all designed by a professional, and you can tell. Every outfit that they use for this series is absolutely beautiful, and there are quite a few designs that I would buy, if they existed in real life.

Music: The OP and ED are â?¥. Tommy February 6's OP 'Lonely in Gorgeous' captures the mood of the show perfectly, and the ED... well, Franz Ferdinand's 'Do You Want To' is for the win, so I don't really care how it relates to the show. :D

Background music for the show is actually done more as ambient music (i.e. songs being played on a CD/ radio station), and it's a nice touch.

Length: Absolutely no complaints here. The show ambles along at its own pace, and it works very well. The actual climax of the series is the second to last episode, and the last episode is a wrap-up of sorts, similar to what happens in Gankutsuou.

Seiyuu: I recognize some of the seiyuu ' from where, I have no clue whatsoever. I can't access the site that I can cross-check the seiyuu with their other roles at the moment, so this section will be edited later on. However, like normal, no problems here.

Dub: N/A, haven't seen it just yet.

Overall: Excellently written, beautifully animated series, with plenty of drama and counterpoint, with a killer OST, too.

Story: 8/10
Art: 9/10
Music: 8/10
Length: 7/10
Seiyuu: 8/10

Overall: 39/50; 78% (C)

This is one of the few series I finished in a hurry. The story was going so well until the ending – it left me under whelmed. Sure it made me a bit teary – eyed, but it was so disappointing compared to the rest of the series.

I really love the story though – I am a fashion freak. I love anything that has something to do with fashion, and I love anime. Combining two of my loves is a plus. I just thought it was relatable. Doesn’t everyone feel like Caroline sometimes? Like you want to break free and actually do what you ... want? I also like how the anime chronicles how Caroline deals with all the changes that she had to face and how she makes her decisions.

I love the characters. They’re all so good looking! There’s Caroline, of course. Wild child trying to break free out of her serious shell. She’s so pretty. Then there’s the eccentric George, the bad boy of the story. The adorable Miwako and the rest of her family that’s just as adorable. Arashi, my favorite, who despite his looks is actually a man with morals. Finally, Isabella, the resident cross dresser – who I think is actually cool. What I like about these characters is they change throughout the series, especially Caroline. They actually all have depth – which is hard to accomplish especially in an anime that is only 12 episodes long. I would like to note that I like George and Caroline’s relationship, even though it was kinda weird sometimes. It’s like they would constantly fight and make up, and this is mostly due to George’s lack of ability to love.

The drawing style was interesting. One minute it’s normal (drawing style actually reminds me of BECK a bit) then it’s chibi form, but it’s not the usual chibi form. I think the chibi style they made use of was similar to the drawing style in the original anime series, where Paradise Kiss was spun off from. “Real” visuals were also used, but mostly during the scenes before the opening theme. I applaud the details on inanimate objects – from the sewing machine in the atelier to George’s car. They almost look lifelike. Colors are ok, and are nicely done.

The voice acting was okay. I was a bit uncertain when it came to Caroline’s voice, since I wasn’t sure if it fit her. I did like Arashi’s voice – it fit his personality well. In fact, I do think that everyone’s seiyus matched their personalities except for Caroline. I just found it to be a bit low and rough.

The music was great too – The opening theme was cute. I heard Tommy February was actually a famous pop star in Japan, and I can tell. I really love “Lonely in Gorgeous”. The ending song surprised me – since it’s from Franz Ferdinand, and I’m actually a fan of their music. The first time I watched it I was like “Hey, isn’t this Franz Ferdinand?” I’m glad their music matched the theme of the show.

All in all I liked the series – but somehow I don’t see it as my favorite yet. It’s definitely somewhere there, maybe if I watched it again I’ll like it more. I think the problem is the love love scenes made me a bit awkward – specially I watched most of the episodes in broad daylight. The scenes were just explicit. Anyway, I can’t argue with the fact that I do like it. I watched it in three days, and 8 episodes on one day, after all.

Paradise Kiss is an anime aimed at the shoujo audience, but what sets this anime apart from all other shoujo anime is it's unique characterisation and atypical storyline.

Story - 9
Paradise Kiss is a short anime about how a young 18 year old girl's life is changed completely when a group of fashion design students kidnap her off the street to model their dress for a school fashion show. The main female protagonist falls in love with the main male protagonist and a love story is revealed. What sets this anime aside from the rest of the 'typical shoujo/romance' anime is that ... the relationship between the two are not as simple as it seems. The story itself has a realistic element to it making it more suitable for a mature audience rather than what the word shoujo literally implies.

Art - 10
Personally, i love Ai Yazawa's artwork, the setting was drawn realistically to compliment the whole aspect of a realistic life and story. I was surprised to see how everything was drawn perfectly, the anime itself felt like one from 2007/08 rather than 2005. The characters were perfect, nothing was really out of place, the males did not look over glamourous nor did the females look over pitiful. The whole urbanised setting gave the anime and overal fashionable and trendy feel to it. The only flaw i could notice was the characters looked odd when they were far away but when they were close up, every detail could be shown.

Sound - 9
The OP and ED were catchy songs and suited the anime well, it created a funky feel to the anime and the way the opening was brought in for each episode really made the song a part of the anime rather than your general opening you have for every anime. The anime lacked BGM at times, but for this anime, having less of it was much more suitable.

Character - 10
The characters were definately one of this anime's strong points, almost the whole story revolves around the basis of clashing characters working together and becoming friends (or more than friends even). It also shows how one person can change another's outlook on life and their personality. Ai Yazawa is successful in showing how Yukari's whole life changes in a very short amount of time purely by making friends with the "bad crowd" and realising her ambitions.

Enjoyment - 9
If you've watched NANA, then Paradise Kiss doesn't stray too far from the basic concepts in NANA. The whole mature, real life drama is what makes Paradise Kiss enjoyable. If you're looking for a short, sweet, drama-filled, not-your-typical-shoujo anime then i'd highly recommend you give Paradise Kiss a try.

I finished paradise kiss in one day, which is quick for me even though there are only 12 episodes, but I can't say I liked watching it. It was inspiring, sure, and the art was great, but from the beginning to the end I felt an underlying bitterness that I couldn't get out of.

NO SPOILERS AHEAD

THE CHARACTERS
So, even though some of the interaction in paradise kiss was more realistic than in other shoujo anime, I never got to liking the characters. The main girl didn't really have anything going for her and her love interest was extremely selfish. The fact that they fell ... in love felt unrealistic to me, the love itself felt more like lust and infatuation, too insecure and I personally just didn't see the point. Even though the other characters were reasonably interesting, I found that the little backstory they got was rushed, and I never got to liking them either. No-one made me smile and I wasn't particularly rooting for anyone. I think the makers were going for a realistic vibe, but part of life is the fun and I didn't have it, and I never really saw the characters have it. So why did I keep watching?

FASCINATION
Most stories I love are the ones that have great characters, reasonably realistic and lovable. And though I think these were meant to be lovable or at least have some appeal they all seemed desperate to me. It missed one of the essential parts that I look for: Comfort. I need a bit of hope and comfort, a great friendship or deep trust or a love story that isn't just driven by passion. When none of that is there it just sort of drags on for me. I did keep watching, not really because I wanted to know about the characters but because I got fascinated by the feeling that it gave me. Somehow I just got an incredible feeling of growing bitterness and despair from every episode. I didn't really care about the story but it did teach me things about what I absolutely don't want from life. I'm a songwriter and I paused several times to write songs because it gave me that feeling of at least knowing my own priorities and goals. They were all pretty dark songs. I certainly found it interesting to watch but I'm never going to watch it again. It's just something I wanted finished, but the fact that I didn't stop proved that I was fascinated, which is why the score isn't dramatic.

BE WARNED
Don't go in expecting a happy go lucky anime, I know, I probably already made that pretty clear. I don't think everyone finds it depressing, but I do, and it kept eating away at me. I get that some people love this anime, and some who crave realism might find what they are looking for. But personally I didn't find the story all that realistic and it just mostly made me feel kind of empty. To me the world doesn't look anything like it was portrayed (figuratively, not literally of course) I hadn't meant to give it a five but I writing this I just couldn't feel good about these aspects of the anime.

SO ENOUGH DEPRESSING STUFF
The art was, well, ART, it was beautiful, a bit more realistic than most anime and really artistically done. The colors were great, I never once skipped the theme-song-video and it was overall pretty awesome. Some of the same shots were used a few times randomly, which bothered me a bit but I liked it a lot overall. It really fit the story and the vibe too. The music didn't stand out for me but never really bothered me either.

YOU MIGHT LOVE IT
I do think that some people will love it, it might really just be personal perspective or priorities, it was interesting, beautiful and flamboyant, and I do think the dialogue was well done and more like the actual confused human beings we all are than a lot of other shoujo anime. I just couldn't see the point in the choices the characters made and I didn't believe them to be real, so the dialogue sort of drowned in that frustration. The anime left me feeling a little hollow which could be either a good sign or a bad sign, I'm not sure yet.

I hope this helped in making your choice, I can't really recommend it but I can't say you won't love it either so good luck!

Some encounters in life can be so unpredictable, short yet oftentimes worthwhile that they shake the very fundamentals of our ideals and principles. That is when we start to change, either for better or for worse. Paradise Kiss (henceforth abbreviated as ParaKiss) starts with one such encounter of Yukari Hayasaka and George Koizumi.
Note: Paradise Kiss is also the name of the clothing line formed by George and three other members.

The story follows your everyday school girl Yukari who happens to pass by one of the members of ParaKiss and subsequently meets the other two members of ParaKiss. Out of nowhere, she is asked to ... model for them in the upcoming school festival, which results in a flat out ‘No’. Not until later in the first episode do we witness her fateful encounter with the charismatic George. George once again asks her to model for them and gives her three days time. After an unanticipated turn of events she starts to think more and more about the eccentric group and finally decides to model for them. This decision transforms her hitherto simple life into turmoil of romance, dreams, ambitions, and angst, and her life starts to flow in a direction that she could have never imagined.

The story is pretty simple and proceeds smoothly, but what keeps the viewer glued to the screen is that it is presented with elegance, style and attitude. With the story being simple there is room for character to interact freely and develop as well.

The realistic and strong characters further endear the story to the viewers. The protagonist, Yukari is a simple girl, and despite possessing good looks, a well toned figure and above average height, she doesn’t indulge herself in fashion. She has been living a life marked with academic diligence that is until she meets the people from ParaKiss. She is encouraged to forge a new path by watching the passion that drives the others in ParaKiss to lead their lifestyles. The main credit for Yukari’s development goes to George. It is his straight-forward and ambitious nature that brings forth her desires. It is with his help that she is able to challenge her future instead of succumbing to a secure but unexciting life. Marked with elegance, charisma and pomp, the male lead George at times presents an inscrutable front that leaves the viewers puzzled towards his motives while at other times he is like an open book. His beguiling nature is well received by his teammates and he often gets what he wants, yet on the other hand he has the etiquettes of a perfect gentleman. George is depicted with so many different traits that it makes him unpredictable at times and is considered to be one of his charm points.

Interactions between Yukari and George are handled thoughtfully; sometimes resulting in disagreements between the two akin to those in real life relationships. The viewer is easily entrapped every time an argument breaks out between them and unsure of what developments that may lead to. The relationship of Yukari and George is relatable to real life relationships; and one we may all benefit from learning a thing or two from. The deuteragonists are given a decent role and past. While personally they don’t have much character development, they are instrumental in shaping Yukari and George’s burgeoning romance and personal growth. All the characters are thoroughly worked out and moreover, they are defined with respective individuality.

Correspondingly, the characters are designed stylishly and distinctively. Madhouse, known for its eccentric and ingenious animation, has managed to live up to its reputation. ParaKiss’s story revolves around fashion, hence the character designs need to be innovative and elegant. Madhouse did its job perfectly and all the characters are designed in an attractive light. However, the male characters have a more effeminate look than the female characters. Arashi, one of the deuteragonists, might have a masculine outlook because of his piercings and funky hair style, but the same cannot be said in George’s case, all he needs is long hair and he’ll be the embodiment of the word “Beautiful”. Isabella, also one of the deuteragonists, is always in a woman’s attire, and they both look prettier than Yukari. Majority of the shoujo mangaka draw their male leads to aesthetically entrance the female audience. Now, this is not a complaint but merely an observation. If shounen manga/anime can have women with perfectly toned body and unbelievably huge racks then why can’t men have a more androgynous presence. Well, I guess that’s why people call them ‘Bishounen’. That being said, all the characters are presented charmingly. Furthermore, the facial expressions are animated really well and one can easily tell what the character is going through given their emotive eyes and gestures.

ParaKiss definitely belongs to the upper echelons in character designs. Background animations are not as impressive as the character designs. Madhouse didn’t invest much time in animating the backgrounds with detail. While that doesn’t enhance the overall quality of animation, it didn’t undermine it either.

Sound is another aspect where ParaKiss doesn’t fail to surprise. The engine sound of a vintage Jaguar and the variation of sounds in dialogues adjusted according to the distance of the screen from where the conversation is being held, really points to some meticulous work. The seiyuu did a wonderful job in adapting to their roles. And all the seiyuu seemingly fit to their characters. Some may find Marika Matsumoto, Miwako’s seiyuu, a bit annoying at first because of her cracking yet sometimes cutesy voice but it does suit Miwako’s personality. And in the end of the series Marika is one of the seiyuu that leaves a notable impression. The sound department truly shines in OP and ED songs. The OP, ‘Lonely in Gorgeous’ is probably viewed as one of the best and the most addictive songs in the year 2005. The ending song, ‘Do You Want To’ is pretty good as well, and both OP and ED songs provide a unique atmosphere to ParaKiss.

The unique and glamorous characters, great character designs and unparalleled opening song make Paradise Kiss a memorable anime. This anime is recommended to anyone who is looking for a good and authentic romance show. As for enjoyment, it is purely subjective, but I’ll share some personal pearls of wisdom: don’t have expectations before even starting the series. Eventually you’ll be entertained in some way or the other.

Paradise Kiss is a short romantic story about two people with clashing personalities. This is not your typical love story as the two barely even made it together. Both have different personalities, priorities and interests. But both still clung to each other and try to make things work, at least up to the end of the series.

I love the story (probably the best romantic story for me). Yukari is a character any simple girl can relate to. While George, is the image of a guy, any simple girl would simply dream of and stay away from. George and Yukari were definitely struggling throughout the series ... with their relationship. But they managed to work things out with a lot of understanding and by learning from each other.

The series was usually set in Yukari's point of view and halfway you'd be wondering if the feeling's mutual. However, George gives us hints on how much he loves Yukari in the sweetest ways (although he likes teasing her as well). The best scenes were probably the ones when they're not together, as the care for one another is more evident.

The series ended perfectly and yet I felt sad about it. This is one brilliant series that is a must watch for everyone who wants to have a different romantic story.

The storyline is relatively good. The themes covered are quite basic, but it is very effective in the sense that it touches on the bringing of life of a girl.

The story is about Yukari, a studious student who fails to live up to her parent's expectations. One day, while walking to cram school, she meets a group of designers, under the name of Paradise Kiss. Only when she is scolded by Arashi, a male designer, does she open and realise that the world does not revolve around studying.

In itself, the mangaka Ai Yazawa is able to elevate the story, while able to relate ... to the girl's frustrations, and progressively develop Yukari's character (nicknamed Caroline) from an antisocial, bitchy character to a friendly, warm, firm woman.

The art resembles that of Yazawa's art. Only the animation of the settings really annoyed me. The contrasts between the realness of the setting and the edgedness of the characters really disturbed me, as it becomes in a sense, like the characters are misplaced into reality. Part of the reason that people watch anime is to escape reality and have a bit of fun, and the effect of putting anime characters into real life scenes, I think was rather inappropriate. Furthermore, I thought that the beginning of each episode, with the different scenes, and random animals was quite bizarre, especially when they didn't really relate to the content of the anime. If I recall right, I remember the manga had none of these things.

The sound was okay, with tommyfebruary6's "Lonely in Gorgeous" emphasised the poshness of the fashion industry, both behind the scene designing as well as modelling. What really bothered me was the end song, Franz Ferdinand's "Do you want to" made it sound like a rock anime, despite the poshness of it. Although it can be argued that Arashi is indeed in a rock band, it just doesn't seem right. However, the voice actors for all of the characters was well done. Especially Miwako, as her character and voice resembled each other-very cute.

Overall, I RATHER enjoyed this anime. Although, I had hoped to see more designs of clothes (since I'm approaching university stage).

Paradise kiss is… not bad. Sorry that I just gave away 70% of my judgment right away, but from my perspective (the one I trust) there’s little I can say to make it sound amazing. Ok, being fair, when you analyze its points with a more detached look (shut up, it’s possible!) the series can be classified as good.

Story and Characters

The story centers around Hayasaka Yukari and her involvement with the Paradise Kiss (ParaKiss for short), a studio composed of students of fashion design.

The other ones are Arashi, Miwako, Isabella and Koizume George, the main agent in convincing Yukari to join in and her future ... lover through the series.

After the first impression of Yukari as a slightly vapid balloon of salty water thrown over sandpaper, the series gives her a little more dimension. It’s a good attempt, but you might get the impression that it tried to make her ”too normal”. At least I got. What I mean by that is: while her issues are relatable and realistic, there is no effort in making her more distinct inside the archetype, which might be also an effect of “you’ve seen this done before”.

Arashi is the brash member that does little to hold his thoughts to himself, automatically making my favorite character. Outside of working with Yukari, his interactions with her are minimal, and most of what is seen of him is in relation to his girlfriend, Miwako, the emotional, upbeat, possibly moe smurfette of pre-Yukari ParaKiss.

Isabella is a man, but don’t worry about being attacked over not using the correct pronouns, she is above that. She is subdued, reserved, classy, well dressed (is it a trend in Japanese TV to always have transgender/crossdressers in the most elegant attire?) and soft-spoken, close to the archetype you would see cast as a mentor-character

George is the main designer of ParaKiss. A Casanova (not a bad trait) and former infant design prodigy (raise alarms), he created he first dress for Isabella-kun when both were in third-grade. Bye-bye suspension of disbelief, see you whenever. His character borders on being uneven: he is sometimes caring, but most often suddenly detached, has mood swings that are not discernable neither by the characters, nor the audience and will unadvertedly act harsh towards Yukari because of that. The most consistent trait he has is possibly the irresponsible genius cliché.

Around episode 3 begins the romance between Yukari and George. It starts with no proper explanation of how they got so close so suddenly and bares no chemistry whatsoever. Their romance is not so much a driving force for the plot as it’s a source of tension. With no proper set up, though, it rings quite hollow. Arashi and Miwako for once are a pre-existing couple and most of the tension between them, mainly involving Tokumori, one of Yukari’s classmates and former love interest for Miwako, is effectively established quickly, using often non-verbal language and implied feelings, and holds more impact.

Presentation

Ok, first the positive: there is good care taken for the art, which looks distinct, fairly realistic and detailed. On side-note, though, this clashes with one of the short-comings of the animation, mainly the one that implies some corners had to be cut. Characters are given a wider lip-movement, but it’s quite cluncky and in many cases the show focuses on characters who are not talking or just hinds the mouths, Eva-style.

This issue might not bother you if you prioritize art over movement since the art in Paradise Kiss is definitely stunning, but if you like that smooth flow going along with the figures, this is going to be a eyesore. Weirdly enough, there are points where character morph to a cartoonish chibi model. That’s inconsistent and detracts from the rest of the art, thank you very much.

On the voice-acting department (Japanese, off course), it’s overall serviceable, with the exception of Yukari’s seyiuu Matsumoto Marika, who apparently didn’t want to acknowledge the verb “emote” during recording. I’m not familiar with other works in her name, so I’ll pass on making any statement about her skills.

As it is my first review here I’d like to point out that I mostly avoid talking about soundtrack, because it’s a very personal matter and I’m not even a musician. That said, I was never able to pass on watching the opening, simply because the music was gorgeous. The ending, by Franz Ferdinand, evokes a far more upbeat and quircky mood, but unfortunately was accompanied by the off-putting cartoonish look mentioned above.

Personal ramblings

Being fair (because I am), outside of the main couple there is stuff in the series that is easy to get invested into, mainly Arashi and Miwako, who form a rocky but charming relationship, or Isabella, who does more with her collected and observing demeanor than with words. These side-characters are what prevent Paradise Kiss from falling into Average territory.

By itself the series could have done much more if it dared taking its protagonist to more than her archetype encapsulates and gave the romance a better set up, but it relied too much in concept alone.
Crap, that came out less personal than I had intended!

Anyway, enjoyment aside, I’d give the series the verdict of Good, but not “Index”-good.

I have not read the manga, so this review relies on the anime alone.


STORY: not too original but not too typical either. Parakiss has an interesting plot, rather simple and realistic with a fairytale twist, I merely took upon in because I like fashion and it really is an appealing show for ones who like fashion and the whole industry. It shows some interesting facts about certain things, a small peek into clothe designing and the whole clothes/model industry in general. It also deals a great matter with the issue of school and the pressure a lot of parents tend to put on their kids ... to get good grades,it talks about friendship, family, love, romance, business and dreams. It also is a continuation of another series/ manga called Gokinjo Monogatari which I have not seen.
In general story is good, simple and down to earth. 8

ART: while very beautiful with all the characters have a unique design for themselves I thought that parts looked a bit off. For example the background looked as if it is simple cut off a magazine and then placed behind the animated characters, the characters themselves moved a bit oddly giving the impression that they were out of place. It must have been low production but even though sometimes the art looks odd it still manages to look pretty. The characters are all designed beautifully with great dressing style( they are designers after all :P) and the clothes are beyond beautiful which is expected since Yazawa Ai did go to design school if my memory serves me right.8

SOUND: the op and ed are both great, TommyFebruary with her "Lonely in Gorgeous" as the OP rocks pretty bad ass since even though poppy and catchy the song is one of my favs and fits the whole series perfectly. The ed quite surprisingly is Franz Ferdinants "Do you want to" which I love. Overall good music. The background...I don't even think the background had any music and even if it did it's not memorable.8

CHARACTER: now, the characters are interesting but this is were for me the show lacks. While each and every one of them is interesting (with my fav being Miwako and her crazy pink hair) I lack to feel sympathy for them or in general have any "deep" connection if that's possible with them.
Hayasaka Yukari is our lead and she's is actually a person I know. I know someone just like her and we used to be friends so I guess it kind of got a bit personal for me since I never got along very well with that friend. People like Yukari exist, you can see them everyday and that's what makes her real.Yet I can't really stand her character and since she has problems with her mother you can blame it on that and whatnot which is true, but I still dislike her. Always wanting to be #1, nagging and complaining and being jealous and I dunno she just bugged me ( as I say it's probably on a personal level). Most of the characters though I didn't like much, in my eyes they're a bunch of rich kids who off course struggle to make their dreams come true but in the end of the day they are noting but that: rich kids who can afford to spend their money. With Yukari being the only one without a huge mansion I just felt the most of them were just hypocritical and shallow.
George: the main love interested is your typical hot guy who's perfect in everything but with flaws. He's a playboy, very typical in soujo and there is really nothing too special about him besides the fact that he makes nice clothes. I didn't care.
Arashi: Miwakos bf and the other member of Parakiss. Jealous of his girlfriend keeping in touch with an old friend. I didn't care.
Miwako: though I liked her as an image, her clothes, her hair, her character was bubbly and happy go lucky but she also seemed shallow. NO matter the drama they tried to give her I simply felt apathetic. Didn't care.
Isabella: now this one is the most interesting one I must say, but she didn't get much screen time and we really know very very little about her, so I couldn't really say much. She is interesting on her own though.
Everybody else....pff I just forgot about them.6

ENJOYMENT/OVERALL: well While I didn't like the characters much I liked the show quite a bit, the clothes were nice, it had a few good messages here and there and a nice atmosphere. If you like clothes and the model industry you'll probably like it. Other than the clothes though I found nothing too special about it. I give this series a 7 just for the beautiful clothes and art, the characters...pff I rather live without.

My first-ever review! I recently finished watching this anime, and I must say, I absolutely loved it. It was an amazing experience from start to finish. The animation was stunning, and the music added so much to the overall atmosphere. I was so absorbed in the story that I managed to finish the entire anime in less than two days. And let's not forget about the unforgettable opening theme! It's so catchy and sets the perfect tone for the series.

Even though I didn't always agree with all the main character's decisions, I believe the series teaches us an important lesson. It reminds us to prioritize ... our own happiness and follow our own paths in life. It's essential not to live solely to please others, as it can leave us feeling overshadowed and unfulfilled. Making our own choices, even if they turn out to be wrong, is a crucial part of personal growth and self-discovery.

The Sensations of Paradise Kiss

That kick that comes in the pre-ED when you hear the vocals of Franz Ferdinand blaring over whatever dramatic punctuation that they’ve set up for you. Of all the pre-ED kicks I know these are just about the toppest of the tops. When I think of Franz Ferdinand I think Take Me Out and the post-punk chorus that stiffens into crazy machinery that you just have to pump your feet to.

The little dance that cartoon Yukari does in the ED. While usually I skip EDs and OPs, I always watch to that part somehow, and usually beyond that. That this ED ... always punctuates the dramatic motions is probably the complete opposite of that feeling you get when the chiptune-esque electric chime kicks in at the end of Shinsekai Yori. That song represents a downward flowing melancholy, but this is always an upwards flowing motion.

Unlike some other anime I know, the upwards flowing motion always hits the ending section correctly. We don’t get any Clannad dissonantic schisms.

The sketchy drawings of the characters as magazine fronts, each representing different fashion subcultures. Elle, Doll 10, Time and Zipper.

Watching that OP that makes it look completely like a NANA thing, but then realizing that it’s completely the opposite of a NANA thing.

Seeing the weird cut-into-life opening portion that always mixes strange animals and things with real life shots of the city. While Yukari will ruminate poetic over some aspect of the strange void of her life.

The one word I could always feel when watching Paradise Kiss was Naturalism. It doesn’t fail to kick you right in the face, when you expect a gripping plot involving pretty boys and stylish moaning damsels, and suddenly your main character devolves from a shoujo girl into this slapstick deformed thing running jokily for her life.

Voice Acting that is completely off to any notion of stylish dramatic gesture. Long stretches without any background music except diegetic noise. Everything strikes as cool, composed, organic.

It does a screen wipe with a weird sound effect whenever changing scenes. Do you know how off-putting this is? In a good way of course. Akira Kurosawa did the same thing in his films. But when you see a bunch of weird animals swimming past the screen you know this anime definitely wasn’t made for any astounding dramatic flourish. Every cut feels like a cut of life, in its truest sense.

Fashion is the main. Everyone’s Fashion is so absurdly gaudy, like a Vivienne Westwood showcase.

How Kobayashi works: The scene where Yukari gets slapped by her mother is told in monologue over a shot of a house. It isn’t shown until later, and it has no impact, and she herself doesn’t feel anything in particular from it except mild resentment.

Things happen at a crazy fast pace, but so perfectly positioned that you feel 12 episodes is just exactly enough. How it does this is that it never lingers on dramatic moments, although everything in here screams NANA melodramatic. It figures that the most important thing is to show the process of a character’s interior growth, and that is does, with her sensations towards the things happening around her, with her rumination over the possibilities of her growth, and with nothing else in mind.

Silent cravings, of love, or passion, or meaning, are shown with a dignity, that at best will only be reflected as silent moans, or cries, or longings, but never the type that strikes purposely to pull at heartstrings. Just about the most devastating thing that happens in the last episode is so undercut that it’s completely chilling. It’s amazing too that the issue is solved by the same episode.

When it earns the dramatic moments, these are actually hard earned. The most obvious being the well projected in advance Fashion Exhibition.

You have to love the focus on the small things, such as the slow dyeing of blue flowers, or stringing together a butterfly ring. The small essentially small acts which everything grand is based on.

You could say that Kobayashi works in a style that is essentially similar to the stringing together of a butterfly ring. Small pearls, in moments, actions, shots, and atmospheric ellipsis, are strung together into something so gaudy and powerful that the whole package feels vaster than anything else out there. Even the throbbing life and décor built through the slow culmination of streetside noise patterns, silent wafting through baroque cafes, and strolling through elaborate fashion sets, all feel immaculately made to sharpen your senses to the loving guiding hand that goes into such creation.

After realizing all of the miniscule stuff that goes into pattern design, go Google search an Alexander McQueen dress. Really just capital-L Look at every single detail that exists on that ephemeral piece of cloth.

Langsam Blut. Shoegaze. Spectaculariffic. Which director knows perfectly what songs to use at where-ever?

You know you can always say that certain works will leave a never-loosening pit in your gut, because these works have specially tailored an escape for you such that when you get out of the world you feel nothing but a yawning gulf inside that forces you to hunger for more. How many things can do what Paradise Kiss can do and reverse engineer that process, so that you come out feeling even more full?

I tried watching this a few years back and only got up to episode two before calling it quits. The only reason I went back and tried again was that I wanted to watch something similar to Nana. And I actually believed I could find an anime with a balance of story with actual intimacy without it being boring.

Sadly to say I didn't find what I was looking for.

I watched this dubbed but I'm sure watching it subbed wouldn't have mattered too much anyway. But for the dubbed version, the voice acting was so terrible that it took out any emotion they were trying to ... convey.

Yukari was such a bitch I didn't see any growth in her. She was a teen with no identity and acted as a robot for her mom. But even when she rebelled she acted stupidly. The stupidest line in this entire anime from her was "There's no point in fishing high school if you're not going to go to college."

George didn't seem like a teen. He seemed much older. Not to say he was mature though. He was a jerk who tried to come off as cool but was just as boring to watching. I didn't see or feel any kind of chemistry between him and Yukari.

Miwako, like some characters, reminded me of characters from Nana, not surprise there, She reminded me of Misato. But Misato did not have an annoying, fake voice in the dubbed version and she came off as much more mature for a kid. Her relationship with Arashi was a little interesting but they didn't show as many scenes with them for me to care enough.

Arashi reminds me of Nobu, but of course, Nobu, like most of the Nana characters, are much more mature. This guy who ironically had safety pins for piercings was a typical, cliche jerk who happened to be the "voice of reason".

That Hiro guy was the most annoying busybody.

I feel like the anime had potential if it had gone a different route and had more episodes. But in the end, it just didn't work for me.

This anime seems like your typical romantic/slice of life anime and in most ways, it is. Take for example, the totally coincidental manner in which the protagonist, Hayasaka Yukari, is singled out by the eccentric group of fashion design students, or the fairly cliched cast of characters. the thing that sets it apart though, is the development of the protagonist. She makes a gradual and plausible transition from an unmotivated high school student to a professional model. While this is very satisfying to watch, it is ironic that the overall experience is somewhat dampened by the LACK of character development.
Most of the ... characters other than the protagonist and her boyfriend have shallow personlities and are nothing more than mediocre supports. Sure, you find out a little bit about their pasts by the end of the show, but nothing that's revealed gives them any extra personality. This is one series which could've used at least 4-5 episodes more to develop all of the members of thee cast properly. however, if you can overlook the lack of character development, the story is very well done.

The animation and character designs are very well done. The same goes for the soundtrack, especially the opening and ending themes.

So, would i recommend it?Well, its a tough call, the cast felt like a random assortment of characters with no real personalities to be honest. But at the same time, the development of the protagonist is very realistic. The same goes for the plot as well. If you like slice of life anime with very realistic plots and are interested in fashion, this series should be on your watch list. Even if that is not the case, you should consider watching this at some point. It isn't extraordinary by any stretch of imagination, but it is greater than the sum of its parts.

I'm not saying this is horrible but i didn't enjoy most of it. They just made George such an asshole and Yukari an idiot!! I was more interested in miwako's love triangle than George's push and pull act. If you can look past the bad romance it's a pretty cute friendship story. plus theres a cannon trans woman and they're too rude about it. they treat her more as a drag queen though :/
I personally thought the last 4 episodes were the best so if you can make it through 8 eps of Yukari being an absolute idiot you'll finally enjoy this mess lol.

It has been a true honour to have been able to experience this anime.

The story is about a young girl, Yukari, who is questioning who she wants to be. She feels as though the career ahead of her isn't what she wants. Yukari then gets a taste of the world of fashion through the new 'paradise kiss' clothing brand and takes a liking to it. She also experiences her first love through a seemingly cold man named George.

Story 9/10 - The story was beautiful. It was definitely different from what I was expecting. It felt so mature which many animes lack these days. It lacked ... a sense of adventure but it ruled over the slice of life genre. The ending wasn't perfect, as much as I wished it. Yet, I feel as though there couldn't have been a better ending. It was truly amazing.

Animation 10/10 - The art of this anime is what stood out to me. It was really a job well done. The style shocked me at first because the bodies and faces were actually proportional *gasp*. The characters were beautiful and so detailed. The piercings and the gorgeous clothing was what stood out to me. If I didn't give this a 10 just for the clothing itself, it will haunt me until I change it.
One thing I thought didn't fit into the theme was when the characters turned into ballon heads, it was strange and I thought it didn't suit the mood at times.

Music 8/10 - Somehow I thought the music wasn't as up to standards. Even though the OP and ED were exceptional, catchy and suited the anime (thus the 8), there was a complete lack of background music. I think it was because they wanted to keep it more realistic. Though, in my opinion it didn't work because I felt as though a mood was lacking. I didn't know how to react during certain scenes. I felt like I was reading a LN. I also noticed that at certain points when a faint background song can be heard, it was misplaced. Nonetheless, the ending theme was so good so I cannot say anymore.

Characters 9/10 - The characters were fairly good. I admit that I loved George's personality, he was different to many other characters. He was uncaring and thoughtless without being a tsundere. Yukari was a decent heroine. I have to say I would have never stayed with George for the time she lasted. She seemed like a pushover at times but redeemed herself with her will and beauty during other scenes. The supporting characters were all likable and relatable.

Overall 9/10 - I truly enjoyed this anime. I had an amazing experience. The only reason it has lost a point is because of the lack of emotion Paradise Kiss pulled out of me. I completely recommed it to anyone over 16, it has a few sexual references and scenes. Definitely will revisit this anime in the future, it has pulled me into the fashion genre.

Paradise Kiss

Growing up is probably the hardest part of our lifes. Because when you get older you do not see the world as you used to see. You want to try everything to know what is wrong or what is right. The life always teaches you the best but the hardest way. You don’t have to be 50 to understand the world. Because age is just a number only mistakes get you older. Since I watched Nana, I am a fan of Ai Yazawa. Because until now, she is the only person who made me see a girl’s perspective in a realistic way.

Paradise ... Kiss is an anime which aimed for the girl audience but unlike the most of shoujos it is a bit deep for me. You will understand what I want to say while you read:

Story: The story is about a girl named Yukari who only focus on her education and she does not have any intention to be a model until she come across with a group of the fashion design students who want Yukari to be a model for their fashion show. At first, even she does not want to do this, then she becomes friends with the student and her heart is stolen by our main character named George then she decides doing this. But the rest won’t be pink as you think. She will want to discover the real world and it will cause a problem because of the pressure of her family. Then she has to decide which one she will choose: Education or Stepping Into The Life?

Characters: To me, the most important thing about the characters is seeing the development of them. And you will definetly see it and fall in love with the characters. Because every character has own their stories. You will try to empathy to the character especially with Yukari. It was really enjoyable to see Yukari’s growin up.You will ask yourself if you were her what would you do. We will witness Yukari’ choices, George’s stability on his job, the other characters’ facing with the past…Also I think the girl audience will fall in love with George who was created by inspiring Brian Slade from Velvet Goldmine. And this makes George a very charismatic and flirt character.

Art: Ai Yazawa’s art is simply amazing to me. Her design and different drawing style make her an unique artist to me. But for the people who has not seen any work of Ai Yazawa, this type of art might disturb them. Because everything in Ai Yazawa’s works are proportionated
and glamorous. You can see the characters do not wear the same clothes everyday. And seeing gothic lolitas and rock chicks will make happy the boy audience too. Well at least I became :) Also you can see lots of detail in it: the boys with the piercings, glamorous and exaggerated clothes, even a crossdresser too. And some of you may find it weird because of not seeing it in every anime, but the buildings and some places are live action…

Music: To be honest I was surprised when I first listened the opening and ending song. I was not expecting something like Nana’s but it was better than I expected. Nothing could fit in this anime except indie-rock / post punk type songs and luckily the opening is very suitable to this anime. And after hearing the ending I screamed because the ending song was from Franz Ferdinand which is one of my favouite bands. So if you are into indie music you should check that songs. They are really good.


Originality: It does not have any stereotype in a shoujo anime like the school festival, valentines day etc. Also there can be people who say we could not even see a kiss. Well I can tell you that you will see more than a kiss. And our main character is not a loser. I mean she is rebel and a strong girl to survive to the real world.

Satisfying Ending: Well, I always talked about the good parts in it. But ending was not satisfying for me. Maybe it is just because I don’t love the unhappy endings. But it made the serie more realistic to me.

Bad Sides:
-Some events have no connections to each other.
- It was too short and the final episode was not satisfying enough. I mean everything just happened suddenly and I could not keep up. It should have more episodes
-Some of the scenes were unrealistic to me. Like the relation with Yukari and her mother…

All in all, Paradise Kiss is an amazing anime for me. And it is one of the best shoujo’s I’ve ever seen. To know what to do in the future and gambling with the fate is really hard. The anime does not say what to do. It gives us options then we decide what to do. As a boy I really enjoyed this, I hope you all enjoy this I did.

Story and character:

I saw this anime a while back, and caught myself thinking about it long after I finished it years ago. This is a generally good sign and I'm glad I can say that George is one of the most memorable characters in anime. The story itself is about Yukari, and while I like how the plot brings out her insecurities and develop her confidence, I was captivated by George. He's a brilliant creation: bold, straight-forward, unyielding, decisive, and cool. These are traits many anime writers want to imbue into their male leads, but while some succeed, many do fail - yet what makes ... George such a great success it that not only is he masculine in having these traits, he is a bisexual clothing designer. His character holds both feminine and masculine details that blur the lines between gender identity. And even better, he is not some gay caricature. This is a person you want leading your team.

The supporting cast is also nothing to scoff at. Since this story focuses on individuality with an emphasis on Japanese counter-culture, the supporting cast are self sustained and believable people. Yukari, being the center of the story, undergoes a coming of age. It is to be expected that she will be annoying at times because she is so insecure about her life and decisions, but overall, her vulnerability contrasts well with George's strength. It also does well to show George's role as the fairy-god mother figure. He is cruel and curt at times, but for a spineless girl like Yukari, George is coldness proved to be the necessary push in the right direction.

Art and Sound:

Loved the art and loved the music. The Intro is some upbeat Japanese pop song that really sets the mood. The ED is a Franz Ferdinand song so I appreciated that. The art is above and beyond. Wonderful bright colors that are used to define the character's personalities. Artistic freedom with some some of the street scenes. It's not an action anime so I didn't expect amazing fluidity, but I liked that the characters weren't too stiff and had dynamic positioning.

Overall Enjoyment:

It's a very good anime. Good for those turbulent teenage years and I'm hesitant to say it, but George had a bit of an impact on me. The plot isn't too out-of-this-world complex. It's about young people finding the determination to take the first big, bold step towards their dreams. Yet, it is sensitive while maintaining a no-nonsense perspective into dealing with all those nice feelings teenagers develop. It excites a little bit of rebellion into the hearts of its viewers. In the end, what I found most memorable was George tinge of cruelty. He has a light bitter taste to him that makes him more enigmatic than his amazing style and carefree sex life.