Ranked #295

Paradise Kiss

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. read more

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. read more

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 read more

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) read more

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. read more

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. read more

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). read more

this anime was quite realistic. it told the story of a girl who was sick, and tired of her boring jr high school life. she then gets involved on modeling clothes, and discovers a whole new world. this very similar to the devil wears prada. i liked this but it is not one of my all time favorites. i did not really like all the sex that was going on. especially since one of the characters who said to be 36 years looks more like a 12 or 13 year old girl is having sex w/ her boyfriend to me that's a little sketchy. the character development of this was good. i liked how this depicted real life, and everyday people, and that did not come across as something fake or too hollywood. it has fashion in it which i love, and good storyline. however it does need a little brushing up. if you like realism this is the anime for you. if you are like me and dont like all the sex then this isnt for you. read more

One of the best animes I've EVER seen. Nice relationships, with pretty outfits. Not to mention the shoes, accessories, hats ect. It was so good I HAD to watch it all in one day. Although there are some slightly inappropriate scenes, but not too many. The opening is one of my favourites. Such a catchy beat. I MUST watch.

For us, teenagers who try to make their own life, there will be always problems with getting along with our parents, this anime may be something very interesting.

Especially for the girls, who will discover in Caroline the wish to know herself better in order to discover the path to live her life. At this moment of uncertainty, comes George to fix up Caroline's thoughts. Or, to mixt them up?

What it is clear: love makes great changes in a human's life, and Caroline is not an exception!!! Discover more by watching Paradise Kiss!!!