Paradise Kiss

I genuinely loved this anime. It obviously doesn't live up to nana, but it does when compared to other shoujo's. I don't know how anyone can finish this anime and give it a score less than 7, I genuinely don't. The journey the characters go through, especially Yukari and George, and the way everything ties together beautifully at the end is so well executed. This is such a mature and fast-paced anime and it's left me wanting more and more. The anime literally left me thinking about it for days. The way Yazawa portrays relationships and the reality of them was executed beautifully. It made ... me feel so many things and I'm so glad I came across this anime. It's my second fav shoujo for sure. The story, characters, and relationships all just hit so deep, I will remember this story for a long long time.

There may be some spoilers here. Sorry.

I’ve watched this the first time it aired on Animax. I dropped it though, since I did not like the way the characters looked. Just this year, when I searched for something to watch, this came up.

Paradise Kiss is a story about Yukari’s struggle with her studies, her family, her relationship with George, and the most significant: her new ambition of becoming a model.

Story: (10/10)
The story was very inviting since only a few produce this type of anime. What’s good about it is not only did they attempt to provide enough ‘fashion’, it also showed us that ... not all the models we know became famous just by being ‘pretty’.

It had a sad ending. Really. I almost wanted to throw my laptop in mixed frustration and sadness after watching that last episode. Also, I don’t think 12 episodes are enough.

Art: (3/10)
This is exactly the reason why I didn’t watch it on Animax before. Seriously. Even I ♥ Dragonball and Crayon Shin-Chan has an even higher quality of animation than this. Cartoons would seem much more appealing to the eyes. Even if you merge all its aspects, it would still not stand a chance against the quality of animation of a fat Pikachu. It’s a 2005 anime for goodness gracious. Why is THAT like THAT?!

As much as the still shots of Tokyo that were transformed with anime-ic features looked wonderful, all the others dragged it a long way down. Here are some of the reasons why:

1) People didn’t look like they were walking. They looked like manipulated paper dolls being put to their next position slowly.

2) They had a lot pointless creatures that are pointlessly being pointless during prologues. Note that I typed that on purpose.

3) Concerning their eyes, theirs seem slightly better than those of Persona 4: The Animation’s eyes. But I’m not saying that I liked it even one bit.

4) It’s a fashion anime. Why aren’t there enough colours? Why is it that everything was so dull?

5) And lastly, this anime probably isn’t an anime. It’s just a slideshow of pictures. From the studio, to George’s driving, to Yukari’s runway appearance. Almost everything was motionless. It was terrible.

In due course, and I don’t mean to offend Madhouse Studios, its animation is a dump. It’s a failure.

Sound: (7/10)
Tommy February had a catchy opening theme. Just its title, Lonely In Gorgeous, certainly suited the show. I didn’t like the ending theme though. But I’m not hating on THE Mr. Franz Ferdinand.

Sound effects like traffic, doors opening and closing, etc., were amazing. It was really realistic. It’s like you’re hearing it in person. And the soundtrack was good, too. Even though it had a few tracks, it was okay.

Character: (8/10)
Some supporting characters that played big parts in the series were not developed well. That was really a problem. But since some of them were from the prequel (which I have not watched and don’t plan to), they must have been introduced properly there. That aside, the characters were very likeable. Like Miwako, who I think is a sl*t. Her character actually has a heart. And all the others as well. I also love how they perfectly presented Yukari’s growing relationship with all the people around her.

Now, I couldn’t say that he was my favourite, but I think Daisuke/Isabella was really the most remarkable character in the series. He was confused, came out, and was proud of himself. Or should I say “herself.” And the fact that George had accepted his sexuality way before he even came out was truly moving. Now that's true friendship.

Enjoyment: (10/10)
If you love fashion (or even think about it sometimes), you will definitely enjoy this. Especially the parts where Yukari got her first magazine debut, and the showcase.

Overall: (8/10)
Fashion. It’s rare to find an anime with this genre. Although sad, its ending was very beautiful. Regardless of its horrible animation, Paradise Kiss is one anime that will satisfy your craving for romance, comedy, and fashion.

i know i really shouldnt be writing a review about this anime just yet since im only on the 6th episode but this anime is just so good that i just cant help but write a review on it. The thing that got me most into it is the drawing its just so beautiful that each episode has me mesmerized. Another thing i like about this anime is it shows "Caroline" the main character in the story just wanting to make something of herself which is so cool. I also like how in each episode a little is revealed about a character so each episode ... leaves you wanting more (or me lol) I also love the soundtrack of this anime its so jpopish and technoish and rockish that it just makes me wanna dance lol. But the only thing that i can say about this anime that i dont like is that i think that Caroline and George's relationship are moving way to fast in the beginning in my opinion. Overall this anime will probably go down into my book of anime as one of my most favorites.

I LOVE this manga, It's funny, sensual, stylish, romantic, ALL at the same time! I love every single thing that George desing, even if I don't like THAT much the dress that they use in the competition...he is almost perfect 'cause he is romantic but serious so he is not slimy. the final it's unjust but I think It was the only way of finish it and let me get over it!.....It's GENIUS!

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!!!

If you've read the manga, then the anime takes some getting used to. Certain things about the characters have been changed, as far as reactions to certain events to and things of that nature.

The anime in itself is very good, but for a more mature audience and is based on real life situations more than it is a whimsical fantasy. Dub to sub transition is very well and the voices stay true to the original Japanese persona.

It's a quirky, fun, original take on a love story surrounded by fame and sex. Definitely a series worth getting in to and the animation is ... impeccable, but most anime that are put into motion by MadHouse do not disappoint.

Loved the whole series. I liked how Yukari went from a teenager into a women. George was an interesting character. I loved his whole fashion side and his humor. All the characters were great and created there unique flare to the story. I saw the series first and will now be reading the Manga.
The ending was really sad. I really would have liked her to end up with George instead of Hiro... :(

Well, another awesome adaptation!

Story: 8
The fidelity with the original story is amazing.... up to a point.

They spent too much time in little irrelevant details in the beginning, and in the end had to stick 5 chapters in 23 min. Not good at all, they simply cut A LOT of stuff, and shorten a lot of emotional scenes.
The ending was much less melancholic and deep than the original because of this cut.
It would be 10 otherwise.

Art: 8
... There are some akward lines that they drew arround people's eyes. It looked fine in the P/B manga, but ir really weird in colour.

Sound: 10
The soundtrack is amazing, and not only the awesome OP (Lonely in Gorgeous - Tommy February6) and ED (Do ya wanna - Franz Ferdinand [YES!!]).
The background songs from the atellier are natural and pleasurable. It's an OST worth downloading because of the CD that would be kinda 'show' of Arashi's band, being pretty good J-Rock songs.

Charachter: 8
Again, the time spent in useless somehow made the carachter much less deep than in the manga. And Arashi's personality is quite different also.

Enjoyement: 10
I guess I explained that already.


To sum it all up, VERY worth it.
Despite being really recommended to read the end of the manga later for better understanding.

I started out with the Para Kiss manga and when I found out there was an anime I had to watch it.Now my first worry was that they were going to completely mess around with the story as is my first concern when going from manga to anime. To my surprise they kept everything very similar which made me extremely happy.

Anyway this show is a trendy and even couture anime if you will since it deals with fashion. I liked the fact that this shows deals with fashion since it's something I don't see very often in anime.
... When it comes down to it the show is outstanding! The characters, art, and a great opening theme really make it wonderful.

Short and to the point review:

The year is 2018 and I randomly decide to watch "Paradise Kiss" which was aired +10 years ago. How does it compare with today's anime standards? Pretty well I must say.

Story: 8/10
The main story themes are Romance, Slice of life, adult themes and Drama. We follow final year high school student Yukari who wanders through life not knowing what she wants. Blessed with good looks, Yukari one day is asked to model for a group of fashion students for their final project.

Animation: 7/10
Compared to today's anime standards, Paradise Kiss' animation is quite good. For sure you ... can tell the animation is "out dated" but it was good enough to not bother me.

Sound: 6/10
Sound wasn't impactful but nor was it an issue. In other words, it had little influence on how I feel about Paradise Kiss. The opening and ending themes are quite memorable.

Characters: 8/10
We have an interesting mix of unique characters each with their own background stories and life struggles. I'm sure most people watching can relate in some way to each character's experiences.

Enjoyment: 8/10
It was a fun and interesting series. Going through each episode was not an problem and I was keen every time for the next episode.

Final thoughts:
I recommend Paradise Kiss for mature audiences. Perhaps those aged +17 can better appreciate Paradise Kiss because of the many life lessons the show displays. I give the show a 8/10.

I think I"m becoming a sucker for strange settings with realistic endings...after watching Honey and Clover and then Nana, i went to this.

Here's a short review, this thing was so awesome, and so stupid I ending up replaying some of the episodes, the fact that dreams come true but you don't always get what you want in the end, was portrayed here, the fact that you can be happy with that ending choice, was portrayed here, and the fact that you can live after making certain sacrifices to obtain those goals, were clearly shown in the end,
and that's what I loved about this ending, I ... didn't get what I wanted, but I was happy about it!

Paradise Kiss is a great short anime. I thought it was cute, funny, glamorous, sexy and romantic. I fell in love with each character. The build up of the series is good. The only thing I disapprove is the ending for my own personal reasons between Yukari and George relationship.(made me sad :(

Also wanted to mention I really like the style of the anime. Found it eccentric colorful and great designs.

If you like romantic, drama comedy than this is the anime for you.

I haven't watched such a refreshing, down-to-earth, yet passionate anime in a long time. I will say that my review has slight bias since I'm a part of the audience demographic, older women. I'm going to dissect all the elements of the anime and attempt to give an objective review.

PLOT: 10/10
The story follows a high school girl named Yukari who studies and works diligently on college entrance exams. Due to her mother's pressure and expectations, she goes to an academically prestigious academy but gets wound up in an atelier where an eccentric group of fashion students, who make up the fashion brand "Paradise Kiss," ... ask for her to be their model. Overall, the plot was incredibly unexpected -- a passionate and lustful romance, abuse, beauty, and queer identity. I loved every second of it. Immediately, as a fashion lover, I fell in love with the art and designs. I was always entertained, and no episode felt boring or unimportant. It was a rollercoaster of emotions, and I ultimately loved the ending and the unique feelings I got from watching the show. It's not the typical "hype" feeling of a shonen anime -- not by a long shot -- but it's feeling of skepticism, self reflection, passion, obsession, and independence. There's no action, and there's not that much drama in retrospect. It's the relationships among the characters that drive the character development and the plot. The character's flaws and the painful process of resolving emotional conflicts are some of the best and one-of-a-kind elements of Ai Yazawa's work.

CHARACTERS: 10/10
I loved every single character. Of course, I don't LOVE them. I just love how flawed, weak, and manipulative they are. This refreshing portrayal and undeterred determination to bring the ugly sides of each character to light is what makes me love this show. Yukari, for example, is extremely and obviously flawed from the very beginning. She's disrespectful, never takes accountability, and falls victim to lust and loss of innocence. However, her character development is one worth watching, and it's honesty quite empowering as a female viewer because these experiences and feelings are no stranger. I think these unique highlights of a cisgender woman's flaws are incredibly common -- falling in love too fast, being manipulated, obsessing... I loved seeing her deal with these dilemmas, and I highly recommend everyone, no matter your gender, to gain a common yet realistic perspective of Yukari's coming-of-age.

CONCLUSION:
This show is not the "tragic love story" people make it out to be nor is it the dramatic and stereotypical melodrama you expect. It's simply life, a realistic and beautifully crafted story of a young woman growing up, learning to be independent, and finding happiness. I highly recommend to get out of your comfort zone and enjoy the ride. Whatever expectations you have for it, drop them. It's definitely a show that stands on its own. It's nothing like I've seen before.

Paradise Kiss, an anime where fashion and romance meet. Yazawa Ai is indeed a genius and I really love the way how she design the clothes in this anime. The details on the cloths are incredible. Yes, it's a fashion anime.

This anime not only includes fashion but romance, ecchi, comedy and friendship. Even though it is a short anime series of 12 episodes but it really caught my eye, the plot and art. There were some parts of the anime were I was cursing because there's a male character who has good looks, that really pissed me off because he was such a playboy and ... an insensitive bastard. (sorry, I can't help but tell you there is such man in this anime =w=")
There was also a part where I shed tears...

Overall, I say this is a fantastic anime. The manga is brilliant too.

I really enjoyed it, I found myself smiling every episode

the music is really good, the ending especially is very catchy, and I also really liked the art style

there's also some lgbt representation! the main love interest, George, is openly bisexual, and although this isn't very necessary to the story, its still nice to see. There's also a trans woman, Isabella, who I absolutely loved. some comments about her are a little out dated, but considering I am not a trans woman, I don't feel it is my place to say whether this is okay or not, but she is still a very lovable ... character

I would say definitely give it a try, especially considering is so short and only takes a few hours

I'll start by saying that Paradise Kiss is a pretty straightforward anime, no crazy plot twists or tricks. It's about some random girl who is asked to be a model for a bunch of fashion students. But since that moment, the change in her mentality and her attitude is inspiring, and I loved how she really rethought her relationships and focus in life, just from this one event.

What drew me in at the beginning was definitely the art: the characters are gorgeous without being too girly or cute. Yes their haircuts are a bit funky, but the way they are drawn really brings them to ... life and adds colour to their personalities.

And that's the second thing that drew me towards this anime: the fact that the characters are so outlandish but believable. Most other anime have almost archetypical characters, but Paradise Kiss tries to steer away from the typical anime characters by adding a bit more story and and depth, especially with Yukari and George (and their complicated relationship).

And lastly, and most importantly, I felt like this anime was almost like a real story. You can't just expect everyone to understand how everyone else is feeling in real life, emotions and thoughts are sometimes unpredictable. Sometimes I would honestly be wondering if George is using Yukari or if he really likes her. Also, the character development you see in Yukari is incredible, from a girl who conforms to the typical expectations of a high school student, to a girl who wants to discover more about what she wants to do for herself in the future. Maybe it's a little bit of a reflection of my own life story, but Yukari's development really made the difference in the story, which is what made me want to watch it right to the very end.

If you like watching characters develop on an emotional and spiritual level, if you like fashion and if you like the idea of being independent and following your dreams, then you will definitely love Paradise Kiss!

Ugh, It's well made. It had fairly realistic characters. So why just an 8? The story isn't incredibly original and most of the characters have depth, but I feel like it is all relatively unexplored. The art was quite good, but kinda falls short in 2022. The sound was good in terms of voice acting(I watched the dub), but the soundtrack felt underwhelming and underdeveloped. I can't say that I ever really noticed the music, and for someone who often pay special attention to the music in an anime that is a rather poor result. I also really didn't enjoy it all that much it ... was a good anime hence the 8, I just felt frustrated with the main character the entire time, and the ending was kind of dumb. Without saying too much it felt like a last ditch attempt to make the anime seem less like a sappy romance. That isn't bad and perhaps the ending was fairly realistic, but it left me as frustrated as the main character made me during the entire run time of the show. Overall I gave it an 8 based on the fact that it is legitimately a good product, despite my own feelings.

Paradise kiss is an anime about love and life. In fact I think that sentence is the short version of my whole review ^_^

The story is really simple but I don't think that is something bad at all. Because the simple way to tell the story gives more space to concentrate on the characters and the problems in life.

Yes, life. How will you find your own dreams? how will you achieve them? Can you find true love? And how about family? Everyone will face those questions and ParaKiss really show how the characters stand in just that place in life. I made the story realistic ... and true.

I really did enjoy this anime, but in the same time it gave me things to think about and recognize myself in. It is not a fairy-tale where everyone will achieve ultimate happiness, it is more realistic but that will also give so much more.

I really recommend Paradise Kiss!

This is one of those shows that, likely due to its age and slightly niche artstyle, has fallen into that grey area of being well known but not actually being watched by a lot of newer fans. Hell, I was literally an infant when this show came out, so I found out about its existence through seeing a couple scenes from Nana, which has the same mangaka. I went in kind of blind, and well, I wasn't completely disappointed with what I watched, but...

Story - Yukari gets basically pushed into this completely new fashion world and asked to be a model for George and his ... group who helps him. Over the course of 12 eps, relationships get explored and developed and of course, they participate in the fashion competition. I'm not gonna lie, it didn't exactly leave me with a big sense of wanting to carry on towards the middle, but I did like the ending, as it's not as fairytale esque as a lot of romance animes

Art - I love the mixed media feel of it all. It takes a bit of getting used to, but I think it's really creative having the real life clips mixed with animation, especially considering the more realistic artstyle. There's just some really beautiful designs in the ending as well, it's just *chef's kiss*

Sound - Some of the scenes are quite devoid of any sound other than the voice acting, which is a little offputting but I can understand why the did it. The opening and ending however, are fantastic. The opening is this kind of bittersweet song that has you falling in love with the relationship from the getgo, and the ending is this super catchy upbeat song that leaves you in a good mood for the next episode. I swear, I probably watched half of the episodes just looking forward to jam out to the ending and its goofy animations.

Character - I liked pretty much all of the characters, since they were well balanced and had motivations behind their actions. George is probably my least favourite personality-wise, since he turns out to be a bit of an asshat despite his graces. However, said graces really do make him quite charming to watch in the early episodes with Yukari. Other than George and Yukari, there's this side relationship with Miwako and Arashi that develops as both of them try and make their feelings and love life work despite their differing personalities. This show has a really nice take on the concept of "right person, wrong time" and the way the characters handle that is enjoyable to watch. Oh, and there's LGBT representation which I was quite surprised at considering the time the manga was written. George is bisexual, referenced up front at the start and then shown in a couple other interactions, and Isabella is trans. I like how Isabella was handled - they didn't make her a joke or someone who needed "fixing", she was made as a caring supportive character who was impacted by George as a child. It's just nice to see these well handled characters in a sea of joke LGBT characters in anime from a similar time period.

Enjoyment - Despite all the positive things I have to say about this series, I just couldn't get hooked to it. Maybe it was a case of me not being in the right head space to be binge watching the series, but I found myself getting kind of bored in between episodes. It's a shame too, because I can objectively see it was a good show but when I finished it, I sort of felt like I'd just ticked off another anime from my list instead of it having a meaningful impact on me.

Overall - Right now, I don't think it's the kind of thing I'll be watching again. It might not be my genre or pacing, and that's okay. However, I would definitely recommend watching it anyway, as it's not a terrible show by any means. It does what it does well, and if you want 12 episodes of relationships and development, you'll probably like this more mature take on love.

Hello, this is like my first review so I hope you like it.

Well, first I want to say that my first language is Spanish so I´m sorry if I write something bad or I make a mistake.

English:


His characters are quite interesting and his story too. His characters are very nice and pleasant, which causes you to get along and sympathize with them. It has an interesting plot, it shows us a lot of the fashion world, something that also gives many points in favor is the innovation that it has, because as you can see Isabella is transsexual and George bisexual, which ... was something impressive for the year of its premiere . Regarding the relationship of ¨Caroline¨ and George, sometimes I did not like the way he treated her, but in the end it was seen that if he loved her or at least loved her, it is sad that they did not stay together, however, this did not It usually happens in the anime, which is quite innovative, in addition to not ending together, it is more realistic and leaves a good lesson, since it is true that you will not always be always with someone and that you cannot give up your dreams for someone. I liked it, I recommend it. In conclusion I want to say that I am sorry if I offended someone with my opinion.

Spanish:

Sus personajes son bastante interesantes y su historia también. Sus personajes son muy simpáticos y agradables, lo que provoca que tu te puedas llevar bien y simpatizar con ellos. Tiene una trama interesante, nos muestra mucho del mundo de la moda, algo que también le da muchos puntos a favor es la innovación que tiene, porque como ven Isabella es transexual y George bisexual, lo cuál fue algo impresionante para la época en que salió. Respecto a la relación de ¨Caroline¨ y George, aveces no me gustaba la manera en la que la trataba, pero al final se vio que si la amaba o al menos la quería, es triste que no quedaran juntos, sin embargo, esto no suele pasar en los animes por lo cuál es bastante innovador, además de que no terminaran juntos es más realista y deja una buena lección, ya que es verdad que no siempre estarás siempre con alguien y que no puedes renunciar a tus sueños por alguien. Me gustó, lo recomiendo. Para concluir quiero decir que lamento si ofendí a alguien con mi opinión.