Review: Paradise Kiss

Episodes: 12

Genre: Coming of Age, Drama, Josei, Manga, Romance, School Life, Slice of Life

Release Date: 14.10.2005 - 30.12.2005

Studio: Madhouse

Author: Yazawa Ai

Summary: Yukari is a typical high-school student who listens to her parents and attends school everyday. As she starts to question her way of life, she encounters a group of fashion design students who has a clothing label known as "Paradise Kiss". The group needs to find a model to showcase their designs in an up-coming fashion show and decides to pick Yukari instead. Initially, Yukari was reluctant to be associated with this seemingly eccentric group, but eventually, she realises that they are really nice people. Furthermore, their passion and enthusiasm to follow their ideals and dreams make Yukari realise that she has not been enjoying her life and motivate her to pursue her own dreams. The story follows Yukari as she gets involved in the group and eventually falls in love with the leader, George. 

I love Yazawa Ai. I love everything she made up until now. From all perspectives, be it art style, concept and story, she is unique in any way. Paradise Kiss stands as one of the best romance anime I ever seen up until now.

Though the concept of the show is not something new in this industry, the way Yazawa approached this show is pretty unique. What I like about her works is that aside from the conventional japanese way of drawing, Yazawa's art style is pretty distinctive. It's more similar with the korean type of drawing and also story-wise and the way she constructs the personality of the protagonists is also a trait more common in Korea rather than Japan.

Her works mainly deals with the cruel reality. It shows us that things are not always the fairy tale that we believe they are and that we see it in most of the anime that come out season after season.

Yukari (nick-named Caroline), represents a normal person, a person that lives up for the expectation of other people and continues on a path that she herself, did not chose. After meeting a group of fashion designers "to be" and she sees how motivated they are to pursue the carrier that they themselves have chose, Yukari starts to question if what she did until now had a purpose or it was just imposed to her.

Another example of people being influenced by others. We see this everyday, however, in Paradise Kiss, I believe that Yukari was influenced in a positive way. Though the tastes of her new found friends are very different from hers, she eventually decides to pursue an industry unknown to her, modeling.

Reality strikes. As she started to love more and more to hang around her new friends, she also starts to love modeling more than ever. Between studying, attending school, college preparation and modeling, Yukari has to quickly settle down and decide what does she want to pursue.

Story-wise and character-wise, it does not take long until you recognize Yazawa's influence in it. Though, in contrast with another work of her, Nana, ParaKiss focuses on fashion (rather than music, like in Nana), and the characters seem a little bit more eccentric. The center of attention in this show is the couple, Yukari x George (Jouji Koizumi), the leader of the group, a fashion prodigy and gentleman by nature. Yukari falls deeply in love with him, but will they be able to pull the act together with their different personality?

What characterizes Paradise Kiss is also it's modern aspect. Art (character designs, outfit, clothes, backgrounds, architecture), sound (opening, ending, other soundtracks), story and characters, all these things have a modern feeling. Not only that she implements the trends that we experience in daily life but she uses everything that is considered "modern" in Paradise Kiss.

Overall, a great watch. Though the thing that may lead to some controversial debates is the ending of the show (yeah, the ending took me by surprise as well), I think that Paradise Kiss managed to pull it's act together to the very end without disappointing. Even though it is short, the characters and the story are well developed, and the other aspects will make this show a delight especially for die-hard romance fanatics and for those that appreciate the korean style of drawing. Modernists might also take this one into consideration.

Story: 9

Animation: 10

Sound: 9

Character:9

Delight:9

Overall: 9.2

Doing something out of passion, brings results and self-satisfaction.