Paradise Kiss

Paradise Kiss presents a realistic scenario where love stories for the main characters don't always have happy endings, but it hints that everything will eventually be okay in the future. I appreciate how they depict the main character, Yukari, who at the beginning is easily swayed by her feelings and influenced by others. As the story progresses, she becomes more resolute in her decisions. Such people truly do exist in real life. :3

This type of plot can also be found in one of the author's other famous mangas, NANA. For readers looking for something beyond the typical love story, this might be quite enjoyable. ^_^

In any case, Paradise Kiss is indeed a great manga.

"No one can be completely sure of their own will. Everyone is worried and confused and influenced by the ideas of people around them."

What if you stopped trying to meet your family's and society's expectations? Could you be sure you wouldn't end up just finding other impossible expectations to be met? That's what happens to Yukari Hayasaka in Paradise Kiss—she's unable to meet her family's expectations, and when that's too much for her and she finds an alternative life to live, she finds herself new expectations that she'll never be able to live up to, forcing her to change from within. She struggles to understand whether what she does is done of her own volition, or because it's what's expected of her.

I love this manga because it shows that there's so much potential in life. You really can just quit everything you're doing right now and find a new path. It's alarming how quickly Yukari's life changes, and it's scary to think about the repercussions of her leaving everything behind and gambling with her life. It's easy to get so caught up in everyday life that you don't even consider the richness of the world and the many choices in front of you. But there's this thing I've heard people say about solo travel or moving away from your hometown: no matter where you go, you're still you. She's still Yukari and still has to deal with the same identity problems she had before, even if she ran away from her past life and is in a different one now. She's still going to have problems, and she's still going to have to deal with them.

Yazawa's characterization of Yukari and those around her makes a rich, character-driven story. It's the characters that move this plot, and this plot moves at a startling pace. It's a short series that makes for a quick read, but the themes (self-actualization, familial and romantic relationships) will be staying with me.

I just finished this and I'm crying so much...

Ai Yazawa knows how to portray a real relationship. Sometimes love is not enough, and George and Yukari's ending is the perfect example of that.

But there's one thing that I hate the most, and that's Arashi! Ugh, such a toxic boy. Even though he seems to have changed a little, it doesn't change the fact that he raped Miwako and was transphobic towards Isabella.

The fashion scenery was so good; I was in love with everything. The ending was perfect because it was real.

Honestly, I wish Yukari and Miwako had left their boyfriends and lived together like Nana, being happy forever as best friends. And that's what it's about, and it's okay!

For the first time in a long while, my search for good women's manga ended on a positive note. Although I’m still not entirely thrilled, it was a nice way to broaden my horizons.

Art: I have to say, while there are plenty of close-up shots of beautiful characters in flashy outfits, everything else is rather awful. Some drawings, like chapter and volume covers, as well as occasional panels, have more or less realistic proportions. However, the rest of the manga is filled with what looks like skeletons trying to hide inside skin bags with varying degrees of success. It’s inconsistent but probably a stylistic choice, so your mileage may vary. I found it pretty bad because fashion, to me, is about using clothes to highlight the best features of the human physique and go beyond that. Stick figures don’t work for that.

Backgrounds are absolutely dreadful, no two ways about it. They’re better than something like Sailor Moon or BeruBara, which completely annihilate spatial awareness. Paradise Kiss has three types of backgrounds:

1. Absolutely nothing – not uncommon for women’s manga, where they often focus on characters and their appearance to the point where backgrounds don’t seem to matter.
2. Minimal outlines – the bare minimum of a background. At this point, you actually get an idea of where things take place. Better than a void of nothingness but lacking in detail and not particularly pretty to look at.
3. PHOTOS – straight-up photos! No, even worse. Very badly filtered photos. This practice has existed in manga for a while, but this is the first time I’ve seen it done so poorly and lazily. Inio Asano and Makoto Shinkai sometimes get criticized for traced photos, but after seeing this, people would give them credit for at least putting effort into making their work look nice and fit their style.

Overall, the linework is clean but rough. Lines themselves are often not smooth, but there’s no excess either. Aside from close-up shots that have nice, smooth art with varying line weight, the rest is mostly flat-looking.

Story: You might think Paradise Kiss is about fashion, and you’d be right. But it could just as easily have been about acting, making music, or drawing art. The fashion element is just a setting for a character-driven romance.

The romance in ParaKiss is rather well done. I expected another Cinderella-type story that little girls and teens could insert themselves into, and while there is a smidgen of that, it’s not the main point. The characters here are just believable enough to care about their attempts to build a relationship while dealing with their own and each other’s flaws. It captures well the storm that takes place in someone’s mind when they are high on love—making irrational or impulsive decisions or coming to far-off conclusions that are, however, easily understandable.

In the background, there’s a plot about all the characters finding their place in life, which I think made a compelling addition to the romance. While it doesn’t exactly go in-depth on all the themes it brings up, the part about growing up is decent. Our main heroine starts as an aimless student who goes wherever her mother points her, but along the way, she finds her true self. She discovers what she wants to do in life, and the happiness it brings gives her the courage to pursue her dreams. It’s a sweet message.

Funfactor: Given how much I hated most shoujo/josei manga I’ve read before, it’s worth noting that this was decently enjoyable. I wouldn’t recommend it to just anybody, but if you like more complex romances that delve into the psychology behind human relationships and don’t just ride on melodrama, I’d definitely recommend this.

As someone who has engaged with Ai Yazawa’s works like NANA, Tenshi Nanka ja Nai (I’m Not an Angel), and Kagen no Tsuki (Last Quarter), I am very familiar with what she is capable of. Ai Yazawa has the power to write characters who are flawed but you still feel for them and want them to be well, even if you don’t agree with all their decisions. Characters who you look forward to seeing how their journey ahead will be like. Characters who aren’t pretentious and are truly doing their best at what they strive towards. So after about eight weeks of waiting to borrow the 20th edition omnibus of Paradise Kiss from my local library, I was shocked by how unenjoyable this manga was for me. So, what happened? If I were to put it simply, Paradise Kiss felt like a blend between Neighborhood Story (Gokinjo Monogatari; prequel) and NANA that did not mix well. Now, you certainly do not need to read or watch the adaptations of Ai Yazawa’s other stories to understand Paradise Kiss. I’ll explore what did and didn’t work below: **Story & Characters:** I usually write my reviews where the story and characters are discussed separately. But Paradise Kiss is an exception, since the characters are the story. **Yukari:** When one thinks of a protagonist, they should typically be likeable. Being likeable can mean different things to different people, such as whether they’re relatable, if we think we would ever be friends with someone like them, or maybe they have qualities we like. Quite simply, we just like seeing them on our screen, including the moments where they grow. If none of that applies to the protagonist, at least they’re tolerable and they don’t destroy our enjoyment. Yukari unfortunately did not fulfill the basic requirements of a protagonist. Yukari grew up being tailored to study without hobbies, and that showed when she got carried away (harassed) by a group of fashionistas who went to a different school than her. Yukari was exposed to an industry that was foreign to her and yielded to it on the pretense of “broadening [her] horizons” and “experiencing new things.” She wasn’t genuinely interested in modelling at the time, as she was mesmerized by this flashy society where she let others doll her up. It was okay for her to see what it was like with the Paradise Kiss crew, but she went along with being a model without doing any research or practice on her own! Throughout the series, Yukari felt like that one crayon who doesn't fit in the case at all. There are all these unique colours in that case, but she's just not part of that society and that's okay. Yukari was a burden to the people around her, wanting them to show love in ways she didn’t vocalize or being reckless where people covered up for her. Yukari lacked confidence, and she was a coward whenever she blamed others for situations she did not walk away from or even when people shared their genuine concern. She’s the type of person who would yell at you and want you to comfort her. Sure, she apologizes later (sometimes) after an outburst, but there was no growth in genuinely improving her interactions with others like thinking of other people’s feelings before she opened her mouth. Or at least observing people before putting them on the spot, which saves her the effort of later apologizing. In short, Yukari was a selfish and immature person who was clingy and lacked communication skills. **George:** This man is a mess. He is a hypocrite for imposing his ideals, without ever seeing how he could fulfill Yukari’s needs. George does not know how to compromise in love; it’s him in his own world. Maybe there is an exception if you are his mother Yukino who is incapable of caring for herself. But besides Yukino, whom he doesn’t have a fulfilling relationship with emotionally, it’s obvious he prioritizes himself and his crafts. He will forget about you when it comes to work and not apologize about it, just like how his father Joichi treats Yukino. He is truly not your type of human who will emotionally support you. He goes at the beat of his own drum, and you either submit to him or you don’t. Even being friends with this dude would require extra effort because he leaves his phone off or doesn’t always have the habit of picking up, so it’s better to go to his home and hope he doesn’t have someone sleeping over. George is seen as mysterious. Yet, what’s really in his heart? What is he thinking? When he says he likes you, to what extent is that? Is he serious about you? Or are you just a toy to him? Yukari danced around this man without settling their issues, and she can’t say with confidence what it is that drew him to her. To be honest, George was the first man who flirted with the then-inexperienced Yukari, and she grabbed the opportunity. George admitted before that he doesn’t resist when people come to him, so he didn’t try to at least present himself as the faithful dude anyone would prefer. Yet, Yukari continued going back to George even though he has been hurtful to her and they don’t even share the same sexual preferences. **Arashi:** Where do I begin with this trash? For those of you who are familiar with Neighborhood Story, I’m sorry to inform you that he is Risa’s son. For those who are not familiar with Neighborhood Story, Risa is Mikako’s best friend from high school. And Mikako is the protagonist of Neighborhood Story (prequel) and Miwako’s (Arashi’s girlfriend) older sister. I believe Ai Yazawa should not have even made the Neighborhood Story connection because Risa as a person was attentive to the people around her and always supported her good friends. How did such a good person like Risa raise such a sorry excuse for a human? I cannot fathom this either. Arashi has an inferiority complex and is immature, which shows in how he treats Miwako. Please take note that this man is your example of a toxic partner, where he’s the type to forbid you from talking to a childhood friend and even break your phone by throwing it across the room. Arashi has even forced himself on Miwako, and she goes along with his desires to satisfy him. Arashi wants control in love and he struggles with trusting his partner. Arashi knows he’s a major cause for Miwako’s psychological pain, but after hanging out with her for 18 years, I can’t tell you there is genuine progress. Why do people know they’re horrible and don’t work on improving themselves? I have no idea. However, strangely enough...Arashi does care for Yukari. He’s bad with words, but he pays attention. Maybe he inherited Risa’s observant nature. But he mostly talks without thinking. What Miwako sees in Arashi is beyond me because there are many people in the world who can be kind AND they show it. **Miwako:** Another mystery to the entire series. Ai Yazawa writing that Miwako’s mother Ruriko is away for work is uncharacteristic. For those of you who are familiar with Neighborhood Story, Ruriko was attentive to Mikako as much as possible, so why wouldn’t she do the same for Miwako? Maybe Ruriko was okay with Mikako spending time with Miwako, but Mikako has her own work and family too. The lack of attention given to Miwako by her parents gives some explanation as to why she doesn’t seem to get guidance regarding her future or even Arashi. It’s also out of character for both Mikako and Risa to be uninvolved when Arashi is such a jerk to Miwako. It’s possible that Miwako keeps Arashi’s dark side to herself, but it’s odd that Mikako at least doesn’t seem to pick up on the bad signals. Despite Miwako being called cute by Yukari, she wasn’t a likeable character to me. I admit Miwako makes the effort to be there for Yukari and she’s responsible for her family whenever she babysits Alice (niece/Mikako and Tsutomu’s daughter). But she really needs to think on her own, like she imitates Mikako without looking at who she herself is. Miwako knew how she felt about Hiroyuki (a childhood friend), yet she stayed and tolerated Arashi. Arashi says his opinion and she goes along with it, even when it’s bluntly unprofessional and unsuitable to the space. **Hiroyuki:** The character I liked the most who got the short end of the stick. If you’re familiar with Neighborhood Story, he is Hiroaki’s (“Toku-chan”) son. He’s the only character who made sense to me in terms of characterization when Ai Yazawa made her Neighborhood Story connection. Just like Toku-chan who people confided in when he ran the bar, Hiroyuki is your decent man who has your back. He listens without ordering you around and he respects your decisions, even if it’s not what he would do personally. I completed this story thanks to Hiroyuki LOL. Other characters like Isabella and Noriji’s (a friendly and caring superintendent from Neighborhood Story) return were fun. Isabella deserved more attention. Isabella was the reliable ‘mother’ of the Paradise Kiss crew who was observant and had a sense of self. I’m happy that she had a supportive worker at home who accepted her gender identity, without feeling like she had to wear boys’ clothing or call herself by a male name. Noriji continued to be reliable, wanting to be there for others without imposing. It’s too bad he doesn’t appear in NANA. Now...I’m aware several readers are unsatisfied with the ending. I agree that the ending could have been explored. The way the ending was written didn’t make me want to look forward to the characters’ futures, where I felt like Ai Yazawa was just done with them. No character development where we get a timeskip, so we don’t know what happened in-between. Although, Ai Yazawa’s art was pleasant overall. Her designs were all unique and Yukari truly shined on stage. Isabella was always outstanding. Overall, I feel accomplished for completing this story LOL. I didn’t even need to read every text where there were times when I skimmed through, or even skipped pages. I could tell what was happening based on facial expressions, for example I just knew that Yukari would raise her voice and cry or George would make a comment without being committed to working together on what was in front of him. This pair took up so many pages, it’s a shame when the attention could have been better divided to other characters. I feel that the themes were present (e.g. bad parenting, feeling charmed by a hottie and considering giving up your future for them), but the execution just wasn’t it for me.

I love manga that revolves around the showbiz industry, so naturally, I had to read this well-known fashion-themed manga. It was surprisingly shorter than expected, but it was perfect in its brevity. While there could have been more content to extend the story, as is often the case with series we enjoy, I didn't want it to end. However, I was satisfied with how and where it concluded. I understand that Yazawa Ai's art style isn't for everyone. My first experience with her work was through the anime adaptation of Nana, which imitated her style. Initially, I wasn't a fan, though I loved the eye animation in the opening song. As I progressed and my tastes developed, I began to appreciate her style. I prefer her somewhat more realistic eye design compared to other shoujo manga where eyes take up half the face. The fashion in this manga was impressive; the outfits were more than decent, especially the fashion show designs—I found myself screenshotting them all day. This manga featured many quirky characters, including several eccentrics balanced by a few straight-laced individuals. The main character, Yukari (also known as Caroline or Carrie), cried a lot and came across as weak and whiny, yet somehow, I liked her despite usually disliking such characters. Not sure why. George, the love interest, is the type of guy who would make you swoon and think, "What a cool guy," but someone you'd prefer to remain fictional. Sorry, George, and all other "Georges" out there, it's just the truth. I don't have a particular favorite character, but Seiji from Glittery Planet seemed cool; I wished he had more panels. I thoroughly enjoyed it, only putting it down to eat and attend to my health. ***SLIGHT SPOILER AHEAD BUT NOT REALLY*** The manga stood out because it was slightly more realistic than most shoujo manga. Like Nana, it doesn't have the happiest ending. Although it can be sad and make you want to hate the manga, it reflects reality. Life isn't always a rosy dream; there are gray days too. But it's up to you to color your own reality. Quote that if you like, but remember, it's copyrighted (not T^T). Overall, if I were a teacher grading manga, I'd give it a 90. Good job, Para, you've earned a borderline A-.

Paradise Kiss is a josei manga by the creator of the popular Nana series. Interestingly, it’s a sequel to her earlier work, Gokinjo Monogatari, which I didn’t know until after I started reading—oops! This is only my second time diving into a josei manga, but I found this one quite enjoyable.

Yukari, a high school senior who has always focused on her studies, gets unexpectedly swept up by a group of fashion designers who think she’d be perfect for their next show. Initially hesitant, Yukari gradually becomes fascinated by the designers and particularly intrigued by their charismatic leader, George. She soon finds herself deeply immersed in the fashion world, wondering if this could be her true calling. Is it possible for her to balance both fashion and academics, or will she have to choose between them? And what kind of person is George, really?

The artwork in this manga is beautifully executed, adeptly capturing both comedic and mature moments when necessary. It also excels at depicting fashion details, which I appreciated immensely.

As for the characters, my feelings were somewhat mixed. I initially liked Yukari, but as the story progressed, I found her decision-making became increasingly impulsive, lacking the sense of responsibility I expected. Her feelings for George sometimes seemed overwhelming, making me wonder whether her passion for fashion was driven more by him than by genuine interest. George, meanwhile, remained an enigma, often keeping his thoughts to himself and offering little support when Yukari faced challenges. The supporting characters were more likable, though I wished they had been explored further.

Overall, Paradise Kiss was an engaging read. I always enjoy stories where the protagonist is on a journey of self-discovery. I’d recommend this manga to those who appreciate realistic romance and career-focused narratives, especially those centered around fashion. The ending was particularly outstanding, leaving a lasting impression.