Yukari is a typical cram-schooling attending high school senior whose entire
livelihood is devoted to her studies. However, an unexpected encounter on the
streets will suddenly transport her into a foreign landscape.
Unwillingly pulled into the world of high fashion, glamour, and romance,
Yukari struggles to find her footing. And as she gains new and completely
different experiences, meets new friends, and even falls in love, she must
also overcome her conflicting self-identity and discover her true purpose in
life.
Paradise Kiss Anime Review
Paradise Kiss is a shoujo drama / romantic comedy anime based on the manga of
the same name and created by Ai Yazawa. It is a refreshing, albeit somewhat
transparent look into the fast paced world of fashion and
"avant-garde" culture, as well as being a coming of age story involving
teenage rebellion and identity crisis.
It is funny, yet touching; outlandish in its presentation and yet down to
earth in its message. And while its roots don't dig particularly deep, it
manages to entertain us with it unique style, if not necessarily leaving a
lasting impression.
Told from Yukari's perspective, the story is based upon her transformation
from a shy but hard-working student to a confident and popular fashion model.
As such, each episode is peppered with her inner monologue, which serves a
bridge between the viewers and what's happening on screen. This method of
storytelling certainly helps the viewer better understand Yukari's character,
though it obviously narrows the perspective.
This is not to say the other characters aren't important as nothing could be
further from the truth. Yukari’s new-found friends and acquaintances are all
interesting; albeit somewhat "stock" characters.
George, for instance, is cool and arrogant yet shows genuine care towards
Yukari, who he seemingly falls in love with. Miwako, despite her age, has an
adorable childish demeanor while Arashi, who at first glance seems like a
loud-mouthed-walking-punk-metal cliché, actually enjoys sewing and fashion
design.
Then there's Isabella, a high-class lady who acts as a mother figure, but
isn't exactly a lady at all. In fact, it's really these characters and
Yukari's interaction with them that drives the show from start to finish. This
is definitely a show which is almost completely dependent upon the characters
rather than the storyline itself.
The shows sense of fashion is also one of its main attractions. In each
episode, we see the main characters wearing some varied and stylish clothing,
from modern to retro designs to everything in-between.
The designs themselves are colorful and attractive, and give the show a unique
look and feel. The creators have definitely done their research as the fashion
design is what sets this series apart from similar shows in this genre.
The art and animation are somewhat of a mixed bag however, and definitely not
one of the best productions from Madhouse
(the studio behind works such as Perfect Blue, Trigun, X-TV, and
Metropolis). While the art itself is detailed and colorful, the actual animation is a
little disappointing in that there isn't really very much of it.
A lot of the scenes have very little movement and the director seems to have a
habit of cutting away to stills rather than finishing up at the ends of
certain scenes.
While the animation isn't exactly necessarily bad
(the stills are in fact very detailed and beautiful and there are brief
moments in which the anime is fun and lively), it seems more attention could have been put into making the animations
smoother and more fluid. It's somewhat of a shame that such excellent art
design is put to waste via generally uninspired animation.
The sound however, is overall very well done with some superb voice acting
both on the original Japanese track and the English language track. In fact,
the dubbing impressed me right away and despite a few weak points, is
definitely one the best I've ever heard.
Just as impressive is the show's music, from the techno J-pop opener
"Lonely in Gorgeous" by Tommy february6 to the pop rock ending theme
"Do You Want To" performed by the popular Scottish band Franz
Ferdinand.
Paradise Kiss is definitely an embodiment of modern "pop" culture and
as such deals with many issues including teenage identity crisis, the
complexities of romance, and the importance of self-exploration. Yukari,
despite being a hard-working student, finds that her life is rather empty and
monotonous.
In fact, her personality goes into complete disarray when she meets the four
fashion students, and soon to be new friends, from Yazagaku. Her struggle to
find real purpose in her life is certainly an experience that many viewers can
relate to and understand wholeheartedly as is her rebellion against her strict
mother.
Through her relationship with George, we can also see that love and romance
isn't quite as simple and straightforward as we think, and doesn't always end
up the way we imagine it will. And Yukari's personal transformation shows that
who we are now isn't necessarily who we should be or who we want to be.
Unfortunately, the show suffers from a storyline that moves so slowly, we
wonder if it's going anywhere at all. In fact, there is probably more story
covered in the last few episodes than in all the previous episodes combined.
This naturally leads to the ending feeling a little rushed and out of place.
And despite the excellent characters, the story itself leaves much to be
desired. Many of our lingering questions, for instance concerning Yukari's
attraction to George or Yukari's relationship with Hiroyuki, are never
answered.
Not to mention we don't really get a good sense of closure. What little story
we do get seems somewhat superficial and secondary in importance to the pretty
dresses and stylish fashions we see on screen.
If there is a lingering issue with Paradise Kiss, it's that the eye candy
seems more important than the actual plot. This is why the anime often feels
somewhat shallow, soulless and transparent much like the advertisements we
would see in fashion magazines. Finally, the show just seems a little too
short.
We simply don't spend enough time with the characters to really get to know
them. Yes, the characters are interesting and pretty well developed for a
12-episode series, but somehow it feels that the anime should have been 24
episodes long instead.
Yet despite its brevity or emphasis of style over substance, Paradise Kiss is
nevertheless an enjoyable anime that is definitely unique in its look and
style. It certainly has its share of ups and downs, but there is a lot to like
here especially for those who want something a little different from the norm.
It's certainly not a show for everyone and those who are just interested in
your typical genre entertainment should probably look elsewhere.
Miscellanies: Paradise Kiss
The Paradise Kiss manga was released from 2000 to 2004 in Japan and comprises
a total of five volumes. All five volumes have been translated and released in
North America by TokyoPop.
The North American DVD release was handled by Geneon Entertainment and
released in three volumes of four episodes each.
Several of the Paradise Kiss characters, including George and Isabella, appear
in the special omake chapters of Ai Yawaza's current manga series, Nana.
Paradise Kiss | |
| Genre | Comedy, Drama, Romance, Slice of Life |
|---|---|
| Episodes | 12 |
| Status | Finished Airing |
| Aired | Oct 14, 2005 to Dec 30, 2005 |
| Producers | Aniplex, Dentsu, Fuji TV, Shodensha |
| Studio | Madhouse |
| Rating | R - 17+ (violence & profanity) |
| Themes | Visual Arts |
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