Paradise Kiss

It is obviously not the idea to compare animes with each other but ParaKiss was a little bit of a disappointment. Don't get me wrong I still loved it and thought about it a lot when I was not watching. It even kept me from other work that I needed to do. However with a series like Nana I expected a little more. They could have done so much if they only changed the amount of episodes there were available. Twelve is not enough for a series like Paradise Kiss. They needed at least 24 and even if they covered the same amount of this story it would have still be enough. A little more flashbacks was something that would make me love the characters a little more and understand them a little bit better. For example I loved Isabella/Izabella, and it was a bit weird to get the flashback or the background of her story so late and at one point that it didn't make sense. Why was it necessary there and couldn't you get a glimpse of a flashback earlier on when Miwako said that you couldn't change in front of the boys, which should have brought a big question mark. Anything else but the end. I loved the theme and that also reminded me a little of NaNa, which is also the reason why I started to watch Paradise Kiss. Because I love the art from the Nana series and obviously love the art from ParaKiss. The details for music, clothing in both series is absolutely terrific! Which brings me to the next subject: in Nana it is clear why they put so much attention to both clothing and music. Which they don't do with Paradise Kiss, yes the clothing is explained but the idea of Arashi in a band, that could use some extra background again. Same between about the fights between Hiro, Arashi and Miwako. Arashi said he stole Miwako, flashblack please. It had so much potential to only miss out because of the fact that it could only have twelve options. So I would say that skipping the anime is a way better job to do and read the manga, than the other way around. What I have done at this point. I will read the manga, might be in a year because I don't want to keep repeating for myself. But I'm almost 100% assured that the manga will be so much better.

I went into this anime completely blind, I had no idea what it would be about. But soon after seeing the art style I became very skeptical and slowly turnt more negative each episode. But that only lasted until about episode 3 or 4, which for an anime that only consists of 12 episodes, is pretty long. But still I kept watching, for reasons unknown to me something was pulling me in, making me want to keep watching. Which I did and then bam in the blink of an episode I liked it all of a sudden, I started being able to appreciate all of the characters and I loved how you could see them grow throughout the series. After a while it turned out that one of the characters thinks in a pretty similar way to me, which was awesome :) All in all it was a pretty good show, with an heartbreaking ending and I suggest you check it out. You might find yourself liking it more than you may expect.

You know...I don't even know where I picked this one up in the first place, and I certainly never expected it to be this good. This truly was a breath of fresh air, and something decidedly different from any other seinen anime I've ever seen. There's something about the story which just kept me hooked until the very end - and yet, it's just about a girl taking matters in her own hands and choosing the job that would truly make her happy. With the persuasion of a few people, of course. The setting is all about fashion, and while you may not be interested in clothes, this anime puts a very nice twist on it. It all flows very naturally, plus THE DRAMA IS REAL. The art itself might turn some people off - and I can understand that, as it's rather unique. But in my opinion, it's beautiful, and as stylish as one of the characters' hand sown dresses. It's very expressive and pleasant to watch. As for the characters themselves, they were what kept me hooked the most. All of them had their clear faults and realistic personalities, and didn't really have that 'anime' feel to it. I loved every single one of them, got mad at them, cried with them, and I cannot express how satisfying it is to watch some well developed characters who grow and mature beautifully. Their relationships are also both believable and interesting. The romance is wonderfully written, and you can't help but squeal when Yukari and George share their first kiss. There may be times where the characters [the protagonist especially] will make you sigh, though. The music was rather pleasant, but nothing out of the ordinary. The opening and ending songs were, however, both catchy and fun. Extra points because the ending made me stay. And to conclude everything, let me tell you this. If you need a break from all the constant fluff and tsunderes, and would rather have something down to earth and realistic, then you should give this one a shot for sure. I don't usually rewatch anime, but this one enraptured me, and I recommend it 100%.

Don't expect me to go into artwork and sound reviews cause I'm no artist but all I can say is that it looked good and I could hear everything without that weird off screen sound change thing some animes like to do. Anyway on to the real review. I decided to watch Paradise Kiss after putting it off for a while....actually I put it off once then forgot about it for months. Now if you've read my other reviews then you know that I love slice of life animes. Not slice of life in space or supernatural, or fantasy. But true slice of life animes that show real people in real situations. I haven't read the manga nor watched the live action version(I never watch the live action of any anime). So I went into Paradise Kiss knowing nothing of the characters and the story. What I loved about Paradise Kiss was the fact that this was a true slice of life that could happen to anyone, the story tackled mature relationships, sex, love, falling in love with the wrong people, jealously, fighting with parents, and all of the things I'm sure any teenager nowadays can relate to. I know I have fallen for the wrong guy, argued with my mother, struggled to live up to her expectations and failing, and thought of running away from it all. So I can relate totally and I will always remember this anime as one of the VERY VERY VERY few that tackled real life in its purest form. I don't know about anyone else but we need more slice of life anime types out there as I'm sick to death of yet another "boy gets mysterious powers that enable him to fly a mech but he's a regular high school boy" animes. The horse has been beaten to a bloody mangled mess with that plot. I'm sure by now that you are wondering why I did not give this anime a perfect 10. Well it is simple. It's too short and the character develop is shotty as all h*ll. First we have Yukari aka Caroline: She's the heroine of the story. When we meet her she is an arrogant, snotty, haughty little b*tch. But things change when she meets "George" and she sees that unlike her they are all actually working toward their dreams. It softens her up a bit and she even apologizes for talking crap before. It seems that from here on out Yukari was going to be an okay character, flawed still yes, but a girl who starts to make some real changes and turn out a better person for it. However, we get no such luck and in some cases her development is all over the place. For example; She was "in love" with a boy named Hiroyuki from school. She never confessed her feelings, thought he would never like her, and was taking secret pictures of him from some bushes. yet almost to the middle of the 12 episode series she's all but telling George she wants to bang him. Now wanting to have sex with George isn't the problem here. It's how she went from shyly taking pictures of one guy to out right telling another guy she wants to "get closer" without showing the audience how she reached that point. Sure we start to know that she is becoming attracted to George but it seems so out of the blue. Anyway, it's hard for me to take Yukari seriously. All she does is say she will do something then sit around all day thinking about George. Then I had about enough of her character after having the gall to lecture George's mother about her life. Okay miss runaway, high school dropout, living at your rich boyfriend's house, and getting modelling jobs handed to you on a silver platter by your friends. I guess you know all about struggling in life to talk to someone's mother that way. Seriously, I don't like this girl, sure she has her moments but that is all she has, moments. and typically those good moments are followed by her being a crybaby, suffer able b*tch. Like for example; finally walking down the runway and making everyone proud at the school fashion show was great! Then after she doesn't get what SHE wanted out of doing it she pouts, cries, wonders why everyone else is happy, and is generally a pain in the a$$. George is the typical playboy bisexual. A rich kid living off daddy's money and I'm sure some see him as the antagonist of the show, if there was to be one. He is the bad boy your mother told you not to fall for. he won't treat you like a princess, but he will whisper sweet nothings in your ear until you can't stand it. He'll have multiple partners but tell you that you are number one, deep down inside you know its a lie, but he's an awesome kisser, looks like an Adonis, and can screw like an Incubus so you allow yourself to wallow in the dream he seems to magically weave for you. I have to say. I love George. I really do. I tried to hate him cause in some ways I'm supposed to but I liked him. Why? cause he never told Yukari a lie and seems to stay true to himself and demands that others stop BSing and do the same. For example, he flat out tells Yukari that he can get over her if she wants to end it, he got angry with her clingy behavior after she started to put being with him over her own modelling career, he straight up call her out for blaming everyone else for her own d*mn life decisions. I loved him for it. Sadly we don't get to see more of what makes George tick as a person. We just know that his mother is weak, his father is rich, he's the illegitimate son (his mother was the mistress), he loves designing clothes that are beautiful and whimsical, and he was very accepting of Isabella when he came out as transgendered. I wish I could have known more about the bisexual aspects of him. It's hinted that his boyfriend was the makeup guy (don't know his name) but the story doesn't show us more about his feelings in that area. We do know that he was seeing the guy while he was also seeing Yukari though. The other characters are Miwako, Arashi, Isabella, and Hiroyuki. They are all very interesting characters but sadly we get no true development from them. I would have liked to know more about the triangle between Arashi, Miwako, and Hiroyuki but alas we get a bunch of small snippets of info and contrived moments thrown together to explain it all. They never go into what Hiroyuki saw in Yukari when honestly he has more chemistry and history with Miwako. I will try not to spoil here! The ending is another factor that dropped the ratings for me. I loved George's and Isabella's part in the end as I feel that they are better suited to do what they want to do and I love their friendship even though it wasn't developed much. Yukari's end just shows why I just don't really like her and probably never will, I feel bad for Hiroyuki(and I'm saying this from reading their character bios that give away what happens int he manga). Personally let me just say that the ending was so freaking vague and such a non ending to the point where I had to read the character bios in hopes of finding out what the heck they were talking about at the end with Yukari and her brother. if you read the manga then I'm sure you would know but to people who haven't it was such a WTF moment. Sure I got the jest of what was happening.... Okay screw it, spoiler!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yukari is engaged to Hiroyuki yet still wears George's clothes that he left for her when he left for Paris with Isabella. and they are going to see a play that George was the costume designer for. *whew!* Now they never mention that it was Hiroyuki she was engaged to. I had to read the bio to get that. They just say fiancee. So basically she is marrying/settling for a man who loves her while she is still in love with George. So glad George opted for Paris.

I'd heard about paradise kiss a few times but never really took an interest as i thught it was just manga when i saw that there was an anime i thought id take a look. I ended up loving it i couldnt keep my eyes away but the endigng shocked me and made be a bit teary-eyed as didnt really get it so i too a look at the last chapter of manga and it does give u more understanding of it as they dont really explain much in anime compared to manga so u should check the manga if want deeper understanding. Overall 9 out of 10 awesome as i still did'nt like ending, i dunno why but i just thought why work that hard on building the relationship to throw it all away i know its ment to be something like teaching each oother but still, well i guess its different for every one.

Beautiful art, fashionable clothes, cool characters, interesting storyline focused on the relationships of the characters! Paradise kiss is one my favorites, although it's short it's worthy of your time.

Paradise Kiss is one of the few animes that deserve to be described as flawless. From the beautiful animation, to the heart-warming story, this series executes its purpose with effortless perfection. Straddling between elements of realism and dream-like extravagance, Paradise Kiss pulls its viewer's into the life of a high school girl turned model. Although the premise may at first seem contrived, the storytelling transforms every girl's dream into a story of escaping routine and finding happiness. For anyone and everyone who has ever felt trapped the routine boredom of everyday life, Yukari's feelings echo the secret wish to run away. Coupled with oddball characters, this normal high school student finds her own definition of living her life. It's hard for me to rate any aspect of this show below a 10--from the fantastic animation and great voice acting to the masterful storytelling, Paradise Kiss is perfect. If you liked Nana, you'll love this short from Ai Yazawa.

One thing you can say is that Ai Yazawa's art is jaw-drop goregeous and this anime stays true to her creations. A quirky coming of age story, set against a backdrop of high fashion, the heroine "Caroline" (I can't remember her real name!) falls in love with her boss and designer, Gerorge, a free-spirit and artist. Using a stereotypical framework (girl rejects previous life for something completely different and more glamerous and finds love in the process), Paradise Kiss creates a whole new spin. Plus, the SD faces are unique and so funny.

Paradise Kiss is a coming of age story about a sheltered girl. Yukari starts as a girl who does everything her mother asks, and she's rather sheltered. At 18, she hasn't had a boyfriend or even kissed a guy. Introduce Paradise Kiss, a group of fashion designers. There's George, Isabella, Miwako, and Arashi. They want Yukari to model for them. They introduce Yukari into the world of fashion, and lead her to question if her mom is really right about what she should do. Compared to the prequel, My Neighborhood Story, the characters are more fun. That isn't to say, there's no drama. Trust me, there's a lot of drama in the show. They're just more fun and easy to watch, even if some of them are worse people. Yeah, the main cast is very manipulative and sneaky. Everyone has lied, snuck around, and/or manipulated their loved ones. That's what makes them realistic. Yukari follows the path of a sheltered girl. When you watch this show, Yukari will remind you of those sheltered girls that go crazy when they're let out of a cage. And you can't tell them anything, because they think they know everything. I'd definitely recommend Paradise Kiss. The drama is there, the fashion is there, and the characters are complex.

I’ve always been interested in fashion and music so Parakiss kinda fulfills a lot of things for me in the manga department actually. I actually feel that this anime adaptation was the strongest between Nana and Gokinjo Monohatari to be quite honest. Comparisons aside, I find that this anime was the most enjoyable to watch not only because it’s the artistically faithful but because the ambience was sooo appealing. Music direction is so top tier in this anime and really instills a cool vibe throughout the show with the sound design and reverberation of Arashis songs in the background. I wasn’t expecting a kind of laid back sound from Arashis punk band but It’s ridiculously addicting, cannot recommend the original band ‘THE BABYS’ enough. Every character is so charming and has their own ways of following their own ambitions and it’s refreshing to see a protagonist actually navigate her life in a realistic organic way as a teenager. I’ve never actually stayed on Ai Yazawas work for the actual Shoujo aspect, because I’m more intrigued by how realistic and flawed she makes her characters and act in adult ways. I felt like seeing these kids work hard and take themselves seriously as artists really inspiring. This is just one of those animes I rewatch to reinvigorate myself to keep making art I think haha.

As someone who saw Nana years ago, I felt the same depressing feeling when I first saw it. I can't help myself getting into this artstyle and story. I'm not into shoujo dramas and actually I really don't like shy characters who can't even kiss even months later so I always liked the realistic perspective of Nana and Paradise Kiss. I like the way they show the feelings and psychological balance between characters. And I even knew how it was about to end even from the start. But stayed, cause I know it's not all about destination, it's about the journey. And it was worth it.

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.

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.

There will be SPOILERS in this review. To start out, the artwork is amazing. I really enjoyed the complexities of color, the texture, and the oddness of the artwork. The music is fitting and enjoyable. I thought the characters were great and well thought out. Although, for a main character, I did not find myself liking Yukari very much. I found her very childish throughout the series and even when she realizes this, she does not seem to change much. Miwako was a very enjoyable character and I love her to pieces, but I did not enjoy her relationship with Arashi. I thought he was petty and cruel to her. She states in one part of the anime that Arashi seems scary, but he is actually super cute...and then he breaks her cell phone for emailing a friend who happens to be a male. Huh. I was really hoping she would end up with Tokumori, but... ...Yukari seems to be getting married to him at the end. x.x I really didn't think her and George would be together forever, but I didn't like this ending at all. I did like that George left her all his dresses, but it seems as though that symbolizes that he had moved on and she clung to the past by wearing them. Kind of depressing. Why do the women always seem to be the ones who get left behind? Why did she have to marry anyone at the end? Overall, it was a nice trip but I am not sure I enjoyed the conclusion. Seems to me that Tokumori will always love Miwako and Yukari will always love George, even though they might not be the best fit for each other. So heartbreaking, but maybe that was the point? Shows like these make me feel like the author wants the audience to view the characters as "mature" and "adult" for not indulging themselves and letting go of petty romances, but it seems cliche to me.

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.

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 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!

the paradise kiss series is written by the same author as NANA and because of this i had very high hopes for the series. plus after watching the live action i was quite delighted to learn of the anime. so with high hopes and expectations i watched it. the music was what i was expecting because of the popular track listing of NANA and it came as no surprise of how the music fit well to the plot. the graphics were good as well but not as developed as C but definitively not as immature as BECK.the story was well thought out as all of her books are but there was definitively something missing. i suppose the only issue was that is was a mediocre anime and that's all good but after knowing the authors other accomplishments and watching the live action i guess my expectations were too high to give the paradise kiss series a really amazing review. i rate it 8/10 because of its well development and potential.

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.