Paradise Kiss

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Des alternatives: English: Paradise Kiss
Synonyms: ParaKiss
Japanese: パラダイス・キス
Auteur: Yazawa, Ai
Taper: Manga
Volumes: 5
Chapitres: 48
Statut: Finished
Publier: 1999-03-23 to 2003-03-22
Sérialisation: Zipper

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4.2
(10 Votes)
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Des alternatives: English: Paradise Kiss
Synonyms: ParaKiss
Japanese: パラダイス・キス
Auteur: Yazawa, Ai
Taper: Manga
Volumes: 5
Chapitres: 48
Statut: Finished
Publier: 1999-03-23 to 2003-03-22
Sérialisation: Zipper
But
4.2
10 Votes
40.00%
40.00%
20.00%
0.00%
0.00%
0 En train de lire
0 Veux lire
0 Lis
Sommaire
Yukari wants nothing more than to make her parents happy by studying hard and getting into a good college. One afternoon, however, she is kidnapped by a group of self-styled fashionistas calling themselves "Paradise Kiss." Yukari suddenly finds herself flung into the roller-coaster life of the fashion world, guided by George, art-snob extraordinaire. In a glamorous makeover of body, mind and soul, she is turned from a hapless bookworm into her friends 22 own exclusive clothing model.

(Source: Tokyopop)
Mots clés
drama
romance
school
josei
Commentaires (10)
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Paradise Kiss 's review
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NEKO-est14
Mar 25, 2021
Whenever I read "Nana" from manga-ka Ai Yazawa, I feel suckered into a world that, not only is fantastic, but is completely relatable... She has a knack for producing characters that are flawed, human. And make them likable... One doesn't realize the skill of an author so much when just given one example of their work, and, since I had only read the "Nana" manga (and absolutely love it, despite its flaws) I wasn't able to see just how good Ai Yazawa's pacing and storytelling can be... :)

"Paradise Kiss", an amalgamation of a love for fashion and love in general, is, as a whole, a much better body of work than "Nana". It works so much better because the author doesn't go off into tangents all the time. She focuses on the core group of characters, and builds up each of their stories. By the end of the five volumes you are left with a bittersweet, melancholy mood, haunting you long after you close the cover. You're left wondering just what will happen when such-and-such meet at such-and-such musical, or just what everyone will look like at such-and-such time...

Yazawa's art is just as stylish and edgy as in "Nana", but with a higher concentration on fashion and "style". It is a highly emotional story, full of the troubles associated with following your own path in life, and living accordingly. Yet, there is a self-awareness incorporated in it, with characters commenting about their presence in the storyline and whether or not there are enough pages for them. These comedic touches help the readers to not get bogged down in what could just be one angsty read.

Also, the ending is perhaps one of the most realistic endings I have ever read in a manga. Whereas one expects it or wishes for something different, Yazawa captures the conflicting emotions of growing up well. And for this alone I can recommend it to anyone. It's just that, "Paradise Kiss" has many good things to base a recommendation :)
Paradise Kiss 's review
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Lenka-Penka9
Mar 25, 2021
Paradise Kiss is an absolute gem. The characters are flawed but, for the most part, lovable. It's a story of growth and finding one's feet in life. I love how Yukari, the female lead, goes from being listless and unsure of herself to a passionate adult who has found and enjoys her place in life. We get to see the (often painful) beginnings of this change. The ending left me raw but satisfied. This truly is a masterpiece...I had no idea I'd love it so much.

Art 9/10 - At first I wasn't so sure about the art style. Upon reading I quickly changed my mind. The proportions can be downright scary at times...however, it actually adds to the charm of the manga. This is an intentional style. The comedic sketches are on point. If the art is holding you back from reading, like it did with me, don't fret...you'll end up enjoying it.

Everything else is a solid 10/10!

SPOILERS - PLEASE DO NOT CONTINUE READING IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE MANGA YET!!!

SERIOUSLY!!

I MEAN IT! c:



I normally don't write spoilers...but, there are just some things I'm compelled to address. I've heard people complaining about how Yukari doesn't get with George in the end. But, I think that is the best outcome! He was downright horrible to her. You can tell he had true feelings for her but is too selfish to give her what she really needs. If she got with him she would have given up too much of herself...only following him around the world. She chose to live her life for her - which, is strong and beautiful. He was her stepping stone towards a better life. That is why I think she carried love for him even years later. Not because she wanted to be with him but because she was thankful for the good things he did do for her. And there are the naysayers who might cry, "Then why didn't she just get with Tokumori in the beginning?!" ...isn't it obvious? He was a great guy from the beginning. But, Yukari had a shallow love for him. She wasn't ready for a real relationship and he probably wasn't, either. (Especially considering Miwako) What happened with George, and the other hinted-at relationships over the 10 year gap near the end, gave her the depth and capability to have a meaningful relationship. She got with Tokumori at the perfect time in life. And at the end of the manga you can tell they are going to be truly happy together...with no regrets. It's realistic, meaningful, and a lovely way for the story to end.
Paradise Kiss 's review
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animelancer12
Mar 25, 2021
For the first time in a long while, my endeavor to find good women's manga ended with a positive result. Even though I'm still not exactly thrilled this was a nice way to expand horizons.

Art: Gotta say, while there are lots of pretty, close shots of beautiful characters in the flashy outfits, everything else is rather awful.
While some drawings like chapter and volume covers, as well as occasional manga panels have more or less realistic proportions, the rest of the manga is filled with skeleton people trying to hide inside skin bags with various degrees of success. It's inconsistent but it's probably a stylistic choice so your mileage may vary. I found it to be pretty bad cause fashion to me is about using clothes to bring out the best features of human physique and go even further beyond. Stick people don't work for that.
Next are backgrounds, they are absolutely dreadful, no two ways about it. It's better than something like Sailor Moon or BeruBara who completely annihilate spatial awareness.
Paradise Kiss has three types of backgrounds:
1. Absolutely nothing - nothing uncommon for women's manga, they often focus on characters and their appearance to a point where backgrounds doesn't seem to matter to them.
2. Minimal outlines - bare minimum of a background, at this point you actually have an idea of where things take place. Better than a void of nothingness but lacking in detail and not rally pretty to look at.
3. PHOTOS - straight up photos! No, even worse. It's very badly filtered photos. This practice existed in manga for a while but this is the first time I see it done this badly and lazily. Inio Asano and Mokoto Shinkai at times get criticized after someone praises them for what is essentially a traced photo but after this I'm sure people would give them credit for at least putting in effort to have it look nice and fit the style of their work.
Overall the linework is clean but rough, as in, lines themselves are often not smooth but there's no excess either. Aside from up close shots that have nice and smooth art with varying line weigh the rest is mostly flat looking.

Story: you might think Paradise Kiss is about fashion and you would be right. But it just as easily could've been acting or making music or drawing art. The fashion thing is just a setting for a character driven romance.
ParaKiss romance is rather well done, I expected another Cinderella type story that little girls and teens could insert themselves in and while there is a smidgen of that, it's not the point. The characters here are just believable enough to care about their attempt to build a relationship while having to deal with their own and each others 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 of the characters finding their place in life which I think made a compelling addition to romance. While it doesn't exactly go in depth on all of the themes is brings up, the part about growing up is decent. Our main heroine starts as an aimless student that goes wherever her mother points her to but along the way finds her true self, she finds what she wants to do in life and happiness it brings gives her courage to pursue her dreams. It's a sweet message.

Funfactor: Given how I hated most shoujo/josei manga I've read prior, I think it's worth something when I say this was decently enjoyable. I wouldn't recommend it to just anybody but if you like more complex romance that delves into psychology behind human relationship and doesn't just ride on melodrama I'd definitely recommend this.
Paradise Kiss 's review
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StrawhatSabo11
Mar 25, 2021
I love manga that has to do with the showbiz industry. So of course i had to read this one, a quite known manga about fashion. It was surprisingly shorter than i thought but it was perfect. There could be more added to make the story longer and like everyone who enjoys a series, i dont want it to end. However, i was satisfied with where and how it ended.

I understand that Yazawa Ai's art style is not for everyone. My first experience was with Nana (ok it was an anime so wasnt her work but still was an imitation of her style), i wasnt really a fan at first (though i love the eye thing at the opening song) but as i progressed and as my taste developed, i began to love her style. I prefer her somewhat more realistic eye style to some other shoujo manga where the eyes take up half the face. And the fashion, i really like the outfits in this manga, well duh its a fashion manga, the clothing ahould be at least decent but it was more than that, especially that fashion show design outfit, im telling yall, screenshotting all day.

There were a lot of quirky character in this manga, a bunch of freaks and a couple of straight-men (/women) to balance the scale. The main girl, Yukari/Caroline/Carrie cried a lot and was kinda weak and whiney but somehow, i liked her when i normally hate her type. Not really 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 would like to remain a fictional character and hope you will never meet (sorry George and all the other "George" out there dont be too sad about that but its the truth) i dont have a character i particularly like over others but seiji from the glittery planet seemed cool, wished he got more panels.

I throughly enjoyed it, didnt put it down except to eat and attend to my sickly self.
***KINDA A SPOILER BUT NOT REALLY...IS***
The manga was great because it was a smidge bit more realistic than other shoujo manga are, like nana it does not have the most favorable ending. And though its sad and makes you want to hate the manga, its the truth. Life is not always a rose colored dream. There are gray days as well. But it is up to you to color in reality. Quote that. But dont, its copyrighted (not T^T).
Overall? If i were a teacher, and manga were tests that are to be graded id give it a 90 good job Para, you got a borderline A-

Paradise Kiss 's review
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CrackityJones13
Mar 25, 2021
I can't start this review without an introduction because one of the easiest ways to describe this manga is by asking: Have you ever watched the 1957 musical film "Funny Face" and the 2006 film "The Devil Wears Prada"? Yes? Good. Now, try to imagine the plot of the former without all the songs & dance and mix it with the plot of the later. Then, you will be prepared to read Paradise Kiss.

If I idolized it by the first time I've read it? Yeah, sure. If I would idolize it if I've had read it today? I don't know.

The first time I've read it was when it was licencised in my country, back in c.2007. I managed to re-read it completely once, a long time ago, but I still remember vividly most of its story. I also watched the live action when it was released.

Why I was so fascinated by this manga when I've had read it by the first time...? It was because I was in that phase when we like everything we read and watch? It was because it is about fashion (something I always loved) and was created by someone who understands this subject? Because Yazawa had a beautiful character design and knew how to tell a story with characters and stories that you could meet anywhere in real life? Because it is realist without being grotesque?

I made the last question be the last one on purpose, because this is what makes me keep on respecting this manga, no matter how frustrating it can get at times. This should even be the theme of this story, "frustration". Not something traumatizing and distressing, just... Frustrating.

Sure, the official theme is how you should face your and other people's taboos and live your life how you want to, even if it means having a career that most people considers to be eccentric or somehow strange. But another strong theme, related to the first one, is how life can be frustrating because, for better or worse, it doesn't always ends up like you planned it to. Literally from the first to the last page this is shown by the author. This is why I don't like the live action - they changed what made this story good and believable, the only good thing about the film was the soundtrack.

But you know, saying a lot of times how this is a frustrating story doesn't mean this is a bad read. Of course it have its faults but at the end of the day this is a good story if you want something that can feel real without too much melodrama and strange situations.
Paradise Kiss 's review
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Dracosine9
Mar 25, 2021
Paradise Kiss is a josei manga written by the mangaka of the famous Nana. It is apparently a sequel to a previous work of hers, Gokinjo Monogatari, which I wasn't aware about until after I already started reading (oops). This is only my 2nd time reading a josei manga (shoujo reader all the way), but I still found this one quite enjoyable.

Yukari is a senior in high school who has known studying all of her life. One day, however, she is kidnapped by a group of fashion designers who believe that she would be the perfect model for the next fashion show. Even though she is reluctant to participate at first, Yukari becomes interested in these designers, and also intrigued by their leader, George. She eventually becomes immersed into the fashion world and believes that it is her true calling. Is it possible for her to include both fashion and academics in her life, or can she only choose one? And what kind of person is George, really?

The art for this manga was very well-done and good at depicting comedy and maturity when needed. It also was very detailed when it comes to fashion, which I love.

The characters were so-so for me. I liked Yukari originally, but found that later she seemed impulsive when it came to important decisions she had to make. I think she could've been more sensible. Also, at times her feelings for George were a bit much, and I was unsure about whether she wanted to continue fashion because of passion or because of George. George, on the other hand, I liked even less. He kept a lot to himself and didn't provide Yukari any help when she had problems. I liked the minor characters much more, but I would've liked to learn more about them.

Overall, the manga was an enjoyable read. I always like manga where the protagonist is trying to find him or herself. I would also recommend this to those who like realistic manga and romance. The manga is also mainly about fashion so if you like career-oriented manga, you'll probably like this one as well.

Also, the ending was superb.
Paradise Kiss 's review
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SiriusTimeKeeper10
Mar 25, 2021
Okay so I personally feel like this manga was not as good as it could've been. The characters each were pretty deep but I feel like they weren't explored into enough, especially the main character male. Honestly this is pretty refreshing compared to all the typical romance mangas but I felt very unsatisfied upon finishing the manga. Overall the art was beautiful but I feel that there should have been more development with the story and the characters as well.

(SPOILERS AHEAD!!) Ok so honestly the way that the manga started was very unsettling for me. She meets random people who want her to model and the next second she's apparently in love with the male main character. THE HECK. And it's not even a crush she flat out says "I'm in love with this dude." GOD. And he's very mysterious and some may feel like thats a good thing but I still feel like I have no idea who the heck the main male lead is and I don't like that. He just disappears to Europe at the end and poof he's gone. And in the end she ends up with the guy she first had a crush with. Omg it irks me so much because all throughout the manga she showed no emotion for the guy she ends up with. If anything i feel like she should've ended up by herself or some thing. This manga has a lot of mystery to it and definitely leaves the readers to their own interpretation. But basically to summarize what I got from the manga is a stupid girl who, yes has gone through hardships, becomes a toy for a narcissistic, shallow man and ends up not together in the end because they both know it won't work. A very realistic story that's not cliche but could've definitely been developed more. The girl still shows love for him at the end when he leaves but that thought is completely thrown in the trash when she's seen married to a different man almost 10 years later. (10 YEARS COMPLETELY NOT EXPLORED INTO.) We basically have no idea what happened to the main lead besides the tiny bit of info that he's making costumes for theater. Ugh honestly I might get hate from my review but this is just my personal opinion. I still loved the characters but ya know like I've repeatedly said, they could've been explored more into. And one last thing I actually hate the main character girl. She's very bland. Her mother was absolutely terrible to her but doesn't do anything to stand up for herself really. She forgives her mother when she gets slapped. Also the mother is very shallow. She only likes success and even favored the younger son over her daughter. But when her daughter proves that she can make it in the modeling industry she does a complete 180 and all of a sudden supports her. Such a disgusting parent. And yet the main char doesn't seem to mind and goes about her business. Ugh her relationship with her mom was one of the main reasons she felt the way she did in the beginning of the manga and I was hoping for some big thing to happen but it never did. (I don't consider her running away a big thing and neither do I consider the mother crying a big thing because right after she continues to abuse her daughter by slapping her across the face completely disregarding the fact that a model's face is everything.) Basically the mom's attitude never changed. Only thing that she did change was the fact that she supports her daughter's modeling career.

UGH god this manga was frustrating to me and to be honest would not recommend but it wasn't the worst thing I've ever read. (PS I'm sorry it might sound like i'm rambling and not make sense but I marathoned this manga in like 4 hours and feel very crazy right now.)