Paradise Kiss : My Review

My Rating

Going into Paradise Kiss I really didn’t have any idea what I was in store for. I had seen the trailer and while it caught my interest I was left with no idea what the show might be about. Fancy characters in decked out flashy costumes surrounding a tall slender japanese schoolgirl was what I saw. I anticipated the show might be some sort of parallel reality plot similar to the likes of inuyasha or Fushigi Yuugi. I was actually somewhat surprised to find the plot of Parakiss was centered around a real life modern day fashion industry scene. The majority of the characters who appear in fancy dress are students in a high society fashion design school and the plane jane in the japanese school girl outfit was an outsider stumbling in.

Yukari (the school girl) is what I would describe as a pretty typical background character from any high school anime. Intensely focused on study and getting into college she is arrogant and self serving, and doesn’t seem to have any real life interests. Most of the world grows up going to school and doing what they’re told. They graduate into adulthood already pressed into a mold and ready to fit into society. Only a tiny fraction of people ever see outside the box and realize there is something more than bieng a white collar grunt. Paradise Kiss is Yukari’s story and its a powerful dramatic tale about how she unwittingly broke out of the mold to become something more.

I remember the music from the paradise kiss anime as bieng catchy and the kind of thing you instinctively want to sing along with. It wasn’t to the point where I find myself still singing the tune. There was just enough music to establish the mood. For those of you who have read some of my other reviews you’ll know the music is a big factor in deciding how to rate an anime. Para-kiss definately gets a few positive marks for the music.

As to characters, you know a story about a fashion design school is going to have its fair share of bisexual, homosexual and just plain flagrant drag queens. There is also the little girl-esqe Miwako who’s character is an adult but seems to be barely a teen. A treat for those of you who fancy a little loli flair. Her love interests, Arashi and Hiro are barely present in the series and provide a bit of a love triangle (or square?) with the Main character Yukari.

The biggest character in the series has got to be George. Brash and uncaring, George’s character is borderline unbeliveable. Some of the things he does just don’t seem motivated by anything. Playing opposite Yukari as her main love interest he seems to be involved, but he doesn’t appear to be interested or to even like her? I suppose his character might fit the profile of a gifted eccentric fashion designer. Somehow his character didn’t feel realistic to me.

As for artwork, Paradise Kiss does a pretty good job of making a realistic appearance of cartoon characters. The opening sequence even has some live action semi infused with the animation. During offbeat or unusual moments the characters flash into super deformed creations similar to chibi but with a different more grown up feel. I really like these scenes because the characters seem to really portray emotion. Probably even more than the big eyed chibi style. Its something you have to see to appreciate.

Overall I know there are some elements to Paradise Kiss that some people simply will not like. The action is slow paced. It is for sure an original tale and worth watching through, but it doesn’t bring anything revoulutionary. I felt it was better than your average anime in execution style and originality, but I just don’t think it earned that fifth star. Since its different from what you might expect I would reccomend you rent paradise kiss before you think about buying it.