Story
Paradise Kiss is the
sequel to Ai Yazawa's earlier work Gojinko Monogatari (Neighborhood
Story). This great manga is about a girl named Yukari Hasayaka, a pretty
average high school senior. She goes to a prestigious school and is
studying hard to get into a good college. But that's just what you see on
the surface.
Yukari doesn't actually
know what she wants to do with her life, let alone what college to go to. She
only wants to get into a good college because if she doesn't people will look
down on her. Amidst all this doubt and uncertainty, Yukari is captured by
students from Yaza Arts High! Well, not really captured... Two students from
Yaza Arts, Arashi the safe-tily pinned punk and Isabella the elegant queen, see
Yukari on the street and realize that her look would be perfect for their
label-in-the-making, Paradise Kiss. Unfortunately, Yukari mistakes Isabella for
the Angel of Death and faints. When she awakes in their "studio" she meets
another member of the group, Miwako, a pink haired pixie! (she's not really an
elfin creature but occasionally she does resemble one...) They hopefully ask her
to consider being their model, to which she very rudely responds no and gets her
ear chewed off by Arashi for being so bitchy. She storms off. Miwako, not
knowing her name, calls her Caroline and tells her to stop by anytime since they
are always there after school (...). After Yukari escapes Miwako realizes that
"Caroline" left her student pass book...
And that's essentially the
the first section of book 1. Yukari is then contacted by George, the boss figure,
about her passbook, making her introduction to all the characters complete. She
returns to the studio to retrieve her passbook. While she's there she tries on a
dress made by the group and after talking w/ Miwako, starts to admire the
Paradise Kiss-ers. She apologizes to Arashi and the other for what she said and
decides to consider being their model for the upcoming Yaza Arts fashion show.
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To avoid any serious
spoilers I'll leave it at that. I know, I know. I should write some
summaries.... But it's so HARD! Perhaps I'll get around to it sometime this
millennium....
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My personal opinion of
this series is that it KICKS ASS. And here's why-
Ai Yazawa's sense of humor
is totally off the wall. She comes up with some of the strangest stuff I've ever
read and is great with subtle details in her art and
writing. The bonus stage in book 1 is priceless! During that stage the Paradise
Kiss-ers visit her in "Yaza World"- Arashi kicks the sleeping author, to wake
her up, accidentally "killing" her. So, since she's dead, they decide to rummage
through her stuff and take what they like... At the end our beloved manga-ka
wakes up to see that her house is a mess, but dismisses it because it's always a
mess, and goes to bed! I also love how occasionally the characters talk like
they know that they're in a manga. It's really funny, especially in the
beginning when it confused the HELL out of Yukari.
Her gift for detailed art
make her work a prime example of the fashion manga genre. You MUST read book 4
and see the show dress, absolutely TO DIE FOR. One of my favorite scenes
involving the dress is right after she comes off the run way and George gives
her a great big hug. So sweet and beautifully done! (see right for scene, sorry
so small, just trying to give and example)
Everything in Paradise
Kiss is so masterfully done ('cept maybe the touch-ups after translating...)
that I can't think of another translated manga that holds a candle to it. The
character designs and personalities are interesting, compelling (occasionally
just whiny), and somewhat surprising. Yazawa-sensei really puts a twist on each
character making them original in their own way. Every time you think you know
all there is to know about someone, she hits you with another detail that
changes the way you look at them.
I'm a sucker for the style
represented in Paradise Kiss. The art is edgy, detailed, beautiful, and just
plain cool. Her characters tend to be very tall and extremely skinny, but you
get over it in due time. The twisting plot and deep characters really make you
forget any of your former manga related pet peeves.
Well, I'll stop now so you
don't have to read my circular rambling. I just wanted to get across the
greatness of this series. GO BUY A BOOK! While you're @ it, GO BUY ALL THE
BOOKS!!