Paradise Kiss

Looking for a quick 12 episode show to watch? Paradise Kiss is just for you. Sure, it\'s a little more for the "Shojo" audience, but it has plenty of stuff to keep any guy entertained. So, what\'d I think about it? Story Meet Caroline, the girl who doesn\'t really know what she\'s doing with her life. She happens upon a group of college students that need her to be their fashion model. Interesting premise, and doesn\'t sound too farfetched from what might happen in real life. Good ending that actually makes some sense too. Art A little funny looking at times, but the art is definitely nice. Sexy lookingfemales. Thumbs up from me. Sound Awesome opening (freakin\' awesome) and great ending theme (U.S. band). Can\'t see how you wouldn\'t like the music throughout the anime. Character Caroline x George are definitely my favorite characters. Great personalities from each of them and the story really makes you understand why they are the way they are. Enjoyment Enjoyable, quick, and happy. 12 episodes of some laughter and some teary scenes. Basically, you can\'t go wrong with this anime. If you\'re into romance (not some angst crap though), and you like non-stupid anime, check this out.

So there are very few anime in this world that can satisfy you completely. They give you everything you want and then some delivered in a neatly wrapped box with a bow. This anime does nothing but deliver from the very first episode up until the last few seconds of the series. But let me be frank; If you're looking for a cutesy series that sugar coats all of its drama in anime cliches then get out and don't let the door hit you on your way out. This anime is not for you! With that said let's move on. Paradise Kiss accomplishes so many thingsin just 12 episodes that it can almost leave you thirsting for more but deep down you know that there can be no more. The story itself is the centerpiece of everything and drives itself forward with meaningful interactions and tense drama that thickens the plot as it unfolds. What is most notable about the series is it's realistic approach to drama and how it refuses to sugar coat things and drag out emotions across all 12 episodes. If I recall the main characters quickly start their relationship by about the 2nd or 3rd episode. This anime may seem impatient, but in reality it's just not going to wait around for the fun to start. The show steps into deep waters and treads where most others would not. It goes much farther than I had anticipated and shows how much its characters develop over the course of the series. The main character goes from being this tense study bug to being a care-free fashion model. Her transformation isn't this instantaneous change that happens at 15 minutes into episode 6 or something; but rather it takes place over time. The first thing that happens is a hair cut. I actually commented out loud as I was watching and said "she actually doesn't look all THAT pretty here..." But I stuck it out and to my surprise she seemed to get prettier every episode. Her style changed, her hair changed, her personality blossomed into something new and exciting, and she becomes someone who is definitely worth watching. The show tackles a handful of sub plots but doesn't loose control of them or allow them to impede on the main story's progress. the majority of the side characters have stories of their own and are all expertly told in a very short amount of time. In some cases characters stories aren't discussed in the show but rather in the manga and there's even a scene where a character tells you that you can "read more about him" in a particular manga. The art and sound weave together to create this tapestry of pop-art that seamlessly mixes with the characters. The opening and closing theme were chosen so expertly and serve only to set the mood for the show. The ending theme is even mixed in with the last 10-15 seconds of the show so that it seamlessly transitions into the credits. This anime is quite possibly the most enjoyable anime I've ever seen with an ending that didn't disappoint. Instead of having this storybook happily ever after ending you are quickly faced with reality. Sure the characters kind of succeeded in what they were trying to do, but reality has to set in at some point and the show reminds us that we live in the real world. The ending however does tie up any and all loose ends and leaves almost nothing to the imagination. It also doesn't leave room for a second season so there's no chance of a spin-off brought on by money grubbing producers. Never have I been faced with an anime that literally left me in a daze after its credits rolled on episode 12. Overall this anime is a masterpiece in its own genre. It masterfully and skillfully tells a straight forward, but complex story complete with sub plots, exciting drama, and cool music to boot. I also liked that characters didn't spend 10 minutes arguing in tense situations. Example: man is holding a gun pointing it at another character(lets call him teppei kun). Teppei kun gives this long monologue about his life and how he's always been alone and blah blah blah. In reality the guy would've just shot him for talking way too much. ok. I've talked for far too long now. This anime is a masterpiece. Watch it!

Title: Paradise Kiss Manga/Anime: Paradise Kiss was originally a manga created by Ai Yazawa (famous for Nana), and ran in the Japanese fashion magazine Zipper from the April 2000 issue to the March 2004 issue. Five volumes have been compiled, and all have been released, both in Japan, and Stateside from Tokyopop. The anime was produced by Studio Madhouse (famous for Death Note, Paranoia Agent, and Devil May Cry, among others), directed by Osamu Kobayashi (who also directed Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad and Kimagure Orange Road), and ran on Japanese TV from October 13th, 2005 to December 29th, 2005. It has been licensed Stateside byGeneon, and the third and final volume was released this April. Story: The story centers around Yukari, a high school student who's basically been living for nothing but her mom's expectations, figuring out what she wants to do (professional modeling), by virtue of being recruited for a school fashion show by a group of designers who call themselves Paradise Kiss. The story is WIN. Like Victorian Romance Emma, this show had me grinning like an idiot at least once every episode. This is one of the few shows where I've liked every main character straight off the bat. It's fun to watch all the relationships in this story play out, and to see Yukari deciding what she wants to do with her life and going after it. At one point, there's a really convoluted love polygon going on, but then it splits into two triangles that kind of connect. But the relationships serve as nice counterpoints to each other, and they're filled with plenty of drama. In fact, there's a mirror to almost every major relationship between characters in this show, and it's really nice. It shows you how things could turn out, or what they could've been like. It's a nice touch. I don't know how close this is to the manga, but I do know that Ai Yazawa worked pretty closely with Kobayashi on the adaptation, so I don't think people have too much to get worked up over. WARNING: There is sex, there is nudity, there is a guy who dresses up and acts like a girl. If this makes you go 'EW!', don't watch this series. Art: The art for this series can be summed up in two words: absolutely beautiful. Really, though. Madhouse has a bit more realistic style than you see from other studios, and it really fits this series to a tee. The random SD that pops up is fun, too. And the colors they use for clothes and backgrounds tend to reflect atmospheres. I'm giving the outfits a whole separate paragraph, because they deserve it. You can tell that Madhouse gave this series a big budget, because characters change outfits at least once an episode, usually even more. And the outfits were all designed by a professional, and you can tell. Every outfit that they use for this series is absolutely beautiful, and there are quite a few designs that I would buy, if they existed in real life. Music: The OP and ED are â?¥. Tommy February 6's OP 'Lonely in Gorgeous' captures the mood of the show perfectly, and the ED... well, Franz Ferdinand's 'Do You Want To' is for the win, so I don't really care how it relates to the show. :D Background music for the show is actually done more as ambient music (i.e. songs being played on a CD/ radio station), and it's a nice touch. Length: Absolutely no complaints here. The show ambles along at its own pace, and it works very well. The actual climax of the series is the second to last episode, and the last episode is a wrap-up of sorts, similar to what happens in Gankutsuou. Seiyuu: I recognize some of the seiyuu ' from where, I have no clue whatsoever. I can't access the site that I can cross-check the seiyuu with their other roles at the moment, so this section will be edited later on. However, like normal, no problems here. Dub: N/A, haven't seen it just yet. Overall: Excellently written, beautifully animated series, with plenty of drama and counterpoint, with a killer OST, too. Story: 8/10 Art: 9/10 Music: 8/10 Length: 7/10 Seiyuu: 8/10 Overall: 39/50; 78% (C)

This is one of the few series I finished in a hurry. The story was going so well until the ending – it left me under whelmed. Sure it made me a bit teary – eyed, but it was so disappointing compared to the rest of the series. I really love the story though – I am a fashion freak. I love anything that has something to do with fashion, and I love anime. Combining two of my loves is a plus. I just thought it was relatable. Doesn’t everyone feel like Caroline sometimes? Like you want to break free and actually do what youwant? I also like how the anime chronicles how Caroline deals with all the changes that she had to face and how she makes her decisions. I love the characters. They’re all so good looking! There’s Caroline, of course. Wild child trying to break free out of her serious shell. She’s so pretty. Then there’s the eccentric George, the bad boy of the story. The adorable Miwako and the rest of her family that’s just as adorable. Arashi, my favorite, who despite his looks is actually a man with morals. Finally, Isabella, the resident cross dresser – who I think is actually cool. What I like about these characters is they change throughout the series, especially Caroline. They actually all have depth – which is hard to accomplish especially in an anime that is only 12 episodes long. I would like to note that I like George and Caroline’s relationship, even though it was kinda weird sometimes. It’s like they would constantly fight and make up, and this is mostly due to George’s lack of ability to love. The drawing style was interesting. One minute it’s normal (drawing style actually reminds me of BECK a bit) then it’s chibi form, but it’s not the usual chibi form. I think the chibi style they made use of was similar to the drawing style in the original anime series, where Paradise Kiss was spun off from. “Real” visuals were also used, but mostly during the scenes before the opening theme. I applaud the details on inanimate objects – from the sewing machine in the atelier to George’s car. They almost look lifelike. Colors are ok, and are nicely done. The voice acting was okay. I was a bit uncertain when it came to Caroline’s voice, since I wasn’t sure if it fit her. I did like Arashi’s voice – it fit his personality well. In fact, I do think that everyone’s seiyus matched their personalities except for Caroline. I just found it to be a bit low and rough. The music was great too – The opening theme was cute. I heard Tommy February was actually a famous pop star in Japan, and I can tell. I really love “Lonely in Gorgeous”. The ending song surprised me – since it’s from Franz Ferdinand, and I’m actually a fan of their music. The first time I watched it I was like “Hey, isn’t this Franz Ferdinand?” I’m glad their music matched the theme of the show. All in all I liked the series – but somehow I don’t see it as my favorite yet. It’s definitely somewhere there, maybe if I watched it again I’ll like it more. I think the problem is the love love scenes made me a bit awkward – specially I watched most of the episodes in broad daylight. The scenes were just explicit. Anyway, I can’t argue with the fact that I do like it. I watched it in three days, and 8 episodes on one day, after all.