The entire progress of her character development is in my opinion quite deterorating and highlights some of the worst human characteristics. She has a very haughty attitude, and frankly, is quite arrogant. Yukari is, well, a spoiled, selfish, snippy teenager that for the majority of the series I wanted to backhand and send her back to her mother. Inevitably I must say the biggest problem for me was my dislike of the main characters, and the poor handling of the supporting characters. I say this because other series I have seen have been able to do remarkably well with story arcs and series with few episodes (given, the first series of Princess Tutu was 13 episodes-it still was well-paced and really could have been completed there). So, coming from a fresh perspective, where did this series go wrong? I would not say it is due to the cramming of the entire story into 12 episodes, although a full 26 episodes would have done the title more justice, probably. The music is also flawless in incorporating grungy guitar riffs for background music, as well as bringing in several of Tommy's slow-paced pop numbers from earlier albums. The fashion designs are breathtaking, the coloring is vivid, and the animation is certainly satisfying for a slow-paced title. That being said, the artwork and animation get top-markings from my end. Personally, I loved the different style used on the super-deformed moments, even if they were not as cleverly executed as I would have liked, it was a welcome change from the normal "Hello Kitty" looking SDs with their gigantic heads and milkbowl eyeballs. Admittedly, there are a few scenes where characters going into super-deformed mode felt somewhat out of place, especially since the comedy element as a whole was noticably absent from the series. There have been several complaints by fans about the director's deviance from Yazawa's normal SD-style during unusual moments. Tommy February 6 lent her talents to the opening theme "Lonely in Gorgeous," which is a bittersweet, lonely pop number inspired by a scene towards the end of the series where Yukari finds herself left alone by George, surrounded by magically stunning garments all of his design.Ĭlosing each episode was a song by British-pop band Franz Ferdinand, "Do You Want To," which has a 80s rock sound that, for a change, kept me watching the credits every time with keen attention. The opening and closing sequences were argueably some of the best of the Fall 2005 season, as far as music is concerned. The colors were soft and loyal to the typical shoujo fashion, and the backgrounds of Harajuku and the Yamanote line were excitingly realistic. The animation and character designs were fresh and appealing. Fortunately I went into this anime series without any previous knowledge of the series, completely ignorant of the contents of the manga. The five-volume-squished-into-12-episode anime adaptation of Paradise Kiss had a lot of expectations to live up to. It is nearly impossible to walk around Tokyo and not see her artwork-on the cover of Cookie magazine, tankobon of Paradise Kiss on the shelves in your neighborhood 7-Eleven, her artwork on the boxes of Beauteen hair dye, not to mention a hit feature-length live-action film of her recent manga NANA. The year 2005 was a huge year for josei manga author Yazawa Ai. Soon she begins to question the life she has known and has to make a decision: continue school for her mother's sake or quit and follow her dream of being a professional model, and essentially living her own life and by her own rules. Though initially reluctant, Yukari accepts the nickname "Caroline" and is swept off her feet by the arrogant and self-serving designer Koizumi George. Inadvertently, Yukari crosses paths with a group of eccentric fashion design students who immediately determine that she has the perfect look to model their design in an upcoming show. It featured the winners of a campaign a local design school in Tokyo ran during the run of the series, showing off aspiring designer's winning fashion entries.Īs a mediocre student in a top school, Hayasaka Yukari has always been a student first and person later. For a short time in the winter season, Odaiba's VenusFort (a women-only shopping center) featured a giant Paradise Kiss fashion fair that was advertised in nearly every Tokyo Metro station. Notes: The second series to run in the Noitamina timeslot, based on popular mangaka Yazawa Ai's manga. Length: Television series, 12 episodes, 23 minutes eachĭistributor: Currently unlicensed in North America.Ĭontent Rating: R (sex, adult themes, intensity)Īlso Recommended: Honey and Clover, NANA, Neighborhood Story
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