Paradise Kiss tells the story about a high school girl, Yukari Hayakawa who is working day in and day out for her exams. While heading towards her cram school she comes across a gaudy couple who are the students of arts school. They have been searching for a girl to be their model and Yukari’s face, height and figure is exactly what they have been looking for. That’s when Yukari or Caroline or Carrie comes to the studio of Paradise Kiss which is the name of a fashion brand started by 4 students of the art school. Yukari had never even dreamed of becoming a model and therefore she is both pleased and stunned to see the enthusiasm of these students which include a cute looking girl with pin hair named, Miwako; a guy who looks like delinquent and a punk with multiple piercings, named Arashi who is also the boyfriend of Miwako; a guy turned girl, and the brilliant pattern maker, named Isabella; a bisexual designer with an enchanting personality, named George (Jouji). Yukari was hesitant at first and had trust issues in the beginning but later she starts to get charmed by Georges’s personality and lost interest in her studies and the future that her mother made her follow. Yukari is in a dilemma as she has only one choice to make, either she choose the dazzling fashion world with students of Yaza Arts School or continue her preparation for the exams and live according to her mother’s wish. Yukari finds herself being inclined towards the choices regarding career that will create some hardships in her life. The handsome and charming George with impressive skills and talents knows how to convince Yukari for anything. She becomes fond of him and unknowingly does what he wants from her. But she keeps wondering about her own actions and decisions. Things started to get more complicated when a classmate of Yukari, named Hiroyuki who happened to be Yukari’s crush is revealed to be an old friend of Miwako and Arashi who got separated from them as he had feeling for Miwako. What should Yukuri do? Quit her boring and plain life that her parents chose for her and move towards the adventurous world of fashion with many doubts of failure and losing parents for the rest of her life?
The manga is written by Ai Yazawa who got praise for her manga Paradise Kiss and NANA, not only in Japan but also in West. Both manga have been adapted into anime series and live action movies. Although it is 20 years old but can be related with today’s fashion world where everything matters at the very moment. The only thing that seems old fashioned are the cellphones. The reason why this manga can never get old is the unique and classy style of Ai Yazawa with the powerful visuals. The style of writing is captivating and feels different from other manga. For instance when George buys a brand new sports car and offers Yukari a ride, when he passed the test just minutes ago, he says “It’s all right. We can’t be killed off in the 2nd chapter.” Yukari’s character is very appealing and engaging. She is strong-willed even without knowing that, she keeps wondering about her own actions, she was doubtful about Paradise Kiss in the beginning but quickly get indulge in the glamorous world of those four students. She is not a softy that would gain the reader’s sympathy when she is indecisive about her career path. The lines and dialogues are engaging which makes the readers feel for Yukari and understand her dilemma.
The series was initially featured in a fashion magazine called zipper ad the writer of the manga named the arts school on her own name. The visuals and artwork are attractive and appealing as it complements the theme of the series. When there is a need, it adapts a comic style but she mostly there are multiple panels to describe the story in detail. By looking at her older manga named Gokinjo Monogatari/Neighbourhood Story that published in 1995-1998 had two characters of Paradise Kiss, Miwako and her sister Mikako and it’s very surprising to see the evolution in her style and character design within a year.
The 20th Anniversary edition is brought to us by Vertical Inc. The first Edition was brought by TokyoPop in the early 2000s during which five volumes were released. It was a heavy book with so many volumes in one and was hard to carry while reading. The new edition is colorful that is a treat to the eyes with the beautiful colored dresses that are made for Yukari. It feels more realistic and looks fascinating that adds to the wonderful story. It’s the best time to read the manga for those who haven’t read it before and for those who have read it, are also recommended to reread the new edition as it is still enjoyable.
