Paradise Kiss

  Paradise Kiss is a 2005 Japanese anime television series.
This anime was original from the manga work illustrated and written by Ai Yazawa. The manga series of Paradise Kiss also appeared in Japanese magzine Zipper during 1999-2003.
The anime was directed by Osamu Kobayashi and produced by Madhouse.

 Characters

A clothing brand, found by Koizumi Joji, Sakurada Miwako, Nagase Arashi and Yamato Isabella.

Hayasaka Yukari, also call "Caroline"

Yukari is a 18 years high school student. She is a girl who have pretty face, tall and skinny.
When Yukari was a child, she tried hard to do her best at study in order to get her mother's attention. But she can never as clever as her younger brother so that her mother always care her brother more than her. She was studied for her mother, not for herself which later on when she became a high school student, she was not clear what she really want.
After she met George and others, she began to discover the meaning of life and she want to be. And also in love with George.
She is the fashison show model of Paradise Kiss. That's the started of her model career.
After she grown up, she became the international super model.

Koizumi Joji, also called "George"

George is student of Yazagaku fashion school, who has great talent on clothing design. He also have good taste on fashion, including dressing, car, fragrance, hair style and so on.   His father is a successful business man also very rich. George is an illegitimate son. His mother is a willful, feeble woman who doesn't have any professional skills. In the case, George does not like girls just like his mother, whom are not responsible for themselves. So he let Yukari became more mature when they were together.
George is also a perfectionist and idealist that he require his clothes to be extraordinary beautiful and perfect.

Yamato Isabella

One of the members of Paradise kiss.
Isabella is a transgender woman, who actually is a boy, prefer to dress in woman clothing. Isabella and George were close friend since they were child. George was also the first person who encourage Isabella to wear dress and be brave to be herself.
She plays as a mother role in the team of Paradise kiss, tender and care for others.
After graduated from school, she went abroad with George to help him pattern his clothes.

Sakurada MiwakoOne of the members of Paradise kiss.
Miwako is a cute girl with conspicuous pink hair.Her appearance and the way she talks are like innocent child. She has a endearing personality and she always concern about others. Her older sister is a president of  a fashion brand Happy Berry. Miwako was close friend with Arashi and Tokumori since they were child. And became couple with Arashi after they grown up.

Nagase Arashi

One of the members of Paradise kiss.
He has his own band and play as vocal and  bassist in his band.  He is person who looks unfriendly but actually kind and generous to friends. 
He is Miwako's boyfriend but he often aware that Miwako will change her mind to choose their childhood friends, Tokumori. So that he feels insecure with their relationship and get angry when Miwako have contact with Tokumori.

Tokumori Hiroyuki

He is friend of Miwako and Arashi since they were child. He once fall in love with Miwako, but in the end Miwako chose Arashi.
Tokumori is also the classmate of Yukari in high school. He often concern about Yukari and eventually falls with for her.
He is a hard working student and determine to be a psychiatrist, in order to cure Miwako's mental disorder.

Plot

 Yukari is a third grade student in high. She was nothing from other students that everyone are study hard in order to enter a good university.
One day, she met George, Miwako , Arashi and Isabella, these four students from Yazagaku fashion school, whom study in clothing design, inviting her to be their model of their school fashion show.
Before she met these people, she never think the meaning of her life and what she really want to do except for study.
After she met them, she found these people are really passion with what they are doing. And her life starts changing after falls in love with George, she realizes study is not the only thing in her life, she want to be a model and find the meaning of her own.

Reflection

  To me, Ai Yazawa is really a master of Japanese manga. Her works are not so ordinary, just like other common Japanese girls' comic. Because the story of her works are usually more realistically that means there are not always have happy ending. The characters in her works will separate because of some reality reasons, Paradise Kiss is the example.

In Ai Yazawa's works, you can see delicate painting and beautiful clothing on characters. Ai Yazawa have good taste on fashion, readers can know the latest fashion trend from her works. Because herself have studied design before, so she know well and combines the design of clothing in her painting.

The other reason why I like Paradise Kiss is because each character have clear personality, audience will really get into in the world of the story.

   Paradise Kiss this story let me realize that love is not the only thing in our life. Because we can't not survive only with love. Sometimes, the two who love each other so deeply might still have to be separated in order to purchase their own dream.

And this story also tell me to be yourself and have passion on what you like. Never look down upon yourself and deny the possibilities you have. Be brave to chase your dream.

Music/Movie

Opening music of Paradise Kiss-  Lonely in Gorgeous

Sing by Tommy february6.

 

Paradise Kiss live-action film

Released in Japan June 2011.