Thursday, December 14, 2006

   A Kiss of Paradise
I don't know what it is about finals week, but for some reason I've been watching more anime this week than I have all semester. I discovered that one of my favorite manga had been turned into an anime recently, so naturally I had to scamper off to Youtube to find it. And I did!

I just finished watching all of Paradise Kiss. It was a relatively short series, only 12 episodes. But there were only 5 volumes of the manga. It's kind of a girly series, but I love it anyway! It's about fashion and the art style is so pretty and chic in the manga. I loved how they kept it up in the anime. Though, I almost feel like I liked the anime more than the manga, if that's possible.

They trimmed up the storyline a little from the manga, which I thought helped the flow rather than detract from it, even though it was already a short series to begin with. Honestly, there was only one part that was cut out that I was unhappy about. I won't say what it is, seeing as it gives away the end of the series. But it wasn't too imperative to the story line, so no harm done. Also, for some reason, I ended up liking the two main characters more in the anime than I did in the manga. In the manga, George and Yukari are quite annoying. George is an egotistical pervert and Yukari comes off as a whining, complaining bitch. They still have those aspects of their personalities in the anime, but I found myself sympathizing with them more and actually liking the characters. They didn't seem quite as annoying, and at times were pretty entertaining. Don't get me wrong, Miwako and Arashi will always be my favorite characters, but now George and Yukari are right up there.

More than anything, I felt like both the anime and the manga really focused on developing the characters, which is probably why I love it so much. You really get a sense of who each person is. Of what their strengths are, their weaknesses, their dreams and goals. I love it when a series can pull me in like that. It's refreshing, just like reading a really good book. It's what makes Paradise Kiss so great, even though there is no real large conflict in the series. It feels real despite the heavy surrealism that echos throughout it.

Anywho, it's a good series. I recommend it if you are into that type of genre. It is a shoujo, so it's definitly not for everyone. But if anything, just enjoy the art style and the amazing clothes. Here's the opening to give you a little taste of the show. The song is really catchy. (It's been stuck in my head for the last two days.) It's perfect for the show, if you ask me. The techno-80s vibe screams high fashion and runways. The whole series had a lot of really great music in it. Tommy February6 and Franz Ferdinand to name a few. Well, I suppose I'm off. I need to get back to studying...Hope you like the show!


Comments (2)