Paradise Kiss
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- Create Date：2021-04-05 14:54:35
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Ai Yazawa
- ISBN：1947194933
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Summary
Yukari wants nothing more than to make her parents happy by studying hard and getting into a good college。 One afternoon， however， she is kidnapped by a group of self-proclaimed fashion mavens calling themselves "Paradise Kiss"。 Yukari suddenly finds herself in the roller coaster life of the fashion world， guided by George， art-snob extraordinaire。 In a glamorous makeover of body， mind and soul， she is turned from a hapless bookworm into her friends' own exclusive clothing model。
20th anniversary edition of Paradise Kiss features all 3 volumes of the original release。
20th anniversary edition of Paradise Kiss features all 3 volumes of the original release。
Reviews
Jemmie
，
Very high 4 and half stars。As I said before I knew about this manga and saw clips of the live action movie。I went into this know nothing really and came out with a bit of confusion but mostly love for this manga。I love how this manga break the 4th wall in some places which was actually refreshing while reading this big chonk of a book！All in all it was a fabulous first book to read when getting out of a reading slump！
Kate （A Readeresque Diary）
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 5⭐ I first saw the anime that is based on this book， the artwork for it is absolutely amazing。 I loved the struggles in relationships， be it love or family related， and enjoyed the friendships old and new， I wanted to yell at Yukari for sticking near George， yet recognizing myself in her actions。。。it's easy to say words like toxic and problematic when you are observing and not directly involved。。。I've been in such relationships and I know that there is a little hope that you can change "the bad 5⭐ I first saw the anime that is based on this book， the artwork for it is absolutely amazing。 I loved the struggles in relationships， be it love or family related， and enjoyed the friendships old and new， I wanted to yell at Yukari for sticking near George， yet recognizing myself in her actions。。。it's easy to say words like toxic and problematic when you are observing and not directly involved。。。I've been in such relationships and I know that there is a little hope that you can change "the bad boy"。 Yukari haa grown up， has found her heart and her passion， that is what matters。 I wish we could have seen more from Miwako and Arashi's story。。。it felt rushed。。。but all in all， I loved it and will add this to the "To be REREad" pile ❤ 。。。more
Felix
，
Yazawa never fails to impress me。 With beautiful artwork， gorgeous outfit designs， interestingly deep and flawed characters， and a gripping narrative， Paradise Kiss has become one of my favorite coming-of-age stories。 I found the ending to be very satisfying， too。Going from Gokinjo Monogatari （the story that takes precedes ParaKiss）， which is a more lighthearted comedic romance， to this manga is wild， though。 Those who found the characters of Gokinjo Monogatari to be a little too immature may ap Yazawa never fails to impress me。 With beautiful artwork， gorgeous outfit designs， interestingly deep and flawed characters， and a gripping narrative， Paradise Kiss has become one of my favorite coming-of-age stories。 I found the ending to be very satisfying， too。Going from Gokinjo Monogatari （the story that takes precedes ParaKiss）， which is a more lighthearted comedic romance， to this manga is wild， though。 Those who found the characters of Gokinjo Monogatari to be a little too immature may appreciate the tone shift that is apparent in Paradise Kiss （additionally， I would recommend reading Gokinjo Monogatari before ParaKiss， as it gives a lot of context to characters and some inside jokes）。 。。。more
Margarida Rodrigues
，
I don't know if it's possible to fall for someone's creative mind and writing style， but Ai Yazawa has my heart。 I'm not new to her works， and still， Paradise Kiss didn't fail to overwhelm me and shake me to my core。Any Yazawa fan knows that themes like individualism， sense of self， female empowerment and human interactions are a must in any of her works - Paradise Kiss follows Yukari， your typically good and diligent student that spends most of her time going to prep school to prepare for the e I don't know if it's possible to fall for someone's creative mind and writing style， but Ai Yazawa has my heart。 I'm not new to her works， and still， Paradise Kiss didn't fail to overwhelm me and shake me to my core。Any Yazawa fan knows that themes like individualism， sense of self， female empowerment and human interactions are a must in any of her works - Paradise Kiss follows Yukari， your typically good and diligent student that spends most of her time going to prep school to prepare for the entrance exams。 One day， she is approached by a group of odd looking people who ask her to model for their dress for a fashion contest that would be held in a couple months。 She obviously refuses。 As time goes by， Yukari realises that the fashion industry is in no way inferior to her standard academic path， starting to question herself as to why she had led such a boring life until now - a life that frankly she did not identify with。 As she falls in love and indulges in a toxic relationship， Yukari rebuilds herself from scratch and becomes a mature and goal-orientated woman。This manga is really inspiring for anyone feeling little confident with pursuing an artistic path， and teaches you a lot about what actually matters in life。 。。。more
Rebecca Jane
，
3。5 stars。
Béline Bergamote
，
The art is unique and attractive and the plot pretty good。 Otherwise， this 20 yo story is showing its age by being rife with unhealthy relationships which， while they are clearly stated as problematic， are still shown as desirable。 For a coming of age story aimed at a teenage audience， it also lacks at least one depiction of a healthy， equal sexual relationship - basically， only the guys enjoy it， and the ladies only do it to feel close to their boyfriends。 I exaggerate a bit， but at no point is The art is unique and attractive and the plot pretty good。 Otherwise， this 20 yo story is showing its age by being rife with unhealthy relationships which， while they are clearly stated as problematic， are still shown as desirable。 For a coming of age story aimed at a teenage audience， it also lacks at least one depiction of a healthy， equal sexual relationship - basically， only the guys enjoy it， and the ladies only do it to feel close to their boyfriends。 I exaggerate a bit， but at no point is it said or shown that the men are doing anything to please their partners beyond “sticking it in”。 And finally， while I understand it’s part of the artist’s style， every single character is thin to the point of looking like a breeze would break them。 Even the girl we’re told his curvy barely looks like she’s got any meat on her bones。 A bit of diversity， especially in a story about edgy fashion designers， would have been nice。 。。。more
Jenny Clark
，
Yazawa has a way of writing that sucks you in and punches you in the gut。 I love her designs as well， you can tell she loves fashion。 I also love how complicated the characters are！ I wanna know more about their future too。。。 Dang， Yazawa knows how to hook you！
Alejandra
，
The description of this volume states it compiles the first three volumes of Paradise Kiss， however， it feels like the story is completed in this single volume。 Paradise Kiss follows the story of Yukari， an average teenage girl preparing for university admission exams， who randomly comes into contact with a group of student from an arts program that ask her to model in their fashion show。 Yukari also comes into contact with George， a moody fashion design student。The focus of the manga is on Yuka The description of this volume states it compiles the first three volumes of Paradise Kiss， however， it feels like the story is completed in this single volume。 Paradise Kiss follows the story of Yukari， an average teenage girl preparing for university admission exams， who randomly comes into contact with a group of student from an arts program that ask her to model in their fashion show。 Yukari also comes into contact with George， a moody fashion design student。The focus of the manga is on Yukari's growth， as well as her toxic relationship with George。 Seeing the relationship between Yukari and George was frustrating - while it is acknowledge that is toxic， that does not change things。 Miwako's love life is not all rainbows and sunshine either。 All of the beautiful artwork in the manga （and it is very beautiful！） cannot hide the ugly truths that shape the set of characters。 And that is what makes this manga so strong - you don't have to like the characters to feel for them。 。。。more
Danielle Booey
，
Paradise Kiss is a fashion Manga about a not so great student named Yukari whose life changes immensely when she meets a group of friends from the Yaza Arts school。 Arashi， George， Isabella， and Miwaki are working on a senior fashion project and need a model for their showcase。 Yukari turns out to be the perfect person for them。From there ensues so much relationship angst， school angst， family angst， and drama that it is at once overwhelming and also rather hilarious。 Fabulous art and oversized Paradise Kiss is a fashion Manga about a not so great student named Yukari whose life changes immensely when she meets a group of friends from the Yaza Arts school。 Arashi， George， Isabella， and Miwaki are working on a senior fashion project and need a model for their showcase。 Yukari turns out to be the perfect person for them。From there ensues so much relationship angst， school angst， family angst， and drama that it is at once overwhelming and also rather hilarious。 Fabulous art and oversized manga reactions really work well with this fashion plot line。I really wanted to give this collection four stars because I loved the characters and was compelled to finish their story， but the way that some issues are played off in the manga for jokes just did not sit well with me。 I don’t think jokes about eating disorders， homophobia， child abuse， and rape are funny and it bothered me that these were all played for laughs or glossed over as semi accepted by the characters。 Things really may have changed that much in 20 years or maybe it is a cultural difference from 20 years ago， but I would have enjoyed Paradise Kiss that much more if they weren’t included。 。。。more
-moonprismpower-
，
What a beautiful story about friendship， first love， and the world of fashion。。。 The art is gorgeous and the story is so enthralling。 The characters are so lovable， even George and Yukari when they’re at their worst。 The ending really got me going。 I absolutely adored the ending。 I cried。。。 I’m happy everyone achieved their dream。I give this a 5/5 stars！ This 20th anniversary edition is absolutely gorgeous！ There’s colored art pages in the beginning of the book and even though it’s a big book， i What a beautiful story about friendship， first love， and the world of fashion。。。 The art is gorgeous and the story is so enthralling。 The characters are so lovable， even George and Yukari when they’re at their worst。 The ending really got me going。 I absolutely adored the ending。 I cried。。。 I’m happy everyone achieved their dream。I give this a 5/5 stars！ This 20th anniversary edition is absolutely gorgeous！ There’s colored art pages in the beginning of the book and even though it’s a big book， it opens up so easily。 The spine won’t crack！ I recommend buying this omnibus version。 It’s the entire series in one go！ It’s worth more than retail price。 。。。more
Crystal
，
This was a reread in the new omnibus volume。 It was just as wonderful the second time round。 It’s rare to find a graphic novel series which has such a satisfying ending。 Even more to find a romance story where the point of it isn’t necessarily the romance。 An end goal beyond happily ever after。 Found family。 Building self worth。 Embracing self-expression。 Living in the moment。 Being open to change。 It’s a lovely story。 One of my favorites。
Tiffany
，
My 12 yo ass was so happy to read it again OMG ！ Paradise Kiss is still a classic to me ❤️
Rebecca Zanrè
，
Watched the anime years ago， the finale still doesn't satisfy me to this day。But I love the story nonetheless Watched the anime years ago， the finale still doesn't satisfy me to this day。But I love the story nonetheless 。。。more
Meri
，
No te pierdas mi reseña en Youtube！:https://youtu。be/uUq1wPjkVPY No te pierdas mi reseña en Youtube！:https://youtu。be/uUq1wPjkVPY 。。。more
Courtney Rose
，
Yukari is a typical high school student working hard to get into a good college under the guidance of an overprotective and controlling mother。 One day after school she is accosted by and kidnapped by a group of college students who refer to themselves as "Paradise Kiss。" These students work in the fashion sector and want Yukari to model their collection at the big end of the yea runway show。 Yukari finally finds herself having a passion for something， modeling， as well as falling in love with G Yukari is a typical high school student working hard to get into a good college under the guidance of an overprotective and controlling mother。 One day after school she is accosted by and kidnapped by a group of college students who refer to themselves as "Paradise Kiss。" These students work in the fashion sector and want Yukari to model their collection at the big end of the yea runway show。 Yukari finally finds herself having a passion for something， modeling， as well as falling in love with George， a pretentious stylist and all-around fuckboy。 As Yukari is made over by her new friends， she learns more about herself and the strength of her character， while going through the trials of many teenage girls。 Yukari finds herself in love with someone who， while maybe loving her， treats her pretty badly。 She is constantly trying to figure out what she wants and why she isn't enough for George， but the idea of returning home to high school makes her even more depressed。 The whole series is full of questionable relationships， which I suppose sadly does reflect the true experience of many girls in their late teens to early 20s。 I can see why this series is so beloved。 Even when George and the other characters in the series made me want to punch walls， I was still compelled to read it and find out where Yukari would end up in life。 That being said there is a lot of abuse in this， especially emotional manipulation， on top of some dubious sexual consent。 I would be aware of that before reading because I honestly thought this would be a romance manga and man I was wrong。 Still enjoyed it， but it was a LOT heavier than I was expecting upon picking it up and scanning the description。 Blog / Twitter 。。。more
Julie
，
Got all the way to the end only to find out it's a sequel series lol。 I'll have to see if I can find the one that came before it。 I really do enjoy Yazawa's work， but it's a little problematic。 She writes toxic romances very well， and I think it's made obvious that the romances are toxic， but they're also heavily romanticized。 I'm happy for Yukari in the end tho。 Not so much for Miwako， because Arashi is trash。 Also the treatment of Isabella， a trans woman， and George， a bi man， could've been wa Got all the way to the end only to find out it's a sequel series lol。 I'll have to see if I can find the one that came before it。 I really do enjoy Yazawa's work， but it's a little problematic。 She writes toxic romances very well， and I think it's made obvious that the romances are toxic， but they're also heavily romanticized。 I'm happy for Yukari in the end tho。 Not so much for Miwako， because Arashi is trash。 Also the treatment of Isabella， a trans woman， and George， a bi man， could've been way better。 Arashi and Yukari were homophobic， biphobic and transphobic and it was seen as comedy。 The story itself was okay。 I found myself getting annoyed with the characters a lot， but I liked the humor and the art and the story was interesting。 I wish we could've seen George again in the end， but maybe it's for the best that we didn't。 Finishing this desperately makes me wish for an ending for Yazawa's other series， Nana。 The fact that this ending wasn't picture perfect and more "realistic"， but still happy was pretty satisfying。 。。。more
Ifryt Morningstar
，
Approcciandomi a questo manga ho fatto l'errore di pensare che mi sarei ritrovata davanti un'opera del calibro di Giardini Del Cuore o Nana。。。Ai Yazawa é un'autrice con un talento incredibile， in grado di creare storie "semplici" ma con un impatto straordinario。Sono storie che parlano di amore， crescita personale e di trovare il proprio posto nel mondo， ma sono i personaggi il vero focus della vicenda: Sono personaggi meravigliosi， incredibilmente dettagliati e reali， che fuoriescono dalle pagin Approcciandomi a questo manga ho fatto l'errore di pensare che mi sarei ritrovata davanti un'opera del calibro di Giardini Del Cuore o Nana。。。Ai Yazawa é un'autrice con un talento incredibile， in grado di creare storie "semplici" ma con un impatto straordinario。Sono storie che parlano di amore， crescita personale e di trovare il proprio posto nel mondo， ma sono i personaggi il vero focus della vicenda: Sono personaggi meravigliosi， incredibilmente dettagliati e reali， che fuoriescono dalle pagine dove sono stati disegnati。Lessi Cortili Del Cuore quando avevo 13 anni e， ancora oggi， é uno dei manga più belli che abbia mai letto， ma Paradise Kiss， che dovrebbe essere il seguito， non ne è assolutamente all'altezza。Nonostante si senta la mano della Yazawa， la storia， i personaggi， mancano di quella solita scintilla che caratterizza le sue opere， ed è un vero peccato visto che il tema mi toccava da vicino e poteva emozionarmi。Il manga， in generale， non ha problemi di costruzione ma è proprio sottotono rispetto a tutte le altre opere dell'autrice。。。Nonostante questo I disegni sono adorabili， come al solito， perfetti per lo stile camp degli abiti， inoltre ho amato rivedere Mikako e Tsutomu， finalmente adulti e realizzati。 。。。more
Natalia Wieteska
，
Great coming of age manga！！ Finding your path in life！！
Bethany
，
This manga collection was a like a dessert - pleasurable and lovely。
TheOASG
，
Although I called this a romance manga， perhaps “Genre: Fashion” would be more appropriate。 Paradise Kiss is not just about taking you inside the world of couture; much like apparel， the manga involves change， is often beautiful， may make you emotional， can be comforting， and sometimes， things don’t always work out the way you expect。Paradise Kiss （nicknamed ParaKiss） is actually a sequel manga to a series called Gokinjo Monogatari （Neighborhood Story）。 Unfortunately， for whatever reason， while Although I called this a romance manga， perhaps “Genre: Fashion” would be more appropriate。 Paradise Kiss is not just about taking you inside the world of couture; much like apparel， the manga involves change， is often beautiful， may make you emotional， can be comforting， and sometimes， things don’t always work out the way you expect。Paradise Kiss （nicknamed ParaKiss） is actually a sequel manga to a series called Gokinjo Monogatari （Neighborhood Story）。 Unfortunately， for whatever reason， while this is the third time Paradise Kiss has been made available to English audiences， the original series， which was popular enough to spawn an anime and lots of merchandise， is still MIA。 Boo！While there are strong connections between the two manga， Paradise Kiss stars a heroine unrelated to the previous series。 Yukari is a moody， stressed-out teen dealing with her upcoming college entrance exams。 She doesn’t have time to deal with some randos from a local fashion school who suddenly ask her to model for them。 Arashi， whom Yukari was scared of because of all his piercings， takes offense to her rude rejection， but the kind Miwako says she understands and welcomes Yukari back anytime。 Rounding out this group is the motherly — and suspiciously tall — Isabella and George， their leader， who manages to use Yukari’s lost student ID （which also has a picture of her crush， Tokumori） as leverage to invite her out。And thus begins Yukari’s days at this atelier called Paradise Kiss。This is not your typical coming-of-age or Cinderella story。 Except for the xxxHolic-style trendiness， it certainly seems so: unfashionable Yukari finds herself wearing beautiful clothes， entering the world of modeling， and developing a relationship with a handsome， gifted designer who is a bit of a tease。 But as she gets a physical makeover （haircut， dressing up）， she also has to transform internally。 Yukari is attending a prestigious high school， but she doesn’t have any dreams or interests。 In fact， most of her early personality is established by （verbally or mentally） bringing others down rather than building herself up。 George and the others may act silly， but they also have talent and drive — things Yukari lacks and admires。But changing is not a simple thing， especially at a time these young adults prepare to graduate into the real world。 Much of Paradise Kiss deals with characters being pulled in multiple directions。 When she starts to want to spend more time at ParaKiss， her grades and her relationship with her mother suffers。 And although Yukari might have found people to rely on， George makes it clear he prefers independent girls。 Even the established couple （Miwako and Arashi） we learn are not really established。 The story may not be slice-of-life in the strictest sense （the manga breaks the fourth wall repeatedly — probably the weakest part of the manga for me）， but the emotions are gripping and oh-so-real as they face crossroads between their careers， stability， and romantic relationships。 Without going into detail， the happy days of hanging out at ParaKiss and stealing kisses don’t go on forever， but we can tell from Yukari’s narration that they will always remain in her heart。Also， this manga may be 20 years old， but it’s quite progressive for its age。 George is bisexual and has some kinks， Isabella identifies as female， and Miwako admits to just enjoying sleeping with Arashi despite not knowing if she is in love with him。 There is some humor involved in all of these elements， like Arashi calling George a homo。 It’s still a good reminder that， regardless of whether you agree with them having physical relationships or not， it’s okay to embrace your sexuality。 There is one revelation that is…well， uncomfortable to say the least， and may color your impressions of a character， but their dark side was hinted throughout the manga and will likely be a conversation starter for readers。I never checked out Vertical’s previous release of Paradise Kiss， but solely based on an image from Manga Bookshelf， the translation may have been slightly tweaked。 I’ve provided an image from this release which to compare。 But I have no idea whether lines were frequently altered or if this is one of the rare changes。 I do own TOKYOPOP’s version though。 It’s less accurate to the original script， but it also has a lot more personality。 Arashi， who loves punks and piercings， is given a British accent。The biggest downside is that something billed as a “20th Anniversary Edition” sounds impressive， like a big celebration that should include a lot of bells and whistles。 The cover is gorgeous， and the omnibus features the covers of the Japanese rerelease of Paradise Kiss （and the back covers？）。 But that’s still only four front-and-back color pages。 That’s it except for a four-page bonus gag manga from the original first volume of Paradise Kiss and a few translation notes。 Don’t get me wrong; the colored art pieces are absolutely gorgeous to the point I’m sorely tempted to rip them out and frame them。 But the release still needed something big — a hardcover release perhaps？ I can see some people wanting to upgrade their TOKYOPOP versions if their volumes are becoming really yellowed or want a more faithful script。 The extra page height also allows readers to really take in Yazawa’s art and her amazing clothing designs。 But it’s hardly necessary。 It’s also a 5-in-1 release， and while the binding appears to be really strong， this release definitely is bulky and going to be a turn off for some readers who might want to track down the three-volume version instead from Vertical。But if you haven’t yet owned this beautiful work and don’t mind holding this heavy volume， it’s time to pick this up。 Paradise Kiss: 20th Anniversary Edition is the sort of dazzling， artistic work that will leave a lasting impact on readers thanks to its fairy tale setup crossed with the bittersweetness of life。- Krystallina 。。。more
Kye
，
I am late to the Paradise Kiss game， but I am so glad that I read it。 This series is a coming of age story that I feel like almost every girl in her late teens early 20s can relate to。 I enjoyed watching our main character struggle to find herself and a voice for what she wants。 We watch her grow， fall in love， experience heartbreak， and ultimately find the happiness she deserved。All of the ParaKiss characters felt real， flaws and all。 Very glad I picked this up even if I was 20 years late to th I am late to the Paradise Kiss game， but I am so glad that I read it。 This series is a coming of age story that I feel like almost every girl in her late teens early 20s can relate to。 I enjoyed watching our main character struggle to find herself and a voice for what she wants。 We watch her grow， fall in love， experience heartbreak， and ultimately find the happiness she deserved。All of the ParaKiss characters felt real， flaws and all。 Very glad I picked this up even if I was 20 years late to the party。 。。。more
Lucia
，
3。5 （⌒-⌒; ）
Shae
，
I have to admit， I loved the mess that was Paradise Kiss！We have a group of teens， chasing their dreams in fashion， and going on a journey of self discovery。 The art is absolutely stunning and breathtaking for sure。 Let's talk about George for a minute， as he was one of the biggest enigmas in the entire series。 George's motivations throughout the series were never very clear。 He was chasing a dream， and Yukari helped him achieve part of it。 George was very driven and creative， but also very flig I have to admit， I loved the mess that was Paradise Kiss！We have a group of teens， chasing their dreams in fashion， and going on a journey of self discovery。 The art is absolutely stunning and breathtaking for sure。 Let's talk about George for a minute， as he was one of the biggest enigmas in the entire series。 George's motivations throughout the series were never very clear。 He was chasing a dream， and Yukari helped him achieve part of it。 George was very driven and creative， but also very flighty and all over the place。 Then again， George was 18， and most 18 year olds aren't the most stable people in life。 George always threw me for a loop。 His desperate need to feel loved was very well depicted。Yukari was a FANTASTIC protagonist to follow。 She was just going through the motions until she was recruited by the Paradise Kiss crew。 By that happening in her life， and spending time with George and the others， she figured out what she wanted out of life。 Granted， her mother didn't agree for a good portion of the series。 The one person that Yukari could speak to about both sides of the story was a friend from school that she had a crush on from the beginning of the series。 The romantic relationship that Yukari and George have is a toxic mess， but an understandable kind of relationship for teens to be having。 They both needed different things out of the relationship than they could give another， but they just didn't know how to go about it。Let's talk about my best girl， Miwako。 She had a tough go having to choose between her 2 best friends， who happened to be guys， when it came to her romantic partner。 I'm not going to spoil the how or why of her choice， but essentially the choice was made for her。 Again， this is teenagers making stupid decisions because of their own insecurities。 Miwako reminds me a lot of myself at that age， where I just want everyone to be happy and safe， even at the sacrifice of my own happiness potentially。 All in all， I would highly recommend checking out this series。 Yes， it has some problems， but it isn't afraid to call itself out。 I'm excited to start other works my this mangaka。 。。。more
Mary
，
I can't believe this story is 20 years old。 It's full of such outrageous characters， but I love the story。 Find your dream and go after it。 I can't believe this story is 20 years old。 It's full of such outrageous characters， but I love the story。 Find your dream and go after it。 。。。more
Kristy Laforet
，
Definitely miss Nana after reading this manga。 Although， I think I like Paradise Kiss more。 A little short， though。 Wish it could have been longer， but it's fine as is。 I'll reread this a lot in the future。 Definitely miss Nana after reading this manga。 Although， I think I like Paradise Kiss more。 A little short， though。 Wish it could have been longer， but it's fine as is。 I'll reread this a lot in the future。 。。。more
Irene
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It took me awhile to get properly into the story， all the characters tend to be confusing， going over each other and the "metatheatre" with the author notes as a joke for the characters were a bit too much intrusive at time。 Maybe it's an unpopular opinion here but I didn't particularly like the main male character and couldn't understand the appeal of the romance。 Nevertheless there are some panels that are very deep， I like how Yukari finds the courage to grow up in her own way， the struggle b It took me awhile to get properly into the story， all the characters tend to be confusing， going over each other and the "metatheatre" with the author notes as a joke for the characters were a bit too much intrusive at time。 Maybe it's an unpopular opinion here but I didn't particularly like the main male character and couldn't understand the appeal of the romance。 Nevertheless there are some panels that are very deep， I like how Yukari finds the courage to grow up in her own way， the struggle between being the golden girl your parents want and following your dreams is not always easy to deal with。 It took her maybe a bit too many volumes but I think the author found a good way to end it。 。。。more
Emily
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3。75！
brightredglow
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This should count for 5 books since it is all 5 volumes in one omnibus but at the same time， what a beautiful edition Vertical put together。 The opening color pages are catnip for me。 I knew as soon as I saw it on my Amazon recommends page， it would be my last read of 2019。Ai Yazawa does not have the longest list of work as other manga-ka。 Her epic work， Nana， remains on hiatus and unfinished work; yet， even if Nana was finished at some point， I feel like "Paradise Kiss" is her beautiful masterp This should count for 5 books since it is all 5 volumes in one omnibus but at the same time， what a beautiful edition Vertical put together。 The opening color pages are catnip for me。 I knew as soon as I saw it on my Amazon recommends page， it would be my last read of 2019。Ai Yazawa does not have the longest list of work as other manga-ka。 Her epic work， Nana， remains on hiatus and unfinished work; yet， even if Nana was finished at some point， I feel like "Paradise Kiss" is her beautiful masterpiece like an exquisite Faberge egg。Paradise Kiss is short but it is a complete series that seems to encapsulate all that is intriguing about Yazawa's work。Yukari is in her last year of high school。 She's struggling with exams which will affect what college she gets into and it is giving her unlimited levels of stress and anxiety。 The story opens with her being 'accosted' by a guy who look like a Sid Vicious wannabe。 She ends up being asked to be a model for a group of kids who go to an art school。 At first， she is all 'no way！' but circumstances will change all of that and in the course of the story， she will become a muse， acquire a complicated lover， and have a most interesting coming-of-age。 In this story is pretty much everything that Yazawa likes to touch on。 Fashion， sexual politics （Note: This is no passing thing and the reason I'll put spoiler hide on this review but the sexual politics and behaviors for some characters， particularly the relationship between Arashi and Miwako， was problematic at time of publishing and remains problematic now。）， family dynamics， insecurity， beauty， talent both wasted and stretched as far as it can be taken and for all the romanticism， there is a cold-eyed pragmatism。 She has that same pragmatism at the end of "Gokinjo Monogatari"。 Miwako in ParaKiss is the younger sister to Mikako from Gokinjo。There is also a lot of humor that makes some of the problem sections easier to handle。I think that is why I love ParaKiss so much。 It has the crazy romanticism of youth but also makes room for conflicted common sense and cold， hard reality。 I remember back in the heydey of LiveJournal communities， the heated discussions over the ending with those of us on one side saying it makes perfect sense and those on the other side， ready to fanfic it out of their minds。 Anyway， the re-read after all these years in this beautiful edition is just as good as when I first read it back when Tokyo Pop first put it out and I bought them at Suncoast and/or Borders （long may all three live in the best of my 2000s memories）。 The story of Yukari and her friends （except for Arashi who I still hate forever and ever and for his horribleness， I'd almost take away a star） is still as poignant and piercing as ever。 。。。more
Anais Piccoli
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Forse non sono abbastanza obiettiva， quando si parla di Ai Yazawa。。。 ma ogni sua tavola mi travolge。 Io che odio le opere in cui manca rappresentanza， io che a stento reggo le storie d'amore， mi commuovo per i patemi sentimentali degli stecchini disegnati da questa donna。 Forse non sono abbastanza obiettiva， quando si parla di Ai Yazawa。。。 ma ogni sua tavola mi travolge。 Io che odio le opere in cui manca rappresentanza， io che a stento reggo le storie d'amore， mi commuovo per i patemi sentimentali degli stecchini disegnati da questa donna。 。。。more
Arya Murdock
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Questa serie mi lascia un vuoto e una tristezza assurdi e non importa quante volte io legga o veda quel finale， ci rimarrò sempre malissimo， sigh。La prima volta non ero proprio riuscita ad accettare la cosa e avevo pianto come una fontana riguardandomi gli ultimi minuti mille volte。Adesso， avendo letto il manga dopo almeno 5 anni da quando avevo visto per la prima volta l'anime， sono riuscita a comprendere meglio questo finale e a trovarlo giusto: certe volte， per quanto ci si possa amare， l'amo Questa serie mi lascia un vuoto e una tristezza assurdi e non importa quante volte io legga o veda quel finale， ci rimarrò sempre malissimo， sigh。La prima volta non ero proprio riuscita ad accettare la cosa e avevo pianto come una fontana riguardandomi gli ultimi minuti mille volte。Adesso， avendo letto il manga dopo almeno 5 anni da quando avevo visto per la prima volta l'anime， sono riuscita a comprendere meglio questo finale e a trovarlo giusto: certe volte， per quanto ci si possa amare， l'amore non è la soluzione di ogni cosa。Però che cazzo， perché la Yazawa deve sempre farmi soffrire con le sue storie d'amore？ 😭 Non ne chiedo molte a lieto fine， solo una。 😭 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Paradise Kiss
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Paradise Kiss&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Paradise Kiss&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0