Paradise Kiss Anime-Finished!
Youtube.com is amazing. A friend recently sent me the link to the site so I could see a hilarious W-inds parody video (cleverly named "W-ounds" ^^). When I searched through the rest of the site though, I discovered they had whole episodes for many series! (Though disappointingly, no Japanese drama.) I usually refrained from downloading anime because the files are huge and with the meager download/upload limit set by my internet provider per month, I can't go around downloading anything I like. But youtube.com lets me watch the videos without downloading (well, I'm sure there's a little bit of downloading since everything I see on the internet are downloaded pages). And the loading times are pretty quick! I just need to leave my computer on for about ten minutes and the episode's finished loading.
Paradise Kiss..what can I say about the anime? Lovely art. But then again, it's Yazawa Ai. I was a bit thrown back by the plot when I first started watching this series because I'm more used to her "more-real-than-real-life" mangas like Nana and Tenshi Nanka Ja Nai (I'm not an Angel). So when I first read the summary about a high-school girl who becomes a model for a brand made by fashion students at an art school...it seemed very...fluffy. What I love about Yazawa Ai's writing is her realism, and how she keeps true to human nature. Relationships don't last for forever, and her characters don't necessarily stay with those who they begin dating. But Parakiss didn't seem to have that depth to it--at first.
Before I say anything more about the plot itself, let me just say the opening and ending themes are the most catchiest and craziest that I've seen in a long time. "Lonely in Gorgeous" by Tommyfebruary6 fits like a glove to a hand with the opening animation sequence. It's slick, addictive, and mesmerizing. When I watch a series lasting longer than 6 episodes, I usually end up skipping the opening sequence since it becomes repetitive but wow...if all anime were like this I don't see why it isn't so famous in Japan! And Franz Ferdinand--I can understand now why they're so popular. "Do you want to?" is one of those songs you can't help but hum to ^^
That said, the characters in Parakiss---as are most Yazawai Ai characters---are a bunch of oddballs thrown together. Miwako and Arashi are such an unlikely couple---the loli-goth high-pitched PINK HAIRED girl, with a punkish, pierced & tatooed all over guitarist. A character I despised all throughout the series though, was George. Even though some who read the Parakiss manga try to protect him by saying he's a "misunderstood, lonely" character, none of that comes across in the anime. Personally, I saw his actions as selfish. His over self-confidence didn't make him cool and sophisticated, it made him come across as stuck up and cold. And although Yukari and him are supposedly "in love", his reactions to situations reflect none of this so-called "affections". When a friend he knew from school visits his house after flying from Paris where she was studying, he is quick to brush off Yukari suggesting she head home even though they made plans for that evening.
George is more fit with Isabella (too bad he's male). George treats Yukari like a pretty doll that he plays around with. Perhaps this is why I didn't mind the series ending the way it did---with Yukari and George parting ways and Yukari marrying someone else ten years later. Even if George did stay in Japan, I don't see how their relationship could have worked out. It seems the manga ends with Yukari marrying Hiroyuki. Now that makes more sense to me. During George & Yukari's short relationship, she met with Hiroyuki. He understands Yukari and to top it off, he holds feelings towards her. Admittedly, he is the "safe" guy, a reliable person but not anyone exciting to be with, but it's better for her to end up with him than to stay with George, because their relationship is like a rollercoaster that is often on a downward slide.
I'll buy the DVDs when I have the money though--even with George being grating as he is, this is one of the better anime I've seen :)
Paradise Kiss..what can I say about the anime? Lovely art. But then again, it's Yazawa Ai. I was a bit thrown back by the plot when I first started watching this series because I'm more used to her "more-real-than-real-life" mangas like Nana and Tenshi Nanka Ja Nai (I'm not an Angel). So when I first read the summary about a high-school girl who becomes a model for a brand made by fashion students at an art school...it seemed very...fluffy. What I love about Yazawa Ai's writing is her realism, and how she keeps true to human nature. Relationships don't last for forever, and her characters don't necessarily stay with those who they begin dating. But Parakiss didn't seem to have that depth to it--at first.
Before I say anything more about the plot itself, let me just say the opening and ending themes are the most catchiest and craziest that I've seen in a long time. "Lonely in Gorgeous" by Tommyfebruary6 fits like a glove to a hand with the opening animation sequence. It's slick, addictive, and mesmerizing. When I watch a series lasting longer than 6 episodes, I usually end up skipping the opening sequence since it becomes repetitive but wow...if all anime were like this I don't see why it isn't so famous in Japan! And Franz Ferdinand--I can understand now why they're so popular. "Do you want to?" is one of those songs you can't help but hum to ^^
That said, the characters in Parakiss---as are most Yazawai Ai characters---are a bunch of oddballs thrown together. Miwako and Arashi are such an unlikely couple---the loli-goth high-pitched PINK HAIRED girl, with a punkish, pierced & tatooed all over guitarist. A character I despised all throughout the series though, was George. Even though some who read the Parakiss manga try to protect him by saying he's a "misunderstood, lonely" character, none of that comes across in the anime. Personally, I saw his actions as selfish. His over self-confidence didn't make him cool and sophisticated, it made him come across as stuck up and cold. And although Yukari and him are supposedly "in love", his reactions to situations reflect none of this so-called "affections". When a friend he knew from school visits his house after flying from Paris where she was studying, he is quick to brush off Yukari suggesting she head home even though they made plans for that evening.
George is more fit with Isabella (too bad he's male). George treats Yukari like a pretty doll that he plays around with. Perhaps this is why I didn't mind the series ending the way it did---with Yukari and George parting ways and Yukari marrying someone else ten years later. Even if George did stay in Japan, I don't see how their relationship could have worked out. It seems the manga ends with Yukari marrying Hiroyuki. Now that makes more sense to me. During George & Yukari's short relationship, she met with Hiroyuki. He understands Yukari and to top it off, he holds feelings towards her. Admittedly, he is the "safe" guy, a reliable person but not anyone exciting to be with, but it's better for her to end up with him than to stay with George, because their relationship is like a rollercoaster that is often on a downward slide.
I'll buy the DVDs when I have the money though--even with George being grating as he is, this is one of the better anime I've seen :)