Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
elumizu
There is a moment in life when the future that was carefully planned for you suddenly feels unfamiliar. Not necessarily wrong, just distant from who you are becoming. Paradise Kiss is built around that moment. Instead of romanticizing youth as a carefree dream, the series examines the uneasy moment when expectations begin to feel heavier than the life they were meant to secure. The story follows Yukari Hayasaka, a disciplined high school student whose life has been shaped almost entirely by academic expectations. Her days revolve around studying and preparing for university, following a routine that appears stable but leaves little room for personal desire. That stagnant routine is disrupted when Yukari crosses paths with a group of eccentric fashion design students who recruit her to mode…
Read at the sourcei_oncebitanapple
This isn't a typical romance anime, but not being typical doesn't automatically makes it better. Although the anime comes under the genre of "romance", I initially found it to be the most boring plot of the show. By boring I don't mean it is exactly poorly-written; however, the whole thing seemed to be run by lust. Personally not my taste. For Yukira, the motivation is lust as well as a certain "obsession" with George, this puts a great power imbalance between the couple, rendering the relationship toxic. As for George, it isn't clear what drives him to date her, maybe it is that he could tame her to be "better" than his mother? But alas, it seems control is what attracts him towards her. So for as long the show focused on this so called "romance", it was an extremely boring event. Despite…
Read at the sourceayumiin
Paradise Kiss isn’t the kind of anime that hands you comfort. It doesn’t offer a fantasy escape or characters you’re supposed to idolize. It just kind of… throws you into a moment in someone’s life where everything’s starting to fall apart and come together at the same time. And it lets you sit with the mess. It’s rough in a way that feels intentional. Yukari, the protagonist, isn’t some heroine on a perfect journey of growth. She’s confused, impulsive, sometimes kind of irritating but that’s what makes her feel real. She’s stuck between what’s expected of her and what she wants, even if she doesn’t really know what that is yet. That feeling of being completely unprepared for adulthood? Yeah, this anime gets that. The characters don’t exist to be liked. George is distant and manipulative i…
Read at the sourceRyanSpring
As a straight male in my mid 30s with no interest whatsoever in fashion design or modeling or anything to do with that world, I really doubt I'm the target audience this show was aiming for. And yet, despite this pretty clear mismatch, I enjoyed Paradise Kiss. I can see why others in my demographic might not, however.
As a whole the show oozes style. It's not quite at gold standard Cowboy Bebop level, but it definitely has flair. Characters have unique hair colors and overall looks, the color palette on display really pops despite the show being two decades old as of the time of this writing and the opening and ending themes are both super catchy bops. I never once skipped through the intro sequence, which is something I almost ALWAYS do when watching other programs.
I enjoyed this show'…
Read at the sourceLuxuriousHeart
Paradise Kiss is a coming of age story about a sheltered girl. Yukari starts as a girl who does everything her mother asks, and she's rather sheltered. At 18, she hasn't had a boyfriend or even kissed a guy. Introduce Paradise Kiss, a group of fashion designers. There's George, Isabella, Miwako, and Arashi. They want Yukari to model for them. They introduce Yukari into the world of fashion, and lead her to question if her mom is really right about what she should do.
Compared to the prequel, My Neighborhood Story, the characters are more fun. That isn't to say, there's no drama. Trust me, there's a lot of drama in the show. They're just more fun and easy to watch, even if some of them are worse people. Yeah, the main cast is very manipulative and sneaky. Everyone has lied, snuck around,…
Read at the sourceTUTU_chomper
Since this is my first review it will be short.
From the character designs to the music, I was hooked from the very first episode. While I enjoyed Paradise Kiss, there was one aspect that didn’t sit well with me: Arashi’s character. His behaviour was often annoying, and honestly, neither he nor his actions added much to the story. It follows Yukari Hayasaka, a high school girl who takes a break from school to become a model for a fashion brand, all while falling in love with the brand's designer. Overall, if you’re into a romance with a bittersweet ending, I highly recommend giving ParaKiss a watch.
Read at the sourcegikento
Some things never change... The first time I ever hear about "Parakiss" was when I read the manga in 2021, and today, in 2024, three years older, I share the same opinions that I expressed in my 2021 review.
The ending is very sad in my opinion, and I cried a lot, both in 2021 and in 2024. However, it is something so real and reminded me a lot of "La La Land," and as I thought about it, I cried even more.
Arashi continues to be the only obstacle in this work. Although I think they downplayed the terrible things he does in the manga, he remains a terrible person.
Read at the sourcevichd1
The feeling of when you are beginning adult life: it's like you are completely out in the open, able to go anywhere, but you have no idea which path you should or want to take and lock yourself to. That is the thematic core of Paradise Kiss.
To me, that's the most interesting aspect and theme of Paradise Kiss, being suddenly put on a certain path and figuring out how you'll let it affect the direction of your life. The opening "Lonely in Gorgeous" really nails down the feeling of "What am I doing here? It feels like I'm in the right place, but where the fuck should I go now?".
The romance, while not being the star of the show for me, is still really well crafted. Ai Yazawa nailed a very interesting balance by creating a love story that feels very youthful and fairytale-like at times whi…
Read at the sourcesvale
This was a massive let-down, particularly after watching Nana, which is honestly one of the more entertaining anime series I've ever watched.
I was prepared for this not to be a masterpiece, but that is an understatement.
Our protagonist is possibly the least relatable character in the history of fiction - and yes, I've read Catcher in the Rye, I have seen the Twilight movies, but nothing compares to this bland piece of flour whose only personality trait is being pretty and hopelessly in love with George. And oh, did you know that she can eat absolutely anything without gaining weight? So relatable, right..?
And oh boy, where do I start with George, our own prince charming. He could honestly be interesting, I love myself a character who is absolutely horrible to everyone around them and a…
Read at the sourcebibichi
My first-ever review! I recently finished watching this anime, and I must say, I absolutely loved it. It was an amazing experience from start to finish. The animation was stunning, and the music added so much to the overall atmosphere. I was so absorbed in the story that I managed to finish the entire anime in less than two days. And let's not forget about the unforgettable opening theme! It's so catchy and sets the perfect tone for the series.
Even though I didn't always agree with all the main character's decisions, I believe the series teaches us an important lesson. It reminds us to prioritize our own happiness and follow our own paths in life. It's essential not to live solely to please others, as it can leave us feeling overshadowed and unfulfilled. Making our own choices, even if t…
Read at the sourceEikichimishina
I’ve always been interested in fashion and music so Parakiss kinda fulfills a lot of things for me in the manga department actually. I actually feel that this anime adaptation was the strongest between Nana and Gokinjo Monohatari to be quite honest.
Comparisons aside, I find that this anime was the most enjoyable to watch not only because it’s the artistically faithful but because the ambience was sooo appealing. Music direction is so top tier in this anime and really instills a cool vibe throughout the show with the sound design and reverberation of Arashis songs in the background. I wasn’t expecting a kind of laid back sound from Arashis punk band but It’s ridiculously addicting, cannot recommend the original band ‘THE BABYS’ enough.
Every character is so charming and has their own w…
Read at the sourceayleewu2
I haven't watched such a refreshing, down-to-earth, yet passionate anime in a long time. I will say that my review has slight bias since I'm a part of the audience demographic, older women. I'm going to dissect all the elements of the anime and attempt to give an objective review.
PLOT: 10/10
The story follows a high school girl named Yukari who studies and works diligently on college entrance exams. Due to her mother's pressure and expectations, she goes to an academically prestigious academy but gets wound up in an atelier where an eccentric group of fashion students, who make up the fashion brand "Paradise Kiss," ask for her to be their model. Overall, the plot was incredibly unexpected -- a passionate and lustful romance, abuse, beauty, and queer identity. I loved every second of it.…
Read at the sourceBenx2019
Ugh, It's well made. It had fairly realistic characters. So why just an 8? The story isn't incredibly original and most of the characters have depth, but I feel like it is all relatively unexplored. The art was quite good, but kinda falls short in 2022. The sound was good in terms of voice acting(I watched the dub), but the soundtrack felt underwhelming and underdeveloped. I can't say that I ever really noticed the music, and for someone who often pay special attention to the music in an anime that is a rather poor result. I also really didn't enjoy it all that much it was a good anime hence the 8, I just felt frustrated with the main character the entire time, and the ending was kind of dumb. Without saying too much it felt like a last ditch attempt to make the anime seem less like a sapp…
Read at the sourceEphemerisu
A very realistic romance.
What differentiates Paradise Kiss from other romances is the way it treats its core subject: love. Love is never idealized. It is never made the driving force of the characters' lives. Maybe it's not what a sentimental person would like but it surely express how love is in real life. The lover isn't idolized and the main character doesn't center her entire life around him.
A strong point of this anime is the characters. They seem like people you'll see on the street or hear about from a friend, living and breathing.
In the end, if you want a romance that departs from all the clichés, one that feels like a breath of fresh air, this is what you are looking for.
Read at the sourceHenriqueNeves
Osamu Kobayashi reinterprets several values from Ai Yazawa's original work.
One of the most positive aspects of the work is how it manages to contrast this more extravagant and strange art, with the intimacy of the characters. In a way, the 2 are different, but they work within the anime's proposal.
The way the anime highlights the world, it's kind of like a real world farce. The characters have these very extravagant personalities, as if they ignore reality and the problems that exist in it. George's strong personality hides the concern and fears he has for those around him. Arashi acts like someone who takes the fuck out of everything, but hides his own jealousy and frailties. This choice of being stylists and different reflects their position in relation to the state in which they l…
Read at the sourcekirbiiiii
This is one of those shows that, likely due to its age and slightly niche artstyle, has fallen into that grey area of being well known but not actually being watched by a lot of newer fans. Hell, I was literally an infant when this show came out, so I found out about its existence through seeing a couple scenes from Nana, which has the same mangaka. I went in kind of blind, and well, I wasn't completely disappointed with what I watched, but...
Story - Yukari gets basically pushed into this completely new fashion world and asked to be a model for George and his group who helps him. Over the course of 12 eps, relationships get explored and developed and of course, they participate in the fashion competition. I'm not gonna lie, it didn't exactly leave me with a big sense of wanting to carry…
Read at the sourcebottledteeth
I really enjoyed it, I found myself smiling every episode
the music is really good, the ending especially is very catchy, and I also really liked the art style
there's also some lgbt representation! the main love interest, George, is openly bisexual, and although this isn't very necessary to the story, its still nice to see. There's also a trans woman, Isabella, who I absolutely loved. some comments about her are a little out dated, but considering I am not a trans woman, I don't feel it is my place to say whether this is okay or not, but she is still a very lovable character
I would say definitely give it a try, especially considering is so short and only takes a few hours
Read at the sourcehyunryu
Let me explain why I didn't rate the anime as much as I had hoped to when I started watching it.
I watched Nana by the same creator Ai Yazawa last year and it had a huge impact on my life, I loved it more than anything I had ever seen in the recent years.
That's the sort of expectation I had when I saw there was another anime created by this woman.
Maybe I was just expecting too much of it.
Also, I'll try to keep the explanations rather simple and short.
VERY MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD
Story (8)
The story itself was very realistic and very relatable. I enjoyed the pacing but at times I didn't feel like there was a clear goal to what the characters were doing. But maybe that's because there's no such thing in real life either.
The ending was great and dramatic, you'll most likely cry.
In fac…
Read at the sourceBigBoiOnDuty
"Once upon a time there was a lady. She had no children, and no happiness either. And at first she cried for a long time, but then she became wicked"
"Paradise Kiss" is the first Ai Yazawa's work that I got to experience and I have to admit that I'm ashamed that I didn't watch it earlier. It's definitely one of the greastest examples of bildungsroman, in anime, done right. Add to it the fact that it's also one of the few punk anime ever made, and you've got a really interesting title that should not be overlooked.
Plot
As I stated in the foreword, "Parakiss" is first and foremost a story about growing up and maturing. Despite being only 12 episodes long the series manages to tell a compelling story with interesting themes and characters. We follow Yukari's journey towards becoming a ma…
Read at the sourceHimasallah
As someone who saw Nana years ago, I felt the same depressing feeling when I first saw it. I can't help myself getting into this artstyle and story. I'm not into shoujo dramas and actually I really don't like shy characters who can't even kiss even months later so I always liked the realistic perspective of Nana and Paradise Kiss.
I like the way they show the feelings and psychological balance between characters. And I even knew how it was about to end even from the start. But stayed, cause I know it's not all about destination, it's about the journey. And it was worth it.
Read at the source
