Paradise Kiss

Plot

Yukari Hayasaka, a third-year student at an elite college preparatory high school, is under pressure from her mother to study for her exams and enter college. On her way to school, she catches the attention of Paradise Kiss, a fashion collective of four senior students from Yazawa School of Arts: Miwako, Arashi, Isabella, and their leader, George. The students attempt to recruit Yukari as a model for their senior project at the school's upcoming fashion showcase, but she initially rejects them. Yukari later comes to understand the students' passion for fashion, admiring how they are able to live freely, and agrees to become their model.

As Yukari spends more time at Paradise Kiss' studio, she begins skipping cram school to help with sewing beads onto their dress. At the same time, she becomes drawn to George, and the two immediately fall into a whirlwind romance. Despite their mutual attraction, Yukari finds herself frustrated at George's unpredictable and twisted behavior, as well as him prioritizing career and independence over love. Inspired to be true to herself, Yukari tells her mother the truth but runs away from home and drops out of school after she opposes her decision. Yukari gets a job modeling for Miwako's sister's brand, Happy Berry, which connects her to a modeling agency, but they are unable to sign her without her parents' permission. After an encounter with George's negligent mother, Yukari begins to understand him more and returns home, convincing her mother to allow her to become a model and attending school once again.

Once Paradise Kiss completes their dress, Yukari models it at the senior project showcase. Despite the praise, they win only second place. As graduation draws near, Paradise Kiss sees little outside success and sells only one dress at a co-signment shop. Meanwhile, George is undecided about his career path, but his friend and senior, Kaori, visits him to convince him to continue studying design, which causes Yukari to become jealous. By graduation, Paradise Kiss disbands. George decides to study design in Paris and invites Yukari to come with him, but Yukari declines due to her budding modeling career. Realizing that their lifestyles are incompatible and their relationship will progress no further, the two become distant and quietly move on with their lives. Yukari hopes to become a model in Paris to be with him once again.

10 years later, Yukari is unable to become a model in Paris but pursues other career paths in entertainment in Japan. She is also married to her classmate, Hiroyuki, and they are invited to watch a Broadway show with costumes designed by George.

Characters

Yukari Hayasaka (早坂 紫, Hayasaka Yukari)

Voiced by: Yu Yamada (Japanese); Julie Ann Taylor (English)

Portrayed by: Keiko Kitagawa, Sea Kumada (childhood)

Yukari is a third-year high school student pressured by her strict mother to excel academically. Her life changes when she encounters the fashion group Paradise Kiss. Initially dismissive, she grows to respect their passion and begins questioning her own path, eventually choosing to pursue modeling. She develops a turbulent relationship with the group's leader, George, grappling with her emotions and his expectations. Nicknamed "Caroline" by Miwako and "Carrie" by Isabella, Yukari eventually gains independence. After George leaves for Paris, she builds a career as a model and engages to Hiroyuki. In the live-action film, she rejects Hiroyuki and reunites with George in New York.

Johji Koizumi (小泉 譲二, Koizumi Jōji)

Voiced by: Kenji Hamada (Japanese); Patrick Seitz (English)

Portrayed by: Osamu Mukai

George (ジョージ, Jōji) is a talented fashion design student at Yazawa School of Arts, specializing in haute couture. Hedonistic and unconventional, he rejects mainstream ideals and embraces a lavish lifestyle, funded by his estranged wealthy father. Despite his cold demeanor, he forms a complex relationship with Yukari, whom he calls his muse while pushing her toward independence. His unpredictable behavior—alternately affectionate and distant—fuels tension between them. Bisexual and self-described as an "equal opportunity lover", George has a strained relationship with his mother, a former model who resents his resemblance to his father. After Paradise Kiss disbands, he moves to Paris with Isabella to pursue fashion design. He later sends Yukari a key to his stored designs, and in the live-action film, they reunite in New York.

Miwako Sakurada (櫻田実和子, Sakurada Miwako)

Voiced by: Marika Matsumoto (Japanese); Melissa Fahn (English)

Media

Manga

Written and illustrated by Ai Yazawa, Paradise Kiss was serialized in Shodensha's fashion magazine Zipper from March 23, 1999, to March 22, 2003. Shodensha collected its chapters in five wideban volumes, released from March 31, 2000, to August 23, 2003.

Paradise Kiss features several cameos from Neighborhood Story, one of Yazawa's previous works.

Tokyopop licensed Paradise Kiss for an English-language release in North America and serialized it in its manga magazine Smile. The five volumes were released from May 21, 2002, to March 9, 2004. After Tokyopop's dissolving in 2011, New York based publishers Vertical acquired the rights to the property with plans on releasing the series in a three-volume A5 sized set with new covers, color plates and newly commissioned translation from September 2012 to March 2013. They re-released the series in a single omnibus volume as the "20th Anniversary Edition" on December 3, 2019. Madman Entertainment distributed the series in Australia and New Zealand.

The series has also been licensed in Italy, Germany and Mexico by Panini Comics; Argentina, Spain, and Finland by Editorial Ivrea; in France by Kana; in Poland by Waneko; in Russia by Comics Factory; and in Taiwan by Sharp Point Press. In Brazil, it was first licensed by Conrad Editora, but was later re-licensed by Panini Comics.

Anime

Produced by Fuji TV, Aniplex, Dentsu, Shodensha and Madhouse, the Paradise Kiss anime series was broadcast on Fuji TV's Noitamina programming block from October 14 to December 30, 2005. It was directed by Osamu Kobayashi, who also wrote the series scripts. Nobuteru Yūki served as character designer and chief animation director, while noted fashion creator Atsurō Tayama designed the outfits and THE BABYS and Narasaki (of Coaltar of the Deepers) composed the music. The anime was licensed for release in North America by Geneon Entertainment. On July 3, 2008, Geneon and Funimation Entertainment announced an agreement to distribute select titles in North America. While Geneon retained the license, Funimation Entertainment assumed exclusive rights to the manufacturing, marketing, sales and distribution of select titles. Paradise Kiss was one of several titles involved in the deal. Funimation let the license expire in 2011.

The opening theme song is "Lonely in Gorgeous" by Tomoko Kawase (as alter ego Tommy february6). The ending theme features Franz Ferdinand's hit song "Do You Want To". Both songs appear on the Paradise Kiss Original Soundtrack released on December 21, 2005.

In an interview in the January, 2007 issue of Newtype USA, director Kobayashi revealed many of the personal decisions which went into restructuring the manga into a television series. Wanting to avoid straying too far from the source material without approval, Kobayashi worked closely with Ai Yazawa on the new interpretations of the characters. In many instances, Yazawa was concerned that taking the original material straight would distract casual viewers or worse drive them away. Chief among these concerns was the handling of George's bisexual nature and interest in sadomasochism. Yazawa agreed that the dialogue should reflect this, but that actual onscreen depictions (as can be found in the original manga) were to be avoided. However, Kobayashi felt this was not being entirely true to the character, so he included a few hints of this side of George in the final episode. In another instance of modification, this time brought by Kobayashi, the character design of Arashi was modified to suit a scruffier, less slick appearance. "I wanted to make him look like Lupin the 3rd... sort of slouching and walking around with his hands in his pockets," Kobayashi explained. In agreement with the director, Yazawa went for the change.

One area Yazawa and Kobayashi did not agree on was the casting of Shunsuke Mizutani as Arashi. The fact that he was not a professional voice actor, but rather a musician, was the cause of this debate. Kobayashi had wanted a more natural performance that did not sound like the typical voice acting found in anime. "Yazawa and I even had a few rows because of that," Kobayashi explains. "But after she'd seen about three episodes, she finally admitted that Mizutani's voice is a great match, and I was able to relax."

Live-action film

Together with the Japanese production company IMJ, Fox International produced a live-action, Japanese-language film based on Paradise Kiss; the film had an estimated budget of US$3–4 million.

The live-action film features Keiko Kitagawa as Yukari Hayasaka and Osamu Mukai as George. Other cast members are Natsuki Katō as Kaori Aso, Aya Ōmasa as Miwako Sakurada, Kento Kaku as Arashi Nagase, Shunji Igarashi as Isabella Yamamoto, and Yūsuke Yamamoto as Tokumori Hiroyuki.

The film was released in Japan in June 2011. It featured the songs "Hello (Paradise Kiss)" and "You" by Yui.

Reception

Melissa Sternenberg of THEM Anime Reviews called the character designs and animation "fresh and appealing" with the closing and opening sequences "some of the best of the Fall 2005 season," and praised the animation and artwork, especially the fashion designs. However, she felt the series went wrong in cramming the story into 12 episodes, saying 26 episodes would have been better, and said that she disliked the main characters. However, she said that the sentimentality of ParaKiss seems to "accurately reflect the real fashion world".

Carl Kimlinger of Anime News Network had a more positive view, saying that apart from the established characters, the show's true star is the "costume design" which is shown in much detail, with a "delicate balancing of realism with drama." He said that the treatment of the series is "unusually thoughtful", and that the series is "about being young...having dreams...[and] romance." He called the series a "refreshingly mature story", but said it is not for "those in search of reassuring escapism."

In 2024, through a survey of 100 people by TV Maga (a web magazine operated by TV Log), Paradise Kiss was voted second for most fashionable manga, along with Neighborhood Story, another series by Yazawa.