(L) Paradise Kiss

[MrProphet]

Well, there is absolutely no way for them not to rush the last episode, since they have almost a volume-worth of material to cover.

However you look at it, the thing's probably going to look too hasty and undeveloped.

I've read Omni's and Garten's reviews of the last ep, and I will reserve judgement untill I see it... but it sounds a bit disappointing, considering the way this series rocked.

[howzitboy]

thats why im always fraid to read forums bout series still in progress. theres always some idiot who will come in and tell us the ending (from the manga) and ruin the series.
even when someone says "but it sounds a bit disappointing, considering the way this series rocked.", it ruins it for me *sigh*

[kismis]

Originally Posted by howzitboy

even when someone says "but it sounds a bit disappointing, considering the way this series rocked.", it ruins it for me *sigh*

i know what you mean. its like, oh god, the ending's gonna suck.

but look on the bright side, someone's version of a "disappointing ending" might not be the same for you.

[kron]

the last ep wasn't done that badly. a little rushed perhaps but perfectly realistic. i kinda liked it.

[sanada_kikyo]

I disagree. I thought that the last eps was too rushed, and the viewers lost a lot of information in the process. The last eps skipped some critical character developments from the side characters: Arashi and Miyako, as well as some internal issues that George and Yukari had dealt with. I usually don't get wrapped up about an anime - because it's an anime; however, I did enjoy this one immensely, up until the end. It wasn't something that made me cry, but it did ignite a feeling that we all can relate to if we have ever loved.

I didn't like the ending in the manga nor in the anime...

spoiler...





Of course everyone wants Yukari to be with George in the end - it's only natural. I liked how she decided to stay, but I don't believe that she was being honest with herself. All right, I'm just bitter, since I do think that George is one of the coolest characters that I have seen. I was just hoping that they would have worked something out...he did love her, and I think that she was the only person that he has ever loved (don't know about the future).

[100%Wool]

I'm probably not quite up-to-date on this (I don't download anime, but watch it at a local club).

For some reason, while I think Para Kiss is quite watchable, I just can't like it. I found some scenes quite disturbing for a mainsteam anime and the story doesn't seem to be progressing. Take this with a pinch of salt; I can totally understand why people like the series, but it doesn't quite work for me.

[kron]

Originally Posted by sanada_kikyo

I disagree. I thought that the last eps was too rushed, and the viewers lost a lot of information in the process. The last eps skipped some critical character developments from the side characters: Arashi and Miyako, as well as some internal issues that George and Yukari had dealt with. I usually don't get wrapped up about an anime - because it's an anime; however, I did enjoy this one immensely, up until the end. It wasn't something that made me cry, but it did ignite a feeling that we all can relate to if we have ever loved.

I didn't like the ending in the manga nor in the anime...

spoiler...





Of course everyone wants Yukari to be with George in the end - it's only natural. I liked how she decided to stay, but I don't believe that she was being honest with herself. All right, I'm just bitter, since I do think that George is one of the coolest characters that I have seen. I was just hoping that they would have worked something out...he did love her, and I think that she was the only person that he has ever loved (don't know about the future).

in reality, 99% of the people would choose to stay anyway and it makes the ending a bit more 'bitter sweet' rather than your average happy ending.

[MrProphet]

I won't repeat the fact that the last episode is terribly rushed. It is. But here are some other random musings regarding the end.

Spoiler:

Funny how Kobayashi almost maybe George to be the good guy in his version of Paradise kiss... He and Yukari separate because they want to go they own ways, not because George is a jerk with little regard for people's feelings and Yukari is opportunistic and would love to make a career in this new world of glamour.

In Yazawa's story they separate because they never loved each other and they realize that they have reached the end of their romance and continuing it will give neither of them anything more. Yukari is already on the path to fashoin greatness. George got his muse (Yukari) and finally decided what he wants to do in life. So this is it, they no longer inspire each other as they did before. There is still some lingering feeling, thus they cry a bit, but they mostly do it "for old time's sake"...

Kobayashi sort of turns it around. Yukari lets go of George because she feels that she can't possess him and his talent and she must let him follow his dream while she achieves her own.

Yukari's choice between Hiro and George is practically eliminated (this is one of the reasons why the name of Yukari's fiancee 10 years since is not mentioned). The drama is only between George and Yukari. Caroline is not chosing between the "magical prince" and the "boy next door" anymore because the premise of Yazawa's story was that the "magical prince" turned out to be a real jerk.

Kobayashi doesn't want to show George as a jerk, so there is no more competition between Hiro and George, and Hiro's good boy is not offsetting George's bad boy. So, this is the way Kobayashi casts the story.

Let anyone cry about the director not following the plot to the letter, I don't care. I think that Kobayashi proved that he can have his own vision of a story and he can bring it to life in his own way.

Too bad the last episode is f'ed up a bit. The show would have benefited from another episode to flesh out the emotional backstory a bit more. But I still think that Kobayashi deserves credit for not being afraid to bring in his own views and opinions into someone else's plot. I think that's great and allows for very interesting comparisons between Kobayashi and Yazawa.

And anyway, Yazawa is not Matsumoto or Tezuka, and she hasn't deserved the "untouchable" status yet, so she is fair game for interpretations and different creative visions. 8)

All in all, it was a great series that could have been better. I've said the same thing about that other Noitamina show (Hachikuro) and I'll say it again: it wasn't the Anime of the Year and it had some serious flaws. But still, wasn't it awesome? Wasn't it just two heads above all of those other overhyped loli-pantsu-boobies-blood-and-gore anime that get so popular nowadays?

That's real popular culture for you, but I really hope that Fuji TV will continue airing experimental, daring and innovative shows like Hachikuro and Parakiss which really do show the whole potential of Japanese animation for years to come...

[Srin Tuar]

Originally Posted by MrProphet

Spoiler:

All in all, it was a great series that could have been better. I've said the same thing about that other Noitamina show (Hachikuro) and I'll say it again: it wasn't the Anime of the Year and it had some serious flaws. But still, wasn't it awesome? Wasn't it just two heads above all of those other overhyped loli-pantsu-boobies-blood-and-gore anime that get so popular nowadays?

Spoiler:

Haha, yes it a completely different type of story than most.

Im getting the feeling that I missed way too much of the story vs the manga version.
(which i now am free to read)

As soon as jouji told her he was leaving for france, I knew it was over between them
in a permanent way. Well, thinking back he had basically set himself up to refuse
any sort of uncompromising love, so he basically wasnt available. Any action by
her or himself to go against their potential careers for the sake of being together
he would have been repulsed by, so once he set it in motion it became a forgone
conclusion.

Oh well, I had really had high hopes that he could overcome his psychosis and
actually try to be with her. I have little doubt that Yukari would have gone along
with whatever he said even up to the last time the met, even if it went against
his goofy philosophy. (I have to admit I was wrong about him. All the caring things
he did and said even behind her back turned out to be meaningless.)

I also hated him for shedding all the clothes he made onto her. He decided to
turn down a new path in life, and symbollically shook off his past and her with it.
No matter how nice they were, i would have sold or discarded them all, were I
Yukari. (bonfire?)

Tokumori marrying her in the end left me with a stomach ache.
The level of misunderstanding between him and Yukari is so fundamental,
and the past just cant be unravelled. Its just bad-juju from both of them to ever
be together, I cant agree with that ending. What wasnt meant to be should never
be forced.

Well. It was a beautiful story even if it was about broken people.

[MrProphet]

Originally Posted by Srin Tuar

Spoiler:

Tokumori marrying her in the end left me with a stomach ache.
The level of misunderstanding between him and Yukari is so fundamental,
and the past just cant be unravelled. Its just bad-juju from both of them to ever
be together, I cant agree with that ending. What wasnt meant to be should never
be forced.

This is were I was disappointed...

Spoiler:

because in the manga Yukari and Hiro really do come across as people who can fall in love and be close because they are comfortable with each other and like each other as who they are. As opposed to George and Yukari, who are just having the hots for each other.

I guess this is the reason why they never mentioned that she marries Hiro. Because they just didn't develop their backstory enough to warrant a marriage. It would have looked unnatural for her to marry him all of a sudden, since most of his role was axed.

[Srin Tuar]

Originally Posted by MrProphet

This is were I was disappointed...

Spoiler:

because in the manga Yukari and Hiro really do come across as people who can fall in love and be close because they are comfortable with each other and like each other as who they are. As opposed to George and Yukari, who are just having the hots for each other.

I guess this is the reason why they never mentioned that she marries Hiro. Because they just didn't develop their backstory enough to warrant a marriage. It would have looked unnatural for her to marry him all of a sudden, since most of his role was axed.

Spoiler:

Yeah they were really oblique about it- at first i was confused thinking maybe jouji
had come back to her or something.

The part at the end where she decides to wear one of the dresses jouji made
to their wedding bothers me as well. Basically says in my mind that she still loves
jouji, or at the very least is still infatuated with him to a degree.

Tokumori: second fiddle at his own wedding. What a sad guy.

[sanada_kikyo]

Sweet! I'm going to use this one in my forums. Thanks!!!!

[setsuka]

Originally Posted by Srin Tuar

Spoiler:

Yeah they were really oblique about it- at first i was confused thinking maybe jouji
had come back to her or something.

The part at the end where she decides to wear one of the dresses jouji made
to their wedding bothers me as well. Basically says in my mind that she still loves
jouji, or at the very least is still infatuated with him to a degree.

Tokumori: second fiddle at his own wedding. What a sad guy.

ugh,

Spoiler:

They're not going to the wedding. They're going to a party. The "We're going to get married" is a reference to a future event. And in the manga, Yukari explains that the reason she wears them because she feels she looks the best in George's clothes, nothing more, nothing less.

[Kaoru Chujo]

Rushed is the word -- for the whole series, not just the last ep -- but I still loved it. I loved it, but it was not nearly as good as Honey & Clover, MrProphet.

Spoiler for final episode:

I regretted that they did not show Hiro as her prospective groom, since I think that would have worked. I don't think they had any more misunderstanding than any other people. Hiro's final success would be a testament to his determination. I liked him a lot all the way through, and could believe his attraction to her and her comfort with him. A lot can happen in ten years. Personally, I would have shown more of Hiro and Yukari as a couple in the final episode than the manga did, not less. Otherwise, I think they did what they had to do, given the painful rush they had to do the whole story in. Something that surprised (no, shocked) me in both the manga and the anime was the implication that she was still living at home. I understand that it would seem likely in a Japanese context, but I still have trouble with it.

[brightredglow]

I started watching Paradise Kiss on a whim. I didn't expect much from it and it surprised me enough by episode 8 that I sought out the manga.

Given what I've seen of the reviews from ParaKiss12 and that I've read the manga, I think I'll pass on watching the last two episodes for one reason (see end of "spoiler").

However, I do have give credit to where it is due and I will recommend this manga and anime to anyone who wants to listen to me.

If I had a choice, I would choose Honey & Clover over Paradise Kiss every time. However, it is unfair to compare ParaKiss to Honey & Clover just because ParaKiss is also shoujo/yosei and took H&C's time slot.

The reason it is unfair to compare them is because ParaKiss will always be lacking because in the end, while I prefer H&C, I can acknowledge that ParaKiss actually takes a harder road. In Honey & Clover, the characters were likable so following their journey(s) was easier and more palatable. But in ParaKiss, George and Yukari were not particularly likable to me. George constantly played with Yukari's head. Yukari bought into the game and ended up miserable as much as happy. The reader/viewer knows the outcome before they even get to the first "I love you...I think I love you...Maybe I love you."

And yet, I found myself caring about what happened to them because in spite of the flamboyant backdrop of the story, the theme of first love and heartbreak and finding yourself is basic and universal. That Paradise Kiss actually pulled off that melancholy and bittersweet time in a way that was honest and unflinching is pretty darn brilliant if you ask me and both manga writer and anime production team deserve kudos for trying pull it off (and succeeding to a very large degree).

Spoiler:

This isn't really a spoiler but more of an observation from the end of the manga. The bittersweetness of Yukari and George is how close they could have been to making it work. If only Yukari had been a little older and little less insecure. If George had played less with Yukari's head in the beginning and been a little more honest with himself and her so she could have trusted herself and him. Isabella nails it when she and George are on the boat when she tells George (after he's called Yukari "an amateur") that he doesn't understand women and in that way, he is an amateur. George mishandled his love for Yukari just as much as Yukari did. To his credit, George agrees.

Yet, in spite of being so close to having the ability to "make it work" like Yukari wishes they could, they truly do make the right decision for themselves. George can't stay and Yukari can't go with him.

The end (at least what I saw in the manga) was honest and true.

And that's why I can recommend this manga/anime. The end is right, even if it hurts a little.

That said, I will skip watching the anime. To hear that Hiro is not named as Yukari's fiance is disappointing. In the manga, that was the unexpected treat at the end... for me anyway. His role in the manga was key, subtle but key.

[ForeverGoNe]

Originally Posted by brightredglow

Spoiler:

This isn't really a spoiler but more of an observation from the end of the manga. The bittersweetness of Yukari and George is how close they could have been to making it work. If only Yukari had been a little older and little less insecure. If George had played less with Yukari's head in the beginning and been a little more honest with himself and her so she could have trusted herself and him. Isabella nails it when she and George are on the boat when she tells George (after he's called Yukari "an amateur") that he doesn't understand women and in that way, he is an amateur.

In spite of being so close to having the ability to "make it work" like Yukari wishes they could, they make the right decision for themselves. George can't stay and Yukari can't go with him.

The end (at least what I saw in the manga) was honest and true.

And that's why I can recommend this manga/anime. The end is right, even if it hurts a little.

Can't wait to see this then. I haven't read the manga but from what you say, if it does end off on a genuine note, it's better that way. I'd want a serene ending than something from a fairy tale.

[MrProphet]

Originally Posted by Kaoru Chujo

Rushed is the word -- for the whole series, not just the last ep -- but I still loved it. I loved it, but it was not nearly as good as Honey & Clover, MrProphet.

It's a matter of taste. Hachikuro was livelier and funnier, but Parakiss was prettier and more emotional. In addition, the emotional conflicts in Parakiss all got resolved in the end and it only took them 12 episodes, while with Hachikuro all emotional conflicts were left hanging...

Certainly, Parakiss benefits from a closed-ended manga, but if we just compare one to another, I choose Paradise kiss.

[Srin Tuar]

Originally Posted by MrProphet

Certainly, Parakiss benefits from a closed-ended manga, but if we just compare one to another, I choose Paradise kiss.

I would too, even though the rushed ending confused me a bit.
-not enough context maybe. left me guessing alot. The first three episodes
were inebriating.

H&C was soft, sunny, but inconclusive and a bit safe.
I still watched it all the way through, but it was hard to get too excited about it.

Anyone know what the next noitanima is ?

[MrProphet]

Yeah, it's going to be a horror story (http://forums.animesuki.com/showthread.php?t=27230).

But it's going to be short (just 3 episodes), so perhaps we'll go back to a jousei-style anime soon after that.

[DaFool]

I sure hope they keep or expand the noitanima slot. The strengths of the shows that ran --- directed akin to live-action j-drama rather than otaku anime --- are its very curse --- why animate it even and why not just make a live-action drama?