Alright, another old anime aired in 2005. Finally i managed to finish this series after watching NANA....Why is that so? Because the author captivated me in NANA- the anime and manga, and this is another of the author's work. But wait..! Forget about NANA, here is PARADISE KISS, another realistic slice of life type of anime.
The Expressions/Thoughts:
ParaKiss for me falls into a very unique category. It's a show that the first time I tried to watch it, I couldn't. I watched the first 2 episodes, and then couldn't stand any more. I ended up skipping to the end to see how things turned out. And yet, this was a show I simply could not walk away from. The music, and the characters captured me. I kept telling myself to either watch it, or delete it off my hard drive, but I kept putting it off. Occasionally pulling up the first episode again, and just watching the OP, before moving on to something else again. I finally got around to giving this show another chance. I knew it was a unique show from its odd opening, but the OP and the ED both captured me. They are among my favorites of all time, not just for Shoujo type stories, but in all anime. To me they both stand out as being among the best. The story for Parakiss however didn't grab me like the music did. It was good, but especially at the beginning, several of the characters, and their expressed attitudes seriously annoyed me. It was only upon giving them another chance that I started to enjoy the story, and through it, started to care about the various characters. This is not a show for children. While the characters portrayed are fairly young, the main girl Yukari is just 18, still she and other characters are involved in real relationships, opening talking and having sex. While there isn't any nudity in this show, nor for that matter really any fanservice apart from a brief moment when George is shown pulling off Yukari's clothes, exposing her underwears. Even still, the subject matter is for an older crowd. The story is about growing up, and making the choice of what to do with your life. Yukari, who has studied all her life, and is being pushed to go to college, realizes after meeting George and the rest of his group, that its not really what she wants to do with her life. Instead, after a bit of exposure to the Parakiss group, she realizes she wants to become a model. But the story is deeper then just Yukari's choice, rather it involves the supporting characters as well. Their lives and dreams. Miwako in particular was enjoyable to watch, everytime she was onscreen. All was not outstanding though. I can't write this review without saying what bothered me about this story. The weirdest thing about it was the odd animation at the beginning of the story. The bugs, and stuff. I don't know if thats a carryover from the manga, but it was an unnecessary and pointless distraction. The other thing I didn't like was the flower transitions they used between scenes. Basically just minor stuff. Some might argue about the ending, but I thought it was good. Overall I really enjoyed this series. Some may think that the series ended badly, but as for me, i like the ending fairly well. Having watched the whole thing, I look back and wonder at how shallow I was. What was I thinking to not give this show a chance. This is one show I strongly recommend, not just to fans of shoujo, but to everyone. While its not a show I would watch with my family, its one I'd talk to my friends about.
Information to interested viewers:
* Anime series of episodes : 12
* Manga chapters : Volume 1-5 complete
* Author : Ai Yazawa
* Genre : Shoujo - Romance - Drama - Comedy
* Watch Online : Email to prishlc@hotmail.com for episode links.
