Paradise Kiss

パラダイス・キス
ParaKiss

Manga8.324230 votes5 volumes · 48 chaptersFinished

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About this title

Synopsis

After two eccentrically dressed individuals ambush her, high school student Yukari Hayasaka promptly passes out due to shock. She soon awakens to find herself surrounded by even more strangely dressed people in the basement studio of Paradise Kiss—a fashion design club composed of four students from Yazawa School for the Arts. Although it seems like Yukari has been kidnapped, the older students explain that they only approached her to see if she would model their collection for an upcoming fashion show. Being a senior with a busy schedule, Yukari furiously rejects the group's offer. But when she drops her student passbook in her haste to leave, the ringleader of the group, George Koizumi, picks it up and uses it as a means to coerce Yukari into considering their request. After hearing about the other members' unbridled ambition, Yukari is inspired to reevaluate her own circumstances and eventually agrees to help them out. Now as Paradise Kiss' model, Yukari must learn to balance her new responsibilities with her hectic personal life. However, the more time she spends with George and the rest of the team, the harder it becomes for her to avoid getting swept up in the glitz and glamor of the fashion world. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

Publication notes

Paradise Kiss was published in English by Tokyopop from May 21, 2002, to March 9, 2004. Due to Tokyopop dissolving in 2011, Vertical Inc. acquired the publishing rights and republished the entire series in three volumes from September 25, 2012, to March 5, 2013. For the series' 20th anniversary, the publisher also released a complete omnibus volume on December 3, 2019. The manga received a live-action film adaptation produced by Fox International, which was released in Japan on June 4, 2011. A mobile game based on the series was published by Hot Pod on June 6, 2011.

Published

Mar 23, 1999 to Mar 22, 2003

Authors

Yazawa, Ai

External links

MyAnimeList page KodanshaKodansha USA Wikipedia Wikipedia

MAL rank: #349
Members (MAL): 61,088
Favorites (MAL): 3,033

Related titles

Prequel

Gokinjo Monogatari

Adaptation

Paradise Kiss (anime)

Main characters

Miwako Sakurada1326 fan favorites
External profile
A student of Yazagaku who works with George to run their own brand, Paradise Kiss. She is the younger sister of the creator of the Happy Berry brand, Mikako Kouda, who was the protagonist of Gokinjo Monogatari. She is very sweet and cute, and tends to act in a rather childlike manner. (Source: Wikipedia)
George Koizumi898 fan favorites
External profile
George (Real name Johji) is an eccentric, handsome, and extremely charismatic student of Yazagaku who has extraordinary talent with a gift for fashion design, haute couture in particular. Despite his cold demeanor, he has extravagant ideas on everything, most of which are not accepted by the general public. He wants Yukari to become an independent woman, as well as a girl that will take responsibility for her own mistakes. His appearance is loosely based on Brian Slade of Velvet Goldmine, and several references to the film are made by him in the manga. He has distinctive blue hair and eyes, making Yukari humorously question if he is an alien. The lifestyle that he lives is top-notch; he lives in a loft apartment and drives a vintage Jaguar, but because his mother was merely a mistress, he rarely sees his father. Regardless, his mother dryly complains that he looks and acts just like him. At the end of the series, it is shown that he has designed the costumes for a Broadway show. (Source: Wikipedia)
Yukari Hayasaka597 fan favorites
External profile
Yukari is a high school student who is tired of the meaningless and repetitive life that has been forced upon her by her uptight mother. She eventually models for Paradise Kiss after being "kidnapped" by Isabella and whisked away to Paradise Kiss' atelier. She is often referred to, inexplicably, as Caroline by Miwako. Yukari begins the series as a pretty faced, yet rather unattractive in personality, high school senior that studies dutifully for university entrance exams. When she meets the ParaKiss crew, she begins to discover new depth to her personality and life.
Isabella Yamamoto274 fan favorites
External profile
Isabella is the mother figure to the members of ParaKiss. This tall Yazagaku student is the epitome of high class and femininity. Isabella inspired George's very first dress during childhood, and often had the habit of taking every piece of clothing that he finished. Isabella encourages Yukari when she needs it the most, whether it be regarding George or her abandoned studies. Notably, Isabella is a transgender woman, and she is mortified when anyone refers to her as "Daisuke," her birth name. (Source: Wikipedia)
Arashi Nagase154 fan favorites
External profile
Miwako's boyfriend and a student of Yazagaku who also works with George to run Paradise Kiss. He is the son of a musician and a guitarist in a punk band. He tends to act rough, but can be very caring. He also has quite an assortment of facial piercings. Son of Kanzaki Risa, who is a good friend of Mikako Kouda, also from Gokinjo Monogatari. (Source: Wikipedia)