| Title | : | Paradise Kiss, Vol. 1 |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1931514607 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781931514606 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 181 |
| Publication | : | First published April 7, 2000 |
Paradise Kiss, Vol. 1 Reviews
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A couple of years back I read a Josei Manga based on the fashion industry and abusive Male/Female relationships, Hot Gimmick, which ended disappointingly for me. It was a very readable, challenging series, but I was troubled by the heroine’s ultimate willingness to allow herself to be dominated by the man who had abused her and her acceptance that society perhaps, in some small sense, ought to be that way.
After a couple of volumes of Paradise Kiss, I was concerned that this would be a repeat performance. There’s certainly a lot that’s similar about the setup, a ayoung girl stumbles into the cutthroat world of fashion and meets a guy whom she loves, despite the fact that he makes her feel small and oppressed. The guy, George, is charming , attractive and brilliant. He’s inspiring but he’s also an emotional bully. The setup to portray a relationship that’s ambiguous and interesting is there, but with this manga being short and not - at least initially - as emotionally challenging as Yazawa’s brilliant “Nana”, to potential to similarly frustrate was also there.
The flaws in this manga are its brevity, which simply doesn’t allow time for relationships to unwind, and the awkwardly cluttered art style - too much lettering undermines Yazawa’s art and makes the flow of reading the text awkward. But this shouldn’t detract from the huge strength of the work, as Yazawa has somehow managed to capture a moment in time that’s beguiling, ambiguous and beautiful. The characters in Paradise Kiss seemingly don’t grow from day to day or from each experience and yet, when they separate at the end of volume 5 there’s a moment of awkward pained beauty where one realises that sometimes the only way to plough onwards is through a moment of separation, and that the real growth for these people is going to happen off the page. One of the finest epilogues I’ve read jumps forward a number of years to pick up on that growth in an affecting and surprising way, and characters I’d grown frustrated with through the course of the manga suddenly felt real and all too human. Ultimately the messages of Paradise Kiss are uplifting and positive in their stark brutal reality. George and Caroline have to separate because they are not right for one another, and yet the moments they share together are rewarding and precious, and come at a point in their lives where they go on to inspire the other despite fundamental differences in personality and attitude. They can’t forge a relationship together because, perhaps, they are too young to understand one another.
Aside from her inherent storytelling skill, the other thing that attracts me to Yazawa’s work is the pleasure she takes in drawing, and humanising characters who are all too often seen as peripherals in society. She’s certainly attracted to “punkishness” and for her quirkiness is beautiful and attractive. Most notably here George is a bisexual and lover of kink. These facets of his personality could have overshadowed and condemned the character, but in Yazawa’s hands they become something else that he’s struggling to accept about himself but ultimately comfortable with. I’m not sure it’s a perfect portrayal, but that Yazawa is prepared to go there and sympathise is a huge positive - and this kind of duality between punk-edgy and classic good-girl is something she’ll go on to explore in Nana. Yazawa is also comfortable portraying sex in both edgy and comedic ways. Sexual encounters are not by numbers romantic situations, and neither are they psychologically damaging when they go wrong. There are problems, characters deal with it and move on.
Ultimately this ain’t Nana, which (though I’ve only read 5 volumes of that series) is a cleaner, sharper and much deeper story, but one can see the growth of Yazawa as a storyteller over the short-ish lifespan of this series and appreciate how Nana came to be. Paradise Kiss is definitely a classic in its own right, though and essential manga reading. -
WAS THE ENDING ALWAYS THIS BITTERSWEET I'M CRYING
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3 gündür deli gibi hasta olduğum için hiçbir şekilde kitap okuyamıyorum, odaklanamıyorum. Bir haftadır da ana sayfama manga düşüp duruyor aklım çeliniyor zaten, hazır kitaba odaklanamıyorken manga okuyayım dedim.
Sınava hazırlanan son sınıf öğrencisi Yukari'nin , bir gün Moda Okulu öğrencilerinden birisi tarafından yolu kesilir. Bu öğrenciler bir yarışmaya katılacaktır ve aradıkları fiziksel özellikler ile güzellik Yukari'de bulunmaktadır. Bu yüzden Yukari'den onlara modellik yapmasını isterler. Ailesini memnun etmek için, iyi bir okula girmeye çalışan Yukari ilk defa kendi istekleri doğrultusunda bir şeyler yapmaya karar verir.
İlk cilt her zaman en az sevdiğim cilt olmuştur bu zamana kadar ama Paradise Kiss okurken çok eğlendim. Her karakterin birbirinden farklı olması çok güzeldi. Özellikle modaya biraz bile ilginiz varsa keyifle okuyacağınız bir manga olduğunu düşünüyorum. -
paradise kiss outdid, outsold, outwrote, outimpacted, outstyled, outvisualed, outate, outdrank, and outshined everything and everyone else
“ֆȶօք ʀʊֆɦɨռɢ ʍɛ. ɨ աǟռȶ ȶօ ȶǟӄɛ ʍʏ ȶɨʍɛ ʄǟʟʟɨռɢ ɨռ ʟօʋɛ աɨȶɦ ʏօʊ.”⁎=͟͟͞͞ ⁎˃◟🧼˓˓⁎=͟͟͞͞ ⁎˃◟🩹 ˓˓⁎=͟͟͞͞ ⁎˃◟⛰ ˓˓⁎=͟͟͞͞ ⁎˃◟🦋˓˓⁎=͟͟͞͞ ⁎˃◟👡 ˓˓⁎=͟͟͞͞ ⁎˃◟it was BRILLIANT. the characters and their different dilemmas, personalities, motivations, and relationships? damn girl ai yazawa was a vessel for god while writing paradise kiss. truly a heavenly story better than this earth☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️
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This is most certainly not a new manga for me, in fact, I read this like 4 or 5 years ago and it inspired me like no other book or manga have done. Since it's compose for five tomes I'm just going to do a review about the hole series in general, but without spoilers,so don't worry.
It all starts with the view of a young lady in the middle of a few persons waiting to cross the street, but somehow she seems really unhappy and well, bother with the whole world. Her name is Yukari (aka Caroline) and she is what we can call a top class student whith great grades and a confident personality.
But it's all a fake. She studies a lot at night to keep her grades good and she lacks of confidence. Her house is a sad place, her dad, tired of the way her mom is, left home using his work as a excuse and her mom only wants Yukari to be the number one in everything she does. On top of that, her little brother is a truly genious and doesn't need to study at all to keep up his grades... and her mom is always comparing her with him...
But that day, when she was annoyed with the whole world something wonderful happened: a guy spot her and went to talk to her because she, among all the people, was the person his group needed. A fashion group... and they wanted her to be their model.
This is the story of how yukari turns into Caroline, a completely new person that seeks, above all, her happiness and destiny.
Ai Yazawa's desing is marvelous, she takes care of every detail not only of the characters but also the clothes of everybody.
Each character has their own personality:
Yukari: scared of the future tries to do what is "right" (acording to her mom and teachers) but deep inside wants something else... she just doesn't know what.
Jouji (aka George): the King of ParaKiss (the name of their fashion group). He is talented, excentric, handsome, charismatic and a marvelous designer; his personality is a little twisted and one moment he can be completely sweet and then turn into a cold manipulating person. But he has his own story and you get to know why is he like that. He also falls in love with Yukari.
Miwako: the most sweet and cute person in this whole world. She is the one that starts calling Yukari Caroline and doesn't hesitates in helping her. Sometimes acts like a child and dress herself in a "lolita" style. During the story you get to know her a little and in the end you just want to hug her and even eat her xD
Arashi: his style is punk and, let me tell you, before I saw him I was always afraid of this kind of people but not anymore, hahaha. Besides being in ParaKiss he also plays in a band. He is Miwako's boyfriend. He seems like a cynical and abrasive person but in fact her cares deeply about those around him.
Isabella: well, she is like the "mother" figure to the member's of ParaKiss but the only thing is... well, she is actually a "he". Nevertheless, is one of the most charismatic characters and I totally support her. In fact, she is the one who inspires George's first dress.
There's more characters who complete the story in a incredible way. Give it a try if you want to feel inspired and believe in dreams that are worthy of fighting. -
PARADISE KISS n. 1
Finalmente ho tra le mani il seguito di "cortili del cuore", che era finito facendoci intravedere un triangolo amoroso tra Miwako, sorella di Mikako, protagonista di "cortili" , Harashi figlio dell'amica di Mikako, e Hiroyuki figlio del barista sempre amico di Mikako e Tsuotmu.
Paradise kiss si colloca 10 anni dopo , ma la protagonista è Yukari, una ragazza di un altro liceo che è stata reclutata da Miwako & co. per la sfilata scolastica dove loro aiutano il loro amico / compagno / stilista Joji.
E seguiamo anche Le vicende di Miwako Harashi e Hiroyuki.
Devo dire bellissimo. Personaggi strampalati e romantici come piacciono a me.
La Yazawa mi mancava. Solo lei riesce a farmi ridere e piangere dopo due secondi.
È solo il primo volume ma la storia è già bella che complicata..e so già che il mio cuore verrà spezzato come al solito in mille pezzi. Spero solo sia a lieto fine. Sennò spacco tutto!!!! XD -
Cute start to a series. I like that character dynamics. Ai Yazawa has that skill down nicely. The story focus on a girl named Yukari who is a hardworking student who tries hard to please her parents. She meets some students of a nearby art school and they ask her to model their clothing the create. She then starts to question her own views of reality as these 4 new friends show her concepts of life she never thought of before.
My only complaint is how the characters keep referencing to themselves as comics. Let the story be a story not one where the characters know its a story. Otherwise well done. Looks like this will be a fun series! -
Amo a Ai Yazawa. No puedo creer que esto salió en el 2020.
Esperando los siguientes volúmenes emocionade! -
Ai Yazawa tiene algo con sus historias, no entiendo qué es, pero cuando las empiezo a leer no puedo parar.
Éste no es un argumento que normalmente me interesaría, pero por alguna razón estoy completamente enganchada y ya me encariñé con todos los personajes (excepto con George, ). Además me encanta el humor y el estilo de dibujo, igual que me pasó con Nana.
Lástima que son pocos tomos, me va a durar poco. -
-its delicious
-tasting fashion
-at its
-absolute best
-with a tangy
-twist of
-bittersweet
-romance -
Yo sabia que este se iba a volver de mis favoritos, simplemente japoneses hablando de ser trans y bisexualidad en el año 2001 🙏
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This is only my second manga, so I don't have much to compare it to; but I liked it. I thought it was funny. Nevertheless, I'm not positive I'll borrow the next one. Still, it was entertaining!
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I read this one for the first time four years ago and fell completely and utterly in love with the series. The characters are fantastic. They are all so colourful and interesting, not to mention talented! George is just AWESOME!! I actually don't know what words to use in order to describe him. He is just so unpredictable, but at the same time you can't help but love that about him. After reading this again, I am totally in love with him all over again! Aside from George and his epicness, I don't think that I have ever come across another artist like Ai Yazawa. Her illustrations are just gorgeous! I can't help but take a minute on each page just to relish her style and the beauty she creates on every page of her manga's. It is incredible! Paradise Kiss is one of my all time favourite manga's and I recommend it to everyone! Can't wait to finish re-reading this series :)
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A lot of people I know like Ai Yazawa's 'Nana' series and it is her most popular series. While I did like the movie I wasn't that big of a fan of the manga. However, her Paradise Kiss manga is fantastic. It doesn't have your typical ending and it involves some really interesting fashion. Not to mention that George is one of the most fantastic characters in manga I've read. You don't know whether you want to kill him or kiss him.
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Ay, sabía que la autora no me iba a decepcionar!! si bien me molesta que algunos personajes en 2do plano se parezcan a Komatsu Nana y le ponen una actitud de típica chica pesada (una disque amiga que sólo hace comentarios tontos y que sólo ha salido una vez como secundario) y aunque el manga va muy muy rápido, o así el romance entre los protagonista... me encantó!!! se me hace tan tan bonito cómo es que se desenvuelve la autora y todas las bromas con sus dibujos que hace jaja me encanta!
Sin embargo no le pongo las 5 estrellas por la parte de Hachi-Nana (⊙x⊙;)( ˘︹˘ ) -
“i'll make you so in love with me, that everytime our lips touch, you'll die a little death.”
4.5 -
I read this manga in a few hours and I regret nothing. I heard about ParaKiss many years ago but even if the plot was kind of appealing to me, I never had the real intention to make some time and read it.
However, this last summer I got interested about "Nana" and that's how I decided to give it to this other Yazawa's work a try again.
Even though is a bit more of the typical "My family force me to be like this but I find an unconventional interest that makes me happy even if they would hate me for that" plotline, Yazawa makes it believable and, at times, very touching.
I give her a lot of credit with that because is difficult in this kind of stories. It was easy to end up with a very one sided vision of each character. Without being enough careful Yukari would have ended just being a cynical brat, George as manipulative idiot, Miwako as emotionally unstable brainless lolita, Isabella as just an eccentric fellow and Arashi as a guy with serious rage and jealousy issues.
Thankfully that wasn't the case and in each chapter we could see a wonderful development of each one of the guys. Personally, was Yukari and her mother's relationship and also Isabella's realization of his transvestism thanks to George's friendship, my favorite side stories.
Honestly, this is not the kind of mangas I like to read and if you ask me to pick between ParaKiss and Nana, I'll go with Nana all the way. However, when I see a well written and drawn story I admit it and this is one of this cases. -
Okay. The part of me that (still) likes to watch America's Next Top Model every season was for obvious reasons drawn to a series about a reluctant model (Yukari) and the crew of fashion-forward design students that help Yukari discover her passion for the industry. And there was a lot I liked about this series, including the artwork by Yazawa. But the romance that develops between Yukari and George, the "leader" of the group of fashion students she starts hanging around with, made me uncomfortable. At times it was passionate, at times, sweet, but also at times disturbingly disfunctional and kind of emotionally abusive. For that reason, I knocked this one down a few stars. The anime of the same name is really cool and done in a very different style than most modern anime series (I watched the full anime in one shot).
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This is an excellent series. Too many shojo manga suggest that you're going to go to high school, find the man you'll be with forever, and that'll be it--it was refreshing to find one that shows a relationship that is finite, but still also lasting.
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I did read the whole series. I thought the main character was pretty much a schmuck but it ended kinda interestingly. Also, the artwork is really neat.
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Había olvidado lo jodidamente bueno que es este manga. No somos dignos de las historias de Ai Yazawa.
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Cuando el paisaje blanco y negro se llena de todos los colores.
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Yukari Hayazaka es una joven estudiante de secundaria cuya vida es aburrida y sin sentido, un verdadero paisaje gris sin apenas color. Un día, para su horror, tiene la mala suerte de toparse con una panda de lunáticos y estrambóticos estudiantes del Yaza -diminutivo de Yazawa-, un prestigioso instituto de diseño de ropa que, asombrados por la altura y la belleza de Yukari, desean que desfile para ellos en el festival anual que celebra su instituto.
A partir de entonces la vida de Yukari cambiará por completo hasta llegar a tocar el paraíso con sus manos en un mundo ya no tan gris, que comienza a llenarse de matices gracias a sus nuevos amigos.
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La edición de Ivréa
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La editorial argentina Ivréa nos trajo en el 2003 Paradise Kiss en una excepcional y bien cuidada edición. Los 5 tomos españoles respetan totalmente la publicación original japonesa, guardando incluso las portadas que Yazawa, la autora, diseñó para cada tomo.
Además es interesante citar las últimas páginas de cada tomo, en el que el traductor, Agustín Gomez Sanz, a través de las "Aclaraciones de la traducción", nos va explicando un poco la sociedad japonesa a través del manga que estamos leyendo y que hace más comprensible y entendible la historia que tenemos entre manos.
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Ai Yazawa y su fascinación por la moda
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Ai Yazawa, autora del archiconocido "Nana", es también la autora de este shôjo maduro centrado en el mundo de la moda que es "Paradise Kiss". Parakiss, como suelen llamar los fans a esta serie, se comenzó a publicar en la revista de modas "Zipper", de la editorial japonesa Shodensha, y según la propia autora, sería la continuación de su obra anterior "Gokinjo Monogatari", aunque las historias son totalmente independientes y separadas.
El estilo inconfundible de la autora, que la han convertido en una de las reinas del shôjo, puede observarse en su plenitud en "Paradise Kiss": entintado limpio y delicado, buen uso de las tramas, que aparecen dispuestas de forma limpia y un tratamiento especial de los fondos, utilizando fotografías previamente retocadas y que enmarcan perfectamente la acción en el actual Tokyo.
La proporción de las viñetas suele ser buena, sin embargo, en algunas ocasiones la autora nos presenta algunas excesivamente pequeñas y el entintado y las tramas acostumbran a oscurecer un estilo que tiende a mostrarse bastante claro a lo largo de todo el manga. La "anarquía" o falta de organización o previsión de espacio de la autora hace que a veces seguir el guión sea un tanto difícil, aunque a medida que evoluciona la historia parece que va solventando ese problema de planificación.
Mención a parte del estilo de Yazawa es su pasión por la moda, mostrándonos la moda del Tokyo en el momento de crearse la obra o incluso algunas creaciones de la autora, diseñando los trajes de los personajes y dotándoles de personalidad a través de como visten, introduciéndonos así a su estudio psicológico a través de sus apariencias.
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Opinión Personal
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Paradise Kiss es quizás la obra que dio a conocer a Ai Yazawa en el mundo. A pesar de que se trate de un shôjo, encontramos aquí ya el estilo de la autora a la hora de realizar historias, enfocando la historia desde un punto de vista más adulto que otros shôjo que encontramos en el mercado.
La autora nos presenta una historia de amor entre ambos protagonistas un tanto inusual, pero que a su vez resulta bastante realista, con sus altibajos habituales en cualquier relación amorosa, sin tener porqué introducir elementos incoherentes y ñoños, en un marco un tanto especial y que la autora se hizo a medida, el mundo del diseño de moda, siendo este uno de los puntales principales y originales de la obra. Paradise Kiss prácticamente parece un desfile de moda, a cada cual modelito más inusual que el anterior.
Como apuntaba ya en el apartado sobre el estilo de Yazawa, se vale de la indumentaria para hacer un análisis psicológico de los personajes: la dulce Miwako suele llevar ropas kawaii; Arashi se nos presenta como un punk que no es tan duro como aparenta; George como el típico diseñador loco ó Yukari como la estudiante apocada y amargada. Lo que nos transmite la ropa en cada momento nos lleva también a conocer mejor a los personajes, y es un buen acierto que facilita la relación de idea-personaje y nos ayuda a identificarlos bien a lo largo de la historia. Los protagonistas de "Paradise Kiss" tienen personalidades definidas y bien construidas, un buen logro de este manga.
Es interesante destacar el "humor" especial del que hace gala la autora. Estas escenas suelen romper la trama con gran acierto en su mayoría o nos hace guiños al lector, el cual no los espera, y sorprende y divierte. Además, tiene la virtud de que, incluso en los momentos más serios de la trama, introduce un gag, que rompe la tensión del momento, pero que irremediablemente te remite a la vida misma y que a su vez da más detalles sobre la personalidad de los personajes principales.
Sin embargo, lo peor de la trama es el final. Es abrupto y no acaba de cerrarse del todo, a pesar de que es el final que el lector va intuyendo a lo largo de los 5 tomos. Es un final lógico y previsible si se lee con atención el manga y se comprenden las intenciones y las necesidades de los personajes. De todos modos, el final, como la historia en general, entra tanto en la vida cotidiana que se nos hace fácil imaginarnos a personas tan especiales como los que nos presenta Yazawa, en nuestra propia vida, como soñadores y buscadores del paraíso que todos anhelamos en cierta manera.
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Conclusión
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"Paradise Kiss" es un shôjo adulto que puede gustar a un margen amplio de público, ya que no cae en la cursilería y aporta mucha cotidianeidad a la trama de la historia.
Lo mejor: El tratamiento adulto a la relación de los protagonistas. Los modelitos de los personajes.
Lo peor: Lo abrupto del final. -
2.5!
i accidentally saw a spoiler for this so im just,,,gonna ignore it (or try to askbjbb)😵💫
love the clothes and fashion aspect :D the art is nice ^^. regarding the story and characters, things are pretty..ok where it stands now. there’s more romance drama than i was anticipating but we’ll see how things turn out 🤧 -
Es interesante lo que plantea la autora en el primer tomo pero no lo suficiente para seguirla.
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dios George dame un beso!!!!!!!! por favor !!!!!!!!!!!!
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tkm miwako nwn
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La dinámica entre los personajes es muy rápida y agradable, a pesar de que todo avanza muy rápido se ha establecido todo muy bien, me gusta mucho igual que rompa la cuarta pared para dar datos de los tomos
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Overall Rating: A+
Summary: A fashion/drama/romance Josei series created by Ai Yazawa (who is also the creator of
Nana), which follows Yukari "Caroline" Hayasaka. Yukari is an attractive high schooler, but her life consists of traveling from high school to cram school to home, and back again. The manga opens with Yukari running into Arashi (a punk) and Isabella (a transvestite), who are part of a group of fashion students that call their label "Paradise Kiss". Yukari thinks they are perverts (did I mention she's a bit naïve?), and faints.
When she wakes up, she's staring at a pink-haired woman named Miwako (the cute woman in lolita clothing on the cover), who explains the situation, and that they want her to be their model. She refuses, explaining that she's much too busy with school and doing important things, and that fashion students have it easy. This understandably pisses off Arashi (our spiky haired punk boy on the cover), who yells at her, and Yukari quickly leaves. Miwako runs after her and calls her "Caroline", because she doesn't know Yukari's name yet. As a result, Yukari is referred to as "Caroline" by the Paradise Kiss crew. Regardless, Caroline leaves, but drops her student id.
The next day a ridiculously attractive guy named George shows up, and tells Yukari Miwako has her id (he has it). George gets her to go with him, in theory to pick up her id, to the art school Yazagaku. He then takes her to a hair and makeup artist for a makeover (this mostly consists of giving her bangs). After this stop off, they go meet up with the Paradise Kiss crew, and they put Yukari in a dress they designed, give her back her id, and convince her to be their model.
I love Ai Yazawa. Nana is one of my favorite series, and I am now thoroughly addicted to "Paradise Kiss" after only one volume. I had already
watched the anime, and finally got around to checking out the manga. Now I wish I had grabbed the first volume as soon as I finished the anime (or even while I was watching the anime). As with "Nana", "Paradise Kiss" has an excellent plot that really draws you in, interesting characters that develop in interesting ways (even in just the first volume), and is a lot of fun. The series is clearly intended for a slightly more mature audience (there are sex scenes, but they aren't explicit), but if you like Josei/Shōjo manga check this one out.
Check out more manga and anime reviews at Hobotaku! -
Manga recomendado: ‘’Paradise Kiss’’, de Ai Yazawa. Editorial Ivrea, 5 tomos. LGBT, moda, relaciones varias, juvenil…
Este manga me lo hizo descubrir mi hermano: una deuda pagada, porque yo le hice descubrir la saga de películas de Bourne…
Al principio no creí que me gustara, y todavía no entiendo el porqué… Su dibujo es precioso, adulto y estilizado. También es monísimo… Detallado y emocionante…
Y su historia, adornada entre telas de fantasía, brillante maquillaje, plumas y pasarelas, va de las presiones que tienen los estudiantes; las ilusiones varias como el amor, que puede presionar también, así como la presión que te puede provocar un vestido increíble, pero apretado ;) Va sobre crecer en muchos aspectos, darse cuenta de que tenemos derecho a equivocarnos y a aprender y corregir: como coser y poner botones… Va sobre oportunidades y sentimientos en verdad multicolor, como sus personajes.
Un taller de aprendizaje precioso ^^
