Paradise Kiss by Ai Yazawa Review

 23/01/26

Around Christmas, I came across a book at my local QBD. At that time, I was watching Nana and accidentally came across another story by the same mangaka, Ai Yazawa, Paradise Kiss. It was the 20th-century edition, and it caught my eye. Having a bit of knowledge due to Nana's collaboration with Vivienne Westwood, I knew Ai Yazawa loved fashion. Paradise Kiss may have been an expression of that. It follows teen Yukari getting thrown into the world of fashion by a passionate young group, who are determined to spread their label, making Yukari a muse. Yukari, being a teen, is conflicted by this choice due to balancing out school and performing as a muse. This is also an extremely difficult decision as Yukari's mum is very strict on Yukari getting a good job, such as white collar workers, and having good grades. In this manga, she faces hardships, romance, growing up, and many more themes that individuals like ourselves could face. Facing these, she learns how to overcome them and eventually find individualism, which is a core theme throughout the manga.

Paradise Kiss is a fashion-focused manga, having many outfits to entice the viewer's eyes. I myself love the look of every outfit that was displayed and wish I could own a closet full of them. Each chapter showed different characters in outfits, some of my favourites being chapters 15 and 24. Throughout the manga, Yukari also performs with several outfits, which contrasts with before she met the group. Fashion also expresses Yukari's character and her future dreams, showing how it may have given her a sense of individualism. 

Apart from the fashion, the manga feels quite raw and relatable to growing up now. First of all, growing up, she was told to have a good job and make money. Which some children grow up hearing. It's always have a white-collar job and marry a wealthy man. Yet some do not end up happy with what their future career might be, and it may be too late to stop. Which is shown between Yukari and her mother, wanting to do fashion, she is kicked out of her home and is made to live with a few of the group's members, one being George. George is an interesting person and is shown to be quite manipulative. He is also Yukari's boyfriend, who appreciates women with independence. The reason that could be formed is how his upbringing as his mother's child turned out to be. George, growing up, was told that "You shouldn't have been born" by his mother, who was a former model. She would also complain about her dependence and other stuff, which impacted George's point of view. He was a man who favoured fashion over love, putting Yukari aside for his own aspirations. Which I believe created a learning curve for her to find out her identity. Growing up was never meant to be easy for some, and it just shows in this manga, from being kicked out to living with friends, to a toxic relationship, to understanding what you may truly want in life. 

This manga demonstrates just how vital your environment may be and how it could impact your choices, and that is why I love it so much. Seeing Yukari grow into independence and finding her footing as a model really made me warm inside after all the stuff she was put through. I believe this manga really shows you how you should appreciate your interests and the tough times of growing up. That you're not the only one who may experience such hardships, and that we can change to love what we can achieve and eventually be happy. Life is not easy, but that's just the beauty of it. 

So if anyone is reading, please go read Paradise Kiss. It is an amazing manga that expresses the themes of growing up. It also has amazing fashion within the story!

8/10

Bye!!