Life is a little surreal today. I forfeited the weekly allergy shot to ramp up the laryngitis meds, and sure enough, the doctors delivered after I told them I’d been more or less voiceless for eleven days. People who know me are inevitably amused by my helium-like squeak. Yeah, yeah. Wouldn’t be so funny if you were teaching with it…
Why surreal? Well, I’m not all here. I’m tired and sick, and still doggedly coming to work. My graduating ELA students are having a party, and I need to also get course evaluations and final exams out to them. Boo, hoo, hoo. Smeagol promised on the precious. Smeagol lied…oh, right, work! BTW, enjoyed that reviewing of the Jackson Ring films this week…
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The real reason I’m here today is to talk to you about Ai Yazawa and Paradise Kiss. The indiscriminate SF reader may have, in fact, lumped all anime together, and I have to admit that it gets harder for me not to do that as I get older, and I’ve been around the Japanese pop culture block a few times. But, in every crop of new manga and anime that are floated, you can usually find something that is creatively different and sustainable as strong story telling.
Ai Yazawa is also responsible for Nana, which many think is her masterpiece. It’s longer and more intricate. The characters are deeply flawed, and the drama flows naturally from them. Yet, my favorite Yazawa work will always be the much shorter Paradise Kiss, Yazawa’s romp through the fashion world. Paradise Kiss is not as zany as Gokinjo Monogatari, but has some comedic elements as well. And of course, a costumer like me is gonna love a show about fashion!
There are two things that attract me to this Yazawa story. It’s a complicated story about a girl coming of age. Yukari is struggling between what her parents want her to be, and what she might become. Her world is uncertain. She is recruited by George and his design companions to become their model. Here, she blossoms, perhaps in spite of an affair with George.
George is the character I identify with the most, and the tour de force of the work. Neither nice nor sympathetic, George is an intense artist on a mission from his muse to make fashion a statement and a lifestyle. He controls the story, and the ways in which he influences those around him shape their lives. Yukari is stronger for knowing George and leaving him, which gives her life shape and definition.
Some true romantics find the ending of Paradise Kiss hard to take. I find it to be akin to the ending of The Count of Monte Cristo. The romantic moment for the two main characters has passed, but the characters remain strong in their own way.
The supporting cast of Paradise Kiss is exceptional. The manga deals frankly and realistically with homosexuality. It looks at a leftover love triangle from Gokinjo Monogatari with a flair and feel for story telling. The interface of the fashion world with Yukari’s life is also a dramatic and realistic portrayal.
If you’re looking for a good story and good anime, this is the one. It’s not always enjoyable, but it is always satisfying. Once George appears on the screen, there’s no turning back, so schedule an evening or two free.
Catherine
