Paradise Kiss, Band 2

Paradise Kiss [パラダイス・キス] #2

by Ai Yazawa

Joji küsst Yukari! Und das ist Yukaris erster Kuss! Dies könnte der Anfang einer wunderbaren Lovestory zwischen den beiden sein. Aber Joji, der sich von seinen Freunden gerne "George" nennen lässt, ist ein ziemlich merkwürdiger Typ, dessen Gefühle und Gedanken oft schwer zu verstehen sind. Während die Leute von Paradise Kiss ein Kleid entwerfen, muss Yukari einige Probleme mit ihren Eltern und mit Tokumori, ihrem besten Freund, bewältigen.

Genres: Manga, Romance, Comics, Graphic Novels, Josei, Fashion, Fiction

190 pages, Paperback

First published January 30, 2001

About the author

Ai Yazawa (Japanese: 矢沢あい, Yazawa Ai) is a Japanese manga author and illustrator. Her pen name comes from singer Eikichi Yazawa, of whom she is a fan.
Yazawa started her comics career in 1985. She specialises in shojo manga (girls' comics). Most of her works have been serialised in the magazines 'Ribon', 'Cookie' and 'Zipper'.
Yazawa's stories focus on young, often rebellious women and their relationships. The characters are always very stylish, and Yazawa herself is known for her sense of fashion. (She even attended a fashion school for some time after high school.)
Among her most famous manga are Tenshi Nanka Ja Nai (I'm No Angel, 1992–1995), Neighborhood Story (1995-1998), Paradise Kiss (1999-2004), and Nana (2000-2009), the latter awarded a Shogakukan Manga Award in 2003. Some of these works have been adapted into anime and live action movies.

Reviews

[Nadja · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ah, I hate George.

[Akemi Iwasa · Rating 3 out of 5]

hmm getting a bit tired of george… or just tired of men in general? 🫠

[edel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yazawa's art is just too amazing to look at. I'm mostly pulled in by all of the character's beauty. The fashion is just simply beautiful. But the characters... Each one of them is so attractive. I never get tired of looking at Isabella's beautiful and elaborate outfits. While not as dramatic as Nana so far, the second volume I feel is better than the first. Things seem to be developing more and I'm getting excited. It's a shame there's only three volumes left!

[cherie ^_-★ · Rating 5 out of 5]

george kinda pisses me off

[Canette Arille · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this book! If You want to read it, just go back to Vol. 1 , and then You can read Vol. 2

[☾❀Mirelle✩ · Rating 4 out of 5]

girl bye 💀

[✮Octjillery✮ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm so torn with this series.
I enjoy a lot of the characters, especially Isabella and Miwako. Miwako just makes me so happy.
I actually really like Yukari, even if her way of becoming more independent has led her from an overbearing mother to a shitty "boyfriend."

George is an asshole. He's an ass to Yukari and he doesn't actually seem interested her at all. His personality is terrible and he just seems like an overall awful person, and, ignoring the insta-love aspect of this series, I don't understand the appeal at all. I don't understand why she likes him in the first place, or why she's trying so hard to change herself to be his ideal.

I'm not rooting for their romance at all, so the blurb on the back of the third book is promising. I want as little George as possible.

Hiro is the better choice. T__T

[gabi · Rating 5 out of 5]

<3 kocham twórczość Pani Ai Yazawy

[kat ☆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

the most realistic representation of a bisexual guy ive ever read

[Natalia Bas · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 ^^

[Nikoletta (nikisjournal) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kolejna manga Ai Yazawy w rodzaju "coming of age". Bardzo podoba mi się tutaj przedstawienie relacji i postaci między sobą - nic nie jest proste, a wszystko zarazem jest bardzo prawdziwe. Mocno utożsamiam się z Yukari w tym okresie. Uważam, że autorka świetnie przedstawia zagubienie i niepewność ról, jakie chcemy podejmować, wchodząc w dorosłość. Szczególnie, gdy całe życie spełnialiśmy marzenia rodziców, a nie swoje (osobiście nigdy tak nie miałam, ale wiem, jak częste to jest). Chciałam też dodać, że Miwako to aniołek, I love her.

[Anna Quilter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seemingly Yukari is on the verge of exploding...
She's moved away from home....her strict Mother not contacting her..
Her "relationship" (for want of a better word) with George can be probably be defined by one word...
SEX.
And her modeling career may be about to be launching...BUT she needs parental consent.
Plus there's that guy from school Tokumori..how does he fit in?
Way too complicated to briefly explain here...
If you can get past the style and embrace that..you're probably going to enjoy this 5 volume series.

[Yasmin Halliwell Fraser Bower · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this manga! I'm kind of having an issue with George, like dude please can you care a little bit? Maybe it will progress in the right way.
I love Miwako, she is everything. Best Friend ever.
Such a lovely and intriguing read.

[alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

yukari i see you

[Flavia · Rating 3 out of 5]

it's giving filleeeer

Mam po niej mieszane odczucia, pewnie przez absolutny mętlik i degrengoladę, jakie mają miejsce w tej części, jak i z powodu paru miesięcy przerwy od 1 tomu [momentami trochę trudno było się połapać]. Działa jako część w serii, ale sama raczej kuśtyka.
++ Caroline... Girl, whatchu doin??

5.5/10

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

This manga is bordering on the progressive vs falling into the abyss. I'm not quite sure where this is going. We'll see. I'm thinking that George has some growing up to do.

This was awkward, though.

[Dana · Rating 3 out of 5]

my mistake, Yukari and George being the drama queens

[Ona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Muy bueno. Me esta gustando mucho que el libro gire entorno a la moda pero que también la protagonista sea una estudiante de padres exigentes que se está cansado de esforzarse tanto en algo q no le llena.

[nana ᯓ★ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovlovlovlov!!!!!!!

[persi · Rating 3 out of 5]

george te voy a pegar un tiro caroline vos no seas tarada

el primero se me hizo mucho más entretenido pero igual lo te disfrute estoy AMANDO este manga

[annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

i hope george crashes his car

[Iza Bela · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[acorn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m loving the character and plot development. I just don’t like George 😣

[Lucía · Rating 5 out of 5]

Como me gusta lo que me encanta 🙂‍↔️

[Luke Reynolds · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite some problems with the inconsistent slang between chapters (whether it's Arashi's British accent or something like "can't even" or "bon-bon"), the insensitive treatment of George's bisexuality (is it just me, or does calling it "gender-blindness" seem off? Also, Arashi saying it was nothing to be proud of made me shake my head; oh, homophobic mainstream culture of the aughts), and George and Yukari's toxic relationship with a lot of push and pull, I find myself really liking this series. This volume was even better than the first in my eyes.

I feel like Yazawa is writing this in an incredibly smart and self-aware way. Her sense of humor is great, and she likes to poke fun at the tropes she's utilizing to tell this story. I can also relate to Yukari's frustrations with wanting greater independence and just thinking for herself since her life has been dictated for her.

Complete with beautiful and graceful art, this sophisticated and a little racy manga definitely keeps me intrigued. Now that Yukari's gotten more serious about modeling, and our main players in her story have been established, I'm really curious to see how Paradise Kiss will unfold from here. George and Yukari's relationship will still be very complicated, though.

[bow down to our ace king victor vale · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.85!

never lose sight of ur academic intentions/goals over some guy ❌

i find george’s charac to be interesting,,,many of what he says makes sense and seems logical but the manner in which he says it is….too technical and “unfeeling” (/apathetic) ?? like it’s rationalized to the point where he comes off as a dick yknow ,,also he’s mega flighty

“…this man who holds a whip in one hand and candy cane in the other…” describes him perfectly lol

“If I had something special that I could do better than others, maybe my life would be different.”

felt

something tells me she’ll end up w/ tokumori at the end (i was rooting for arashi but that doesn’t seem probable + im liking tokumori :,,D)

oh and the charac design is simply stunning, esp for arashi omg

[Yuri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, as coming of age story, Parakiss brings interesting aspects to the table. Like following Caroline trying to figure out who she is and what she wants along with how to navigate through the real world.

When it comes to her relationship with George, I found it to be very uncomfortable. Because I’m supposed(?)to root for them but they suck as a couple. The codependency and rudeness of it all bothers me. I know she’s young so it is believable how she acts but I don’t like it. Also, I wish the support cast was more relevant to the narrative due to how charismatic they are.

[Conejo Literario · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una estrella menos porque Caroline no tiene que andar de metiche donde no le llaman.

[Anouk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Je préviens: cette review ne sera que de la pure rage sur Georges
Je me suis pas encore intéressée au fandom de Paradise Kiss, mais je vous jure, Ô nom du Ciel Eternel, s'il y a des bandeuses de ce mec je vais casser une table.
Au début − JE DIS BIEN AU DÉBUT − j'avoue, j'avais un crush sur lui... because you know... evil bisexual core comme on les aime ;) Mais + on avance dans le manga, + il devient détestable; chaque nouvelle apparition de lui le rend encore + imbuvable que la dernière, c'est une dinguerie.

Déjà, son couple avec Yukari je trouve sort un peu de nul part, ils ont pas vraiment communiqué sur le fait qu'ils étaient officiellement en couple. Et alors que Yukari est très investie dans la relation et accorde de l'importance − trop d'importance − au regard que lui porte Georges et essaie de répondre à ses attentes, Georges lui approche son couple (mais est-ce qu'il perçoit même Yukari comme sa copine ? Cela reste à voir) de manière passive. Et ça m'énerve. Yukari est dans une situation vulnérable; elle a 18 ans et elle a arrêté ses études, a coupé les ponts avec sa mère, et se retrouve un peu Sans Domicile Fixe... bref, elle a besoin qu'on la soutienne !! Georges ne la soutient pas du tout à mes yeux, au contraire. Il l'a stress avec encore plus de reproches, de choses qu'il attend d'elle, d'une manière qu'il aimerait la voir se comporter... alors que les changements dans son attitude, son comportement, cela devraient venir d'elle-même. Elle a pas à ajuster sa personne juste pour rentrer dans les standards de Georges !! Il souhaite qu'elle soit autonome, indépendante, qu'elle ne se plaigne pas, et, en règle général, qu'elle ait un caractère qu'on se forge lorsqu'on a la capacité à le forger. Yukari n'est pas encore en mesure d'être ce que Georges attend d'elle − et elle a pas à l'être !! − elle apprend encore. Elle doit tombée, faire des erreurs, se relever, faire les bons choix, mais aussi les mauvais s'il faut... bref, Georges bouge de là, ton seul rôle serait de la soutenir.

En fait le mec est tellement imbu de sa personne qu'il est incapable d'avoir la moindre compassion pour les autres, encore moins sympathiser avec leur situation et leur apporter un tant soit peu de soutient émotionnel. Il est là, il juge, il méprise, alors que lui est privilégié. Il a un (gros) soutien financier venant de son père − et oui, je m'en contrecarre de ses daddy issues, qui lui enlèvent pas sa voiture de luxe et son appart personnel, on précise − et c'est un des meilleurs élève de son école. Donc ma plus grande peur c'est que Georges prenne totalement l'ascendant sur Yukari et qu'elle étouffe...
Conclusion : Yukari devrait faire une coloc avec Miwako − la baby de mon coeur − et elles devraient rester habiter ensemble et se marier, Isabella peut être la marraine de tous leurs enfants