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charisaloser · 2 years

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Paradise Kiss: Self expression and Self actualization

While they are many types of self expression, having a personal style unique to you is possibly one of the easiest and creative ways to do so.

When I first came across Ai Yazawa's work, it wasn't the art style or the praise from fans that initially drew me in. It was the fashion. Yazawa's work stands out to me from other manga and anime in the slice of life genre.(especially those released in the 2000s). Each character has a distinct style and silhouette. They wear different outfits and hairstyles, and sometimes even have changing body features. This helps create a more engaging narrative. Not only that, it can give us insight into the characters.

While often overlooked, character design is an imperative device to establish your unique and distinct style as an artist.

Today, we will be at looking what I believe to be Yazawa's best work when it comes to fashion and character design: Paradise Kiss.

I think one of the main themes in Paradise Kiss is self expression, and it's many forms.

For most of the main cast{Arashi, Miwako, Mikako, George, & Isabella} this comes in the form of their fashion.

Arashi Nagase

Arashi dresses in a style reminiscent of british punk and visual kei. He has prominent spiked hair, countless piercings, a tattoo on one arm, and is often seen wearing punk-style jewelry and darker colours, with the occasional pinch of yellow in many of his outfits. He sports ripped tees, combat booths and leather jackets. He practically embodies the british punk style that Ai Yazawa is so very fond of. True to his punk style, Arashi also plays guitar in a punk band.

Miwako Sakurada

Arashi's style is in stark contrast to his girlfriend Miwako's, who almost exclusively wears soft, light colours. Especially pink and white. While her clothes aren't always loyal to one particular style, it is evident that many of her outfits are inspired by popular Japanese street fashion, for example; Lolita & Harajuku. She is partial to frilly, ruffled pieces of clothing that often feature lace. Miwako's cutesy style is fitting for her often childlike personality.

Isabella Yamamoto

Isabella is almost like the mother figure to the main cast. Her style is mature, structured, and consistent. Out of the entire ParaKiss crew, her style is the one that remains the most consistent throughout the series. She grows through the smallest amount of growth. And believe me, that is NOT a bad thing. It's as if she's the rock of the group, reinforcing her role as the mother figure. A glamourous, feminine, and victorian esque style. She almost always wears the colour purple, or some kind of floral pattern. She sports long skirts, frilly blouses, and extravagant hats. Expensive, and Victorian aristocrat inspired, Isabella's style is one befitting of somebody of her personality and status.

George Koizumi

Last, but not least, we have George, our deuteragonist and a lover of artifice and fashion. If Isabella is the mother figure of the group, George is undoubtedly the father, or the cool big brother. Ai Yazawa has confirmed that George's style was inspired by the character Brian Slade, from Velvelt Goldmine. George almost exclusively wears polished, often patterned, expensive looking suits. He sports hats, and often many accessories. George's style is sexy, professional, and polished, befitting of somebody of his status and background. He is partial to, and often represented by the colour blue.

Yukari Hayasaka

All four of the aforementioned characters express themselves through their fashion and their designs. They have unique, and distinct styles, which reveal details about that character to us. And despite their differing styles, all four of them find comfort in eachother, and form 'Paradise Kiss'.

This brings us to our main character, Yukari. When we first meet her, Yukari is a typical highschool girl. She knows next to nothing about fashion. And to be completely honest, her character design and fashion sense are pretty uninteresting. She really doesn't appear that different from any protagonist in any shoujo or josei manga.

In short, in comparison to the rest of the Paradise kiss crew, Yukari initially doesn't seem all that special. Unlike them, she doesn't dress in a way that really shows who she is. She has no form of self expression.

That said, let's get into how and why Yukari changes over the course of the series.

When we meet her, Yukari is nothing more than a typical highschool student, albeit a highly intelligent one. But despite her straight A's and constant studying, she has almost no idea what she wants to do with her life. Under constant pressure from her mother, Yukari studies hard day after day, almost never asking herself what SHE wants to do. That is, until she meets George, our second protagonist, and Yukari's main love interest.

Initially, George is one of the main reasons Yukari begins to fall behind in school, and yet he is what is pushing her to be BETTER. Until she meets George, Yukari almost never steps out of her comfort zone. Even worse than that, she has no real form of self expression. That later comes in the form of modelling.

Even after spending such a short time with the Paradise Kiss crew, Yukari finds herself torn between two paths: the career oriented life her mother and everybody else expect of her, and the purpose and happiness she feels as a high fashion model. She's torn between what her mother wants, and what she herself wants.

Yukari soon realizes that she has spent her whole life until now studying for no reason other than to please her mother. She realizes that she has no desire to pursue her schooling further, and so she begins to pursue modelling. But it's hard, since she's only ever given in to the will of others. To put it simply, she doesn't know how to be her own person. And when she begins her relationship with George, she pretty much tries to just give in to his will, just as she's done for her mother all these years. But George doesn't allow this.

In simple terms, he pretty much tells her that they shouldn't rely on eachother so much. They both need space to form their own identities and choose who exactly they want to be. For George, he expresses himself through his designs and his fashion. But for Yukari, she doesn't really have an outlet. He tells her that if she just tries to become what others want her to, she won't be her own person, bug merely a reflection of somebody else's desires. She needed to find meaning, something to push her, something to help her become who she needed to be. A form of self expression.

{I don't think George was actually as clear about all of this as I'm making him out to be. To be frank, he was kind of an ass about it. That said, this is my understanding of what he tried to tell her, just simplfied.}

Until she meets George, Yukari lives the life her mother wants her to. Perhaps the life her mother wishes she herself had, but couldn't achieve for one reason or another. This idea of expectations from one's parents is also reflected in George's mother, who has an idea of what she wants George to become, and an idea of what she wished she could ve become, had George never been born.

'So you had a child, and quit modelling. Are you seriously going to place all the blame for that on a man? Where does your own will fit into all of that?'

While I love Yukari, and George's mother certainly deserved to be called out for the way she spoke about her own son, this was hypocritical of her. Despite being the same age as most of the Paradise kiss crew, unlike them, she has no form of self expression. Not only that, her entire life up until now has been dictated by other people. And then when she meets George, the first person who tries to push her into independence, she pretty much tries to rely on him. Where did HER will fall into all of that?

I think Yukari realized just how hypocritical she sounded here as she was saying it. It's here where she realizes just what George was trying to tell her this whole time:

If you derive your own value from other people's views of you, you are nothing more than an image from somebody else's head. You are not your own person.

To be completely honest, I relate to Yukari here. It's hard to try to and find yourself when there are so many expectations from family and society on you. Being forced into a role you don't want is something that's hard to shake, and I wouldn't wish that feeling on anybody. And it can have large effects on one's mental health, and their quality of life.

I think that the lesson Yukari learns in this series is one that most, if not all teenagers must learn at some point if they want to be truly happy. It doesn't matter if you don't fit the expectations of the people around you, as long as you are who you want to be.

It's your life, and nobody else's. And if your life isn't yours and only yours, it isn't a life.

As she grows and spends more time with the Paradise Kiss crew, Yukari's modelling career begins to take off, and she begins to develop a sense of style that is truly her. She's cemented herself as a member of the Paradise kiss crew. The style she develops is one befitting of a high fashion model. Sophisticated, sleek, and trendy. She sports dainty jewelry, tall high heels with details often associated with menswear often incorporated into her outfits. A stark difference from her teenage self, who was pretty unfashionable.

By the end of the manga, Yukari has found success and acceptance as a high fashion model. Her chic, confident, sleek new style embodies this, showing just how mature she's become over the years. Even when she and George have long seperated, Yukari flourishes, finally becoming what he always wanted her to be; her own person. Independent and thriving.

Even though their paths will likely never cross again, the advice George gives Yukari was essential to her becoming who she wanted to be. The two move on with their lives, flourishing in their respective careers, all while keeping the other in their heart.

Apart, but content.

#anime #nana #nana anime #paradise kiss #yukari hayasaka #george koizumi #miwako sakurada #arashi nagase #isabella yamamoto #nana komatsu #nana osaki #manga #fashion #self expression #self actualization #Paradise kiss #parakiss #neighbourhood story #ai yazawa

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mc511 · 2 years

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Friendship goals in anime

Kuwabara x Yusuke - Yu-Yu Hakusho

They built a friendship based in trust and respect, even if they don't always agree, both respect each other life perspectives.

Isabella Yamamoto x Ueda - Paradise Kiss

It can be saw as a father daughter relationship but I like to think Isabella saws Ueda as a friend and confidante too. Ueda is proud of the woman Isabella has become and Isabella has gratitude and love for the person who raised in love and understanding.

Sawako x Chizuru x Yano - Kimi ni Todoke

Those can't be more different from another which makes her friendship fascinating, they often have to put on each other shoes in order to understand their problems and difficulties in life, and all of this without judging or complaining.

The Moron trio - Shiroyan x Ikkun x Kurotatsu - Kaichou wa maid sama

Well... They have each other backs...

Haruka x Seiko - Lovely Complex

Again, these two can't be more different from another but for some reason they often hang out and have activities together which is amazing because they're from different courses, have different values and different ways to face life which makes me believe they have a high level of respect for another.

Gojo X Marin - My dress up darling

What can I say, respect.

These two respect each other, care for each other, are happy for each other success, are supportive... 🤷🏽‍♀️ So annoying

George x Isabella x Yukari x Miwako x Arashi - Paradise Kiss

Life is complicated and also their friendship. With Yukari joining the gang, they faced little difficulties which were capable of overcome together. From Yukari help them with their project even when her life was a mess to Isabella being the voice of the reason and a mother figure, or Miwako helping Yukari finding a Job to Arashi standing for Yukari even when he wasn't agree with her life decisions, or George choosing being loyal to his friends over taking the opportunity of his life, to Isabella quitting a job opportunity in order to help his childhood friend...

Bonus: Ueda giving a fuck about being scolded for the way he raised Isabella.

Amidamaru x Mosuke - Shaman King

They faced so many struggles since their childhood and their friendship trespassed death.... 😓 Watch the anime

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