Paradise Kiss

Reviewed by Stephanie Dubuc
March 30, 2006

Author: Ai Yazawa Artist: Ai Yazawa Publisher: TOKYOPOP Website: Click Here Review Rating: 9.5 out of 10

With its bizarre humor and street style, Paradise Kiss takes you down the road of one girl's awakening of her own beauty with the help of characters who are an over-the-top group of “fashionistas.” They quickly show the over stressed teen that there's more to life than worrying about cramming for school. This coming of age story with its many experiences, drama, and relationships will have you wanting to read more.

The world of Paradise Kiss is filled with high-quality creative illustrations that go beyond any traditional mangas out in the market. Ai Yazawa is very creative with her fashion designs that are based off a very popular style in Japan known as Elegant Gothic Lolita.

The story is hilarious with its absurd comedic situations and the illustrations do portray them quite nicely. Tokyopop's prices really aren't that bad either for the well written series. It is an easy to get into manga that will keep you laughing and wanting more. It is definitely a high evo factor rating with this fashion comedy.