"Paradise Kiss"- Preview

Anime and manga in the US all too often gets grouped into at best a handful of categories, and at worst, two: shonen and shojo. As such, a lot of folks would say Paradise Kiss is a great shojo title. However, it's a bit misleading to say that. Not the great part, as Paradise Kiss is one of the best anime released this year in the US, but the shojo part. Those expecting Cardcaptor Sakura or Full Moon Wo Sagashite, or even something a little more subtle like Aishiteruze Baby or Kodocha are going to be disappointed. Paradise Kiss is a great josei title - a contemporary, witty drama about a high school romance set against a high-fashion backdrop, so little kids aren't at all going to be enamored of it, but that's fine as josei titles are aimed at teenage girls and young women, and for that audience it works wonderfully. In fact, if you're a teenager or a twenty-something who has ever experienced a crush - male or female - I'd be surprised if this anime title didn't resonate with you at least little.