Anime Pilgrimage RTT

Paradise Kiss – episode 6

December 5, 2005 on 11:30 am | In Paradise Kiss | Comments Off

“New World”

An auspicious episode to welcome me back to the fold.

Yukari’s narration begins with her relating that she could never please her mother on an academic level: that no matter how hard she tried, she was always below average in her results at prestigious schools. This sort of expectation had been placed upon her since she was five. As Yukari’s younger brother began to shine academically, Yukari became accustomed to seeing her mother’s disappointed face …
… and that is the set up for entering the world of modelling, where everyone is nice to you (at least if you model for Happy Berry).

This is one of the better episodes of Paradise Kiss as Yukari is discovering her place. Far from the pipe dreams of the Atelier, the success of a mission as practical as this one provides greater hopes for the future. The confidence that this provides Yukari makes her radiant, but by the end of the episode she may just have fallen into one of George’s traps. His casual cruelty was almost tame, but he allowed it to shine through very briefly.

The other aspect of this episode is the relationship between Arashi and Miwako. I was hoping that they would have a better relationship than they do, but Arashi seems to be distancing himself from Miwako and expecting only one thing from her. The coldness of their exchanges in this episode worried me, and it was no surprise that they each spoke to Hiro separately.
What a tangled web this Paradise Kiss is beginning to weave …

Also, am I the only one noticing that Isabella has no character? She doesn’t do anything in the scheme of the show other than support Yukari. Still, an almost excellent episode.