Paradise Kiss – episode 12

January 30, 2006 on 11:48 am | In Paradise Kiss | 16 Comments

“Future”

Thanks to an epilogue, a barely okay series receives a just more than barely okay conclusion.

Spoilers

George considers throwing in all of his design dreams. Problem is, he hasn’t told Yukari about any of this – only Kaori and some other people from the design school know. This shows the lack of communication in the relationship of these characters, particularly as George has been angry at Yukari for not telling him things in the past.
On the Arashi and Miwako front, Arashi gets irrationally jealous again but decides to patch things up with Tokumori. Ultimately George decides to move to Paris, leaving Yukari behind … as well as bequeathing his entire wardrobe to her.
After the credits, one can peer ten years into the future – which provides a far more conclusive ending than one might expect.

George and Yukari were not meant to be, as their only real method of communication was sex. Everything else was, for them, too much of a frustration. Arashi and Miwako, on the other hand, are too far into their own relationship to cut it off without massive pain. At least, from all of this, Arashi has become somewhat nicer.
Isabella is, as always, a background character of worthless proportions.

The end credit sequence, which segued from black and white to colour, was a nice metaphor. The ten years later “epilogue to an epilogue” was also fairly nicely done, as it closes the door on these characters entirely. While it was good to see tears in George’s eyes, these people had been searching for happiness in entirely the wrong places. Now is their chance to shine away.

When you read this site from episode to episode, despite the fact that I’ve mentioned that I’ve enjoyed earlier episodes, an overall feeling for a series emerges at the end. I would not like to think that I’ve been inconsistent in my approach to Paradise Kiss, but rather my expectations changed as the series progressed. Bastardry can be forgiven in early episodes in the hopes that it will be ironed out.
Looking through my archives, I gave generally positive comments about almost all of the episodes; ultimately, my distaste for some of the characters and their decisions overwhelmed anything that I had liked about Paradise Kiss. I read that the manga was supposed to be fairly funny; it’s a shame that it did not end up that way here.

Paradise Kiss, as anime, is a bleak, drab husk of a very important time in any student’s life. The levity was sorely lacking, and the desperate hope for Yukari to keep her relationship together wore on me. There are much better ways of coming of age.

16 Comments

  1. I hated this ending soo much. I went through 12 episodes of yukari’s shit to just see that eventually break up anyway. I mean I guess we all knew they weren’t right for each other, but it’s shoujo anime, at least let me THINK they’ll be together forever. The ending just angered and depressed me. I didn’t actually care for anyone in this series- I only wanted yukari/george’s relationship to last since all the entire series was about its struggle. GAhhh…

    Sorry for ranting I just hate endings like this.

    Comment by liz — February 10, 2006 #

  2. I’m surprised that you thought Yukari was the intolerable one; in my mind it was George who was hard to put up with, and it was impossible to watch everyone let him walk over them.

    Comment by Alex — February 10, 2006 #

  3. Probably a bit late to comment about this anime but I only JUST finished watching it here in Sg. I can’t agree more that the ending was terribly depressing! I was basically ignoring my exam revision just to watch this beautiful anime hoping for George & Yukari to get together in the end! Sure it might be too “unreal” if they DID get together (i.e. abandon modelling career, fly off to Paris with Goerge & live for love) but it always gives a warm feelin of hope inside if it did happen this way! Besides, Paris can be a great place for modelling too! On top of that, Yukari seemed to still hold some love for George believing she would cry (over memories with him, I think) during her honeymoon!! She still wears his clothes etc. ARGH! I’m just really distressed & in bits now after watching this ending! I hope they make a sequel like how she’ll meet George durin her honeymoon & break off her engagement & their love truly blossoms then!!! *LOL*

    Comment by klo — April 21, 2006 #

  4. This ending was needed to “shock” the audience, I definitely cried.

    Comment by Trip — July 28, 2006 #

  5. I seem to remember (vaguely) that at the end of the manga (the epilogue of the epilogue) Yukari is married to Hiro. I can’t remember if this was stated or just hinted at.
    Does this make anyone feel more positively about the ending of the story?

    Comment by Gemma — September 21, 2006 #

  6. i hate this ending!!!!!
    they should be together!!!
    argh!!!

    Comment by tasya — October 10, 2006 #

  7. I kind of knew that she won’t be with George but it still is kind of disappointing that they are not together.
    If it is true that she married Hiro, I will still be pleased.

    Comment by Adeline — October 16, 2006 #

  8. It completely true that the manga is hilarious, endearing and charming, it is one of my favorites. The aniem was Terrible, horrible, ugh… so bad.

    Spoilers??

    In the end of the manga it is completely stated that Yukari marries Hiro, who has become a doctor… It was such a good ending, I don’t know why they changed it!!

    Yeah… so I agree, the anime was SO bland and horrible… Ugh… I am afraid to see the Nana anime now… >_>

    Comment by Hannah — October 18, 2006 #

  9. Omg, thank goodness. I thought I was just a foolish sucker for happy endings, but I’m glad I wasn’t the only one unsatisfied by Parakiss’s ending. True true, it adds a much more
    ‘tragic, realistic, and angsty’ touch if they did not end up together, but omg! Did he HAVE to leave her his clothing line? That was so grossly angsty/romantic. Hai~ The only way I can tolerate the drama and angst of an anime is if it has a happy ending. Boy was I dissapointed. They did each end off well enough though, even though I wasn’t happy not seeing Yukari and George end up together. ANGST!

    Comment by Monet — October 26, 2006 #

  10. I totally cried just watching the episode…especially the part when yukari opened a room full of dresses made by george…it just sucked they didn’t end up together…atleast make the viewers think they could sumday be together…but thinking that hiro could be the guy he was about to get married to…well, not bad!…

    Comment by Ian — November 26, 2006 #

  11. why is everyone so angry about yukari and george breaking up in the end? Their relationship couldn’t work out, didn’t work out, or whatever. At least they didn’t leave each other on harsh terms..(he did leave her his entire parakiss collection, right?) Even if she does think of george (despite that she has a husband in the end, that is probably hiro..i don’t remember, i haven’t watched it in a while), it’s just memories. of course yukari will never forget him! he’s part of the important time of her life: finding herself.

    Comment by Nicole — December 6, 2006 #

  12. I watched the ending for three times and i cried for three times……
    I was so disappointed at first but yukari and george they have different dream and they r different person in some way. in manga yukari married hiro-kun,i m pleased with that.

    Comment by lingzhi — February 18, 2007 #

  13. I hate this ending why they are not togheter i mean i want more episode.I hate this ending!!!whi Yukari don’t married with George??/

    Comment by georgiana — March 25, 2007 #

  14. ahh yes I remember when I first watched it I did enjoy the series probably because I hadn’t read the manga before hand but I cried so much over the ending like LOADS but after reading the manga a few times I got a bit of closure its still very sad though, I believe that if yukari had gone with george they’d probably have grown closer and may have been happy but ah well I still don’t get what isabella was doing on the boat was she in love with george or some thing?

    Comment by Bex — June 13, 2007 #

  15. Haha maybe it’s a little late for me to write about Paradise Kiss as well but…am I the only one pleased that she ended up with Hiro? XD

    Anyways, the ending for the anime was realistic and it was good. Even though George and Yukari couldn’t end up together at least they found themselves in the process.

    Comment by Mintchoco — June 15, 2007 #

  16. I Love Yue George!

    Comment by Kiss Girl — September 18, 2008 #

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