This past July marked the fortieth anniversary of the moon landing. My Great-uncle Auggie didn’t lived to watch Armstrong and Aldrin make their famous moonwalk, but had he been with us, he would have been slow to comment. Auggie was a “wait and see” man. He was the sort who said, “Let’s wait and see if the horseless carriage amounts to anything.” When it did, Auggie bought his first automobile. More cars and trucks, too, followed with the decades, but my great-uncle never trusted his vehicles to run properly during Wisconsin winters. He kept the old sleigh ready and waiting in the stable. How magical was that sleigh in my childhood!

Every so often, I regret not having been able to tell Auggie about my first adventures in Japan, five years after the lunar landing. We never had a chance to speak about my homestay family. I never got to tell him about Megumi, my o-imoto-san (little sister), or about the cartoons that she and I watched before dinner on week nights.

Actually, Megumi and I didn’t watch cartoons as much as interact in response to them. We giggled nervously until Majingā Zetto finally triumphed over the forces of evil (for that episode). We cheered when Luna (no relation to Sailor Moon’s cat) helped Tetsuya repel the latest invading space monster. The marvels of Japanese animation became a vehicle for integrating into my host family, and into a strange society.

With her vast five-year old vocabulary, Megumi taught me many words and more than a bit about her culture. As it has been for subsequent generations of young Americans with a passion for Japan, the magic of anime was accessible to me when other avenues were closed. Great-uncle Auggie would have approved. A native speaker of German who taught school in English, he would have relished my learning a second language from mechas like Mazinger Z and cyborgs such as Casshan.

When I was struggling to memorize those barbarous katakana, I had no idea that anime were as new to my homestay sister as to me. Japanese popular culture of the 1970s was a wave that engulfed me. Struggling to swim rather than sink, I had neither the opportunity nor inclination to explore its history. Although I adored anime, I didn’t stop to ponder whether J-Pop would someday swell into a tsunami and inundate the US marketplace.

Like Auggie buying motor cars but keeping the trustworthy sleigh, I’ve adopted a pragmatic approach to the japanization of America. In the 1980s, I reluctantly abandoned the notion of conducting doctoral research on the social-psychological significance of Hello Kitty. In the 1990’s, I avoided saccharine Sailor Moon, despite the path-breaking yuri between Haruka and Michiru. In those years I preferred working out to videos of Zenki, possibly, the most undervalued anime of all time. Since the millennium, I’ve been loyally reading Nana, the best-selling shojo manga by Yazawa Ai. I’ve also been observing the attraction of J-Pop for the teen clients who come to Becker Academic for assistance with college selection.

CON AND CORP

On the Saturday in July before the 4-H fair, I took my interest in anime and manga to the next level. I convinced my husband, Kit, to accompany me downtown to the Convention Center for the fifteenth annual Otakon. The word Otakon is a clever contraction of the Japanese slang, otaku, an avid fan, and convention. Why Baltimore is home to America’s second largest gathering of East Asian pop culture fanatics is more a matter of happenstance than design.

However, the conference has become big business for the city. Last year, for example, 26,262 Otaku booked over 4,500 hotel rooms and contributed more than $27 million to the local economy. Attendance this summer exceeded last by 88 dues-paying members, so it’s safe to assume a continuing if flattening impact.

Otakon isn’t only an entertaining enterprise; it is also the annual meeting of Otakorp, Inc., a Pennsylvania-based non-profit organization. Unlike professional groups such as the Association of Asian Studies, which have non-member rates for annual meetings, it is necessary to join Otakorp in order to attend the conference. Kit and I joined at the door for an eye-popping $65.00 apiece, but better planners can save ten dollars by signing up early online.

The stated aim of Otakorp, Inc. is to use “Asian popular culture to increase understanding of Asian culture.” The synecdoche was probably lost on the average Otaku–the official member as distinct from the lower-case “otaku,” the fan who may or may not join up. From what I could glean, most youthful Otaku just wanted to attend a few workshops, watch anime, listen to the live music, take in the fan art and enjoy their cosplay (costumed role play).

Because we didn’t have three days to devote to Otakon and, frankly, because we are decades older than the target demographic, Kit and I only sampled the activities. We arrived after the Saturday morning game show, and we left before the evening masquerade. We didn’t dress in costume. (I considered going as Grandma Saki but knew that Kit would never agree to appear as Abbot Jukai.) By not booking a room at the adjoining Hilton, we missed the after-party scene. More geezer than geek, we opted out of the most festive of festivities. Our choices, no doubt, colored our impressions of the con.

We were left with panels, workshops, and anime screenings. Our other activities included standing in long lines for over-priced food, browsing the booths of artist/vendors and watching people wander the hallways, escalators and other public spaces. Keeping track of events was as easy as looking at the digital activities board. This was fortunate, because the font size of the pocket guide was indecipherable by middle-aged eyes.

PANELS GALORE

Later, when I could read the pocket guide, I was impressed. The number of panels was daunting–more than 150 from Friday morning until Sunday noon. Their variety was astonishing. To take examples with “anime” in the title, offerings ranged from the silly (“Anime’s Craziest Deaths”) to the serious (“Anime Lost in Translation”) and the outright studious (“Anime and Manga Studies”). There were panels to acculturate the neophyte (“Cover Your Bases” summarizing key anime) and to inspire the insolvent (“Cosplay Solutions for Any Budget”).

Aspiring artists could learn to create digital comics, make anime at home, build gundam models, compose manga or write fan fiction. Hard core otaku (lower case) could discuss their favorite series with others who shared their passion, be that for Evangelion, Negima or Full Metal Alchemist. (Alas, no Zenki.) For ordinary guys, there were panels on Japanese role play games (JRPG); for extraordinary girls, there were fashion tips on becoming American Lolitas.

The con organizers took seriously their mission to promote understanding of other aspects of Asian culture. A couple panels discussed Japanese music. (I hope they mentioned Sawada Kenji.) One panel covered the traditional board game, go. Another introduced the making of oishii (yummy) snacks.

In the realms of anime and manga fandom, facility in Japanese language seems to confer a singular cachet. The linguistic aspirant could choose between panels of the real (“Maryland Japanese and English Language Club”) and the virtual (“Intro to Learning Japanese for Otaku” emphasized online resources). Neither option conveyed the systematic drudgery that I escaped by watching cartoons with my homestay sister, but Otakon isn’t really about second language acquisition.

The prevailing dilettante cum ninja fantasy was nowhere more evident than in the sessions for surviving Tokyo. With titles like “Gaijin in Japan: A Real Taste of Tokyo,” “Budget Tokyo Travel,” and “Host Club Culture in Japan,” they approximated live-action Lonely Planet Guides geared to young, inexperienced students. Flying to Tokyo with little more preparation than an Otakon workshop would be as sensible as selling the family sleigh during a blizzard. However, Otakon isn’t really about intercultural communication.

Because I believed then that Otakon was about enjoying East Asian popular culture, I had one regret. I regretted not attending the panel, “How to Survive a Zombie Apocalypse.” I regretted missing the “history hilarity and essential survival tips.” Without attending, I won’t forget that knives don’t require reloading. All by itself, the print description in the pocket guide offered creepy, good fun (once I put on my reading glasses).

RANDOM SELECTIONS

We missed the zombie apocalypse, but we did manage the next best thing. We attended the panel on Nishizaki Yoshinobu. The “Nish,” as the three panelists called him, is the pervert who came to fame producing Space Battleship Yamato (1974) and stayed in the spotlight for sketchy, extra-textual reasons. He’s a genuine spooky character, and the panelists succeeded in conveying his genius and his weirdness.

Because the Nishizaki session was astute and entertaining, Kit and I decided to follow one panelist–whose name I have regrettably forgotten–to his next presentation. The man and his new set of co-presenters had agreed to explain how to “Review Anime the Right Way.” They didn’t explain reviewing, right or wrong. They talked about the tactics needed to get and keep their jobs as reviewers. (Having a job and doing it well are not the same.)

One caustic panelist launched a tirade on the stupidity of numerical rankings. He insisted that his reviews were worth reading in their entirety, and for this reason he refused to assign grades, stars, starships or other icons to anime under review. Whoever the man was, he certainly was not David Denby. The guy should have appreciated that his readership isn’t the demographic of The New Yorker.

During the Q&A, members of the audience asked heartfelt questions with a voracious intensity that surprised me. Expectation filled the room, as most of the fifty-odd people waited for the panelists to drop a hint, provide a clue, or offer up a talisman for opening the gates to the magical kingdom of profitable, freelance anime criticism. Unsurprising to us geezers, their hunger went unfed.

For the price of my membership dues, this panel was a bad buy. I’d rate it one star out of five. The panelists’ self-aggrandizing annoyed me. Their poor preparation annoyed me. The dumb configuration of the chairs annoyed me. The rude dude yelling in my ear instead of his cell phone annoyed me. The voracious audience filled me with pity, which, in turn, annoyed me. (Pity isn’t playful.)

That voracious hunger was palpable again in the fan art exhibit. For the uninformed, Wikipedia defines fan art (or fanart, no space) as being “based on a character, costume, item, or story that was created by someone other than the artist. The term…is usually used to refer to art derived from visual media such as comics, movies or video games.” The antecedent of fan art is the dojinshi of Japan, the wicked pop parodies by underground artists, some of which have acquired cult status and considerable monetary value.

In the fan art exhibit, you could forget budget cosplay. Expensively decked-out Otaku in their teens and early twenties circled tables laden with visual works. Most were reproductions of pricer, original fan art. Older, on average, by a decade, the fan artists sat serenely behind their wares, seldom speaking to the kids across the tables, to the kids staring hungrily into the charmed inner circle of J-pop fandom.

As a geezer, I’m more accustomed to crafts shows at the Maryland State Fairgrounds than to fan art on the con circuit. Over at the cow palace, folks meander up and down the aisles, peruse the wares, eat a greasy snack, and maybe buy a trinket for a favorite great-uncle. With settled lives and stable jobs, shoppers at craft fairs have no interest in becoming itinerant vendors of pottery or jewelry. In sharp contrast, many Otaku on the lower level of the convention center were impressed, if not awed by fan artists. More than one Otakorp member clearly aspired to the status of exhibitor. I heard a telling exchange between a bearded young man and a cat-eared young woman.

M: I hear (X) is making a living off his art.

W: He’s making money, but not enough to live on. His girlfriend’s paying the rent.

M: Yeah, okay, but can you imagine…getting here? [Gestures to the vendor in front of them.]

W: We’ll get here. We will. Just believe and keep working.

BEYOND THE CON

The beginnings of anime were modest. The meteoric rise of space operas like Mazinger Z and Space Battleship Yamato came after the fact of Armstrong and Aldrin walking on the moon. Anime took off about the time that my little homestay sister was teaching me useful words. For the last thirty-five years, I’ve been consuming J-pop stuff. I’ve never felt compelled to reach a conclusion about the enterprise as a whole, anymore than I’ve thought it necessary to make a pronouncement about American pop culture. This is my wait-and-see legacy from Great-uncle Auggie.

Like Auggie holding on to his sleigh, I appreciate the tried and true. I keep of copy of Royall Tyler’s translation of Tale of Genji (2001), Shikibu Murasaki’s eleventh century epic, on my nightstand. I’m confident about the quality of this rendering of a classic that has endured for a thousand years.

Again, like Auggie buying new cars and trucks, I function in the present. After Otakon, I purchased the seventeenth English volume of Nana, published by Shojo Beat. My Nanas are stacked neatly in numerical order, in a corner. Someday I may make a place for them on a bookcase. I’ll have to wait and see whether I truly treasure Yawaza’s opus or merely have a passing infatuation with her linework.

Without assessing the entirety of popular Japanese culture, I have reached a conclusion about Otakon. It is not positive. I regret this fact, because on the Saturday in July when I cajoled Kit into driving downtown, it hadn’t occurred to me that I would disapprove of anything as light-hearted as I imagined Otakon to be.

No doubt, thousands of cosplaying Otaku had fun frolicking at the masquerade. However, fun and frolic weren’t what I found. I found a disturbingly high level of need, of voraciousness. Far too many Otaku are spending thousands of hours and hundreds of dollars in their search for insider status, for subcultural identity, and for an income stream that is, for the vast majority, a mirage.

Otakon isn’t really about having a good time. The non-profit Otakorp, Inc. isn’t really about increasing understanding of Asian culture. Actually, the con and its parent corporation are a strategic global business appearing as entertaining, intercultural exchange. They sustain a select circle of American entrepreneurs, at the expense of “members” whom they only seem to amuse. In a semblance of fanspeak, Otakon/Otakorp, Inc. is a zombie apocalypse masquerading as a Halloween party for kids who’ve decided they’re too old to trick or treat.

Ironically, in the vast culturally imperialistic venture that is contemporary Japanese export production, the inner circle of Otakon/Otakorp, Inc., is positioned precariously at the margin. Baltimore may care if Otakon decides to move elsewhere. Tokyo wouldn’t blink if the corporation and its annual convention were vaporized tomorrow.

Skip the zombie apocalypse. Find another venue for exploring J-pop. For a genuine Japanese adventure, consider investing in a study abroad program. College students literally have dozens of opportunities to live and learn throughout East Asia, and several reputable companies run summer programs for teens. My favorite for secondary students is Experiment in International Living, the organization which pioneered the practice of homestays in 1932.

This past summer, as Otakon came and went from Baltimore, Experiment in International Living offered a four-week program on the northern Japanese island of Hokkadio. It was open to American secondary students, who had successfully completed one year of language training. The Hokkaido program combined homestays in Japanese families with classes at a local anime school. I can’t imagine a better immersion experience for the serious otaku.

cheering authenticity,
dkb

If you have read Ai Yazawa’s manga Gokinjo Monogatari and you happen to love it, then probably you would also enjoy the semi-sequel of this work – Paradise Kiss.  Paradise Kiss, or ParaKiss, is an original 5-volume manga written by Yazawa, and has been adapted into a 12-episode anime produced by Aniplex and Studio Madhouse.  I’ve seen the anime in Animax, who broadcast the series and widely distributed it and it was so amazing.

The protagonist of the story is Yukari Hayazaka, also nicknamed Caroline, a highschool student who is already bored with her life driven by routines, thus, when she meets the Parakiss crew, she models for them and decides to stop her review for the university entrance examinations.  She matures little by little through her relationship with George Koizumi, a chic and handsome university student, and a fashion designer.  George designs Yukari’s outfit when she models for them, or for anybody else.  Along with the Parakiss crew are Miwako Sakarada a cute and childlike university student who fondly calls Yukari ‘Caroline’ a lot and Arashi Nagase, the punk, rock and hardcore guy who is a band member and Miwako’s girlfriend.  The mother figure of the Parakiss crew is none other than Daisuke “Isabella” Yamamoto, but she is actually a crossdresser.

But one character that I will not forget in this anime is Hiroyuki Tokumori, Yukari’s classmate – a handsome, appealing, silent and intelligent young man, who always looks out for Yukari and concern for her studies. In the first part of the anime, Hiroyuki is the object of Yukari’s affection, but her emotions shifts to George when she meets him.  I like Hiroyuki because his character reminds me of my highschool crush (and I still like that guy) – both are intelligent in the first place.  *giggles

Oh yeah, too much for digressions.

Not to forget the theme songs of the anime – Lonely in Gorgeous performed by Tommy February6 is the opening theme, and Do You Want To by Franz Ferdinand is the ending theme.

If you really love fashion, you’ll fall in love with this anime. J

Take me away too…

Paradise Kiss is a beautiful shoujo anime with quite a really pretty title. I stayed up all night watching this series.

Yukari is a high school senior getting ready to take the university entrance exam. However, before the exam she meets by chance the members of Paradise Kiss, and they want her to model for their end of year fashion competition. As she becomes more involved with the group, she becomes determined to become a top model.

This anime is such an escape from reality. After watching it, I really wished that someone would also just come up to me one day and give me an opportunity such as that (maybe not modeling but something that is not…). Take me away from my routine life and allow me to do something special…

Anyways, I certainly felt something as I watched Yukari ditch school and home for a few days to find out what she truly wants to do. Blah blah blah… I should just do what I need to do, stop complaining, and forget about whatever…. I’m rambling.

I really like Arashi.

Well, in terms of animation, this anime is very well drawn in my opinion. Although the characters are not your typical big eyes, big chested loli or cutesy icons, they have a really classy elegant look that I really loved. I should also mention their costumes are also pretty nice. Shoujo in general have better art. This is an anime about designs and modeling after all. High fashion and classy, Paradise Kiss packs a lot of panache.

I like Miwako a lot as well.

Looking for scans of Paradise Kiss was actually really fun, because the artwork is just so exciting and spectacular; some very Andy Warhol and a bit psychedilic, and others really handsome and shoujo manga-ish. There are so many more beautiful scans around.

(This is a revised version of a post (Feb. 2007) from my old abandoned blog. I’m trying to bring all my posts to a single place.)

Después de mucho tiempo, por fin una actualización… Algunos singles que estaban en la sección ‘Próximamente’ ahora ya tienen su entrada correspondiente, en esta ocasión son el primer OP&ED de Phantom ~Requiem for the Phantom~ además de los Inspired Song Singles de Ein & Zwei. Y como siempre aunque no lo anunciaba, la sección de mangas estaba en constante actualización, sin embargo debido a razones que pondré a continuación, algunos de ellos estarán pausados hasta nuevo aviso.

Parfait Tic!: FBD ha alcanzado a la versión en inglés (v17 c05) y debido a que el grupo en inglés saca capítulos a un ritmo demasiado lento (cada año ¬.¬) FBD ha decidido cancelar el proyecto, dando como alternativa descargar la versión de SP. Pero SP también ha alcanzado a la versión en inglés; por ahora no la ha cancelado, sin embargo hasta que no haya más capítulos de donde traducir, asumo que estará pausada por tiempo indefinido.
NANA: UAF ha sacado todos los capítulos de Nana (desde los prólogos hasta el c84, creo que sólo falta el extra de Naoki). Sin embargo debido a problemas de salud de Ai Yazawa (eso es lo que tengo entendido) el manga está detenido, por lo que en Japón el c85 aun esta sin fecha de salida.
GRAVITATION: Y bueno llegan las buenas noticias; después de mucho tiempo UAF por fin ha sacado los tan esperados v09 y v10 de GRAVITATION, podrán encontrar los enlaces en la sección correspondiente.

Por cierto, he cambiado la estructura de la sección de GRAVITATION, además de que esta será la que tendrán los demás mangas (aunque aun están en proceso de…). La estructurada es la siguiente:

• Imagen: Una imagen representativa del manga en cuestión.
• Información: Detalles acerca del manga, así como una breve sinopsis del mismo.
• Grupo/Descarga: Los grupos de los cuales estoy subiendo su versión y el enlace hacia su respectiva entrada.
• Grupo X: Detalles acerca del grupo, así como los enlaces de descarga.
• Editorial: Editoriales que han sacado el manga en español, incluyendo (si está disponible) el enlace para comprarlo de manera online.

Singles

• Phantom -RftP- OP / KARMA [KOKIA]
• Phantom -RftP- ED / Jigoku no Mon [ALI PROJECT]
• Phantom -RftP- Inspired Song / Ein [Takagaki Ayahi]
• Phantom -RftP- Inspired Song / Zwei [Irino Miyu]

Manga

• NANA [ UAFansub ]
• Parfait Tic! [ SP & FBD ]
• GRAVITATION [ UAFansub]

"Nana, do you remember the moment we first met?"

Genre: Comedy – Drama – Music – Romance – Slice of Life

Length: 47 episodes

Year: 2006

Studio: Madhouse Studios

Director: Asaka Morio

Script/Writer: Konparu Tomoko

Character Design: Hamada Kunihiko

Music: Hasegawa Tomoki

Animation: Sakurai Kinomi

Licensed by: Viz Media, LLC.

Based on: NANA manga 21 vols. – May 2000 to March 2009 (hiatus) -  Author: Yazawa Ai  Illustrator: Yazawa Ai  – serialization: Cookie.

Characters: Komatsu Nana/Hachiko (KAORI), Osaki Nana (Romi Paku), Okazaki Shinichi/Shin (Ishida Akira), Fujieda Naoki (Katsu Anri), Serizawa Reira (Hirano Aya), Ginpei (Tachiki Fumihiko), Honjo Ren (Kiuchi Hidenobu), Enjo Shoji (Takahashi Hiroki), Takakura Kyosuke (Suwabe Junichi), Kawamura Sachiko (Kojima Megumi), Uehara Misato (Kanai Mika), Saotome Junko (Honda Takako), Terashima Nobuo/Nobu (Seki Tomakazu), Ichinose Takumi (Morikawa Toshiyuki) and Takagi Yasushi/Yasu (Kawahara Yoshihisa).

Synopsis: Nana Komatsu is a gentle small-town girl, who decides moving to Tokyo to start a new life, where she is to meet her boyfriend, Shoji. Her destiny is sealed when she meets her side passenger, a punk- rock singer who’s moving to Tokyo to chase her dream of being a sucessful musician. Quickly both of them share a nitid bound of friendship, despise having noticeable amusing constrasting personalities, and when they meet again while in search for a place to live, they decide to live together in the 707 apartment of a old-modern building.

As live continues through the heartbreaks, joys, and the dramas they experience, both support each other, while in search for their happiness.

Openings:

• 1. Rose – Anna Tsuchiya
• 2. Wish – Olivia
• 3. Lucy – Anna Tsuchiya

Endings:

• 1. A Little Pain – Olivia
• 2. Starless Night – Olivia
• 3. Kuroi Namida – Anna Tsuchiya
• 4. Winter Sleep – Olivia
• 5. Stand by me – Anna Tsuchiya

Notes: The manga is on hiatus due to Yazawa’s health condition which disables her from working. But fortunally, according to Junko Koseki (editor of Nana) and Masao Murayama (president of Madhouse), when the manga is finished, probably a second season will be made.

Appreciation: A stunning piece. The plot and characters are complex, and you can see that each character has its “evolution” as the story progresses, and that is what makes it so verisimiliar. And I believe few or even very few animes possess this. The animation is very beautiful, as expected from Madhouse, and the music theme plays along great.

It portraits reality, the life and falls, the dramas, the happy moments, the hard times, the good times, the bad times, all these emotions and moments that we humans have felt, and the importance of the people who you share them with. Because life isn’t a destination, but a journey.

A must see shojo.

Rate: Excellent

พึ่งรู้ข่าว เศร้าไปเลย รอแล้วรอเล่า แล้วก็พึ่งทราบด้วยว่าก่อนหน้านี้อาจารย์แกก็เคยป่วยการก่อนครั้งนึงแล้ว ผ่าตัดอะไรซักอย่าง แต่ว่าก็หายทัน ป่วยทีนี่ทำเอาแฟนๆหลายคนใจหาย

เราก็ตามอ่านในเน็ตอยู่ตลอด เล่มจริงลิขสิทธ์ออกก็ซื้อ นานะมันไม่ใช่แค่การ์ตูนแล้ว มันมีลมหายใจ ส่วน paradise kiss ก็ไม่ใช่การ์ตูนเหมือนกัน มันเป็นแฟชั่น ทุกงานของอาจารย์เป็นอะไรที่มีชีวิต

WFT? What is up with all anime getting turned to Live Action Movies? What is the H1N1 pandemic not enough, do we really need a Live Action Movies pandemic as well?  Why was DG not a bad enough experience for everyone? We all wait in terror to see what will happen to cult classic, Cowboy Bebop  and I heard rumors of a Trigun one as well. Sure these are made by Hollywood and we have all the more reason to dislike them, one might say. But the ones made in Japan are not any better.

I just saw the first Nana movie and, as true as it stayed to the story, the acting was as stiff as a block of concrete! I never made it all the way though the Death Note movie and as good looking as Blood: The last Vampire trailer might be, review were not that positive.

So… googling Ai Yazawa for news on the future of Nana and what do i see on IMDB page? PARADISE KISS IN DEVELOPEMENT … 2 search results later “Fox in Talks for Live-Action Japanese Paradise Kiss Film”

*falling into endless pit style* Noooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Sure it is only “in development” and, sure, no one is forcing me to watch it. Nevertheless this is not a good thing.  I understand how fucking with perfection might seem appealing in more than one way…  however experience warns us that the results are not going to be pretty.

Well, one can only hope for the best ^^

//

Oi!!^^

  Hoje eu vou falar de Paradise Kiss, ou melhor, Parakiss !!^^

  O mangá, de autoria de Ai Yazawa (NaNa, Gokinjo Monogatari) é como se fosse uma continuação de Gokinjo Monogatari,que conta a história de Mikako e seus amigos. Em parakiss vemos a história de Miwako, irmã mais nova de Mikako, que embora não seja a protagonista, aparece bastante na história. Paradise Kiss foi publicado no Brasil pela editora Conrad, e foi publicado primeiramente no Japão na revista Zipper,  uma revista de moda voltada para o público jovem. Seus capítulos foram reunidos em 5 tankobons.

  Parakiss conta a história da jovem Yukari Hayasaka (Caroline), que apesar de ser uma aluna extremamente esforçada, nunca consegue atingir o topo da classificação escolar. Ela mora com sua mãe rigorosa e seu irmão prodígio e nutre um amor platônico não-correspondido (será??) pelo menino gênio de sua sala Hiroyuki Tokumori. Sua vida vira de cabeça para baixo, quando um grupo, digamos, exótico chamado Paradise Kiss nota sua beleza acima do comum e a convida para ser modelo. E assim começa a história de Carol dentro do Parakiss.

  Eles são um grupo de estudantes do Colégio Técnico Yazawa Gakuin, o Yazagaku, que liderados pelo aspirante a estilista George ( Jôji Koizumi), estão confeccionando um modelo de vestido para o desfile de modas do colégio. Lá, além do sedutor George, Yukari conhece a doce Miwako, o punk Arashi e o amável travesti Isabella.

  Com o desenrolar da história, sentimentos vão se desenrolando, como a paixão entre George e Yukari, e fatos se revelam, como o triângulo amoroso entre Miwako, Arashi e  Tokumori, que na verdade são amigos de infância.

  A princípio, o mangá parece ter uma história simples, mas logo vai se revelando uma trama delicada que envolve sentimentos profundos e conflitos intensos. Um dos eixos do enredo é o questionamento sobre o que traz mais satisfação: A utopia da realização de sonhos maravilhosos ou um futuro estável construído sobre uma base sólida de responsabilidades e obrigações.

  Sera que Yukari vai desistir do vestibular para se tornar uma grande modelo de sucesso? George seguirá carreira desenhando suas roupas exageradas, sonhadoras, porém nada comerciais? Decisões importantes, que podem fazer com que esse perturbado amor fique balançado.

  Paradise Kiss, uma leitura agradável, que vai nos bastidores do mundo da moda nos conduzindo por um labirinto de emoções e sentimentos. Sinta a dor do despertar de um sonho, o choque da realidade que pode arruinar uma pessoa ou elevá-la ao mais alto padrão. Como se não bastasse, tem um final emocionante, capaz de arrancar lágrimas.

  ” Acho que todos os vencedores já foram considerados imprudentes.”

  Leiam Parakiss, eu adoro e recomendo!!^^

  E, para quem já leu, vamos comentar o final um pouquinho…(ATENÇÃO! POSSÚI SUPER SPOILERS!!)

  Já era esperado que Yukari terminaria a história ao lado de Tokumori. George, por sua vez, teve um final no mínimo misterioso…Não é possível concluir com certeza se ele fica com Kaori, por quem é apaixonado e que por sua vez também o ama, ou se ficará com Isabella, que sempre foi apaixonada (o?) por ele. Eu realmente chorei quando George manda a chave do armário para Yukari, como se fosse um eterno laço entre eles. Prova de que o amor sobrevive ao tempo, e de que, por mais que sejamos capazes de amar de novo, nunca nos esquecemos de sentimentos arrebatadores, e sempre os conservamos com carinho em nossos corações. Mesmo sabendo que a relação deles era insustentável, eu torci pelo casal George e Yukari até o último momento…

XOXO

Mallu

The artist of the manga series Nana, Ai Yazawa, has reportedly fallen ill, it was announced in Cookie magazine, and subsequently the latest chapter will be delayed.

The magazine reported that it will take several months for her to recover from her illness, of which details have not been reported.

Here’s wishing her a healthy recovery.

This is a sad news for all Nana fans. Because of Ai Yazawa’s sudden illness, she is putting Nana on hold as announced by Shueisha’s Cookie on their August issue. It will need months for Ai Yazawa’s recovery so until further notice, there will be no Nana for now.

source: ANN

The August issue of Shueisha’s Cookie magazine has announced on Friday that manga creator Ai Yazawa is putting her NANA series on hold due to a sudden illness. As a result, this issue did not run its scheduled installment of NANA. Since Yazawa will need several months of treatment and rest, NANA will also not appear in the September issue (which will ship on July 25) or later issues until further notice.

Cookie’s editorial department offered its apologies to NANA’s readers, and added that NANA’s return has not been scheduled yet. Once the editors can confirm Yazawa’s recovery, they will notify their readers of the manga’s return through the magazine itself, the magazine’s homepage, the official NANA website, and other means.

Viz Media will publish the 17th of NANA’s 21 current volumes in North America next month, and it is also releasing both the television anime adaptation and the two live-action film adaptations. Yazawa was scheduled to appear at the Japan Expo convention in France next week, but Japan Expo announced on June 12 that she had to cancel due to health problems. NANA was on hiatus from June to November of 2007 while Yazawa recuperated from another illness and the resulting operation.

Anime News Network

Planet Manga presenta a Settembre ‘09 un nuovo numero di “Nana” per la precisione il 40. Saranno contenti i lettori del manga della Yazawa che si sono ritrovati per le mani in pochi mesi 4 numeri del manga. ecco direttamente dal sito la presentazione/trama del numero 40. – In un flashback, Ren riflette sullo stato delle cose con Nana e la sua dipendenza dalle droghe, mentre per Yasu e Miu sembra infine arrivato il momento di dar sfogo alla propria passione. Nel presente, invece, Kurada di Search ritrova infine Nana O. in Inghilterra e inizia a porle domande sulla sua misteriosa scomparsa… Di Ai Yazawa, l’autrice di “Non Sono un Angelo”.

03/09/2009

prezzo: € 2.20

Uno de los anime que estoy viendo es Paradise Kiss, anime basado en el manga de la gran y popular autora Ai Yazawa (la mayoria la conoce por su popular manga NaNa)

Historia:
Paradise Kiss cuenta la historia de Yukari Hasayaka que es una joven de 18 años que dedica todo su tiempo a estudiar y es por esta situacion que siente que su vida es aburrida y monotona. Un dia dirigiendose a sus cursos de estudio conoce aun chico que le llama la atencion su estatura y su complexion delgada pero como este luce como un rebelde esta se asusta, intenta huir pero tropieza con una mujer alta que conoce al chico que la esta siguiendo, ambos la llevan a un covertizo para explicarle que ellos estudian diseño y quieren que ella sea su modelo, ella se niega, pero es ahi donde conoce a George (el sexy George) lider del grupo. Y aunque al principio Yukari se niega a participar la manera en que George es insistente y el notar la pasion de este grupo de diseñadores hacen que de su brazo a torce y empieza a ayudarlos.

El anime solo tiene 12 episodios y esta muy entretenida, la musica me gusta, el opening es de lo mejor cantado por Tommy February y las voces tambien son muy buenas.

Les dejo los openings

Este es el opening en español cantado por Salome Anjari vale mucho lo pena.

Fox Internacional está negociando con la editorial Shodensha adaptar el manga de Ai Yazawa al cine. La historia gira en torno una estudiante de instituto llamada Yukari que es descubierta por “Paradise Kiss”, un grupo de estudiantes de moda. Estos chicos deciden transformar a Yukari en una modelo, en cuyo proceso no faltará el romance.

El manga ha vendido hasta ahora 6 millones de copias y ya cuenta con una versión de anime.

Según The Hollywood Reporter, Fox International se encuentra en negociaciones para producir una película Live Action sobre el manga de Ai Yazawa “Paradise Kiss”. Fox planea hacer la película en japonés, por lo que esta sería su segunda película en japonés después de el remake que hicieron de “Sideway”.

Los cinco volúmenes de “Paradise Kiss” giran en torno a una niña de secundaria que se lanza al mundo de la moda. Este manga se convirtió en una serie de anime en 2005.

Fox ha establecido un presupuesto de $ 3 a $ 4 millones. Se busca trabajar con la casa productora japonesa IMJ Entertainment, quienes se encargaron de la popular película de  “Nana”.

Sólo nos queda rezar para que no sea otro error como Dragon Ball Evolution