Paradise Kiss, one of Ai Yazawaâs most known and loved mangas, was brought to the big screen last 2011. Being a fan of this particular title, I have been curious for a long time how the movie would fare, since the manga was gorgeous in style and in story. Much to my disappointment, I wasnât impressed after watching the movie adaptation. Thankfully, it wasnât horrible, but couldânt live up to the mangaâs awesomeness in my honest opinion. Maybe the shoes were too big to fill, thatâs why the story unfolded the way it did, or maybe I didnât like it because the movie went in a different direction than the bittersweet original? What Iâm certain of is that it definitely could have been way, way better.
The first flaw that I noted was that the characters werenât able to develop, and that the events were rushed.
I think that the actress for Yukari was just alright. At certain angles she looked like Chiaki Kuriyama, which made me think that maybe she couldâve been a better candidate for Yukari. They shouldâve cast someone else, or she shouldâve been directed differently. This is because Yukari is supposed to be indecisive and confused at first, but after meeting and befriending the group of Paradise Kiss, she was shown to be headstrong, innocent but fierce. Keiko Kitagawaâs Yukari wasnât able to show any of these, the movie only showed that she was careless, clumsy and insecure. Sure, sheâs really pretty, but thatâs the only thing that matched with the characterâs description. She wasnât able to make me believe that she was really Yukar. The way her character was played out, made her an incomplete and sad person from my point of view, wherein the Yukari in the manga and anime was confident and happy in the end, having lived her life to the fullest.
Osamu Mukai as the eccentric playboy George was adequate enough. He looked the part, but was too serious for my taste. Being the most complex and perplexing person out of all the characters in the story, the actor had a huge responsibility to deliver that to the audience and capture everyoneâs attention as the charismatic and devious George. He tried to show his characterâs flirty side, but it just seemed unnatural and boring.
Yusuke Yamamoto who played as Hiro was too wimpy, and didnât look the part. I wish they couldâve cast someone else as Arashi too because he didnât look like an attractive, scary bad boy. Out of all the characters, only Miwako and Isabella were the ones who were totally in character and were closest to the orginal.
The second flaw, which was ultimately what made this movie a flop for me and deserving of only the 4 stars that I gave, was the way the story was played out. Instead of being the touching and unforgettable story that made fans worldwide fall in love with it, they made the movie feel like a typical romantic comedy. Completely doing away with the twists and complications, which made the characters endearing, the end result was a half-baked cake, that at first appears to satiate your craving, but once you put it in your mouth, you end up wanting something else completely different.
*SPOILERS. If you havenât seen it, and youâre planning to, skip to the end of my review*
By the end, I realized why it was the way it was. Instead of following the ending of the manga, which was the most tearful part, it changed the decision of the main character, Yukari, so that it could be the happy ending that fans wanted but didnât get. In the film version, they meet and finally get together, and it is implied by Yukari that this is only the beginning for them. And that is why this adaption isnât striking and easily forgettable. It falls into the âshe gets the guy in the endâ category, which by default makes the ending âand they lived happily ever after.â The story has become easy, and that makes it dismissible.
Itâs hard not to compare, but the things that made me love Paradise Kiss were nonexistent in the movie, and the part that burned it into my heart forever was the original ending, which for me was what made the story memorable, and aroused heart-wrenching emotions from people. I personally loved the story of the manga more because Yukari and George didnât end up together. Sure, she did end up with her first love, Hiroyuki, but that was after her passionate and consuming relationship with George had ended.
The movie could have been a lot better if they had followed some of the best parts of the manga. I believe that they shouldâve done the movie in two parts so that at least the characters and their relationships would have been able to grow.
Paradise Kiss Reviews
Big shoes to fill
Posted : 11 years, 5 months ago on 20 November 2012 10:440 comments, Reply to this entry