ParaKiss

I don't really have time for this, but for the sake of my sanity and mental health (which has been going down the tubes recently), I'm going to indulge myself and write another frivolous blog post.

So as you may probably already know, I am a huge fan of Ai Yazawa. Yes, I do like her art style, but much of my admiration for her is due to her storytelling. She is exceptional at creating eccentric characters and there is a certain tinge of tragedy and realism in her works that has definitely been a big influence on me.

As much as I remain devoted to Nana, I cannot really say it's my favorite series without knowing how it ends (AI YAZAWA!! HOW CAN YOU LEAVE US HANGING AFTER YOU KILL OFF REN LIKE THAT!!). Another one of her series, Paradise Kiss, is only five volumes long but it is definitely a favorite of mine. I am pretty sure I already mentioned this in a blog post from years ago, but the major reason why this series won me over was because of the ending. Endings are a huge factor when it comes to how much I enjoy a story, and in contrast to the vomit-worthy sappiness of your typical shoujo boy-meets-girl fluff, the ending of Paradise Kiss is real. The relationship between Yukari and George is fiercely passionate, but realistically their relationship would never be able to sustain itself from burning out or exploding in their faces. I'm just going to spoil it for you now, but Yukari ends up not with George but with someone else who is a much better match for her in terms of being a good complement for her.

Oh, but it's not easy to see Yukari and George part ways either. The way Ai Yazawa does it is amazing. I never cry, so obviously I did not shed tears, but there is that one beautiful scene near the end when you realize just how much Yukari meant to George, even if he did treat her pretty poorly from time to time.

So anyways, I was talking to my roommate last week about Ai Yazawa. My roommate brought up the point that we are kind of like a Duke version of Nana and Hachi, which was surprisingly true -- my roommate is the ditzier one who likes dressing up and wearing girly, frilly, things, whereas I have been the biggest Nana O fan forever and seemed to have subconsciously tried to emulate her. In any case, I brought up the topic of Paradise Kiss, to which my roommate informed me that a movie version of the series was in production. So of course, I looked it up on Youtube and found this:




Sophelia's verdict: I don't understand Japanese, so this is entirely based on visual impression. Yukari is pretty on target, but WHAT IS UP WITH GEORGE?? THAT CANNOT BE GEORGE. Besides the fact that George is supposed to have blueish hair, this dude is nowhere near as snarky-looking as George. Maybe it's another example of the problem of how some things just don't translate well in live-action, because this George just looks silly in his fedora and purple blazer. See now, meet George:

Yo. What dy'a want?

Unfortunately, there really are no good color pictures of George from ParaKiss with his trademark blueish hair on Google (he looks kinda stupid in some of the anime screenshots I have seen), but whatever -- you get the point. You can look it up yourself. But anyways, George is definitely no Prince Charming -- and he definitely is not a fruitcake either. Completely different vibe from this guy:

Sorry dude, but you just can't quite pull it off.

Yeah, so I wasn't entirely happy when I first saw this, but it quickly left my head. After all, I have more important things to worry about than some film I probably won't even end up watching. And thus, I forgot all about this whole business...

That is, until this evening, when I saw the latest concept photos for the Extraordinary League of Kickassery's comeback album. It looks like the Badass One has changed the hairstyle again, and though he insists on retaining his white hair, guess who he reminds me of now?? No, not Malfoy...


HOLY POMELO HE KINDA LOOKS LIKE GEORGE!! I mean, look -- there's the light blueish hair and the really eccentric clothing (George, master fashion designer, wears some pretty cuckoo outfits throughout the whole series), and plus, the Badass One would totally be able to act like snarky, no-coddling George. If by some teeny chance Paradise Kiss becomes as popular as Hana Yori Dango aka Boys Over Flowers and South Korea decides to film its own version of the Japanese story, than maybe they'll give the Badass One a call.

... okay, I am so tired. Peace out homies. And wish me luck, because this week is going to be hell.