Paradise Kiss is a fashion designer's dream. Likewise, all lovers of Gothic Lolita fashion should immediately pick this manga up, as they will want to steal all of the character's clothes. That said, here's the story: While walking home from cram school, a girl named Yukari is accosted by a heavily-pierced punk rocker. He makes a cryptic remark ("Blimey! You're ace!") and she panics, running headlong into a beautiful drag queen's arms. She promptly faints from shock. Upon waking, she finds herself looking at what she believes to be an angel. Realizing the angel's really a girl with pink hair, however, prompts her to assume she's gone to Hell. She needn't have worried. In a furnished basement room, Yukari finds out that the three attend a school called Yaza School for the Arts and need her to be a model in their upcoming show. Not only that, but they are part of a boutique called Paradise Kiss, headed by a mysterious man named George. Each acts as part of the whole, either sewing, pattern-making, or doing detail work. George is their leader, doing the designs himself. Yukari is stunned to hear this and runs off before the three can get an answer. The story continues from that point on, with Yukari becoming more and more entangled with Paradise Kiss and especially George himself. What was really enjoyable was seeing Yukari change her impressions over time. In the beginning, she's very studious and has no tolerance for people she deems strange. As the manga goes on, though, she finds herself warming up to the group of artists. She even finds herself wishing she had such a purpose in life, and begins to question whether the collegiate path is right for her. Honestly, though, as good as the story and characters are, what pulled me in was the quirky humor and fabu art. Ai Yazawa (her name is the basis of the school name!) has such a lovely style, with thin lines and incredible detail. The figures are occasionally out of proportion, but only in that the models have ridiculously stretched out legs and long necks. Just a nit-pick that would occasionally stick out a bit to me. The humor is great--at certain points, Isabella (the drag queen) will remark about not having many lines, and George is freakin' hilarious. I also liked the way TokyoPop handled Arashi's (the punk's) lines. He speaks in Brit slang, which is always a plus for me. I mean... wanker?! Excellent. As for the fashion designs themselves... oh, baby. George is immaculately groomed and princely, occasionally bordering fruity. His pants are tight, his clothes are tailored, and he LOVES IT. Arashi sports spiky hair and baggy pants, while Isabella wears poofy gowns and Victorian dresses, always capped off by a stylish hat. Miwako (the pink-haired girl) dresses like a candy kid and loves wings, plush animals, and pink. Sometimes the designs miss the mark (agh, the patterned interview suit!) but for the most part they are delicious. It's no wonder that so many fans choose to cosplay from it. Overall, it comes highly recommended to fashion mongers everywhere. Even those that don't like manga should give it a try--several people like yourselves have enjoyed reading it. There are currently four volumes available, with a fifth coming out soon. [Rating?: 5 out of 5 fashion victims.]