Tokyopop announced that Paradise Kiss, a highly innovative shojo manga title by Ai Yazawa, will begin appearing the December issue of Tokyopop's shojo anthology magazine, Smile.  With a focus on fashion as well as on freaky, but loveable characters, Paradise Kiss is one of the best-selling shojo titles in Japan.  It has a maverick spirit that is reminiscent of American indie comics such as Oni Press' Blue Monday, by Chynna Clugston-Major.

 

The story of a normal teenage girl who is 'kidnapped' by fashion pirates that give her a fashion makeover, Paradise Kiss features fashions that run the gamut from runway chic to playful punk.  Each of the main characters has her own fashion sense, and the book is filled with wild hijinks, such as the characters' collective decision to rip off their creator's apartment while the artist is sleeping.

 

Paradise Kiss will run in Smile for five issues and will then switch exclusively to graphic novels starting in the spring of 2002.  It should be interesting to see whether this title, which has a strong appeal to teenage girls, will resonate with their counterparts here in North America.  It's the next logical step for young girls who want to move on from Sailor Moon to a title that is more mature.