At the end, Miwako goes to work for Happy Berry, excited at the idea of being a help to her sister. Early in the manga, Miwako talks to Yukari about how she struggles creating fashion designs that are truly her own, and not an imitation of her sister Mikako’s distinctive style. Really, the fact that Miwako’s arc is a highly conventional love triangle is a shame. The scene, even the whole subplot, is an ugly mark against an otherwise wonderful story. At best, the attitude that Arashi turned Miwako into a sexual being is ignorant at worst, it is fuel to the idea that women are naturally purer than men, but can be sullied by sexual contact. Chances are, Miwako was already a sexual being, with her own desires and feelings well before she was assaulted, especially considering her home life was probably less restrictive and repressive than average. Female sexuality isn’t defined or initiated by the loss of virginity. But Miwako didn’t suddenly turn into a sexual being the moment she was involuntarily penetrated by a penis. Part of the reason for Arashi’s insecurity is his guilt for “turning Miwako into a sexual being,” Hiro says. There is nothing in the text to imply that what Arashi did was reprehensible, nor are there any consequences for his actions beyond his guilt. The other characters are all much, much, much too willing not only to forgive him, but actively assuage his guilty conscience. Arashi realizes his actions are wrong and his choices hurt Miwako. Because she thought her reaction might hurt you.” I can not even begin to described how fucked up and frustrating this whole scene is, seriously marring an otherwise great manga. Arashi feels guilty, for their past and his present temper, but Hiro reassures him, “Miwako understood best how much you loved her. It only gets worse as Hiro, talking with Arashi, reveals that he knows how he got Miwako to choose him: he raped her, using sex to bind her to him. No amount of justification, apologizing, or self-deprecation will change that. There is no two ways to look at it: Arashi’s behavior is abusive. Eventually, Miwako comes into the bedroom to find Arashi going through her phone and looking at the texts she’s been exchanging with Hiro, and throws it against the wall in rage, breaking it.
Paradise kiss series#
I’ve gotta think something happened.” “Miwako thought you’d be mad if she told you! You get mad either way, Arashi!” Miwako feels trapped and guilty not because of any wrongdoing, but because of Arashi’s childish, passive-aggressive tactics and irrational jealousy.Īs the series continues, Arashi grows increasingly paranoid and controlling, and Miwako turns more and more to Hiro for emotional support in dealing with her volatile boyfriend. You’ve got some kind of nerve… You were playing dumb all this time. Around midway through the series, he snottily refuses to do beadwork with Miwako at her house: “I’m mad because you’ve been talking to me all day like nothing happened.
Arashi, despite his unconventional appearance, behaves in a way that is fairly typical for that sort of character: when he learns that Miwako is in touch with Hiro, he starts acting like a complete ass. One of my consistent objections to shoujo manga is that they romanticize men who treat the women in their lives like trash. If that summary sounds like a run of the mill shoujo soap, it more or less reads that way. Now that Yukari has gotten Miwako and Hiro back in touch, Arashi is obsessively jealous and possessive. Miwako chose Arashi and cut off contact with Hiroyuki years ago, despite harboring feelings for both of them. Yukari has, however, unwittingly reintroduced an old conflict back into her life: the love triangle between her, her boyfriend Arashi, and their childhood friend Tokumori Hiroyuki. She plays this role admirably, supporting Yukari and using her connections to introduce her to the fashion industry. Miwako’s primary role in Paradise Kiss is Yukari’s friend and confidant, an essential ally in her tumultuous period of self-discovery and shifting identity. That is more or less to be expected, considering they are supporting characters, but they deserve much more fleshed out characterizations than they got. Although they too are coming of age in their own right, their storylines are severely lacking compared to Yukari’s. While Yukari’s story is a wonderful coming age story of a girl learning not to be defined by those around her, the female secondary characters, Miwako and Isabella, are not so lucky.
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