May 3rd, 2016 
AstroNerdBoy Paradise Residence Volume 01 Manga Review
パラダイス レジデンス
***SPOILERS***
For those interested in my chapter reviews, follow this Paradise Residence link to see my old posts. 🙂
When Paradise Residence was being published as a side project for Fujishima-sensei while he wrapped up Ah! My Goddess, I remember thinking that I really would love for Paradise Residence to become a full fledged series. Fortunately, it did, at least for a little while.
For those who aren’t aware of the series, Paradise Residence centers around TAKANASHI Hatsune and her best friend and roommate MISAWA Suzuka, both of whom are attending the all female Kikka Academy (high school). They live with their fellow dorm mates in Kikka Academy Dorm 1, which sits on top of a large hill and which is a very old dorm, unlike Dorm 2, which is not on the hill and is a very modern, new dorm. The manga features several slice of life stories involving the girls.
Reading back through this, I found it to be mostly a delight of mindless fun following the adventures of Hatsune, which invariably get Suzuka roped in on. There’s no plot, just just the slice of life stories about the girls, their dorm, and their school. The only down side is that we don’t really learn a lot about these girls and their backgrounds, but we do learn enough to make the characters likeable (at least to me). I suppose in the end, that’s the important thing.
One thing I should warn folks who were fans of Ah! My Goddess is that Fujishima-sensei crosses the line a few times and shows unobstructed, topless nudity for these high school babes, primarily from Stephanie, the British foreign exchange student who lives in the dorm. Paradise Residence is a seinen manga, so for the demographic, this kind of nudity is not unexpected. And Kodansha Comics does NOT censor the art at all.
Speaking of Kodansha Comics, I really have to praise them on this release. When I got the manga in the mail, I initially thought, “Wait! I thought Paradise Residence was a Kodansha title. This looks like a Dark Horse, Seven Seas, or Yen Press release.” That’s because Paradise Residence volume 01 has book dimensions of 5.75″ wide by 8.5″ high. I think this is the first Kodansha Comics title that I’ve purchased that has been at a much larger book size.
Secondly, Kodansha Comics included color pages in this release. Yes, I was shocked by this as it is rare for Kodansha Comics to do this, but it is a welcome shock and I am glad they included them, all of which are color art pages from Fujishima-sensei. It reminded me of some of the CLAMP titles Dark Horse released and included color art pages.
While the manga is officially titled Paradise Residence volume 01, the manga not only includes the first seven full chapters of the series, but also includes all nine mini-chapters from the so called “volume 0” release. So in effect, we are getting two books in a single release (though I believe Kodansha Comics considers the volume 0 material to be extra stuff).
For those of you who read the chapters as they came out, this volume of the manga has two extra, mini chapters at the beginning and end of the volume 0 section.
This volume also includes a strange short story, written by NORIHARA Kanan, who has written a couple of Paradise Residence light novels.
There are two sections of translator notes, one for each volume of the manga. So I appreciate Kodansha Comics and translator Stephen Paul for this.
In the end, Paradise Residence volume 01 is a fun, slice of life manga dealing the the residence of a dorm at an all girls high school. Add to this the extra effort Kodansha Comics put into this and I’m happy with this purchase.
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I like it. An open back door to a very funny girl’s dorm. The good news about Kodansha’s reform very welcome. Apparently they got off their status quo butts and did the right and profitable thing.
Yeah, it is shocking to me. But I’m glad for it. 😀
Thank you ANB for the pointer to this manga. I like it so far, I’m still reading at the beginning. I can relate to the food part too much – esp my similar start with dealing with natto and I reacted probably with the same reaction. Took me awhile to get accustomed to (first) the opening smell, then trying not to physically react to the slime but the taste is OK and the green onions do help and also shoyu. I keep reminding myself that its another form of soy bean like tofu. Now its OK but still not my favorite snack, though I’ve had it in a green salad that gave it a smelly twist in taste. My friends still turn somewhat green, but what can I say – they are asian and they can’t handle sashimi or uni either. I say its their loss, and my gain, for the plate goes to me.
An Pan is another favorite I can have anytime, and milk is ok, but not exclusive together, esp when the filling may not be the traditional azuki bean paste.
You’re welcome. ^_^
I’ve never had natto, but an pan is fine. I like melon pan (which is not filled) and the cream filled breads.
aahh, if ever you are presented with natto, keep a very strong open mind, that yes, its a edible bean – and your mind and nose may think otherwise. My mind said I was crazy to eat this when there were more tastier and (my nose telling me) good smelling food like teriyaki beef on the table.
It was especially difficult cuz of the happy and smiling person/relative/loving auntie handing it to you. umm it takes alot of strength to handle it the first time. Its worse when one doesn’t really know anything at all about it or just heard of its reputation, and now face-to-face with it on a plate. The smell already had preceded it.
I had a very LARGE bowl/choowong of hot steaming rice to gracefully smother it. I took a small amount – 2 beans minimum to save face. The thin ‘spiderweb’ of slime from the beans didn’t help any. I tried not to breath, which would make it worse, and it didn’t help, for once in the mouth it kinda fills the nostrils up quickly.
OK — so it was like torture on the first tasting and gaging with the slime and smell. I think I ate half the rice bowl trying and trying not to show me wanting to spitting it out, but rather swallowing it. And a big glass of water. Only AFTER the first bite, and stuffing my face with rice, was told of eating it with other foods till I get used to it, like shoyu and green onions, and why there was a nice bowl of miso soup too.
Then I was told it was more of a breakfast food (ie this manga). Yuck, give me eggs any day I thought. Only AFTER I learned the technique of mashing natto in a bowl with shoyu and green onions into a paste like consistency, eat it with rice, and as a side, having a nice bowl of miso soup. This latter way is much more easier to eat natto. The mustard packet helps but its not enough.
Heh!heh!heh! Thanks for sharing this story. There are many foods where I wonder, “Who looked at this and thought, ‘You know, I bet I can eat that!'” Fugu is one such Japanese dish that springs to mind and natto joins it. 😉
I’m proud of my omnivore genes, but natto? EEeeew. Just its depictions in “Paradise Residence” are revolting. And for breakfast? Double eww.
Heh!heh!