Mikako&rsquo;s best female friend, Risa comes from Hokkaido and her dream is to design children&rsquo;s clothes. She lives with her boyfriend Takeshi, a guitarist for a local band, and is Mikako&rsquo;s biggest supporter as well as (later in the series) the mother of Arashi from Paradise Kiss. 

Hayasaka Yukari is a typical high-school student who listens to her parents and attends school every day. As she starts to question her way of life, she encounters a group of fashion design students who have a clothing label known as "Paradise Kiss." The group needs to find a model to showcase their designs in an up-coming fashion show and decides to pick Yukari. Initially reluctant to be associated with this seemingly eccentric group, she eventually realizes they are really nice people. Furthermore, their passion and enthusiasm to follow their ideals make Yukari realize she has not been enjoying her life and thus motivates her to pursue her own dreams. The story follows Yukari as she gets involved in the group and eventually falls in love with the leader, George.

The protagonist, Mikako Kouda, is a student of "Yaza Gaku." Specialising in fashion design, Mikako dreams of becoming a fashion designer with her own brand. Living next to her is her childhood friend, Tsutomu Yamaguchi. Even though they have been close since they were young, they share a platonic friendship. However, Tsutomu has been gaining popularity, especially with the girls, because he seems to resemble a popular vocalist from a band and somehow, Mikako begins to see him in a different light. 
 
This is a story about how youths cope with dreams, love and friendship. 
 
(Source: Anime News Network)

Shiho Niiyama was affiliated with Aoni Production. Niiyama was famous for voicing Kō Seiya, otherwise known as Sailor Star Fighter, in Sailor Stars and Deedlit from Record of Lodoss War among other character roles (see below). She was also involved in one seiyū group, Virgo, who are the voice actresses of the anime and game, Ojōsama Sōsamō. She was diagnosed with leukemia in 1998, and died of internal bleeding following pneumonia in 2000. She was 29 years old. After her death, her ongoing roles went to Tarako, Satsuki Yukino, Makiko Ōmoto and Junko Noda. Niiyama's last work was the voice of Deedlit in Record of Lodoss War.

An italian actress, voice actress and ADR scriptwriter, mostly known for her roles as [Son Goku](https://anilist.co/character/246/Goku-Son), [Son Gohan](https://anilist.co/character/2093/Gohan-Son) and [Son Goten](https://anilist.co/character/2551/Goten-Son) as kids, as well as [Nico Robin](https://anilist.co/character/61/Robin-Nico), [Arale Norimaki](https://anilist.co/character/3182/Arale-Norimaki), [Suneo Honekawa](https://anilist.co/character/8261/Suneo-Honekawa), [Ayumi Yoshida](https://anilist.co/character/4228/Ayumi-Yoshida) and [Queen Serenity](https://anilist.co/character/17010/Queen-Serenity).

Welcome to Happy Berry! No, this isn’t a fruit stand, but the label dreamed up by aspiring fashion designer Mikako Koda. In her quest to make a name for herself in the fashion world, Mikako enters Yazawa Arts Academy, a prestigious art school, alongside her strictly platonic childhood friend Tsutomu. But there's one problem—Tsutomu's uncanny resemblance to a rock star skyrockets him to popularity and leads him to date the prettiest girl in school. Now Mikako can’t help but wonder if what she feels is jealousy.
 
(Source: Viz Media)

An alternate retelling of the beginning of the original series. 
Mikako and Tsutomu lived next door to each other since they were little. They both attend an art school, where Mikako is pursuing her dream of being a fashion designer. 
They formed a club called Akindo with several of their friends. Akindo participates in flea markets, where they sell their creations--clothes, dolls, and artwork.

Risa Kanzaki