cover image PARA PARA

PARA PARA

Andy Seto, . . ComicsOne, $13.95 (142pp) ISBN 978-1-58899-373-1

In this graphic novel from Hong Kong, Seto spins the video game dance craze Para Para into a melodramatic romance. He deals with young lovers engaged in dance competitions, à la Saturday Night Fever , with Para Para substituting for disco. The heroine, Yuki, seems arrogant at first, showing off her lap swimming abilities; she's the type who needs to prove her self-worth through her athletic prowess. She thus becomes determined to win a Para Para duel against a more experienced dancer. Seto has undertaken a considerable challenge in telling a story about dance through the static medium of comics, but hasn't found a solution. The dancers seem to be merely striking poses, moving their arms rather than their entire bodies, without providing readers with a visual way to judge the dancers' abilities. The story descends into a morass of clichés. Yuki meets the handsome Dennis, who isn't just a top dancer but a noble ex-gangster who was in love with Yuki's lookalike sister, Mary, who was gunned down on their wedding day. Yuki and Dennis fall in love, natch, and Dennis turns out to be terminally ill. Aiming high, Seto explicitly compares his lovers with Romeo and Juliet. One character says Mary came from a wealthy family like Juliet's, while Dennis came from the "streets" like Romeo. Of course this is wrong: the Montagues were the Capulets' equals. Seto has misunderstood Shakespeare's story, just as he's failed to grasp the difference between genuine romantic tragedy and sentimental kitsch. (Jan.)