MAISON IKKOKU

DESCRIPTION

CAST

SPECIAL DramaMaison Ikkoku: Prelude - Meguru Haru no Sakura no you ni...
MOVIE ComedyMaison Ikkoku: Kanketsu-hen
MANGA ComedyMaison Ikkoku
OVA ComedyMaison Ikkoku: Ikkoku-tou Nanpa Shimatsu ki
ANIME ComedyUrusei Yatsura

REVIEWS

• 

  unimportantuser

  100/100
  Maison #1 romance anime

  Maison Ikkoku is a slice of life romance series that was based off the manga of the same name written by Rumiko Takahashi, who I believe needs no introduction. The anime was adapted by Studio Deen, which can either be a good or bad thing, on one hand Deen made the Rurouni Kenshin Trust & Betrayal OVAs. On the other hand though, they created Ranma ½. Without further ado, let's see where this 96 episode anime takes us.

  Story:

  The story involves Yuusaku Godai, a young & poor individual who flunked his college entrance exam & is now studying to retake them. Problem is, Godai lives with a group of rowdy tenants at the titular boarding house. He’s decided that he’s had enough of their antics and decides he wants to move out. Before he can however, the new manager Otonashi Kyoko moves in just before Godai can move out. Falling in love at first sight changes Godai’s mind on moving out, and he decides to stay.

  This story isn’t very complex, however the incredibly strong writing on Maison’s part helps mitigate this fact. Maison does an incredible job at developing our two leads, Godai, who starts off as a bit of an immature punk, becomes a fine, mature gentlemen. Kyoko on the other hand, we’re fed more information about her past life & much like Godai, we get to see her gain maturity. The development is slow, but it’s very much there, there’s a pretty distinct difference between the Godai & Kyoko of the beginning, middle, & end of the series.

  Lets not forget though, Maison Ikkoku is classed as a comedy. I find the comedy to be pretty funny. I’m going to reveal a bit about myself, I hate most comedy in anime. I find most comedy in anime tends to rely on being random & loud. Thankfully, Maison’s comedy is well timed for the most part, & fits with the grounded nature of the series. What jokes do get out of hand & “unrealistic” are usually reserved for dream-sequences, though there are definitely a few bad jokes sprinkled in there. I especially love the antics of Yotsuya, but more on him later.

  If I could give a critique to one aspect of Maison’s story, I find it relies way too much on misunderstandings to create its drama. The misunderstandings themselves, aren’t my problem (most of the time anyway) as I find the misunderstandings to fit the nature of the series & make sense both logically & thematically (even if they are easily solvable most of the time). The problem arises with how frequently the series makes use of a misunderstanding to create a conflict in the story, it becomes repetitive & dull.

  Characters:

  I already mentioned our 2 leads, Kyoko & Godai in the story segment of my review, but I have yet to bring attention to other major characters, the tenants of Maison Ikkoku. Which consist of Hanae Ichinose, Kentaro, Yotsuya, & Akemi Roppongi. Ichinose is an alcoholic who loves partying. Yotsuya is a mysterious individual who doesn’t reveal anything about his personal life & loves tormenting “Young Godai”. Akemi is a, how should I put it? “Different” woman, who enjoys alcohol, getting a little risque, & teasing both Godai & Kyoko. While the tenants aren’t the deepest characters (or most likeable) that you’ll find in anime, they don’t have to be, they’re comedic characters. It also helps that not only do I find their antics to be pretty funny a lot of the time, but they all help to drive the plot along. No matter how small, just about every side character contributes something to the narrative, & I appreciate that heavily about Maison Ikkoku.

  Next on our chopping block, we have Coach Mitaka, Godai’s rival in love, MAL labels him as side character, but honestly he’s a main character, although he doesn’t appear until episode 9 of the series (similar to how Asuka doesn’t appear until episode 8 of Neon Genesis Evangelion). Mitaka is a tennis coach with a lot of money, to put it simply, he’s pretty much the polar opposite of Godai, to quote a line from the series “Youth is the only thing you have against me”. Mitaka is a bit weak admittedly, however I feel as though the story does more than enough to make Mitaka come off as more than just ‘Oh we needed a rival in love for Godai so we just plopped him in for no other reason”. Which in turn, makes it to where Maison would be worse off without him there.

  The next character I have to discuss is Yukari Godai, or “Grandma Godai”. Yukari, although recurring & not really a mainstay in the cast, is still important, she does a lot of things throughout the storyline to help Godai not only further his relationship with Kyoko, but grow as a person. I’m honestly not a fan of the design that Takahashi went with for Yukari. As it would fit in more with Urusei Yatsura than it does Maison Ikkoku, but it’s an aspect that I’m willing to overlook because Yukari does so much for the storyline & is an incredibly strong character in her own right.

  Our final big player that I’m going to mention is Nanao Kozue, Kyoko’s sort of rival to Godai. Honestly, if I can criticize something again, it’s this trope. I’m really not happy that Maison popularized this trope, of all the things future rom-coms could’ve taken from this show, they just had to take this trope. Godai’s romantic interests clearly lie on Kyoko, and the series makes it painfully obvious. That being said though, Kozue is still a great character in her own right, so I’m willing to partially overlook that stupid trope that Maison unfortunately helped popularize. Kozue, much like Mitaka, still does quite a lot of things to further the plot of the series, & without her, Maison wouldn’t be the same. Much like Mitaka however, I do find her a bit of a weak link in the incredibly strong cast of this series, however that said, I still like her quite a lot.

  Art:

  Maison Ikkoku is a series from 1986, so the art is partially dated, that said though, the series looks absolutely gorgeous, I’d argue one of, if not the best looking TV anime of its time. This isn’t going to compare to movies like ‘Akira” or “Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind” however, compared to anime that was airing on TV around the same time that Maison was, Maison absolutely curb-stomps those in terms of looks (Just compare the likes of Touch to Maison & you’ll see what I mean). The town of Clock Hill looks like such a real location, you could almost be fooled into thinking that the town is a real location. The colors are also absolutely gorgeous, there’s a great variety in the color pallete, & they achieve just the right balance of being visible but not washed out. Sunny scenes in the show look just as well as dark scenes, because Maison makes darkness out of color rather than making the screen pitch black to the point where you can hardly see anything (take notes Evangelion 1.0). The animation is splendid, I wouldn’t call it “spectacular” overall, but the series does animate well & has plenty of great sequences & scenarios. There aren’t very many times where the animators decided to get cheap & lazy, and what moments that do come off as such don’t even begin to compare to some of the cheap & lazy animation that works such as “Macorss”, “Touch”, & “Hokuto No Ken” could achieve at times. Maison Ikkoku is consistently well animated throughout its 96 episode run, which isn’t something many other series can say.

  Sound:

  The voice work on display is phenomenal, there isn’t one performance in this series that I don’t like. “Sumi Shimamoto” is beautiful as Kyoko Otonashi, I couldn’t imagine anybody else in the role. I have similar sentiments for “Issei Futamata” as Godai, though I wouldn’t go as far as to call that performance “beautiful”, instead, I’ll just stick with “stellar”. “Shigeru Chiba” as Yotsua is just funny, this beautiful man’s performance almost constantly makes me laugh my ass off. One thing I really appreciate about Maison is how natural the dialogue sounds, which is incredibly fitting given the grounded nature of this series, but it’s just another detail as to why I have a lot of great things to say about this anime.

  The soundtrack was composed by legendary “Ghost in the Shell” composer Kenji Kawai. Even back in 1986, it’s clear that Kenji was still bringing his A-game. Kenji’s score is beautiful, I know I’ve probably used that word a lot throughout this review, but that’s how I feel about it. His compositions just fit damn near masterfully with just about any tone that a scene will set, there’s comedic pieces, somber pieces, & happy pieces. I strongly recommend either going to youtube or downloading the tracks for yourselves & giving them a listen.

  Final Thoughts/Overall

  Can I rave now? I can!? Hooray! I’m not going to sugarcoat it anymore, Maison Ikkoku is my favorite anime of all time! I love just about everything this anime has to offer. The 2 leads are incredibly likeable characters who are just impossible for me to hate, they’re given very distinct flaws in their character, which also makes them incredibly balanced. The side characters are not only funny, but they become more than just side characters by actually helping to drive the plot along without hogging the spotlight from our 2 leads. The writing is incredibly strong, the soundtrack is a beautiful piece of work, and the series looks gorgeous. My final rating for Maison Ikkoku gets, do I even need to say it? An incredibly enthusiastic 10/10. I can’t promise everyone will feel the same way about this series that I do, but I hope my review could at least tell you why this is my favorite anime ever made. Random piece of trivia, a little bit I find clever about Ikkoku is that the characters last names correspond with their room numbers “Oto” = sound “Nashi” = without (0). “Ichi” = 1. “Yotsu” = 4. “Go” = 5. Roppongi- "roku" (first kanji is the kanji for six) = "six"

  Continue on AniList
• 

  Kaiser

  70/100
  Join Yusaku and Kyoko as they face both their past and future for the sake of love

  ­
  ­
  ­
  ­
  Romance is not always about being in a reciprocal relationship or longing for it. In Maison Ikkoku, it is about the human struggle to grow or change for another person's sake. It showcases the story of two characters that, on their own and with each other's help, have to overcome, respectively, the monsters of their past and future.
  ­
  ­

  

  ­
  Maison Ikkoku, from the french for "home" and the japanese for "a moment", is Rumiko Takahashi's attempt at a more down to earth love story. The interchangeable protagonism between the two leads, Yuusaku Godai and Kyouko Otonashi, the supporting characters laid out in a semi-nuclear fashion and the plot that never forgets, but only builds up, makes Maison Ikkoku a light, compact soap opera that almost never fails to deliver sentimentality. With almost no cheap exposition, the series characters are given all the time in the world and a myriad of conflicts to grow and change.

  ­

  

  ­
  Our male protagonist, Godai-san, is a jobless and short tempered boy that is presented as wasting away and has nothing going on for his future. He lives in a room on Ikkoku-kan, a boarding house in Tokyo, together with a gang made up of the most crazy-assed, utter trash all the while somewhat kindhearted tenants on Earth. Fed up with them, he decides to move out, but chance gets him lovestruck with the biggest mountain anyone had yet to climb: Ikkoku-kan's new manager and our female protagonist, Kyouko-san.

  ­

  

  ­

  She, on the other hand, is a woman that delivers herself with a composed and humble manner. Gentle, yet very assertive when needed to deal with the tenants that terrorize her new home, Kyouko-san seems just too perfect, implausible for her young age. We discover, though, that this maturity and outward atmosphere of perfection is mostly the outcome of a lancinanting, deep misery: her past.

  ­

  

  ­

  This journey of overcoming weakness and grief is not without its fair share of problems, however. Although a lot less than its contemporary cousin Kimagure Orange Road, there is some dubious character decision making in Maison Ikkoku. The series thoroughly abuses the usage of misunderstandings, and while some of it being from Kyouko-san side helps tone the issue down by raining over fire, it's still really present. Rumiko also won't refrain from randomly using some of the comic relief cast members to create or worsen these misunderstandings, and this can get pretty aggravating at times. By drama necessity, individuals can sometimes go for very questionable attempts of solving conflicts, which very often lead to (planned) bigger problems. I will, however, praise the author who somehow manages to softly close almost every single one of these absurdities.

  ­

  

  ­

  The overall plot is casually normal paced with the run-of-the-mill comical episodes everywhere (it will feel slow and/or inefficient when compared to today's ridiculously fast paced expository shows). And I'm extremely happy to stress this a lot since it's somewhat of an exception in the anime industry, but it goes all the way, has a conclusion, does the forbidden, lets the train stop, everyone sings their goodbyes and then ends.

  If you never watched this show, go for it. It'll most certainly pay the dividends of such a long run. And if you love it as much as I did, please hit me up and tell me your thoughts.

  Last but not least, thank you for reading.
  ­

  
  Continue on AniList
• 

  KrenZane

  75/100
  Romance traveling the human years, cleaning up the grime of one's inner houses

  Theoretically, romance traveling the human years begets an immediate reception perceiving it as more fetching than stories that feature compressed journeys of togetherness. Fiction following the footsteps of reality in slice-of-life romcom narratives always has incredible merits, for by scripting the march of everyday life to resemble the dull and dreary amidst the occasional spark of the hustle and bustle and furnishing it with the creative freedom of story-making, a person can create a reliable work for reflection, and allow others to experience a makeshift simulation of possible events.

  

  I often take a retrospective approach when writing up my post-completion thoughts, and looking back on it, I think Maison Ikkoku truly was an enjoyable show whose length is quite justifiable. Two things make it so that the way it kills time stays within reason: Godai's graduation (then employment) and Kyoko's status as a widow living to move on.

  As sadistic as it is to say, I gain enjoyment from Godai's miserable luck. This feeling might be similar to how the upper class derived amusement from colosseum gladiators fighting for their lives in desperation--but of course there is a galaxy-wide distinction between relishing real-life bloody spectacles and finding meaningful connection with a wimpy college kid near the same age as I fighting life's battles and always coming home tattered...yet inevitably evolving from the struggles albeit in such a staggering pace. Someone so pathetic, insecure, weak-willed; someone whose eyes constantly avert from their own priorities; someone without direction and is therefore prone to the whims of life; someone like Godai whose skillsets are subpar to even secure a comfortable livelihood for himself growing throughout the years holds a mirror to the viewer and asks them to comprehend the insanity of the non-linear personal development of someone without fate's favor, which covers a large portion of our population.

  An author mercilessly flaunting their protagonist's flaws in appropriate settings such as in Maison Ikkoku is enduringly satisfying to see, especially when the object being sought after is nigh unreachable. Protagonists usually have an impossible dream ahead of them right? Godai's infuriating writing really escapes the screen, making it all the more rewarding once he's grown up much better by the end.

  

  For much of the duration, we see the story through Godai's eyes. This approach lights up Kyoko as the ideal goal of the story. It didn't really help that she was locked behind the "manager" persona. Adding to that we had a long, dark age when it comes to her past apart from that she is a widow who names her dog after her late husband, goes to tennis classes, is being fought between Godai and Mitaka, and is one BEAUTIFULLY designed woman.

  

  A goal, a character playing a role, and less of a character in a living story, Kyoko just didn't have much deeper to her going yet. Those times we are only being misled by how she is an ideal woman for possessing the traits of a traditional domestic house lady, when in reality she too had many things to process and has undesirable characteristics any normal human being would have.

  Kyoko is the final piece of Maison Ikkoku, a messy story about messy people, and being so, naturally knowing her flaws open up the doors of the apartment--that is, her heart, for is not moving on a path that leads one to migrate to another world, and is not love about opening yourself up? Her surprising temper when dealing with her family especially, her severe indecisiveness mingling with unaware hypocrisy, her need for external validation--the need to be needed wraps up the feeling, for in her mourning state the loss of affection might have somehow influenced her to "like" receiving the thing that she now does not have, inhibiting her to decline either Mitaka or Godai's advances much sooner, warding the hungry dogs off with the "I'm a widow" card instead which she knows does not work on them at all. Grieving because "no one (general people) loves me" I think can go alongside grieving because "no one (late partner) can love me anymore". I don't know what being widowed feels like, and I also do not know what truly goes on deep in the mind of a person squeezed between two suitors, but given the context and the timing of her decisions, as well as a particular line, I'm led to think in that certain way.

  

  Once again, it is merely an influence, not a deciding factor, because of course her being scared of entering a relationship with someone because she is scared he will die before her again is her whole deal. The assertive youth she once was, and the aggressive spirit of the high schooler Yagami, were buried under real fear due to a sudden, real experience. And also, it's perfectly human to want to be depended upon.

  I like the dynamic of Godai and Kyoko a lot. She actually can be considered as no different than Godai with respect to skillset, for Kyoko never went to college due to marrying Soichiro after graduation. With no degree, her mother is scared of her future outside Maison Ikkoku (she says this to her child as she rattles off Kyoko's deficiencies in typical Asian style). This makes Kyoko so much more similar to Godai, whose will is constantly being tested by the tenants on the topic of his future, being a no-name in a third-rate university and all. I can go as far as to say they're close equals: Godai as a 20th-century man is duty-bound to secure financial stability for the person he wishes to take care of all his life, and Kyoko as a widow and a degree-less "damaged goods" has to stay in Ikkoku or else the future is pretty bleak. Both are pressured by societal expectations normalized during that time period and cultural conditions, making the story so much more realistic and immersive.

  And then, we have the dreaded abuse of misunderstandings. There have been a few tasteful meals Takahashi Rumiko made from it, such as Mitaka's wedding being wrapped up because of McEnroe (here Mitaka's conquered fear bit him in the butt, and a dog sealing his loyalty to a woman was super suitable when thinking about his fright against the species a jab at his faithlessness, being a known player and all). But overall, the best I could do was just grin and bear it. If we could take away two-thirds of it then the loss would still be negligible--it simply lacks creativity. That technique is not Maison Ikkoku's charm at all. With Godai, sometimes it makes sense for him to misunderstand the situation due to his weak-willed character, but even then he could just man up a little bit and say one measly sentence. This goes to everyone else in the cast too, who have less excuse to act as such. I took less mind against it during the last quarter of the series due to the extreme boost in quality allowing a bit of breathing room for the stain to make its way with the plot, with the series taking itself more seriously, but man was it downright tasteless so many times before.

  On a related note, the tenants overdid their act. Although not outright despising them for outstandingly despicable behavior, during the midgame they can only gain a couple of silent laughs from me, and not even that, but a small number of slight air-pushing through the nose. When I'm not poked at optimistically, my reactions were dismissive of their existence, as if they were inconsequential obstacles when they try so hard to be so, as if this feeling of annoyance they strive to bait from me is unneeded and therefore cannot rise up when it has surfaced once already. Yeah, they're a fun little crew indispensable in smearing the atmosphere as it should be and being challengers of Godai's plans, and Yotsuya is pure amusement, but instead of the group's actions per se I focus more on their abstract relevance (even if at times it has to be scraped to be seen), and sitting on the idea that they could be imaginary people, just the personification of the messy rooms within Godai and Kyoko's inner houses.

  To continue with the topic of complaints, Kentaro should have more screentime! The child is too adorable not to be given more focus. I need to see him and his villain arc from being stuck in the apartment whose noise pierces through dimensions. Being a kid with a mother like Ichinose-san has gotta be absurdly stressful. I wholeheartedly believe he suffers equally with Godai, just because of the frequent negligence by Ichinose-san and the indirect stain to the environment the party trio brings. That one episode where the tenants went on a rare vacation together, and instead of having the luxury of comfortable accommodation and a refreshing new assortment of meals, Yotsuya, Ichinose-san, and Akemi instead used the financial funds for drinks! Poor Kentaro had the excitement stolen away by selfish adults.

  And oh yeah, whatever happened to the apartment itself having a rich history during the attic episode early in the series? It was a good spot to step foot on because of the place being the very title of the show. They didn't do anything to expound upon that ever again apart from the filler episode where the apartment was at risk of being taken down, which is a shame. Maison Ikkoku, "The House of One-Moment", whose every energetic day adds to its long legacy, filled with tenants who appreciate the present. Such a shame.

  ---

  What a fun romantic story Maison Ikkoku is. The premise upheld itself to the end, and resisted the antagonizing elements, the societal norms which I was anxious would be surrendered to by Godai succumbing to a corporate job and Kyoko pressuring Godai to go for it (which I know at that point was already improbable considering the time they've spent together so transparently in one apartment). I'm genuinely elated that the length didn't dilute my care for the main characters to a sad degree, partly owing to the anime team's prowess and partly due to me just wanting to have a chill time whenever I play an episode randomly, a mindset that has sort of faded within considerably. After all, entertainment media is meant to intake simple pleasures.

  

  The greatest benefit of watching: unlocking rightful access to 80s anime aesthetics!

  Continue on AniList

SIMILAR ANIMES YOU MAY LIKE

• ANIME

  DramaTouch
• ANIME

  ActionKimagure Orange☆Road
• ANIME

  ActionRanma 1/2
• ANIME

  ActionYAWARA! a fashionable judo girl!
• ANIME

  ComedyBokura wa Minna Kawaisou
• ANIME

  ComedyHachimitsu to Clover
• ANIME

  ComedyUrusei Yatsura
• ANIME

  ComedyHiatari Ryoukou!
• ANIME

  ComedyGokinjo Monogatari
• ANIME

  DramaSuzuka
• ANIME

  ComedySakurasou no Pet na Kanojo
• ANIME

  ActionRanma 1/2: Nettou-hen