title_name =Maison Ikkoku
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Volume 1 of Japanese edition of ''Maison Ikkoku'' Wideban manga
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めぞん一刻
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Maison Ikkoku
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Animanga/Anime| Information
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'''' is a
Manga by
Rumiko Takahashi which ran in the
Manga Magazine ''
Big Comic Spirits '' from 1980 through 1987. ''Maison Ikkoku'' is a bitter-sweet comedic romance involving a group of madcap people who live in a boarding house in contemporary
Tokyo . The story focuses primarily on the blossoming relationship between Yūsaku Godai—a poor student down on his luck—and Kyōko Otonashi, the young, recently-widowed boarding house manager. The manga has been translated into
English and fourteen volumes spanning the series are available from
Viz Communications .
The manga was adapted into a 96-episode
TV Anime series which ran on
Fuji TV from
March 26 ,
1986 to
March 2 ,
1988 . The anime included some
Story Arc s not covered in the
Manga , and is notable for being the only one of Rumiko Takahashi's four long-running series wherein the television series ending corresponds to the manga ending. A ''Final Chapter'' movie, three
OVA s (one original story and two summaries), and a music special were also produced.
A
Live Action movie was also made by
Toei in 1986, though it deviates strongly from the story in the manga and anime.
Names are in Western order, with the
Surname after the given name. All of the tenants' names involve a pun on the character's room number. With the exceptions of Mr. Yotsuya and Mrs. Ichinose, main characters tend to refer to and address each other informally with their given names; however Yūsaku, while usually referring to her by her given name, almost always addresses Kyōko with her job title of "manager." The anime
Seiyū , or voice actor, is listed directly after the name of the character.
- (音無 響子 ''Otonashi Kyōko''), voiced by Sumi Shimamoto . A beautiful young woman who takes on the task of managing a broken-down rooming house. Early in the series, it is revealed that Kyōko was recently widowed only six months after her wedding, and she is very hesitant to enter a new relationship because of her continuing feelings for her late husband. Generally friendly and likable, she develops affection for Yūsaku, and has a tendency to dote over Yūsaku (the other tentants ridicule her for acting "like a good wife") and sometimes becomes "inexplicably" jealous around him (though she denies it is jealousy). She lives in the manager's room, which does not have a number.
- (五代 裕作 ''Godai Yūsaku''), voiced by Issei Futamata . Yūsaku begins the story as a Ronin who is studying for his college entrance exams after failing in the past year. He does eventually get into a third-tier college (with Kyōko's help). He has a tendency to get pushed around by the other tenants of Ikkoku, who habitually use Yūsaku's room as a communal gathering place for frequent drinking binges. Yūsaku falls in love with Kyōko at first sight. During the course of the series Yūsaku matures into a honorable man who becomes worthy of Kyōko, just as his love for her grows from an infatuation to a lasting and devoted love. He lives in apartment 5 (''Go'')
- (一の瀬 花枝 ''Ichinose Hanae''), voiced by Kazuyo Aoki . A middle-aged lady who is rarely seen sober. Her Wage-slave husband seldom appears in the manga and is completely unknown to the other tenants until he gets temporarily laid off. She enjoys joining in with the other tenants to stir up trouble for Yūsaku and Kyōko, but she occasionally acts with good intentions for the two, especially Kyōko, whom she sees as a "younger sister" (willfully ignoring the difference in their ages, as the other tenants point out). However, even when she is acting with the best of intentions, her way of doing things often leave Yūsaku, Kyōko or both in worse situations than if she hadn't gotten involved. Mrs. Ichinose is also an incurable gossip who relishes her room's proximity to the communal telephone. She lives with her husband and her son Kentarō in apartment 1 (''ichi'')
- (一の瀬 賢太郎 ''Ichinose Kentarō''), voiced by Chika Sakamoto . Kentarō begins the story as grade-school-aged brat, generally seen trying to get between his mother and her bottle. Initially, he is antagonistic towards Yūsaku, but events soon see him to look upon Yūsaku as an "alright guy." He is also very fond of Kyōko, especially because he sees her as the only sane person in the building other than himself. He develops a crush on Kyōko's niece Ikuko, reminding Yūsaku of himself (although Kentarō resents the comparison).
- (四谷), voiced by Shigeru Chiba . A mysterious man who finds enjoyment in mooching, voyeurism, and generally tormenting his next-door neighbor Yūsaku; he is famous for breaking a hole through the adjoining wall in order to be with "young Godai" (and to use Yūsaku's room to peep into Akemi's). He is usually seen dressed in a business suit or similarly formal attire and tends to speak in a very formal manner (even while drinking and partying with Akemi and Mrs. Ichinose), but what life he may have outside of Maison Ikkoku is a complete mystery to everyone. Mr. Yotsuya claims to have a job (but is not above stealing Yūsaku's food) and comes and goes at odd and changing hours, keeping a schedule known only to himself. He torments Yūsaku directly and Kyōko indirectly, as it is her job to repair the damage done by Mr. Yotsuya. He lives in apartment 4. His given name in unknown. He provided more than one given name, including Tamezo and Goro. His true name, like his profession, remains a mystery. ''Yotsuya'', which means "four valleys", is the name of a district in Tokyo associated with a famous ghost story.
- (六本木朱美 ''Roppongi Akemi''), voiced by Yūko Mita . A boozy bar hostess who is usually known to lounge around wearing skimpy lingerie while hanging around Ikkoku; Mrs. Ichinose occasionally complains when strangers are around, but generally the tenants have gotten used to her ways. She lives in apartment 6 (''Roku'') and works a short distance away in a bar named Cha-Cha Maru, where the tenants gather to drink when not in Yūsaku's room. She is known to let some of the bar's male patrons buy her too many drinks, and often comes home from work drunk. She is generally aloof towards both Yūsaku and Kyōko, but she is not above joining Mr. Yotsuya in tormenting Yūsaku. Her surname (which means "six trees") is also the name of a famous Red Light District in Tokyo, Roppongi .
- . This name properly belongs to two characters, Sōichirō the dog (惣一郎さん, ''Sōichirō-san''), and Sōichirō Otonashi (音無惣一郎 ''Otonashi Sōichirō''), Kyōko's late husband.
- --- The dog, voiced by Shigeru Chiba. A large, white, "mangy" dog, found as a stray by Sōichirō Otonashi. He was originally named "Shiro" ("Whitey"), but he only responded to the name "Sōichirō" and so Kyōko insists on calling him "Sōichirō-san" in memory of her husband. Other than providing comic relief, he serves to remind both Kyōko and Yūsaku of the man he was named after, and serves as a foil to Shun Mitaka. Kentarō enjoys playing with him and considers him his pet.
- --- The husband, voiced by Hideyuki Tanaka . Kyōko and Sōichirō met during high school when she was a student there and he was a temporary teacher. They eventually married, albeit with great opposition from Kyōko's family. Sōichirō died of an unspecified cause (accident is implied), leaving Kyōko a very young widow. As a running gag, his face is never shown in the series (usually to Yūsaku's frustration), always either in shadow or otherwise obscured in photographs. Sōichirō's family, especially his father, is still very close to Kyōko, who still holds on to the Otonashi family name.
- (三鷹瞬 ''Mitaka Shun''), voiced by Akira Kamiya . Shun, in sharp contrast to Yūsaku, is wealthy, educated, and hails from an elite family. Mitaka works as a ladies' tennis coach more out of love for the sport than any need for financial support. He is young (though older than both Yūsaku and Kyōko), handsome, and his teeth have a trademark sparkle whenever he smiles. Kyōko begins to take tennis lessons from him early in the series, and Shun begins to court her. His biggest obstacle in the beginning is his morbid fear of dogs, which makes it difficult for him to be with Kyōko when Sōichirō is around. While very interested in and devoted to Kyōko, he is very popular with other women (such as Akemi: "Can I have him when you're done with him?") and has something of a reputation as a womanizer, a reputation not entirely undeserved (most of his more grievous actions have innocent explanations, but Shun has admitted to dating many women). However Kyōko's mother strongly approves of him as a potential future husband of Kyōko (to Yūsaku's chagrin).
- ---Shun recognizes Yūsaku as a rival for Kyōko's affection (and vice versa) and the two are usually antagonistic towards each other. Shun's actions towards Yūsaku are somewhere between magnanimous and condescending, depending on if Kyōko is around, and he is not above trying to position Kozue as a wedge between Yūsaku and Kyōko. But while Shun and Yūsaku are rivals, they both share moments where they bond over their mutual frustration over Kyōko's reluctance to fall in love with anyone.
- ---Kyōko generally likes Shun and regards him as a suitor, but is apprehensive about his forwardness and occasionally feels pressured by him (Shun doesn't want to force a relationship with her, but will often "bend the rules"). It can be unclear whether Shun is interested more in Kyōko herself or more in "saving" Kyōko from what he sees as a degrading life as a widow in Maison Ikkoku, putting him in the stereotypical role of the "knight in shining armor." Although he is one of the characters who does not live in Ikkoku-kan, his name is representative of the number three.
- (七尾こずえ ''Nanao Kozue''), voiced by Miina Tominaga . Kozue is Godai's steady date ("girlfriend" may be too strong a word, at least in Yūsaku's view) and generally serves as an obstacle for Yūsaku in his pursuit of Kyōko. Cute, sweet, and a little scatter-brained, she's oblivious to the fact that she is more interested in Yūsaku than he is in her, and she doesn't recognize Kyōko (or later, Ibuki) as competition for Yūsaku's affection. Their relationship starts after Kozue finds Yūsaku with a spare movie ticket (originally intended for Kyōko, who had just started dating Shun) and she invites herself along, setting the general theme for their relationship. Yūsaku would like to come forward and break things off Kozue, however he either cannot find the right opportunity to do so without hurting Kozue's feelings deeply (Yūsaku's view) or he is unwilling to "be a man" and stand up for himself (Kyōko's view). The situation becomes more complicated after Kozue introduces Yūsaku to her family (Yūsaku didn't know Kozue's plan until they had already arrived at her home), who approves of Yūsaku and is all too willing to feed the perpetually starving college student.
- ---Kyōko doesn't dislike Kozue and always responds to Kozue's genuine friendliness in kind, but Kozue's relationship with Yūsaku does trigger Kyōko's jealousy (which she won't admit as such) and as a result Yūsaku always takes pains to keep all mention of Kozue away from Kyōko. Yūsaku finds Kozue attractive, and admits to himself that he would have fallen for her if Kyōko weren't in the picture, but because of his feelings for Kyōko he strives to maintain some sort of distance from Kozue; his naivete (both feigned and genuine) keeps their relationship platonic.
- ---Kozue's surname means "seven tails."
- (八神いぶき ''Yagami Ibuki''), voiced by Yuriko Fuchizaki . As a part of his studies, Yūsaku was a student-teacher briefly in the high school Ibuki was attending (which was the same school Kyōko attended, where she met Sōichirō). Ibuki was at first unimpressed with "that mope" (1st ed. of English manga) or "that dork" (2nd ed.), ridiculing one of her classmates for her short-lived crush on Yūsaku. But Ibuki developed her own crush on Yūsaku after misinterpreting him as a sort of tragic romantic hero. Even after she spends more time around Yūsaku (and possibly learning that her first impression was more accurate), however, her feelings for Yūsaku persist even after his tenure at her school ends. Ibuki tends to hatch devious plots that put her together with Yūsaku, usually putting him into a compromising situation. Yūsaku wants nothing to do with her but she refuses to be denied.
- ---Kyōko at first lets Ibuki play out what Kyōko sees as a simple schoolgirl crush, even acting on occasion to "protect Ibuki from Yūsaku," but eventually sides with Yūsaku when it becomes clear that he is the one that needs protection. But Kyōko is continually frustrated with what she perceives as Yūsaku's unwillingness to stand up for himself, as with Kozue. Ibuki, on the other hand, initially sees Kyōko as a role model for getting married to her own high school teacher, but later comes to recognize "that widow" as a rival for Yūsaku's affections and often confronts her, even pushing Kyōko to admit that she loves Yūsaku, and calling her a coward when she won't. It can be difficult to determine whether Ibuki is more interested in Yūsaku himself or in what she perceives as the tragic romance of their (her) situation.
- ---Ibuki's surname means "eight gods." She is voiced by Alexandra Carter in English translations.
- (一の瀬氏 ''Ichinose-shi''), voiced by Minoru Yada . Hanae Ichinose's husband. He only appears occasionally in the series. He is a hard-working salaryman.
- (二階堂望 ''Nikaidō Nozomu''), voiced by Ryō Horikawa . Originally intending to move into an upscale establishment called "Rikkoku-kan" ("Rikkoku" in Viz' translation), a typographical error on the lease papers brings him to Maison Ikkoku relatively late into the story as an accidental tenant. He led a relatively sheltered life before entering the story, and he moved into Maison Ikkoku as he started college against the wishes of his protective mother. Nozomu initially strikes Kyōko as a very well-mannered boy, while most other tenants see him as a "sheltered mama's boy." Aside from his long-running vendetta against Mr. Yotsuya (Nozomu retaliates to Mr. Yotsuya's invasions, in contrast to Yūsaku), he is known for being incredibly dense ("I don't get it") and is totally oblivious to the situation between Yūsaku, Kyōko, and their respective love triangles. He moves into the long-empty apartment 2.
- ---Nozomu only appears in the manga and the movie. His lines are largely given to Yotsuya or Kentarō in the TV series.
- (九条明日菜; ''Kujō Asuna''), voiced by Hiromi Tsuru . A classically demure Japanese maiden from a wealthy family ( Kujō Family implied), Asuna is pretty, kind-hearted, shy around people and innocent to a fault. Her family and Shun's uncle has arranged a traditional Japanese marriage between she and Shun (against Shun's wishes). In contrast to Shun, Asuna is a dog lover and she is initially attracted to Shun (approving of their engagement) because her many dogs seem to approve of him. Shun would like to end their arranged engagement, but often finds himself unable to, either because of his fear of her dogs or his fear of hurting her feelings (mirroring the situation between Yūsaku and Kozue). Asuna is initially unaware of Shun's feelings for Kyōko, but she is not above pursuing Shun, albeit in her own fashion. Her surname Kujō means "Ninth Avenue" in Kyoto.
- (音無郁子 ''Otonashi Ikuko''), voiced by Mayumi Shō . Kyōko's young niece from her marriage to Sōichirō. On a visit to Maison Ikkoku, Ikuko meets Yūsaku and quickly becomes fond of him. Ikuko insists that Yūsaku becomes her tutor as she approaches entry into high school, though it seems she's more interested in goofing off with him rather than actually studying. Kyōko initially tries to dissuade Ikuko and later tends to hover when the two are together, hoping to keep Yūsaku from corrupting Ikuko with his lazy habits, but it is more often Ikuko who steers conversation away from her studies and more towards gossip. Tutoring Ikuko becomes Yūsaku's first steady source of income as well as his first major attempt to demonstrate his maturity and reliability to Kyōko.
- (茶々丸のマスター ''Cha-Cha Maru no Masutā''), voiced by Norio Wakamoto . Akemi's boss (no name is given other than "Master"). Initially an incidental character when the tenants of Maison Ikkoku go someplace other than Yūsaku's room to drink, he is often seen complaining when the tenants are trashing the furniture, scaring away other patrons, or specifically when Akemi seems to be taking her own drinks rather than serving them to others. Later, the owner occasionally acts as the voice of reason, all too often being the only sober person in the room when something important happens, whether the other characters are either drunk on alcohol (Akemi, Mrs. Ichinose, Mr. Yotsuya), their own strong emotions (Kyōko and Yūsaku), or a mixture of the two. He tolerates Akemi's obvious incompetence as a waitress because his feelings for her are more than just that of a boss to an employee. At the end of the series, he tells Akemi that he has just gotten divorced and proposed to her, thus finally making an honest woman out of Akemi.
- (響子の父 ''Kyōko no Chichi'', literally "Kyōko's dad"; 千草律子 ''Chigusa Ritsuko''), voiced by Kōsei Tomita (father) and Minori Matsushima (Ritsuko). Kyōko's parents. Initially against Kyōko's marriage to Sōichirō, they (especially her mother, Ritsuko) wish to see their daughter continue her life, preferably remarrying. Ritsuko is quite taken with Shun and sees him as a suitible husband for her daughter, while Kyōko's father sees the handsome Shun as a potential womanizer who will only break his "little girl's" heart. Neither of them seem to notice Yūsaku's existence (their inability to remember his name is used as a running gag), let alone the bond both he and Kyōko share, and their obsession with Shun only frustrates Yūsaku. Both Ritsuko and Kyōko tend to address Mr. Chigusa as "Daddy" or "Father."
- (坂本), voiced by Toshio Furukawa . Yūsaku's friend and drinking buddy (usually at Sakamoto's insistence) from school. Sakamoto has his own woman troubles, though in contrast to Yūsaku his difficulty is finding the right one. Sakamoto occasionally offers Yūsaku a roof to live under when situations temporarily force him out of Maison Ikkoku, and even has a word or two of insight on love for Yūsaku, but more often than not the nights the two spend drinking together (often to lament that Sakamoto got dumped again) get Yūsaku in trouble with Kyōko for one reason or another.
- (五代ゆかり ''Godai Yukari''), voiced by Hisako Kyōda . Yūsaku's grandmother. She usually lives with Yūsaku's parents out in the country in the Godai family restaurant, but she occasionally comes to visit her favorite grandson in Tokyo (though Yūsaku would rather she didn't). Akemi, Mrs. Ichinose and Mr. Yotsuya love when she visits as she always joins them in their drinking, however "Grandma" Godai does not torment Yūsaku in quite the same way. She truly cares for her grandson, recognizes his situation with Kyōko, and her schemes are ultimately constructive for the two of them (and, in contrast to Mrs. Ichinose, she's far more successful at it).
- (三越善三郎 ''Mitsukoshi Zenzaburō''), voiced by Katsunosuke Hori . An original character for the anime (does not appear in the manga).
- (音無老人 ''Otonashi Rōjin'', literally "the elder Otonashi"), voiced by Ryūji Saikachi . The owner of Maison Ikkoku, and Kyōko's former father-in-law.
- (マッケンロー ''Makkenrō''). Shun's Pomeranian , which he bought to help himself get over his fear of dogs. His name refers to tennis legend John McEnroe .
- (サラダ ''Sarada''). Asuna's Pomeranian, one of her many pet dogs. Salad later gave birth to a litter of puppies after being impregnated by McEnroe. A misunderstanding takes place, prompting Shun to propose to Asuna.
- Volume 1, ISBN 4091804519
- Volume 2, ISBN 4091804527
- Volume 3, ISBN 4091804535
- Volume 4, ISBN 4091804543
- Volume 5, ISBN 4091804551
- Volume 6, ISBN 409180456X
- Volume 7, ISBN 4091804578
- Volume 8, ISBN 4091804586
- Volume 9, ISBN 4091804594
- Volume 10, ISBN 4091804608
- Volume 11, ISBN 4091808913
- Volume 12, ISBN 4091808921
- Volume 13, ISBN 409180893X
- Volume 14, ISBN 4091808948
- Volume 15, ISBN 4091808956
- Volume 1, ISBN 4091838014
- Volume 2, ISBN 4091838022
- Volume 3, ISBN 4091838030
- Volume 4, ISBN 4091838049
- Volume 5, ISBN 4091838057
- Volume 6, ISBN 4091838065
- Volume 7, ISBN 4091838073
- Volume 8, ISBN 4091838081
- Volume 9, ISBN 409183809X
- Volume 10, ISBN 4091838103
- Volume 1, ISBN 409192171X
- Volume 2, ISBN 4091921728
- Volume 3, ISBN 4091921736
- Volume 4, ISBN 4091921744
- Volume 5, ISBN 4091921752
- Volume 6, ISBN 4091921760
- Volume 7, ISBN 4091921779
- Volume 8, ISBN 4091921787
- Volume 9, ISBN 4091921795
- Volume 10, ISBN 4091921809
- Volume 1, ISBN 1569310440
- ''Family Affairs'', Volume 2, ISBN 1417662158
- ''Home Sweet Home'', Volume 3, ISBN 1569310866
- ''Good Housekeeping'', Volume 4, ISBN 156931134X
- ''Empty Nest'', Volume 5, ISBN 1417662212
- ''Bedside Manners'', Volume 6, ISBN 1417662204
- ''Intensive Care'', Volume 7, ISBN 1417662131
- ''Domestic Dispute'', Volume 8, ISBN 1417662174
- ''Learning Curves'', Volume 9, ISBN 1417662220
- ''Dogged Pursuit'', Volume 10, ISBN 1417662239
- ''Student Affairs'', Volume 11, ISBN 1569313520
- ''The Hounds of War'', Volume 12, ISBN 1569313989
- ''Game, Set, Match'', Volume 13, ISBN 1569314357
- ''Welcome Home'', Volume 14, ISBN 1569314934
- Volume 1, ISBN 1591160545
- Volume 2, ISBN 1591160995
- Volume 3, ISBN 1591161274
- Volume 4, ISBN 1591162483
- Volume 5, ISBN 1591163196
- Volume 6, ISBN 1591164222
- Volume 7, ISBN 1591164850
- Volume 8, ISBN 1591165628
- Volume 9, ISBN 1591166179
- Volume 10, ISBN 1591167299
- Volume 11, ISBN 159116804X
- Volume 12, ISBN 1591168694
- Volume 13, ISBN 1421501414
- Volume 14, ISBN 1421501422
- Volume 15, ISBN 1421502798
- Producer: Hidenori Taga
- Planning: Okamasa (Fuji TV, ep.1-76), Shigekazu Ochiai ( Kitty Films )
- Chief Director: Kazuo Yamazaki (ep.1-26), Takashi Annō (ep.27-52), Takayuki Yoshinaga (ep.53-96)
- Assistant Director: Takayuki Yoshinaga (ep.49-52)
- Series Organization: Tokio Tsuchiya (ep.1-26), Kazunori Itō (ep.27-52), Hideo Takayashiki (ep.53-96)
- Music: Takuo Sugiyama (ep.1-26, 38-96), Kenji Kawai (ep.27-96)
- Color Coordinator: Michiyo Yasuda (ep.27-52)
- Character Designer: Yūji Moriyama (ep.1-26), Akemi Takada (ep.27-96)
- Art Director: Chitose Asakura
- Director of Photography: Tsugio Ozawa
- Sound Director: Shigeharu Shiba
- Animation Directors: Masaaki Kanan , Keiko Hattori , Ryūnosuke Otonashi , Mamoru Dokite , Atsuko Takajima , Kiichi Takaoka , Hiroshi Ogawa , Keizō Shimizu , Junji Suzuki
- Executive Producers: Yōko Matsushita (Kitty Film), Makoto Kubo ( Studio DEEN ), Yūko Katō (Fuji TV, ep.1-76), Yoshinobu Nakao and Kenichi Kawano (Fuji TV, ep.77-96)
- Animation Production: Studio DEEN
- Produced by Kitty Film and Fuji TV
- ''Ashita Hareru ka'' ( Takao Kisugi , ep.1-14)
- ''Ci · ne · ma'' ( Picasso , ep.15-23, 25-33)
- ''Get Down'' (Gilbert O'Sullivan, ep.24)
- ''Fantasy'' (Picasso, ep.34-52)
- ''Sayonara no Sobyō'' (Picasso, ep.53-76)
- ''Begin the Night'' (Picasso, ep.77-96)
- 96 regular episodes
- Desert Island OVA
- Through the Passing Seasons OVA (series summary)
- When the Cherry Blossoms Return in the Spring OVA (prelude summary)
- Final Movie
- ''Maison Ikkoku: Omoide no Photograph'' (1986, Adventure Game , Microcabin , released for PC-9801 and PC Engine )
- ''Maison Ikkoku: Omoide no Photograph'' (1988, adventure game, Bothtec , released for Famicom )
- ''Maison Ikkoku Kanketsuhen: Sayonara, Soshite......'' (1988, adventure game, Microcabin, released for PC-9801 and MSX2 )
''Maison Ikkoku'' is one of Rumiko Takahashi's early and most loved mangas. Although the 96 anime episodes deviate slightly from the 15 volume manga, both the manga and anime are a favorite of many otaku. ''Maison Ikkoku'' is an adult romantic comedy whose story spans 7 years. The two main characters Godai Yūsaku and Otonashi Kyōko gradually sort out their feelings, amidst the comedic shenanigans of their nosy neighbors and romantic rivals.
The beginning of the story slowly sets the backdrop. Only when Kyōko becomes "alive" again, after mourning for her dead husband does the story take off. She transforms from a "wife not yet dead" to a jealous fire storm. She doesn't know how she feels towards the pushy Mitaka or the clumsy Godai. Kyōko is still in love with the memory of her dead husband. The many scenes of her, debating the merits of Mitaka versus Godai -- ring true and are a joy to watch.
Early on, Godai is a hormone driven young man who lusts after the beautiful Kyōko. As he slowly learns about Kyōko's past and her relations with her family and father-in-law -- his love matures. He seeks to graduate college, get a job, and become a husband and father. Godai's lack of assertiveness is exasperating, but his good nature and optimism ultimately wins the audience over.
In the manga, we see the development of Rumiko Takahashi's artwork. In the first volumes, the art is not refined. In later volumes, the art is crisp and cute. The manga is also more explicit than the anime TV series. The 96 anime TV episodes feature some of the best Japanese voices in anime. The voice actor for Yotsuya's character is especially funny with his regional Japanese accent and dramatic turn of phrase. He is also a master of Haiku. The anime cannot be recommended enough.
The Final Chapter Movie should be avoided, however. The movie attempts to cram all of the story lines into 90 minutes and fails. The artwork also differs from the 96 anime TV episodes. The original character designer, Yūji Moriyama, returned to work on the Final Chapter Movie. Fans of ''Maison Ikkoku'' should also be warned about the low-budget Live Action Movie. Instead of a light-hearted romantic comedy, the Live Action Movie is a serious drama about life, love, and death. The Live Action Movie does provide a detailed psychological profile of the main characters. Its gritty portrayal of Tokyo-ites, maybe unsettling to fans who adore the universal love story of ''Maison Ikkoku''. ''As long as this love last, Ikkoku-kan is forever!''
