Based on the popular manga series by Rumiko Takahashi (Ranma 1/2, Urusei Yatsura),
this is one of the longest running (96 episodes) and user-friendly soap opera
comedy romance series available.The plot centers on Yusaku Godai, your standard
flustered, overreactive college male student. As the series begins, Godai is cramming
for college entrance exams, but as fate would have it, he lives in the run-down
Ikkoku-kan apartment building, which is filled with the most disruptive weirdos
imaginable -- Yotsuya, the mysterious next-door neighbor who seems to exist solely
to play mind games with Godai and steal his food; I-chinose, the obese, rowdy
woman from downstairs who can smell booze and gossip from a mile away; Akemi,
the languid, shameless bar waitress who parades around the building in various
states of undress; and Ichinose's son Kentaro, a typically rambunctious and bratty
kid. It's enough to drive anyone away, and Godai is on the verge of leaving --
when lovely Kyoko walks in to assume the job of apartment manager, armed only
with her gentle, friendly personality and her blubbering (and strangely human)
dog Soichiro. Of course, our hero falls for her at first sight, and the rest of
the series chronicles the slowly developing (make that very slow) relationship.
Godai has to cope with his miserably low status as a student; a tough rival in
Mitaka, a smooth-talking tennis coach who is deathly afraid of dogs; and even
sticky crushes from high school girls, while Kyoko, who has recently been widowed,
has to pick up the pieces and work herself back to where she can take a chance
on love again.
Unlike similar shows and movies from the comedy-romance genre like Kimagure
Orange Road, Maison Ikkoku is an ensemble piece, with many characters
receiving plot time and development. Godai and Kyoko are the center of attention,
but the minor players are just as crucial and ultimately give the series its uniquely
offbeat flavor. The emphasis is on humor with an amiable, light touch, rather
than fall-on-the-floor belly laughs. The stories are mostly gentle and understated,
although there's always a slapstick antic or two thrown in. At the end of it all,
one comes away not only with a comic romance, but a surprisingly detailed portrait
of everyday life in Japan, down to the money troubles of students, the social
pressure to be married at a young age, the stylized routines and rituals of Japanese
romance, and the idiosyncratic pleasures (and perils) of apartment life.
Despite its soap opera leanings, Maison Ikkoku prefers to accrue characterization
and develop its story at a slow, meditative pace -- perhaps too slowly for some.
Sometimes the show bogs down in meandering stories, and an urgent episode which
teeters on the edge of closure and climax might be followed by one with little
tension or dramatic import (the manga does a much better job of creating smooth
continuity). Because of this, the series must take a distant second to Kimagure
Orange Road as this reviewer's favorite anime romantic comedy, but in overall
consistency and watchability, it's certainly one of the best. The animation is
also quite creditable, sliding easily between whirling slapstick, lovely panoramic
views of Tokyo, and delicate, quiet moments that you don't find in many shows
about contemporary life. If you're willing to invest a little time and relax to
its leisurely rhythms, Maison Ikkoku rewards with equal parts comedy, drama, and
all-around fun.
Soichiro, the lovably human dog, adds this comment. Bowf!
