Maison Ikkoku: Difference between revisions

Yusaku Godai is a lovable, somewhat serious, but hopelessly inept ''[[ronin]]'' who is trying to study to pass college entrance exams while living at Maison Ikkoku, a somewhat run-down boarding house. His own disorganized, gormless lifestyle does not make this an easy task. Neither do the antics of his neighbors, including a party girl, an older mom fond of the bottle, and a surreal mooch, all of whom use his room for their frequent booze-ups. The manager has not been seen in some time. Godai finally has enough and is walking out the door, bags in hand....

 

 

In order, Godai's suitcase, jaw, and heart hit the floor, and from then on, it's a roller coaster ride of strangeness, complications, botched courting, miscommunicated feelings, and every so often, achingly sweet, poignant moments.

 

 

It has [[Follow the Leader|inspired many similar series]], among them ''[[Love Hina]]'' and ''[[Mahoraba]]''.

* [[Jerkass]]: ''Many'' characters. A huge portion of the supporting cast acts this way, including Yotsuya, Mrs. Ichinose and Akemi -- the three others at ''Ikkoku'', with Kyoko and Godai being among the rare exceptions. Yotsuya tops the list, though, almost treading over the [[Complete Monster]] line sometimes with his callousness. Most of the Jerkasses have a [[Jerk with a Heart of Gold|few kind moments]], however, and some of them (like Mitaka's Uncle) are genuinely cheerful.

* [[Jerk with a Heart of Gold]]: Hanae Ichinose, out of the drunkard trio she is most likely to do a [[Pet the Dog]] scene. Hanae's son Kentaro is like this as well since he can go from [[Bratty Half-Pint]] to [[Cute Shotaro Boy]]. Mitaka can be like this as well since, despite on how he may seem like a smug, rich pretty boy, he does genuinely care for Kyoko.

* [[Keigo]]: Mildly subverted. Yotsuya speaks in a very polite, formal, and proper manner at all times, in addition to always dressing in either business or traditional clothes. This is in contrast to being possibly the most ''im''polite, ''in''formal, and ''im''proper character in the series.

* [[Last-Minute Hookup]]: Averted with Mitaka {{spoiler|Played straight with Kozue and Akemi though.}}

* [[Live Action Adaptation]]: The live-action [[The Movie|film]] ''Apartment Fantasy'' and the television drama.

* [[Nice Guy]]: Godai, where the entire concept is played with in great detail, and with great skill. The story does not shy away from the common (and often [[Real Life]]) faults of this character type, such as indecisiveness, spinelessness, and mediocrity, but it also suggests that Godai's innate kindness and decency, combined with his willingness to grow, more than compensates in the long run.

* [[Not What It Looks Like]]: Many, many, many of these.

* [[Once Per Episode]]: Godai daydreaming of Kyoko, and ending up in embarrassing and painful situations while distracted, at least the first 20 or so episodes.

* [[OVA]]: There are three: ''Through the Passing Seasons'', ''Shipwrecked on Ikkoku Island'', and ''Prelude: When the Cherry Blossoms Return in the Spring.''

[[Category:Maison Ikkoku]]

[[Category:Essential Anime]]