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Godai Yusaku is just your average ronin, studying for the upcoming university entrance exams. However, his life is greatly complicated
by his current habitat and study environment, the infamous Maison Ikkoku. Having acquired a reputation in the neighbourhood for endless
partying, the other residents of Maison Ikkoku strive to make Godai’s life a living hell. Just as Godai’s about to pack up and leave,
a stroke of good fortune arrives in the form of the beautiful Otonashi Kyoko, who announces that she will be the new apartment manager!
Can Godai win the fair lady’s hand, fend off his rambunctious neighbours, and complete his education?
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Takahashi Rumiko’s works generally tend to have three things: the supernatural/paranormal, romantic comedy, and length. This formula
has proven to be very successful, and has propelled Takahashi to the twin statuses of most popular female mangaka and richest woman in
Japan. However, Maison Ikkoku is highly interesting as it only possesses one of the aforementioned components. Can Takahashi succeed
despite deviating from her usual time frame and trademark devices? The answer, given Takahashi’s skill, is a resounding and unsurprising
yes.
Despite being one of the shortest of Takahashi’s non one-shot works, Maison Ikkoku is widely touted as the one that has the
deepest characterization. The members of Takahashi’s diverse cast may at first seem one-dimensional, but careful nurturing via gradual
conflict creates some of the deepest and most realistic characters in manga. There are absolutely no named characters with black and
white personalities. Furthermore, secondary characters not only possess depth, they acquire and utilize this depth to create emotion
in the viewer without overshadowing the main characters for a second.
This emphasis on characterization and the nature of the romantic comedy genre naturally means that the plot is, for the most part, rather
linear and ordinary. However, while the pacing during the first half is quite slow and methodical, the story really accelerates with the
introduction of Yagami Ibuki about halfway through and does not let up until the end. This makes for an exhilarating conclusion filled
with suspense, confusion, surprises, and resolution. Only one major problem exists with the plot: the usage of Nanao Kozue. Kozue was
intended at the outset to be a major character but remains visibly absent for the bulk of the manga, only making sporadic token
appearances. Instead, several other characters such as Nozomu Nikaido and Yagami Ibuki were introduced to act as plot catalysts.
The end result of these actions, aside from severe damage to Kozue’s potential, was that her involvement in critical moments was
accompanied with a feeling of interruption and awkwardness.
Takahashi’s art style, consisting of mostly basic lines and shapes, is one of the most famous in the industry. The art in Maison Ikkoku
complies with Takahashi’s style, utilizing relatively minimal shading and no extravagant frills or coils á la CLAMP. The art style is plain,
but it is not lacklustre. Takahashi, instead of using flowery and complex art, has placed a great deal of detail in terms of clothing
labels, logos, clasps, shoelaces, and the like. The art is clean, detailed, and very functional. On a final note, the usage of a more
European art style in the early chapters is noteworthy, although the reasoning cannot be deciphered.
Maison Ikkoku is arguably Takahashi Rumiko’s finest work. Despite its relative brevity, it possesses astonishing depth in theme
and characterization. It is this ability to not only maintain the 4th Wall, but also bring the audience onto the stage, that marks
Maison Ikkoku as a classic in manga, and as the one of the standards for all romantic comedies today.
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