Manga Monday | Maison Ikkoku

I have been a Rumiko Takahashi fan since I started Inuyasha on Toonami at the ripe age of 9(ish). I've consumed my fair share of the Rumic World, but I have never looked too much into the slice-of-life world of Maison Ikkoku until now. I started checking out the big volumes of this manga at my local library (support your libraries!) late last year. Every time I started reading a new chapter, I was transported into this cozy little chaotic world that I was always happy to be part of. 

 A Little Bit About the Mangaka 

Rumiko Takahashi is one of the best-known Japanese manga artists in and out of Japan. With a career of several commercially successful works, beginning with Urusei Yatsura in 1978, she is one of Japan's best-known and wealthiest manga artists. Her works are known worldwide, where they have been translated into a variety of languages, with over 230 million copies in circulation; making Takahashi one of the best-selling authors of all time. 

A Little Bit About the Story

In the town of Clock Hill, there is an old boarding house called Maison Ikkoku. While the residence itself is fairly normal, most of its occupants are not. Yuusaku Godai has finally reached his limit with his neighbors' constant disruptions and boisterous partying. Wanting a calmer place to call home so that he can study in peace, he prepares to move away. 

However, his plans are interrupted when he meets the new boarding house manager, Kyoko Otonashi. After falling quickly in love with her, he decided that the boarding house might not be such a bad place to live. Unfortunately for him, Kyoko has her own troubles. She is a widow whose husband died six months into their marriage. Despite her blossoming feelings for Godai, Kyoko still cherishes her dearly departed husband and believes no other man can fill the void in her heart. But with Godai's persistence and some help from the other eccentric tenants, she may experience true love once again. 

A Little Manga Talk

I truly enjoyed reading Maison Ikkoku. In just 10 volumes, we watch our main characters grow and develop, albeit slowly and steadily. Even the two main recurring child characters, Kentaro and Ikuko, are seen growing up in the manga. There are a few characters (all of the tenants at Maison Ikkoku) who feel like they remain more or less the same, but with small growth here and there. But in regards to the main people, we see development throughout the years as the story starts in 1980 and ends in 1987. Again, the characters take their time to grow, but I can see where that mirrors real life. People tend to change slowly but also keep parts of their old self with them as well and that's how the characters feel at the end of it all.

Speaking of mirroring real life, this story is probably the most laid-back, down-to-earth manga that Takashi has created to date. When I think of Takaashi's work, I think of the zany worlds of Urusei Yatsura and Ranma 1/2. I also think of the bigger-than-life fantasy world of Inuyasha or Rin-ne. Even the dark world of Mermaid Saga. But Maison Ikkoku? This manga is all slice-of-life, with a little bit of wacky throughout the story. 

Even though I really enjoyed the story overall, there were points where I was getting frustrated with our character's communication skills, or lack thereof. This is a common theme throughout all 162 chapters. While it's fine at first, it does feel like it gets a bit old after a while. But then again, I guess some arcs wouldn't have happened if the communication was on point. 

Overall, this is a great manga to pick up. It's funny, it's dramatic, it's relatable in some ways, and it shows how life in Japan was in the 1980s, which is always fun to look into. If you've read all of Maison Ikkoku, let me know your thoughts! I'm going to watch the anime now, so until next time - 

Happy Reading!