The story is about a young man named Godai who lives in a boarding house by the name of Ikkoku-kan. While living there, he's studying for his college entry exams, while also trying to survive his three annoying (but lovable) neighbours, Ichinose the nosy alcoholic, Akemi the sexy alcoholic and Yotsuya the mysterious alcoholic, while they use Godai's room almost every night to have loud parties because his room is the cleanest. Then along comes the beautiful and newly widowed Kyoko Otonashi who says that she will be taking over as the manager (kanrinin) of the apartment for her late husband's father. Godai quickly falls in love with Kyoko, but her feelings remain unkown for most of the anime because of her inability to let go of her late husband Souichirou. But along the many obtstacles and rivals, Kyoko and Godai soon discover that there is more to their relationship then just manager and tenant.
The Art and Sound have lower scores because they really are dated. The colours are washed out and the music sometimes sounds like you're listening to it through a tin can, but all in all, they are still decent. What more can you expect from the late '80's?
The characters were enjoyable and very colourful to say the least. They all have unique qualities that make them all one of a kind. There are a lot of characters in this show, but no two are alike in any way, and you will find yourself realating them to people you already know or even to yourself.
Overall, this show was a pleasure to watch. It's silly, sweet, heartbreaking and heart warming. I found myself, laughing, crying, yelling at the TV and clapping for joy, sometimes all in the same episode. It's a guilty pleasure, try it! You might like it!
