It's a series that is just as great as when it was released over two decades ago. Sure, the artwork may seem old now, but that's not the only thing we look for in a quality anime is it? Stretching across 96 episodes, Maison Ikkoku has a consistent quality to it and great characters. Inevitably for its length, there are fillers but these still manage to build on its characters, providing a deeper insight into their backgrounds.
What also makes Maison Ikkoku so good is its realism. There are no people with superpowers or aliens involved, instead it's a story about a group of everyday people living in a boarding house and their interactions with each other. Over the series we see how their lives change and how their relationships with others develop. After seeing more recent anime, the ideas in Maison Ikkoku may seem rather average and the plot predictable, but the journey you take to the ending is wholly worth it.
The anime sticks close to the manga, and it has a perfect ending to the story which leaves you wanting to know what happens next in the lives of the main characters. If you would like to watch a drama that has a fun story, deep characters and a realistic portrayal of life in the 1980s, then Maison Ikkoku is a great place to start.
