Reviews

Maison Ikkoku... One of the rare shows I dropped in the first episode as I thought it seemed like the kind of show that is full of loud characters without offering any emotional or psychological depth. I was very wrong in my first impression. Thankfully, a year later, I gave it another try and as I was in the right mood to watch it, I enjoyed it dearly.

As already known, it is a very old show. It definitely captures the aura of the 80s both in art-style and overall aura. People who yearn for a good quality old anime might really enjoy it.

It is no secret that Maison Ikkoku is a love story as well as a coming of age story. However, there are some particular aspects that make it unique for its time. The male lead, Godai, is a ordinary young man who has a very decent personality and a dream world of his own. But, unlike most love stories, he does not meet a sweet girl and has a high school / college affair. Kyoko is a woman who is older than him and a widow. Despite having a lot of comedic moments, the show revolves around this relationship between a young college student who dreams about his happy future and a widow who is torn between her past and present. It explores the complexities of human nature, what it means to love someone, and how to let go and move on.

The plot is not limited to the two main leads. The show has a heartwarming aura and includes the sub-stories of all the tenants of Maison Ikkoku. It might get a bit too much at times but the side characters are explored in a mostly comedic manner which balances out the serious matters regarding the couple.

Another important thing is, the show reveals the ‘flaws’ of its characters - main and side - but no one is portrayed as completely good or bad. There is no ‘evil’ in the show. Rather, each and every character is displayed as a human with both sides. It goes beyond the simplicity of a slice of life anime and leads you to question the values and inner psyche of human beings.

If you want to watch a coming of age / romance story with a heartwarming undertone, Maison Ikkoku is definitely a good choice. Even the length of the show is not hard to deal with because it serves as a relaxation and can very well be watched along with other shows. I consider it as a very unique production with its emphasis on the dilemmas of real life problems and comedic moments that make you laugh at the tragic situations the characters find themselves in and help you see things in a different light.