Maison Ikkoku - Collector's Box Vol.1

Rating:
Summary: A Disappointing Release of a Timeless Anime Series...
Review: "Maison Ikkoku" is one of the timeless classics of anime. The TV series aired in the mid 1980s, but it's just as watchable - and wonderful - today as ever. It differs from almost every other anime series in that there's nothing about this show that couldn't take place in the real world: no spaceships, no special powers, no alternate worlds. It's simply the incredibly well-told story of a would-be college student and his love for the kind young widow that runs his apartment. If it sounds dull, rest assured that it's not. While some episodes take on a very soap-opera-ish quality, the storytelling in general is excellent - especially as the series goes on.

In the first twelve episodes that comprise this set, however, we're just getting to know all the characters. The rough edges haven't come off yet, and there's not much time to do more than introduce the two (or three) love triangles that make up the show - as well as the families of Godai and Kyoko (the main characters) and the other inhabitants of the titular boarding house.

Nonetheless, it's still an absolutely wonderful show. It's a shame Viz, the American rights-holders, didn't do more with this, the first DVD release in America. While the audio and video quality seem decent in my admittedly not-terribly large, not-exactly high definition TV, there is only one real extra to speak of: creditless opening and ending sequences on the final disc. It's nice to see VIz price the set reasonably low, but for my money, I still would have liked to have seen some decent extras of some kind. Viz has, in fact, treated "Maison Ikkoku" quite badly in its various incarnations: releasing only two-thirds of the series on VHS (and that much only in subtitled format) at a high price with little fanfare or publicity. With the DVD release, they seem to be in danger of not giving it much more attention - or love. Let's hope this doesn't continue to be the case for the rest of the series, or "Maison Ikkoku" may not make it to the end of it's run in America on VHS or DVD...

Rating:
Summary: A Disappointing Release of a Timeless Anime Series...
Review: "Maison Ikkoku" is one of the timeless classics of anime. The TV series aired in the mid 1980s, but it's just as watchable - and wonderful - today as ever. It differs from almost every other anime series in that there's nothing about this show that couldn't take place in the real world: no spaceships, no special powers, no alternate worlds. It's simply the incredibly well-told story of a would-be college student and his love for the kind young widow that runs his apartment. If it sounds dull, rest assured that it's not. While some episodes take on a very soap-opera-ish quality, the storytelling in general is excellent - especially as the series goes on.

In the first twelve episodes that comprise this set, however, we're just getting to know all the characters. The rough edges haven't come off yet, and there's not much time to do more than introduce the two (or three) love triangles that make up the show - as well as the families of Godai and Kyoko (the main characters) and the other inhabitants of the titular boarding house.

Nonetheless, it's still an absolutely wonderful show. It's a shame Viz, the American rights-holders, didn't do more with this, the first DVD release in America. While the audio and video quality seem decent in my admittedly not-terribly large, not-exactly high definition TV, there is only one real extra to speak of: creditless opening and ending sequences on the final disc. It's nice to see VIz price the set reasonably low, but for my money, I still would have liked to have seen some decent extras of some kind. Viz has, in fact, treated "Maison Ikkoku" quite badly in its various incarnations: releasing only two-thirds of the series on VHS (and that much only in subtitled format) at a high price with little fanfare or publicity. With the DVD release, they seem to be in danger of not giving it much more attention - or love. Let's hope this doesn't continue to be the case for the rest of the series, or "Maison Ikkoku" may not make it to the end of it's run in America on VHS or DVD...

Rating:
Summary: An International Masterpiece of Romantic Comedy
Review: A superb romantic comedy, "Maison Ikkoku", Vol. 1, kicks off this uniquely Japanese story; but the appeal of this timeless classic is universal. Heroine, Kyoko Otonashi, ranked this year as one of the top 5 heroines of anime by a poll of 10,000 adults taken by a major Japanese newspaper. Which is saying something considering that this show ended 15 years ago.

Maison Ikkoku is a run down apartment building in Tokyo. Living there is struggling and wishy-washy college student Yusaku Godai, who falls head over heels in love with the beautiful, young manager of the building, Kyoko Otonashi. Kyoko has some feelings towards Godai, but she's a widow, and still is not over the death of her beloved husband, Soichiro.

Complicating matters between the two are rich, suave, hysterically dog-phobic, and handsome tennis coach Shun Mitaka, Godai's rival for Kyoko; and Kozue Nanao, a sweet, cute, and naive girl, who accidently becomes Godai's platonic girlfriend. Kozue is clueless that Godai is in love with Kyoko.

The crowning touch is the 3 other residents of the apartment building: hard drinking, hard partying and hard gossiping Mrs. Ichinose, who lives with her young son Kentaro; Akemi, a sexy party animal who is the bar hostess at local hangout ChaChaMaru, wearing her see-through negligee around the building; and then there's the mysterious Yotsuya, who gets his kicks out of peeping, and breaking through Godai's wall so that he can mooch food from Godai. These characters would be at home in "A Confederacy of Dunces".

All 3 regard Godai as their personal toy, and they get their kicks from teasing him and holding their drinking parties in his room. They also discover that Kyoko is also fun to tease.

The only problems with this DVD release is Viz. Viz has long mishandled MI, and the DVD release is no exception. No subtitles for the opening closing numbers (the opening number is quite nice, too), no extras other then textless versions of the opening and closing, but most of all, no cultural notes whatsoever. ADV and Animego would've done proper justice to this show. Maison Ikkoku is set in Japan in the 1980s, the actual time that the 15 volume manga which was the basis for the anime; the result is one of the best examinations of regular life in Japan. MI is so quintessentially Japanese, that a number of anime reference books use the series to highlight aspects of Japanese culture.

However, the humor and romance will appeal to anyone with a sense of humor, or romance. The comic usage of misunderstandings is straight from Shakespeare, and any fan of screwball comedies will be rolling on the floor with laughter. But the characters are grounded in reality, and moments of drama and romance will often take you by surprise. Godai matures as the series progresses, he's only 19 when the series starts, and we see Kyoko overcome the massive loss she suffered.

The only major bone to pick with the series is the dub version. Viz did a horrible job casting Ellen Kennedy in the role of Kyoko: her voice projects Kyoko as being tough cookie - it's not the voice of someone 21-22 years old. Sumi Shimamoto, however, is perfect, sweet, innocent, the perfect lady - which makes her shows of strength, stubbornness, jealousy and anger all the more effective. The English VA for Godai is not as bad as the English version of Kyoko, but he's not as good as Issei Futamata, who makes you understand why the gals are interested in him, while also playing the klutz quite well. The rest of the voice cast, English and Japanese, are excellent.

Despite these problems, the result is a DVD release which is vastly superior in every detail to the fansubbed versions which are available. The restored print is great, and the subtitles are both clean and a good translation. But the heart of any DVD is the story itself. By any standard, this 12 episode release for a retail price of $49.99, is reasonably priced, especially when it can be obtained for less.

The first 12 episodes introduce the important characters, and are a great example of the natural story-telling style of Japanese cinema: Where an American show would introduce all the major characters in the first episode, as well as the major plot issues, these are effectively spread out over this DVD, introducing the key characters. These episodes came out in 1986, and the age is noticeable, compared with more recent releases. However, due to the nature of this show, it does not age badly, and some of the background art is stunning.

A few notes: Godai's hiding in the closet in episode 1 is a parody on Japanese creation mythology: the sun goddess hid in a cave, only drawn out by the party caused by another goddess striping outside. The dog, Soichiro. Listen, and you will hear him called "Soichiro-san". The Japanese honorific "-san", is used only for people, and equals at that, never on a pet dog, which is why the name produces curiosity from cast members.

A great series, this DVD set is a must have for anyone interested in Japan, any fan of creator Rumiko Takahashi, (Ranma, Inu-Yasha), as it is her best work, IMHO, or any lover of comedy, romance or the combination thereof.

Rating:
Summary: wish i lived there but oh well
Review: After reading the first couple of reviews i thought the dub was going to be terrible but its not all that bad. I found myself actually liking the dub after watching the first couple of episodes. This is one series that has me hooked unfortunately since well Viz is known to have release problems so who knows when everything will be released. It may take one year or longer to have everything released for this series which stinks since i am hooked and there is talk that it may never be fully released. I can only hope this is false but till then any anime fan that likes this series might want to look into Kimagure Orange Road(good series). thanks

Rating:
Summary: well im hooked...
Review: got my set and loved it.
i cant wait till the next box set.
if your into Romance and Comedy check this one out.

Rating:
Summary: starts well! (and *why* it's sooo 'sit-com'-ish...
Review: I've watched these DVDs and they were nothing other than I expected (*and* almost perfect). I just want to reply to the, in my opinion not really fair comment in someone else's review. They wrote that that they didn't like it that the series seems to consist of misunderstanding piled upon misunderstanding. The people who made the anime had no choice, they *had* to make it that way, because the manga it's based on is like that, anything else would have violated the 'spirit' of the manga. Oh, and though it does go a bit far with that kind of thing, in the manga they also end up saying serious and amazing and just super "real" things, real eye openers. I can't wait for the rest of these CD sets to come out!

Rating:
Summary: starts well! (and *why* it's sooo 'sit-com'-ish...
Review: I've watched these DVDs and they were nothing other than I expected (*and* almost perfect). I just want to reply to the, in my opinion not really fair comment in someone else's review. They wrote that that they didn't like it that the series seems to consist of misunderstanding piled upon misunderstanding. The people who made the anime had no choice, they *had* to make it that way, because the manga it's based on is like that, anything else would have violated the 'spirit' of the manga. Oh, and though it does go a bit far with that kind of thing, in the manga they also end up saying serious and amazing and just super "real" things, real eye openers. I can't wait for the rest of these CD sets to come out!

Rating:
Summary: A Premier Comedy Romance Anime Series
Review: Maison Ikkoku is perhaps the best the genre has to offer in the comedy romance category. Decent value here getting 12 episodes on one DVD. I think the distributors are giving us this value since living depicted in the story is essentially Japanese. They worry how American viewers will take to it. Fortunately, comedy / romance generally transcends cultures and it works well here. My young cousins have seen the subtitled fansub versions, and kept begging me for additional episodes to view.

A note on the dubbing since this is not released as yet, I have no idea if the dubbing was redone from the original dubbed tape releases. If it has not been, the English version pales against the Japanese voice work. I have a few of the tapes (which they dubbed only partway through the entire 96 episode series) and the dubbing stinks. Generally I prefer the dubs since I don't speak Japanese, but this is an exception. Anyone new to this series, do yourself a big favor, set the subtitles to English and listen to this in Japanese first. After a few episodes try the dubbed setting. Unless they have redone it (which I doubt) you'll most likely prefer the Japanese as well.

One more good thing about this series, while fairly long it had a solid and definitive ending. Many anime series end when they either just run out of gas or fan interest. They leave dozens of loose ends, and a general bad taste in the mouth of faithful viewers. Later, if enough interest lingers they will produce, lower budget, uninspired attempts made to supposedly finish the series, (really just to make money) and they fall flat. Maison had a movie released after the series finished, but it was just a rehashing of the ending, some minor plot filler, and added virtually nothing (mainly because nothing more was needed). Takahashi has created a much different, more realistic storyline here than with the earlier Urusei Yasura, and later Ranma 1/2.

This story is linear so beware, it has a beginning, procedes along a normal timeline, and it has an ending. It is not as episodic as Takahashi's other series (most of which you can view out of order without missing a beat). If you start this and get yourself hooked, you may have to buy the next seven DVDs in this series.

Rating:
Summary: Frustrating.
Review: Well, I FINALLY got done watching this show--all ninety-bleeding-six episodes. And, while kind of rough, I have to say that, overall, it wasn't bad. In spite of this, however, I have awfully many bad things to say about it.

The story is that Yuhsaku Godai, a college student and later job-hunter, sort of flounders around, trying ineffectually to win the affections of Kyoko Otanashi, the manager of his boarding house while being pushed around by his obnoxious flatmates and trying to deal with several other women who inexplicably are enamored of him--all the while assailed by more marginally wacky misunderstandings than you can shake a stick at. I realize that this description contains a number of implicit criticisms, so let's take them one by one.

Flounders--This show is utterly shapeless. Things happen, supporting characters appear, mild wackiness transpires, but until the last twenty or so episodes, there's just no forward momentum, meaning that nothing that takes place really matters, because everything will just be exactly the same after as it was before. Which might sort of be okay if what was happening was consistently fun in its own right, but it just isn't. There are a few winners, but the absolute torrent of pointless and boring filler episodes ('Yotsuya's Egg,' anyone?) does the show real damage. I'm not saying that this story couldn't have been executed well in such a large scale--I'm just saying that Ms. Takahashi lacked the skills to do so (and still does, to judge by Inuyasha). An example of how focus could have helped: there's an early episode in which Godai and Kyoko have to climb into the boarding house's attic to deal with a power failure. There, they find writing carved into the walls--messages from previous tenants who had to leave to fight in World War II. This is a VERY powerful moment, and it makes one think--and hope--that the characters' story is going to be intertwined with the building's history (is IS the show's namesake, after all). But no--instead, it's never alluded to again. A golden opportunity, wasted. A better writer would not have let this happen.

Ineffectually--Godai has no backbone whatsoever, which makes him a pretty bland character. He gets a bit better towards the end, but one nonetheless is hard-put to get over the impression that his final, inevitable victory is due more to dumb luck than anything else.

Obnoxious--This is a big problem. The other tenants in the apartment building are really unpleasant people, constantly ridiculing, harassing, and blackmailing Godai. No, not all the time, but enough to make them much less appealing than they really ought to be, given that the basic characters are pretty cool.

Women--Godai's girlfriend-of-sorts Kozue is actually pretty great, and the viewer is left to wonder why on Earth he would possibly prefer Kyoko. On the other hand, Yagami, a deranged high school girl who becomes obsessed with him, is, by quite some margin, my most hated anime character EVER. Really. I don't think I can explain; you'll have to see for yourself.

Wacky misunderstandings--The show's lifeblood, unfortunately. Somebody gets a wrong impression that, in the real world, would be cleared up in approximately five seconds, and instead goes completely off the handle. Godai overhears a conversation that leads him to believe that Kyoko is going to marry his rival, Mitaka. Does he, oh, I don't know, ASK HER ABOUT IT, which would quickly have revealed that it was actually Mitaka's *sister* who was getting married? No, because that's what an actual human would do. Instead, he decides that the only solution is to MOVE OUT OF THE APARTMENT HOUSE, in a sequence that lasts for three. Freaking. Episodes. The show is brimming with ridiculous stuff like this, which lead one to suspect that Ms. Takahashi had never actually encountered another human being, much less had any sort of relationship with one, when she wrote the manga. The fact that it's a cartoon doesn't mean that the characters ought to behave like aliens. Yeah, bad sitcoms do it too, but I certainly hope those aren't the measuring stick we're going by here. I'll allow that cultural differences between east and west may accentuate its strangeness to my eyes, but you can't tell me that this stuff is normal in any culture.

Overall, Maison Ikkoku is much less than it ought to be, but, yes, I did kind of like it. My positive impression probably stems in part from the fact that it does get rather better, on the whole, towards the end, when things finally start happening that actually have some relevance to the overall story. And I'd go so far as to say that--in spite of its hinging on a particularly idiotic misunderstanding--Mitaka's ultimate withdrawl from the contest for Kyoko's affections is quite emotionally resonant, and makes him into one of the series' most interesting characters. The ending's good, too. There are flashes of brilliance all throughout the show, however (making its failings all the more frustrating, of course), which is what kept me watching. This could have been quite literally the best thing EVER if Takahashi was a better writer; as it stands, it's still better than anything else I've ever seen by her (and it must be said--she does make the cutest kids I've ever seen). Mind you, I saw it on fansubs; whether it's worth the three hundred-plus dollars you'd spend to buy it on commercial DVD (assuming they do end up releasing the whole thing)--that, I leave to the reader's discretion.

Rating:
Summary: Frustrating.
Review: Well, I FINALLY got done watching this show--all ninety-bleeding-six episodes. And, while kind of rough, I have to say that, overall, it wasn't bad. In spite of this, however, I have awfully many bad things to say about it.

The story is that Yuhsaku Godai, a college student and later job-hunter, sort of flounders around, trying ineffectually to win the affections of Kyoko Otanashi, the manager of his boarding house while being pushed around by his obnoxious flatmates and trying to deal with several other women who inexplicably are enamored of him--all the while assailed by more marginally wacky misunderstandings than you can shake a stick at. I realize that this description contains a number of implicit criticisms, so let's take them one by one.

Flounders--This show is utterly shapeless. Things happen, supporting characters appear, mild wackiness transpires, but until the last twenty or so episodes, there's just no forward momentum, meaning that nothing that takes place really matters, because everything will just be exactly the same after as it was before. Which might sort of be okay if what was happening was consistently fun in its own right, but it just isn't. There are a few winners, but the absolute torrent of pointless and boring filler episodes ('Yotsuya's Egg,' anyone?) does the show real damage. I'm not saying that this story couldn't have been executed well in such a large scale--I'm just saying that Ms. Takahashi lacked the skills to do so (and still does, to judge by Inuyasha). An example of how focus could have helped: there's an early episode in which Godai and Kyoko have to climb into the boarding house's attic to deal with a power failure. There, they find writing carved into the walls--messages from previous tenants who had to leave to fight in World War II. This is a VERY powerful moment, and it makes one think--and hope--that the characters' story is going to be intertwined with the building's history (is IS the show's namesake, after all). But no--instead, it's never alluded to again. A golden opportunity, wasted. A better writer would not have let this happen.

Ineffectually--Godai has no backbone whatsoever, which makes him a pretty bland character. He gets a bit better towards the end, but one nonetheless is hard-put to get over the impression that his final, inevitable victory is due more to dumb luck than anything else.

Obnoxious--This is a big problem. The other tenants in the apartment building are really unpleasant people, constantly ridiculing, harassing, and blackmailing Godai. No, not all the time, but enough to make them much less appealing than they really ought to be, given that the basic characters are pretty cool.

Women--Godai's girlfriend-of-sorts Kozue is actually pretty great, and the viewer is left to wonder why on Earth he would possibly prefer Kyoko. On the other hand, Yagami, a deranged high school girl who becomes obsessed with him, is, by quite some margin, my most hated anime character EVER. Really. I don't think I can explain; you'll have to see for yourself.

Wacky misunderstandings--The show's lifeblood, unfortunately. Somebody gets a wrong impression that, in the real world, would be cleared up in approximately five seconds, and instead goes completely off the handle. Godai overhears a conversation that leads him to believe that Kyoko is going to marry his rival, Mitaka. Does he, oh, I don't know, ASK HER ABOUT IT, which would quickly have revealed that it was actually Mitaka's *sister* who was getting married? No, because that's what an actual human would do. Instead, he decides that the only solution is to MOVE OUT OF THE APARTMENT HOUSE, in a sequence that lasts for three. Freaking. Episodes. The show is brimming with ridiculous stuff like this, which lead one to suspect that Ms. Takahashi had never actually encountered another human being, much less had any sort of relationship with one, when she wrote the manga. The fact that it's a cartoon doesn't mean that the characters ought to behave like aliens. Yeah, bad sitcoms do it too, but I certainly hope those aren't the measuring stick we're going by here. I'll allow that cultural differences between east and west may accentuate its strangeness to my eyes, but you can't tell me that this stuff is normal in any culture.

Overall, Maison Ikkoku is much less than it ought to be, but, yes, I did kind of like it. My positive impression probably stems in part from the fact that it does get rather better, on the whole, towards the end, when things finally start happening that actually have some relevance to the overall story. And I'd go so far as to say that--in spite of its hinging on a particularly idiotic misunderstanding--Mitaka's ultimate withdrawl from the contest for Kyoko's affections is quite emotionally resonant, and makes him into one of the series' most interesting characters. The ending's good, too. There are flashes of brilliance all throughout the show, however (making its failings all the more frustrating, of course), which is what kept me watching. This could have been quite literally the best thing EVER if Takahashi was a better writer; as it stands, it's still better than anything else I've ever seen by her (and it must be said--she does make the cutest kids I've ever seen). Mind you, I saw it on fansubs; whether it's worth the three hundred-plus dollars you'd spend to buy it on commercial DVD (assuming they do end up releasing the whole thing)--that, I leave to the reader's discretion.