Maison Ikkoku, Vol. 4

Rating:
Summary: Hope for the luck-impaired
Review: "Maison Ikkoku" continues steadily, taking Rumiko Takahashi's offbeat romantic drama/comedy to even stranger heights. The tale of a lovesick young college student who falls in love with his apartment manager is still sweet and funny in its third volume.

The presence of Yusaku's sort-of-girlfriend Kozue complicates things even further for him when Kyoko becomes incredibly jealous. And Kozue makes things even more awkward when Yusaku thinks that she wants to "do it" with him -- except he doesn't really know what he wants. And Kyoko's undefined budding relationship with Mitaka is disrupted, when her mother decides that the hunky coach would be an ideal second husband for her daughter.

But things take a dramatic turn when Mrs. Ichinose overhears Mitaka and Kyoko talking about a wedding -- not knowing that Kyoko is advising Mitaka on his sister's wedding. Devastated, Yusaku decides to move out of Maison Ikkoku and into a new apartment... an apartment occupied by a sultry masseuse and her bearish gangster husband, who get our wishy-washy hero to let them stay until they can afford a new place. And when Yusaku wants to come back to Maison Ikkoku, a jealous Kyoko tells him that he can't...

Things are never easy for the happless Yusaku Godai. And his non-relationship with Kyoko is probably the hardest of all -- every time something goes right, something will go wrong within a week. Their tangled feelings are a source of great amusement for the other inhabitants of Maison Ikkoku, including sexy waittress Akemi, the stone-faced peeping-tom Mr. Yotsuya, and earthy hard-drinking Mrs. Ichinose.

Takahashi's knack for characterization continues, especially her characters' abilities to either mess things up, or totally misinterpret what others are saying and thinking. Godai is still kinda spineless, but in a likable way; just about everyone knows at least one boy like him. Kyoko is a sweet, slightly introverted woman still dealing with her grief for her husband, and who gets insanely jealous over other girls near Godai. And while Mitaka and Kozue are obstacles for the two leads, they're not bad people. They're actually both quite likable, especially the suave, dog-phobic Mitaka.

"Maison Ikkoku" is still engaging, romantic and funny, and shows every sign of getting funnier, more romantic, and brimming over with more angsty misunderstandings. A treat for fans of romance and comedy.