Maison Ikkoku Collector’s Edition Vol. 1 doesn’t immediately exclaim greatness to new readers, but this Rumiko Takahashi classic is still charming.
Maison Ikkoku is the shortest and most unassuming of Rumiko Takahashi’s major hit manga. It doesn’t have the outrageous fantasy-comedy scenarios of Urusei Yatsura and Ranma 1/2, nor does it fit the action-adventure mold of Inu-Yasha and RIN-NE. It’s also considered by many fans to be her best overall story.
Volume 1 of Viz Media’s new Collector’s Edition, containing the first volume-and-a-half of the series’ original 15 volume run, doesn’t immediately exclaim such greatness to new readers, but it’s a charming read that easy to see becoming great. The love for the series among old-school otaku is less about how it starts and more about how it develops; where other Takahashi manga start strong before growing formulaic, Maison Ikkoku is a slow but focused story with a clear beginning, middle and end.
The sitcom-like set-up centers around the residents of an apartment complex. There’s plenty of loud comical personalities, but the clear protagonists are Yusaku Godai, who starts off the series taking a gap year after failing his college entrance exams, and Kyoko Otonashi, the apartment’s new manager. While they’re only a few years apart in age, these prospective lovers have a huge divide in terms of life experience: Godai barely knows how to “adult,” whereas the responsible Kyoko has already been married and is mourning the loss of her husband Soichiro (not to be confused with her adorable dog, also named Soichiro).
Each chapter works as a slice-of-life comic vignette while also serving to develop the characters. Even in just this volume, it’s clear the characters are growing. Godai gets into college and a job as a tutor, while Kyoko hints at her feelings for Godai in tsundere fashion. A love triangle develops involving Kyoko’s himbo tennis instructor Mitaka, who brings additional humor to the proceedings.
Some of the comedy in the series, however, hasn’t aged particularly well. Especially in the early chapters, there’s a bunch of gags involving Godai accidentally getting into perverted situations and his neighbor Yotsuya intentionally instigating them. While the manga doesn’t treat acts of sexual harassment as acceptable, it does treat them more lightly than might be comfortable for modern readers.
The artwork also shows its age, but in a more positive way. This is unmistakeably an early ’80s manga, with a rougher, cartoonier style than later Takahashi manga (or, for that matter, than the cleaner art of the Maison Ikkoku anime adaptation). It’s very cute, with great character designs and expressions, unmistakably of its time but in a good way.
The Collector’s Edition rerelease promises to be the first time the whole series has been available in English. The previous translation was looser and cut several chapters deemed “too Japanese,” while the new release is complete and features more faithful translation by Matt Treyvaud. This promises to be a worthwhile investment for fans of classic romance manga.
Maison Ikkoku Collector’s Edition Vol. 1 is available from Viz Media September 15.
