Customer Reviews

Maison Ikkoku, Vol. 5

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After a long stretch of melodrama, Rumiko Takahashi deals with some more lighthearted material in the fifth "Maison Ikkoku" volume. Now rereleased in their original order, this charming little collection mixes drama, comedy, and romance in equal measure.

Yusaku Godai has just returned from his stint in self-imposed exile... and he has a bad cold, Kyoko isn't home, and the other tenants are tormenting him. No sooner has he recovered than it's the holidays, and despite his poverty Yusaku manages to give his beloved manager a special gift for Christmas. But Valentine's day brings a new set of problems when Kozue gives him a gift of pansies (meaning: Keep me in your heart), and Kyoko finds out about them.

Things get more complicated when a frustrated Kozue asks Mitaka for advice on men -- and people think that Mitaka is secretly involved with Yusaku's girlfriend. But Yusaku has bigger problems: he finds himself threatened by the memory of Kyoko's late husband Soichiro, when Kyoko's father-in-law asks him to bring her Soichiro's old diary. And Kyoko finds a strange entry in the diary, but the postcard that was tucked inside is missing. It fell out in Yusaku's bag. Will he do the right thing and return it to her?

Since the previous volume of "Maison Ikkoku" had lots of drama and misery and angst, Takahashi lightens things up here. Kyoko's imagination runs wild when she's urged to have kids -- she sees herself surrounded by dozens of squalling babies. Soichiro's food-diary is pretty odd. Yusaku's hormones run wild when Kyoko buys a leotard. And finally the "ship of fools" plays dress up with their high-school clothes -- yes, even the relatively sane Kyoko joins in.

But the romance ante is upped too, as Yusaku and Kyoko accidently kiss (after Akemi drunkenly smooches both of them), and Yusaku goes to great lengths to prove himself to the woman he adores. The two of them aren't involved -- and won't become so for a long time -- but Takahashi knows how to stretch out romantic tension without making it snap.

Our loser hero has grown up a little, and become more responsible and less of a goofball. And Kyoko (who is having sexy dreams about Yusaku) is definitely starting to move past Soichiro, although she's still definitely hung up on her late husband. And except for the beleagered preteen Kentaro, the other inhabitants of Maison Ikkoku are as nutty as ever.

In its fifth volume, "Maison Ikkoku" opts for fluffier standalone fare, but it's still quite touching and romantic. An entertaining continuing story.

"Empty Nest", Volume 5 of the stellar international romantic comedy, "Maison Ikkoku", continues the great comedy and touching romance seen in the previous volumes. Although a uniquely Japanese story, the appeal of this timeless classic is universal.

Maison Ikkoku is a run down apartment building in Tokyo. Living there is struggling and wishy-washy college student Yusaku Godai, who has fallen 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 has become Godai's platonic girlfriend. Kozue is clueless that Godai is in love with Kyoko.

But 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, and who wears 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've also discovered that Kyoko is fun to tease as well.

The 9 chapters contained in "Empty Nest", Volume 5 of the 14 volume saga which is "Maison Ikkoku", are heavy on comedy, although a hint of romance always lurks around the corner. The 3rd anniversary of the death of Kyoko's husband, Soichiro, is upon us, and Kyoko's parents have become more aware of the absence of grandchildren in their lives. This discussion brings Kyoko to consider the possibility of raising a family with either Coach Mitaka or Godai. Baseball is the national sport of Japan, and the manager of the gang's bar ChaChaMaru, has recruited everyone to play in a game against the local merchants, for a wager, of course. Kyoko's going to a class reunion, while Godai's playing host at a freshman mixer. Godai ends up with a cute, intoxicated freshman gal, who's supposed to be verrrrrry lonely. What a coincidence that Godai is in the Shinjuku District, the same area as Kyoko's reunion.

The remainder of Volume 5 covers a story arc that continues into Volume 6; Godai's grandmother comes to visit. Granny Yukari drags Godai and Kyoko to her class reunion. Granny finagles Godai into taking her with him on a date with Kozue, and we see that Godai has been indecisive since he was a child. Granny learns that Godai has a rival, and Coach Mitaka mistakenly invites Granny, Godai and Kyoko to his luxury apartment, where Granny has a lesson for Godai to learn. Granny gets a shipment from home of her homemade plum wine, which helps to show that alcohol and dogs don't mix. Granny invites the gang to a hotel pool to swiim, and Kyoko misunderstands the hickey Godai is sporting. It is embarrasing, since Godai got it from his drunken college buddy Sakamoto, who's decided to take a "don't ask, don't tell" policy about the hickey, which only infuriates Kyoko. Godai takes off for Hokkaido, to escape Kyoko's wrath, and winds up making friends with a chatterbox of a gal who helps Godai sort things out.

A few notes of interest: when Granny Godai arrives, it's clear that she & Kyoko had met before. The reason for this is that an early volume that contained Granny's 1st visit to Ikkoku was not translated/published in America, for unknown reasons. At the mixer, Sakamoto says that he & Godai had been buddies since they failed their college entrance exams. The English translation of the series had Godai introduced as a college student; the original Japanese had Godai as a "Ronin", a person who failed his/her difficult entrance exams and who is cramming to retake the exam.

This wonderful Volume keeps this great story rolling along with it's drop-dead funny humor, and yet the romantic angle keeps things touching. "Maison Ikkoku" is better than "Oh! My Goddess!" and is superior to most books which make Oprah's Book Club. Buy it, you'll love it!

This Maison Ikkoku novel is rather short but it is still has some great scences that are sure to make you laugh! Kyoko's parents want grandchildren.... Cha Cha Maru is having a baseball game where everyone is involved... Yusaku is going to get very close to a new freshmen! ....Grandma's friend's mistake Kyoko for Yusaku's wife?... Grandma meets Kozue and Shun...Mr. Soichiro drunk?.... Sakamoto gives Yusaku a hicky and Yusaku kisses up another girl? Well all of these things add up to lots of laughs and good times as always for Maison Ikkoku if you have an annoying grandma, your problems can't even compare to Yusaku's. You have to love Grandma's hijinks that make you wonder weather she is for or against Yusaku and a kiss from another girl just might make Yusaku put his feelings for Kyoko in perspective. I guarantee once you read Maison Ikkoku you'll never want to stop!

This is only the fifth in the series of 15 graphic novels for this series and there are some great single stories here, but the value of this series is in the whole series. It is in my opinion the best Japanese Manga series available. It's overall story is close to earth with no robots or aliens and the problems encountered are true to life, which makes this such a great series. I highly recommend this series to anyone looking for a great Manga series that is touching, romantic and heart warming.

When Kyoko gets together with her family to commemorate the 3 year anniversary of her husband's death, an uncomfortable topic comes up. Her relatives begin to pressure her about when she's going to remarry, settle down, and have some kids! Kyoko begins to scout what Yusaku and Mitaka's attitudes towards marriage are and what they would expect out of a wife. Neither prospect seems especially attractive. Kyoko isn't the only one wavering between two lovers as Yusaku is still seing Kozue a bit, and Kyoko even catches him trying to sneak an inebriated girl he just met into a love hotel! The big event in this volume is that Yusaku's ancient and tiny grandma who could almost double for Yoda comes to visit Maison Ikkoku. She has her own designs on hooking up Yusaku with a good woman, and she's willing to step on his toes to get it done.

Maison Ikkoku reads to me like a slice of life independent American comic. This would be a good manga for a non-manga reader because it's just about normal life. Rumiko Takahashi is a genius when it comes to taking ordinary events and milking them for comedy. It's almost like watching Seinfeld in its mix of surreal moments of humor with human truth on how the human animal reacts to situations. Volume 5 of Maison Ikkoku continues the excellence this series started with and gives you the feeling that it will never decline as it goes forward.

The fifth Ikkoku graphic novel is good. But they're all great, so this being great is nothing special.

OH, BABY
Kyoko's mom pressures her to remarry so she can have grandchildren.
MY NOTES
Contains some pretty funny visions Kyoko has of whether she marries Godai or Mitaka. And it all ends in a SLAP!

A VERY TIGHT GAME
The Cha Cha Maru baseball team steps up at bat!
MY NOTES
18 to 11 already?! Are they playing baseball or basketball?!

SHALL WE... REST A WHILE?
Godai goes to a love hotel with a girl, but is caught by Kyoko.
MY NOTES
Godai truly needs to grow a brain cell.

GRANDMA GOES TO TOWN
Grandma Yukari arrives at Ikkoku to visit. Also, Godai and Kyoko are forced to take Yukari to her Tokyo reunion.
MY NOTES
These old women are SENILE! Getting names confused and jumping from emotions are proof!

STOP FOLLOWING ME!
Yukari follows Yusaku on his date with Kozue.
MY NOTES
No important notes. It's just a funny chapter.

COME ON A MY HOUSE
Mitaka invites Grandma Yukari and her grandchild (who he thinks is Kyoko) to his house.
MY NOTES
REALLY funny! Especially when Yukari tells the story of her marrying Grandpa Godai.

GRANNY'S OL' PLUM WINE
Soichiro (the dog) gets drunk!
MY NOTES
That's one grabby little pooch!

PLAYING HICKEY
Kyoko gets jealous over a hickey on Godai's shoulder. Little does she know, Sakamoto accidentally gave Godai that hickey.
MY NOTES
Just cause he's spineless and clumsy doesn't mean he doesn't have-Plenty of GIRLS!

A HOT WIND
On a trip to Okinawa, Godai runs into a very `talkative' girl name Konatsu.
MY NOTES
A good chapter. It's pretty appealing, but I can't figure out why.

OK. That's all.

Another delightful book in the Maison Ikkoku series. I seem to be repeating myself quite often with these words, but anyway good book. The book begins off with the usual struggle: Kyoko vs her parents this time the topic of argument is grandchildren, and leave it to Mrs. Chigusa to drive bamboo shoots underneath Kyoko's fingernails. Mrs. Chigusa even invites Mitaka out for coffee, and of course Mrs. Ichinose and Yusaku are with them. The main highlight of this book, however, is the arrival of Godai's Grandmother Yukari. She meddles in Yusaku's life trying to find out his loves, so she seems to pick up very quickly that Godai has feelings for the beautiful Kyoko. She even gets Mitaka to take the gang to his apartment so Godai can check out his competition, and let's say that Godai falls quite far behind Mitaka in the material world, but Godai is our hero he will persevere. hehe

Well, shes done it again. Ms. Takahasi has made another great graphic novel with the 5th novel, Empty Nest. Godai continues to be a blundering fool about his love life, but things begin to advance for him... I wont ruin anything, so pick this up today.