"Mezon Ikkoku" (1986) TV series 1986-1988

User Rating:

8.9/10   

Director:

Tomomi Mochizuki

Writers:

Kazunori Itô (episodes)
Yutaka Kaneko (writer) (episodes)

Seasons:

1 | unknown

Release Date:

26 March 1986 (Japan)

Genre:

Animation | Comedy | Romance

Plot:

The misadventures of a young student and his landlady's romance.

Plot Keywords:

Student | Anime | Based On Comic | Soap | Boarding House

Cast

Terry Klassen	...	Grandfather Otonashi / ... (96 episodes, 1986-1988)
Sharon Alexander	...	Kentaro Ichinose / ... (96 episodes, 1986-1988)
Nicole Bouma	...	Ikuko / ... (96 episodes, 1986-1988)
Paul Dobson	...	Freeloading Husband / ... (96 episodes, 1986-1988)
Ron Halder	...	Doctor / ... (96 episodes, 1986-1988)
Nicole Oliver	...	Kozue's Mother / ... (96 episodes, 1986-1988)
Ward Perry	...	Chachamaru Regular 2 / ... (96 episodes, 1986-1988)
Cathy Weseluck	...	Housewife 1 / ... (96 episodes, 1986-1988)

Also Known As:

"Maison Ikkoku"

Runtime:

25 min (96 episodes)

Country:

Japan

Language:

English | Japanese

Color:

Color

Company:

Kitty TV

Trivia:

Originally, Kyoko and Godai's relationship wasn't going to be the basis of the story. Rather, Rumiko Takahashi, the creator of the comic the series is based on, was going to end the storyline early on and continue on with a series of other storylines centering around the building's other occupants. However, the romance storyline proved so popular it became the basis for the entire series in both comic and television form.

Movie Connections:

Version of Maison Ikkoku (1986)

The basis for all anime romance

It came before Please Teacher, before Love Hina, even before Kimagure Orange Road. I might be too young to say for sure, but I'll bet this is the series that started the whole romantic comedy movement. It's also one of the few with a mature enough storyline to keep post-teenagers interested.

Yeah, it's the same plot that exists in every anime of the type: boy meets girl, boy and girl deny their feelings for the entire series (but hook up every few episodes), boy and girl finally get together in the end. As a consequence, the plot moves a bit slowly and is a bit too one-track-minded; more fun plot diversions would have been welcome. Still, it's a pretty funny series, and the characters are colorful enough to care about for 96 straight episodes. If you're into Rumiko Takahashi's stuff, Maison Ikkoku's probably the best place to start.