Maison Ikkoku
a review by Motongo
a review by Motongo
This review contains spoilers.
I don't recommend reading it before finishing the anime, as I will now continue to praise the hell out of this anime in the following paragraphs.
You have been warned!
I want to start by saying the following: This review will not be objective whatsoever. I am simply writing this review to capture the thoughts and love I have for this anime as much as I possibly can. Also you might not agree with my opinion and thats totally fine. So please keep in mind that this review is not supposed to change your opinion, but rather to portray my thoughts and feelings.
Also, I'm not very good at analyzing characters or their motives, so don't expect too much. Lastly, English is not my mother tongue, and I'm trying to write as much as possible without using a translator, so please excuse the not-so-eloquent writing.
At the beginning, Godai is a not very likable idiot, to put it bluntly. He's immature and a little arrogant. But that changes dramatically over the course of the anime. His character development into a confident, respectful and respectable man is fantastic. He's also pretty unlucky, constantly getting pulled into unfortunate situations, which, for the most part, lead to misunderstandings with his great love, Kyoko. I'll come back to misunderstandings later.
From a viewer's perspective, I didn't like him dating Kozue-chan, even though he was in love with Kyoko from the beginning. But I fully admit that Kozue plays an important part in the story and in Godai's character development. I also can't blame Godai at all.
Let's picture this from his perspective real quick: He is head over heels for a beautiful, graceful girl who is also older than him, recently widowed, and still mourning her husband. It's also apparent to everyone that she doesn’t have feelings for anyone but her husband. Then, a cute former workmate starts clinging to him after a spontaneous cinema date. Who could say no in his situation? I couldn’t.
As we learn later, he is really good with kids, and I think that's a part of the reason why Kyoko fell in love with him.
### Kyoko Otonashi
Kyoko is the second main character in this show. In contrast to Godai, she starts out much more mature. The difference is so drastic that, in the first few episodes, I thought Kyoko was around 30 years old. The fact that age is difficult to determine in anime and that her age isn't revealed until much later doesn’t help either. We later learn that she is just 2 Years older.Kyoko gets jealous quickly, is quite stubborn, and jumps to conclusions often. But, to be honest, that's hella cute. I also find it highly respectable how much and how long she mourns her husband. But it never becomes overwhelming.
I think her emotional healing is well portrayed within her character development throughout the series. She goes from a lonely, deeply hurt widowed woman to a shining light that is open for love again. Like many other aspects of the story, this progression feels really natural.
Also allthough I went into this anime without any expectations and knew how it ended. There still, were quite a lot of moments where I was nervous and found it nerve-wracking to watch because it seemed like Mitaka was winning.
But as I will mention later, he never really had a chance anyway.
(More on him later.)
Ichinose, Akemi, and Yotsuya are mostly comic relief characters. Their personalities are not particularly deep, but they don’t feel bland or one-dimensional either. They also play a big role in development of our main characters as well as stirring up drama between Godai and other characters with their constant banter and commentary.
At first, I thought they were real assholes—and to be honest, they were in the beginning. Still, they become quite likable as the story progresses.
What I really enjoyed was the big-sister relationship Ichinose had with Kyoko—having girl talk with her, etc.
The same applies to Godai and Kentaro, who later calls Godai "Onii-chan" as well.
Grandma Godai is one of my favorite characters. Every time she shows up, it’s just really fun. She is witty, sly, and funny. She quickly understood what was happening between Godai, Kyoko, Mitaka, and Kozue and acted upon it by trying to get Godai to choose between the girls.
### Coach Mitaka
I read a comment on Reddit that I think hits the nail on the head. It said that Mitaka, much like Kozue, acts as the easy and convenient choice for both Kyoko and Godai. But the story is about fighting for true love, and that’s what ultimately happens.Mitaka is seemingly perfect. He’s rich, good-looking, athletic, his teeth shine, and he lives a Western lifestyle—basically the polar opposite of Godai. I also think the author made a great choice by making Mitaka afraid of dogs. Not only does it make him seem more human (at least to the viewer), but it also serves as a major plot point in the later episodes.
What I found really aggravating while watching—especially in the final arcs—was his intrusive and pushy nature. Although I respect that he didn’t give up on Kyoko and made a real effort to win her over, it ultimately led to him becoming, as I said, intrusive and pushy. It also seemed like he was slightly exploiting Kyoko’s difficulty with saying no. When she tried to decline a date or anything else, he just talked over her and changed the subject.
In summary, Mitaka is a key figure in this story. I strongly believe that if Godai didn't have Mitaka as a rival, he wouldn’t have had the motivation to become a better man. Which ultimately means that, for the most part, Mitaka is responsible for Godai’s great character development into a respectable man.
And still, even though I didn’t like him because of his pushy nature, I felt bad for him after he married Asuna because he thought she was pregnant with his child. But luckily, it seemed like he still got a happy ending after all. I mean, they had three kids, and Asuna is definitely not a bad choice either.
---This anime has a runtime of 96 episodes, which at first seems like a lot and might scare off some people, since most romance anime nowadays have, at best, a single 24-episode season.
But these 96 episodes never feel like too much.
It’s a slow burn—a very slow burn—but I really enjoyed that. It made the fight for Kyoko feel like an actual fight. It also allows space for natural character development, which often feels rushed in other anime.
The pacing of the episodes is great as well. I can’t recall a moment where I thought a scene was dragged out or too long. It was just really easy and enjoyable to watch.
The romance is definitely different from your average modern-day rom-com—in a good way. There’s no unnecessary, constant blushing or ridiculous fan service. Instead, it feels natural, mature, and deeply emotional. The story takes its time, letting the characters grow and their feelings develop organically, making every romantic moment feel earned rather than forced.
I thought it was really funny. I admit, the first maybe seven or so episodes were kinda slow and didn’t offer much in terms of comedy—at least for me—but after that, it really picked up. I definitely laughed at least twice every episode.
Where do I even begin? This anime doesn’t just tell a story—it feels like an experience. Every frame radiates warmth, nostalgia, and a quiet, almost melancholic beauty. The colors, the lighting, the way the scenery is drawn—it all feels so alive.
The best way I could describe how I felt while watching is that this anime feels like wandering through a quiet neighborhood on a warm summer night, when the air is still, and the distant hum of life makes you feel both alone and deeply connected at the same time. It’s the kind of atmosphere that lingers, like the last rays of sunset stretching across the sky before fading into the night.
I can’t put it into words fully, but this anime has a kind of magic that makes you feel something—something warm, something that stays with you long after the final episode ends.
This is my first 80s anime, so maybe it’s nothing that special, but as others have said in their reviews, it seems to be one of the best at capturing this feeling.
Because I was in constant awe of how amazingly gorgeous this anime is, I took some screenshots every now and then during my watch-through. So here are a few of my favorite shots.
The openings were great as well. There wasn’t a single one that I thought was bad.
I can’t decide between them. They are both fantastic. Never skipped once.
Nearly as good as the first two. Nevers skipped either
It was okay, not as catchy as the others, but not bad either.
This doesn’t really count because it was only used once. I actually wondered why it was only used once, and after some research, I found out that at the time, Gilbert O’Sullivan, who made the song used in Opening 2, was signed with a record label owned by the same company that produced the anime. They wanted to promote him in Japan this way, but viewers didn’t like it, so they switched back to Opening 1.
Nothing is perfect, and neither is this anime. So here are some things I didn’t like or thought were missing.
Yes—BUT they cut out a really important scene from the manga, which really bothers me.
After finishing the anime, I was wondering: "Did Kyoko ever say that she loves Godai?" I googled it, and the answer is yes and no. She didn’t say it in the anime, but she did in the manga—at that exact scene.
In the manga, after the kiss in the window, they have intercourse. This is only implied in the anime by them turning off the light. It’s not a suggestive scene in the manga, but I think it’s still important. I would have been fine with them cutting that part out, but they could have at least included the next moment. After they’re done, they’re lying in bed, and Kyoko confesses that she has been in love with Godai for a long time. When he asks for how long, she says that she forgot.
Such a good and important scene—it’s a shame that they cut it from the anime.
There are A LOT of misunderstandings, most of which could have been solved in seconds if one of the involved characters had just spoken instead of stuttering and hesitating. Ultimately, I don’t think it makes the anime worse, but it could have been better. At least the author was able to clear up every misunderstanding in a satisfying way.
I didn’t know where to put these, so I’ll put them here. These are some of my favorite quotes.
I watch a lot of romance anime, and most of the time, they don’t cover the whole manga. So it was really refreshing to have an actual ending in the anime. And the ending—it hits you even harder after you’ve learned to love these characters for 96 episodes.
I’m going to be completely honest: I cried at the end. Not just at the end, but basically for the last three episodes. I tried to hold it in for the most part, but in the final scene, I just couldn’t anymore. Even though I am someone who is easily moved to tears, I have never cried THIS much after finishing any other piece of media—be it another anime, a video game, or a TV show.
It was so bad that I had to rewatch the last episode the day after because I couldn’t fully remember what happened in the end.
But I assure you, they were happy tears—for a truly happy ending.
Regarding the sequel Movie: I have read the Movie Review by unimportantuser and based on that I will definetly not watch it. unimportantuser wrote a fantastic review for the Main Series, thats why I trust the words in his Movie review.
To put it bluntly, this is my favorite anime of all time, and I don’t see the possibility of that ever changing. Everything comes together so perfectly—the characters, the comedy, the romance, the atmosphere, the emotional beats. It’s like a perfectly seasoned meal.
Unfortunately, I can only give 100/100 points or a 10/10. But this is more than a 10/10 for me. This is my 11/10. This is the single best thing I have ever watched.
Just like Soichiro has a special place in Kyoko’s heart, this anime has a special place in mine.
If you actually read all of my rambling until now, thank you very much. I sincerely hope I was able to convey my love for this anime at least to some degree.
EDIT: I'm currently reading the Manga and just finished the 5th out of 10 Volumes. Heres some differences I noticed so far.
All of these things are a welcome change compared to the anime
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