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Maison Ikkoku #14
Maison Ikkoku, Volume 14: Welcome Home
Maison Ikkoku is a shabby apartment building populated with deadbeats and pranksters, bashful college student Yusaku, and his paramour Kyoko, the building manager. With everyone meddling and Yusaku's shyness, will they ever get together?
248 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2000
37 people want to read
About the author
Rumiko Takahashi
1,596 books2,155 followersRumiko Takahashi (高橋留美子) was born in Niigata, Japan. She is not only one of the richest women in Japan but also one of the top paid manga artists. She is also the most successful female comic artist in history. She has been writing manga non-stop for 31 years.
Rumiko Takahashi is one of the wealthiest women in Japan. The manga she creates (and its anime adaptations) are very popular in the United States and Europe where they have been released as both manga and anime in English translation. Her works are relatively famous worldwide, and many of her series were some of the forerunners of early English language manga to be released in the nineties. Takahashi is also the best selling female comics artist in history; well over 100 million copies of her various works have been sold.
Though she was said to occasionally doodle in the margins of her papers while attending Niigata Chūō High School, Takahashi's interest in manga did not come until later. During her college years, she enrolled in Gekiga Sonjuku, a manga school founded by Kazuo Koike, mangaka of Crying Freeman and Lone Wolf and Cub. Under his guidance Rumiko Takahashi began to publish her first doujinshi creations in 1975, such as Bye-Bye Road and Star of Futile Dust. Kozue Koike often urged his students to create well-thought out, interesting characters, and this influence would greatly impact Rumiko Takahashi's works throughout her career.
Career and major works:
Takahashi's professional career began in 1978. Her first published story was Those Selfish Aliens, a comedic science fiction story. During the same year, she published Time Warp Trouble, Shake Your Buddha, and the Golden Gods of Poverty in Shōnen Sunday, which would remain the home to most of her major works for the next twenty years. Later that year, Rumiko attempted her first full-length series, Urusei Yatsura. Though it had a rocky start due to publishing difficulties, Urusei Yatsura would become one of the most beloved anime and manga comedies in Japan.
In 1980, Rumiko Takahashi found her niche and began to publish with regularity. At this time she started her second major series, Maison Ikkoku, in Big Comic Spirits. Written for an older audience, Maison Ikkoku is often considered to be one of the all-time best romance manga. Takahashi managed to work on Maison Ikkoku on and off simultaneously with Urusei Yatsura. She concluded both series in 1987, with Urusei Yatsura ending at 34 volumes, and Maison Ikkoku being 15.
During the 1980s, Takahashi became a prolific writer of short story manga, which is surprising considering the massive lengths of most of her works. Her stories The Laughing Target, Maris the Chojo, and Fire Tripper all were adapted into original video animations (OVAs). In 1984, after the end of Urusei Yatsura and Maison Ikkoku, Takahashi took a different approach to storytelling and began the dark, macabre Mermaid Saga. This series of short segments was published sporadically until 1994, with the final story being Mermaid's Mask. Many fans contend that this work remains unfinished by Takahashi, since the final story does not end on a conclusive note.
Another short work left untouched is One-Pound Gospel, which, like Mermaid Saga, was published erratically. The last story to be drawn was published in 2001, however just recently she wrote one final chapter concluding the series
Later in 1987, Takahashi began her third major series, Ranma ½. Following the late 80s and early 90s trend of shōnen martial arts manga, Ranma ½ features a gender-bending twist. The series continued for nearly a decade until 1996, when it ended at 38 volumes. Ranma ½ is one of Rumiko Takahashi's most popular series with the Western world.
During the later half of the 1990s, Rumiko Takahashi continued with short stories and her installments of Mermaid Saga and One-Pound Gospel until beginning her fourth major work, InuYasha. While Ran
Rumiko Takahashi is one of the wealthiest women in Japan. The manga she creates (and its anime adaptations) are very popular in the United States and Europe where they have been released as both manga and anime in English translation. Her works are relatively famous worldwide, and many of her series were some of the forerunners of early English language manga to be released in the nineties. Takahashi is also the best selling female comics artist in history; well over 100 million copies of her various works have been sold.
Though she was said to occasionally doodle in the margins of her papers while attending Niigata Chūō High School, Takahashi's interest in manga did not come until later. During her college years, she enrolled in Gekiga Sonjuku, a manga school founded by Kazuo Koike, mangaka of Crying Freeman and Lone Wolf and Cub. Under his guidance Rumiko Takahashi began to publish her first doujinshi creations in 1975, such as Bye-Bye Road and Star of Futile Dust. Kozue Koike often urged his students to create well-thought out, interesting characters, and this influence would greatly impact Rumiko Takahashi's works throughout her career.
Career and major works:
Takahashi's professional career began in 1978. Her first published story was Those Selfish Aliens, a comedic science fiction story. During the same year, she published Time Warp Trouble, Shake Your Buddha, and the Golden Gods of Poverty in Shōnen Sunday, which would remain the home to most of her major works for the next twenty years. Later that year, Rumiko attempted her first full-length series, Urusei Yatsura. Though it had a rocky start due to publishing difficulties, Urusei Yatsura would become one of the most beloved anime and manga comedies in Japan.
In 1980, Rumiko Takahashi found her niche and began to publish with regularity. At this time she started her second major series, Maison Ikkoku, in Big Comic Spirits. Written for an older audience, Maison Ikkoku is often considered to be one of the all-time best romance manga. Takahashi managed to work on Maison Ikkoku on and off simultaneously with Urusei Yatsura. She concluded both series in 1987, with Urusei Yatsura ending at 34 volumes, and Maison Ikkoku being 15.
During the 1980s, Takahashi became a prolific writer of short story manga, which is surprising considering the massive lengths of most of her works. Her stories The Laughing Target, Maris the Chojo, and Fire Tripper all were adapted into original video animations (OVAs). In 1984, after the end of Urusei Yatsura and Maison Ikkoku, Takahashi took a different approach to storytelling and began the dark, macabre Mermaid Saga. This series of short segments was published sporadically until 1994, with the final story being Mermaid's Mask. Many fans contend that this work remains unfinished by Takahashi, since the final story does not end on a conclusive note.
Another short work left untouched is One-Pound Gospel, which, like Mermaid Saga, was published erratically. The last story to be drawn was published in 2001, however just recently she wrote one final chapter concluding the series
Later in 1987, Takahashi began her third major series, Ranma ½. Following the late 80s and early 90s trend of shōnen martial arts manga, Ranma ½ features a gender-bending twist. The series continued for nearly a decade until 1996, when it ended at 38 volumes. Ranma ½ is one of Rumiko Takahashi's most popular series with the Western world.
During the later half of the 1990s, Rumiko Takahashi continued with short stories and her installments of Mermaid Saga and One-Pound Gospel until beginning her fourth major work, InuYasha. While Ran
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 8, 2021
"Viisitoista osaa - tai yhden vähemmän
Mä mietin, kuinka saisin häneen suhteen lähemmän..."
"Maison Ikkoku: Welcome Home" (Viz Media, 2000) päättää alun perin vuosina 1980-1987 ilmestyneen sarjan odotetulla tavalla eli pääparimme saa vihdoin ja viimein toisensa. Loppu hyvin, kaikki hyvin - mutta niinhän se romanttisessa komediassa kuuluu mennä.
Ei kai tämä virheetön sarjakuva ole. Loppumattomiin väärinkäsityksiin perustuvat tarinankäänteet toistavat itseään, jotkut henkilöistä unohtuvat ja epäilemättä ihan kaikki jutut eivät ole kestäneet aikaa. Mutta. Hittojako niistä. Vuonna 2020 "Maison Ikkoku" on edelleen aivan yhtä ihana lukukokemus kuin se oli muinaisina opiskeluvuosinani, ja muutamat sen kohtaukset ovat niin sydäntäsärkeviä, liikuttavia ja koskettavia, että vastaavaa en ole mielestäni lukenut koskaan.
Lieneekö tämä paras koskaan lukemani manga? En ole tästä sataprosenttisen varma, mutta hyvin mahdollista se on.
Ja tosiaan: "Maison Ikkoku" on ollut pitkään loppuunmyyty, mutta tänä syksynä (2020) siitä otetaan uusi painos, jonka hankin myös meidän putiikkimme. Tutustukaahan!
Mä mietin, kuinka saisin häneen suhteen lähemmän..."
"Maison Ikkoku: Welcome Home" (Viz Media, 2000) päättää alun perin vuosina 1980-1987 ilmestyneen sarjan odotetulla tavalla eli pääparimme saa vihdoin ja viimein toisensa. Loppu hyvin, kaikki hyvin - mutta niinhän se romanttisessa komediassa kuuluu mennä.
Ei kai tämä virheetön sarjakuva ole. Loppumattomiin väärinkäsityksiin perustuvat tarinankäänteet toistavat itseään, jotkut henkilöistä unohtuvat ja epäilemättä ihan kaikki jutut eivät ole kestäneet aikaa. Mutta. Hittojako niistä. Vuonna 2020 "Maison Ikkoku" on edelleen aivan yhtä ihana lukukokemus kuin se oli muinaisina opiskeluvuosinani, ja muutamat sen kohtaukset ovat niin sydäntäsärkeviä, liikuttavia ja koskettavia, että vastaavaa en ole mielestäni lukenut koskaan.
Lieneekö tämä paras koskaan lukemani manga? En ole tästä sataprosenttisen varma, mutta hyvin mahdollista se on.
Ja tosiaan: "Maison Ikkoku" on ollut pitkään loppuunmyyty, mutta tänä syksynä (2020) siitä otetaan uusi painos, jonka hankin myös meidän putiikkimme. Tutustukaahan!
April 13, 2014
I'm going to explain how important this series is with the last volume and NO SPOILERS. "Maison Ikkoku" is an important series for me. Not as a manga, though it is, and not as a long-running comic series, though it is that too. MI came into my life when I needed it most. It kept me grounded and laughing when I was stuck on a bus going to jobs that I hated and in my twenties, unsure of what to make in my life. This series has wacky hijinks, slapstick, melodrama and farce, but it has what others in this genre (comedy) seems to lack. Maison Ikkoku has a heart. If you pick up any volume and you're turned off by the stupidity and foolishness that goes on, that's life. The world isn't pretty in the way we think it ought to be pretty. It isn't always in glittering colors, but, MI hits the nail on the head in so many ways: things can be unfair, life can test us, and a lot happens that makes NO sense or nonsense of us all, but, in the long-run, life becomes gorgeous in all its nicks and cracks. Once we know that, this series becomes a teacher. It took me two years to finish this delightful and adorable series, and my only regret is that I can't redo it or that I didn't drag it out (Takahashi-Sensei wrote this series in a way that the characters and events age in realtime. However, her genius lies in the fact that though it's an 80s story, there is still so much relevance to today).
It's a gift to those that are discovering it for the first time. Enjoy this classic series with this bibiliophile's blessing.
It's a gift to those that are discovering it for the first time. Enjoy this classic series with this bibiliophile's blessing.
November 25, 2015
I've not only read it, but felt it. The characters and their emotions, laugh and cry with them throughout the whole story. I could felt their excitement, pain, anxiety, love, joy and distress. Maison Ikkoku has in someway changed the way I see things and relationships, enlighten my apprehension of Adulthood life and caused me to thank God for "love".
November 13, 2016
I'd give this book ten stars if I could. When I proudly proclaim that my favorite genre is romantic comedy, people ask me what is my favorite romcom, expecting me to name a movie. But for my money the greatest romantic comedy ever was done in the medium of manga. I have read this series several times, and every time it makes me laugh and cry, often at the same time. Just perfect.
May 1, 2024
Rather than write a review on each one, I’ll write my review here.
Something about Takahashi’s work has always fell flat for me. She’s incredibly prolific and insanely popular, but I find that, at least for myself, that doesn’t make her good. She barely strings together a plot from a comedy of errors that are only related by the fact that the same characters star in each one. This, of course, goes all the way back to Osamu Tezuka, but there is something about his work that she lacks although I can see how and why she is emulating him.
She cannot write a likable character, she struggles to make her characters distinct in personality (i mean, take Yusaku and Kyoko and switch them for Ranma and Akane or InuYasha and Kagome and do the characters REALLY change?), and she wouldn’t know what plot was if it jumped up and bit her. While this works well in something like Mermaid Saga, fourteen books of Maison Ikkoku was too long for the gaping holes in her writing ability. We won’t speak of InuYasha’s 60-odd books nor of whatever is going on in Ranma 1/2. I cannot speak of her other works, as I have very little interaction with them. Her art, however, has always been charming and pretty, with a nostalgic sense and a well developed understanding of space and form. Further, her composition is absolutely fantastic.
Once the plot FINALLY got going, somewhere around book twelve, it was enjoyable enough. But not for me. They will go in the collection, as they were given to me by a dear friend, but will probably collect dust until they are donated to the Manga Museum in Kyoto.
Something about Takahashi’s work has always fell flat for me. She’s incredibly prolific and insanely popular, but I find that, at least for myself, that doesn’t make her good. She barely strings together a plot from a comedy of errors that are only related by the fact that the same characters star in each one. This, of course, goes all the way back to Osamu Tezuka, but there is something about his work that she lacks although I can see how and why she is emulating him.
She cannot write a likable character, she struggles to make her characters distinct in personality (i mean, take Yusaku and Kyoko and switch them for Ranma and Akane or InuYasha and Kagome and do the characters REALLY change?), and she wouldn’t know what plot was if it jumped up and bit her. While this works well in something like Mermaid Saga, fourteen books of Maison Ikkoku was too long for the gaping holes in her writing ability. We won’t speak of InuYasha’s 60-odd books nor of whatever is going on in Ranma 1/2. I cannot speak of her other works, as I have very little interaction with them. Her art, however, has always been charming and pretty, with a nostalgic sense and a well developed understanding of space and form. Further, her composition is absolutely fantastic.
Once the plot FINALLY got going, somewhere around book twelve, it was enjoyable enough. But not for me. They will go in the collection, as they were given to me by a dear friend, but will probably collect dust until they are donated to the Manga Museum in Kyoto.
May 12, 2020
For once, R. Takahashi ties up loose ends! Lovely ending to this gut wrenching series. Kyoko's request for Yusaku to outlive her, if only by one day so she would never have to go through her husband twice was heartbreaking.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 25, 2011
Niiskniiskniisk!!!
March 27, 2013
The last and final volume- I'm sad to see it end. We have our happy ending and things finally work out.
Read
June 6, 2013Wow, I'm so happy for Godai, the flunk-out finally made something out of himself! We never did find out what Yotsuya does for a living though...
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews