History Manga / MaisonIkkoku

[[AcclaimedFlop The series has a history of struggling in North America.]] An English dub of the anime was started in the mid-90's, but cancelled after 36 episodes due to low VHS sales. The subtitled tapes stopped at Episode 64 for the same reason. Years later, Creator/VizMedia gave ''Maison'' another chance after ''Manga/InuYasha'' exploded in popularity – they miraculously managed to put the entire series out on DVD and ''finally'' finish the dub ([[TheOtherDarrin albeit with several cast changes due to the long hiatus]]), but sales were never strong; it got so bad that the only reason the final boxset came out at all was because retailer [=RightStuf.com=] offered to buy the entire print run. The manga was released to completion twice – once in "flipped" collections and then again a few years later in "unflipped" volumes matching the Japanese books… but quickly fell out of print afterwards.

* DisappearedDad: Mr.Ichinose, husband to Mrs.Ichinose and father to Kentaro. He works long hours, leaving in the early morning and not coming home until after dark, and only meets the other tenents when he is laid-off, and thus home during the day. Much is made over how none of the other characters have ever seen him, and most imagined he was dead (when Kentaro introduces him to Godai, Godai promptly responds with "You have a ''dad?1?'').

However, Viz recently announced they will be releasing the ''Collector's Edition'' of the manga. The first volume is set to be release in September 15, 2020.

[[caption-width-right:350:Where wacky Hijinks can't stop a great romance!]]

[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/1974711870_8.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:320:First volume of the Collector's Edition, release by Viz.]]

[[quoteright:197:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kyoko-and-godai.jpg]]

[[AcclaimedFlop The series has a history of struggling in North America.]] An English dub of the anime was started in the mid-90's, but cancelled after 36 episodes due to low VHS sales. The subtitled tapes stopped at Episode 64 for the same reason. Years later, Creator/VizMedia gave ''Maison'' another chance after ''Manga/InuYasha'' exploded in popularity – they miraculously managed to put the entire series out on DVD and ''finally'' finish the dub ([[TheOtherDarrin albeit with several cast changes due to the long hiatus]]), but sales were never strong; it got so bad that the only reason the final boxset came out at all was because retailer [=RightStuf.com=] offered to buy the entire print run. The manga was released to completion twice – once in "flipped" collections and then again a few years later in "unflipped" volumes matching the Japanese books… but quickly fell out of print afterwards. Nonetheless, the series received great reception among those who did see/read it, and it enjoys a passionate cult following in the States among anime fans, especially Takahashi fans, who often claim it to be her masterpiece.

* BeachEpisode: Episode 10.

* CloseKnitCommunity: Maison Ikkoku itself is a tiny, aging apartment complex whose rather disfunctional residents manage to fit the description of "a place where people know their neighbors and look after them", though "looking after their neighbors" often amounts to "bring them inside when they pass out drunk"

* ComedicSociopathy: If watching the entire cast make one man's life a living hell for 96 episodes is your idea of fun, this is the show for you. It doesn't help that Godai has no backbone. The tenants are so terrible that when [[spoiler:Godai and Kyoko finally get together, and the tenants congratulate them]], this simple act of kindness render Godai and Kyoko speechless.

* EarnYourHappyEnding: Godai definitely earned his.

* GrandFinale: Reputedly the first of long-running series from Creator/RumikoTakahashi that had a definitive ending. (Manga/InuYasha being the sole other, to this point)

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Hanae Ichinose, out of the drunkard trio she is most likely to do a PetTheDog scene. Hanae's son Kentaro is like this. Mitaka can be like this as well since, despite on how he may seem like a smug, rich pretty boy, he does genuinely care for Kyoko and is actually generally nice to everyone ''but'' [[CockFight Godai and anyone connected to him]].

* PassiveAggressiveKombat: Pretty much how Mitaka and Godai communicate. Especially visible in episode 10.

** Chapter 44 of the manga has Godai being sick due to getting wet at night in chapter 42. Unfortunately the tenants only make his sickness worse. By the end, he ended up resting on his bed for ''almost two weeks!''

* SittingOnTheRoof: Kyoko does this several times (nearly dying at least once as a result). Godai does it at least once.

* TeacherStudentRomance: Kyoko's deceased husband was a guest lecturer at her school. Later, when Godai works as a teacher, a schoolgirl named Ibuki Yagami pursues him.

* ThereWasADoor: Yotsuya prefers to break down Godai's wall with a log when he wants in there.

* UnluckyEverydude: Godai. Most prominently shown during Kokyo's trip where he keep missing her ''due to pure bad lucks.''

* WiseBeyondTheirYears: Downplayed. Kentaro Ichinose is a normal kid who nevertheless feels like he has to play parent to his strange, heavy-drinking mother and father.

%%* AspectMontage

* BaseballEpisode: In chapter 49 of the manga.

%%* BelligerentSexualTension: Godai and Kyoko.

%%* ButtMonkey: Godai.

* CharacterDevelopment: What makes it so enjoyable

%%* CloseKnitCommunity
* CloudCuckoolander: Yotsuya, easily one of the strangest characters created by Takahashi despite being in a "real-world" setting.

* ComedicSociopathy: If watching the entire cast make one man's life a living hell for 96 episodes is your idea of fun, this is the show for you. It doesn't help that Godai has no backbone. The tenants are so terrible that when [[spoiler:Godai and Kyoko finally get together, and the tenants congratulate them]], this simple act of kindness shocks Godai and Kyoko speechless.

%%* ContrivedCoincidence: Quite a few occasions.

* DrivesLikeCrazy: Kyoko, mostly because she only gets behind the wheel once every few years.

%%* EarnYourHappyEnding: Godai definitely earned his.
* EggSitting: Yotsuya leaves an egg with Godai for safekeeping in a dream. Only it wasn't a dream...
* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: Master.

* ForTheEvulz: In the beginning, this is pretty much the reason why Akemi, Hanae, and Yotsuya torment Godai on a regular basis through their frequent binge drinking. Though later on their motives seem to be more about "If you want us to stop then man up and talk to the Manager!" (not that this justifies it)

* GrandFinale: Reputedly the first of the long-running Manga series/animes from Creator/RumikoTakahashi that had a definitive ending. (Manga/InuYasha being the sole other, to this point)

* {{Jerkass}}: ''Many'' characters. A huge portion of the supporting cast acts this way, including Yotsuya, Mrs. Ichinose, and Akemi – the three others at ''Ikkoku'', with Kyoko and Godai being among the rare exceptions. Yotsuya tops the list, though, almost treading over the line sometimes with his callousness. Most of the Jerkasses have a [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold few kind moments]], however, and some of them (like Mitaka's Uncle) are genuinely cheerful.

* LethalChef: From the looks of the ramen Godai prepares for a recuperating Kyoko in episode 16 suggests, Godai is this. Nevertheless, Kyoko manages to eat every bite, even if only to be polite.

%% MoodWhiplash

* OverprotectiveDad: Unlike his wife, Kyoko's father is in no hurry for her to remarry. He's established as having been a DotingParent when she was a child, and can even be a bit indulgent to his now-adult daughter when he shouldn't. [[spoiler:Godai's proposal to Kyoko even happens while he's carrying Kyoko's father on his back while they wait for a cab!]] It's strongly suggested that his overprotective streak stems from how much pain being widowed brought Kyoko.

* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Akemi lays a brief but ''huge'' one on [[spoiler:Kyoko after Kyoko's ultimate hissy-fit towards Godai.]]
-->'''Akemi:''' I can't believe you. Crying and carrying on over a guy you won't even let hold your hand. What's wrong with you? You think I'm so desperate I'd bother to steal a man from a neurotic twit like you? Grow up!

%%* TheRival

* RugbyIsSlaughter: Godai plays rugby with his old high school team – he ends up with two black eyes.

* SingleMomStripper: This trope is the reason that Godai's job at the strip joint ended up not being so bad after all. He ended up as the babysitter for the strippers' young children, gaining tons of job experience for his intended field of early childhood education.

%% SlowMotionPassBy
%%* StalkerWithACrush: Ibuki Yagami.

* TheTell: You can tell Kyoko's angry because she becomes VERY enthusiastic while cleaning (moreso than usual). That, and her tendency to break broom handles by squeezing them.

%%* UmbrellaOfTogetherness: Featured prominently though episode 17.

%%* UnluckyEverydude: Godai.

* WhenSheSmiles: In a scene, Yusaku reflects that Kyoko is [[{{Tsundere}} short-tempered, jealous, hard to deal with]]... but when she smiles, he feels that the world is his.

* BetterByADifferentName: Indirect TropeNamer. "It was better when it was called ''Maison Ikkoku''" has reached MemeticMutation status when applied to romance anime.

* CannotSpitItOut: [[spoiler:Godai finally does spit it out in the final chapters, dumping Kozue and proposing to Kyoko. Kyoko as well, when she finally tells Godai not only that she loves him but that she has for a very long time.]]

* SickEpisode: Episode 16 has Kyoko spraining her ankle. Godai is terribly worried, but, as happens so often in this series, constantly gets blocked by circumstances, neighbors, and Mitaka when he tries to take care of her. It's only a minor sprain, but having to eat the food Akemi and Yotsuya brought for her PLUS Godai's unappetizing-looking ramen (after having already eaten Mitaka's delicious gourmet cooking) upsets her stomach, making her sick for real.

* PoorCommunicationKills: The source of many misunderstanding of the series. While not as bad as ''Series/ThreesCompany'' or anything, horrible misunderstandings are common. Though at least it's played realistically enough that sometimes things ''are'' explained – it's just that the situations Godai ends up in are so bizarre that Kyoko disbelieves it anyways.

* BrokenAce: Mitaka seems to be this at first - drop-dead gorgeous, athletic, and even an excellent cook - but he has his own issues.

* TheAce: Averted. Mitaka seems to be this at first - drop-dead gorgeous, athletic, and even an excellent cook - but he has his own issues.

* GrandFinale: Reputedly the first of the long-running Mangas/animes from Creator/RumikoTakahashi that had a definitive ending. (Manga/InuYasha being the sole other, to this point)

* GrandFinale: Reputedly the first of the long-running animes from Creator/RumikoTakahashi that had a definitive ending. (Manga/InuYasha being the sole other, to this point)

** Mitaka runs into a bit of this which spearheads his relationship with Azuna. [[spoiler: Upon realizing he had no chance with Kyoko, Mitaka utterly drowns his sorrows and winds up at Azuna's apartment. He wakes up the following morning not remembering a thing, but ''assuming'' the worst because he's sleeping in Azuna's bed and she's incredibly embarrassed. While he tries to mentally sort this all out, Azuna shows up at the tennis court with her beloved dog Salad with the revelation, "We're having a baby!!". Believing their apparent one-night stand produced a child and wanting to man-up, Mitaka immediately proposes to Azuna. However, it's at their engagement--after their engagement was ''completely officialized in front of their families''--that Azuna clarifies the "pregnancy" by revealing that it's ''Salad'' who's pregnant! And by the dog that ''Mitaka'' had adopted to help him get used to dogs!]]

…and in walks Kyoko Otonashi, a beautiful, sweet-tempered woman who announces herself as the new [[{{Landlord}} manager]].

* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: Subverted with Godai at the beginning of the series. After enduring enough of his roommates interfering with his studying, Godai decides to pack up and leave Maison Ikkoku, but it doesn't work out thanks to Kyoko's sudden arrival.

[[quoteright:197:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kyoko-and-godai.jpg]]a

[[quoteright:197:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kyoko-and-godai.jpg]]

* CannotSpitItOut: [[spoiler:Which makes it a CrowningMomentOfAwesome when Godai finally does spit it out in the final chapters, dumping Kozue and proposing to Kyoko. Kyoko as well, when she finally tells Godai not only that she loves him but that she has for a very long time.]]

* ShoutOut: The anime has several to Takahashi's earlier UruseiYatsura in just the first episode alone, including an image of Lum on a magazine cover and chibi versions of Ataru, Shinobu and Megane (among others) as kindergarteners. That's just one of many in both the manga and the anime. Also, in the English manga, Sakamoto wears a jacket with RanmaOneHalf printed on the back.

* LicensedGame: Two visual novels / adventure games were created in the eighties for Japanese computers and consoles. The [[TurboGrafx16 PC Engine version]] of Micro Cabin's game ''Omoide no Photograph'' was translated by fans in 2008. ''Kanketsu Hen ~Sayonara, Soshite...~'' remains untranslated.

%%* ThereWasADoor: Yotsuya. Log.

%% WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue

%%* {{Yandere}}: Ibuki.