One more episode. That’s it… Bringing the total episode count to a whopping 2! _|-|O…
Manga Kyoko
Maison Ikkoku is easily one of my all-time favorite series, so when I stumbled upon the 1-episode special that came out last year (not the live action movie from around 1986) I had to watch it. I must have been one of the handful who enjoyed that special because nothing else was filmed…
At least for me, the special showed a lot of promise, with the exception of Ito Misaki (as Kyoko) who cannot act. I liked pretty much everything else about it. The rest of the cast felt right and looked right (Mrs. Ichinose should have looked like a beer keg though), the plot was fairly accurate to the manga, and the locations looked very similar to how they did in both the manga and anime. What I liked most about it though was how they set up the story. The episode starts out in the present day instead of directly back in the early to mid 1980’s when the story’s timeline actually occurred. Everything gets going with an “older” Yusaku taking Haruka back to Clock Hill and telling her the story of how he and her mother first met. Even though Haruka should have been around 18 or 19 during the special (instead she’s like 4), I liked the idea of showing Maison Ikkoku as a flashback.
Anime Kyoko
The special episode itself I thought was pretty good–not perfect, but something to build upon. They even had cameos for both Kozue and Shun and things look primed to go with a full series of episodes. But I guess there were more than a handful that didn’t share my sentiment because only 1 more episode is being done.
Live-Action Maison Ikkoku TV Finale Announced
Sequel to last May’s remake of Rumiko Takahashi’s manga to air this summerThe official website of the live-action television adaptation of Rumiko Takahashi’s Maison Ikkoku manga has revealed that a new, final chapter will air in Japan this summer. The first live-action television special aired last May and starred Misaki Itō (Densha Otoko television’s “Hermés”, Juon: The Grudge’s Hitomi) as the widowed boarding house manager Kyoko Otonashi, with newcomer Taiki Nakabayashi as the hapless college applicant Yusaku Godai. In the new special, though, popular idol Akina Minami (Pocket Monsters Diamond & Pearl: Giratina to Sora no Hanataba’s Reira) will play Kyoko’s rival Kozue Nanao instead of the previous special’s Nana Eikura. Completing the “love square” is Ikki Sawamura (live-action Gokusen’s Tomoya Shinohara, live-action Grave of the Fireflies’ Kiyoshi Yokokawa) as Kyoko’s relentless suitor Shun Mitaka.
The original manga ran in Shogakukan’s Weekly Big Comic Spirits from 1980 to 1987, and Viz Media published it in North America. Viz Media also released the 1986-1988 anime version, although a 1986 live-action movie, which predates all animated and live-action adaptations, remains unlicensed for North America.
Live action Kyoko
What will get adapted, I have no idea, but considering that it’s a “final chapter,” it would not surprise me to see the ending of the story (It’s times like this that I wish I could read the official site). If that’s the case, I would guess a handful of the chapters between the end of volume 12 through volume 16 would be strung together. Maison Ikkoku’s ending really starts more than 3 volumes before the manga actually ends, but there are a few key moments that get things going and carry the plot to the end. Who hasn’t been shown is Asuka. If the ending is what is adapted she absolutely has to be there. Maison Ikkoku is more of a “love pentagon” instead of the “love square” that ANN describes it as. Asuka isn’t as prominent as the primary Yusaku-Kyoko-Shun triangle and she wasn’t as active in the story (or even as long) as Kozue, but she was a very important character. I guess I’ll just be wondering what will become of this new and final episode until it airs later on during the summer.
The primary love triangle
Shun and Asuka
I have watched about halfway of the 2007 movie, and after this, I am aiming for the 2008 movie. I’m impressed by the details that followed the anime very faithfully. The weakness is perhaps, like what you wrote, on the casting of Kyoko. Misaki Ito is somewhat having a too cheerful look, while Kyoko seems to be less cheerful, and rather has a naive, innocent look. Nevertheless, the transition from manga to anime and then to live action movie was great. Hmm… I wonder when will the live action Rurouni Kenshin be made…
@Koji Oe: I have no idea what you’re talking about with not aging well. MI almost epitomizes a series that ages well. Watch the rest of it and you’ll see why people love Maison Ikkoku as much as KOR. KOR was good, but not as memorable as Maison Ikkoku. MI excels over KOR. Even if MI was 96 episodes every episode went together and it felt like it had a lot less filler. KOR on the other hand, went a couple episodes with some story, then back to filler, then back to the story, then back to filler. MI utilized its episodes well and even made episodic episodes fit. KOR, for the most part, did not. Also, the characters in MI were a lot more genuine and deep compared to KOR’s cast. Even the most minor character played an important role in MI. But most importantly, with KOR I sat around pondering the ending. I knew it would be a Madoka ending, but even as the series went on it seemed like they plot kept pushing them together. With MI, it was a completely natural progression. MI is long, but with that series it’s not about the ending, it’s about getting there. After I finished KOR I put it away and didn’t think much of it again. Not the same with MI.
Ugh, Maison Ikkoku (the anime) sucks. It’s decent but gets boring after the usual 26 episodes. I stopped at 39 for now. I’ll finish it eventually, but this show hasn’t aged as well as Kimagure Orange Road.
you know i don’t think i ever finished watching the live action, i remember starting it but not finishing it. I’m going to have to look for it because for some reason all of my maison ikkoku files got deleted.