News culture After Lamuu and Ranma 1/2, fans are also waiting for the return of this cult cartoon series from their childhood.
For several years, Rumiko Takahashi’s works have been the subject of remakes, enough to satisfy fans who are impatiently waiting for the cult anime to be updated again. After Urusei Yatsura and Ranma 1/2, viewers are now hoping for the return of this other Takahashi series!
After the return of Urusei yatsura (or Lammuu) and Ranma 1/2, Rumiko Takahashi fans are turning to another of her iconic works, Maison Ikkoku, hoping for a remake. Although this universe has not seen any new adaptations since 1986, The recent revivals of the other manga suggest that this could soon changeIn addition, Takahashi’s series are often considered a quartet: “Urusei Yatsura”, “Ranma 1/2”, “Inu Yasha” and “Maison Ikkoku”. If the first three have had new versions or sequels in recent years
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What makes Maison Ikkoku unique?
Maison Ikkoku is a romantic comedy that tells the story of Yusaku Godai, a difficult student, and Kyoko Otonashi, the young widow who becomes the manager of the boarding house where he lives. Godai quickly falls in love with Kyoko, but their relationship is complicated by the other eccentric residents of the boarding house, misunderstandings and romantic rivals… Over time, their relationship evolves, mixing humor, emotion, and everyday drama while exploring themes of love, loss, and personal growth.
From this summary, a series of 96 episodes, two OAVs and an animated film were created. Rumiko Takahashi interpreted the “slice of life” theme in her own way. For her, “Maison Ikkoku” had to be different from other series of the genre, in which the characters lived their daily lives with relatively little conflict. Its “slice of life” had to be a simple story that could become more and more complex as the chapters progressed. Therefore, when the anime’s producers contacted her about adapting her story, she explained that they had to “take their time,” even if that meant spreading the production over more than ten episodes so as not to condense the story. If this vision, unique for the time, changed the design of the series, it was also a risky bet.
A lack of recognition…but!
Maison Ikkoku is considered by many to be Takahashi’s masterpiece. With a rating of 8.1/10 on IMDB and MyAnimeList, it fares better than the author’s other productions such as Urusei Yatsura with 7.5 and Ranma 1/2 with 7.9. Despite a high rating, it is also considered his most neglected work, especially internationally, for example in the United States, where its release was cancelled at episode 36! The reason is simple: Some complained about the slow pace of the anime without much action or fan service… In addition, the high price of the VHS did not convince buyers. The series was completed on DVD, but the last box sets were released in small quantities. Now they are available on resale sites like Ebay at an exorbitant price of over $400!
Although the series was not a huge success internationally, it made an impression in Japan, and the popularity of the slice of life anime today helps to welcome this new adaptation. It is now a recognized and independent genre that even has its own tab on streaming platforms like Crunchyroll
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