for the reviewers who complain that this is too long for romance manga, i'll tell you something this is not ROMANCE manga this is a SITCOM.
yes there're romance plot between yusaku and kyoko but that's not the point, just like Rachel & Ross in FRIENDS, Penny & Leonard in TBBT or another sitcom manga couple like Ataru & Lum in Urusei yatsura, the romance is just icing on the cake.

Everyone is so stupid... The smartest person is the little kid. The guy has proven himself useless on multiple occasions...

I really don't understand how it has such great ratings.

This is, without a doubt, my favorite Manga, and my favorite series ever! If they could have combined elements of the Manga into the Anime, and the Anime into the Manga, I don't think i would ever stop watching it or reading it.

This was one of the first manga I read when I was still a kid (by that I mean under the age of 14). When I was that age I took it as it was, a comedy that was observing human relationships. I remember finding the side characters hilarious and because the concept of a love triangle was new to me at that stage I was in constant agony, wanting to find out if the main character would really get the girl.
I loved this manga to death and along with Love Hinta, Peach Girl and Hot Gimmick (the only one of the 4 I didn't like) it shaped my perspective on shoujo manga (even if not all of these fit exactly in that category).
I reread it quite a few times as I was growing up and the meaning changed every time for me, especially the meaning behind the love that Kyoko and Yusaku shared. One of the best quotes is featured in the last volume where Yusaku describes his love for Kyoko.
I used to think that this manga was pretty misogynistic as it portrays marriage as the most important thing for Kyoko, objectifies woman (of course what manga doesn't!) and Of course a lot of these are cultural aspects but it still doesn't rest well with me even if that's the case but hey, it's something you get used to after reading waaay to much shoujo.
But I think in many ways it was feministic for its time. Kyoko actually has a job, she goes against her parents wishes and also
Either way I highly recommend you go in and read this with an open mind and heart, it is a classic. Its artwork may have aged a lot but in my opinion it is the best manga Rumiko has ever made and should be read at least once.
Ps: Also if you like this check out the anime! It follows the storyline exactly and throws in a few extras

... Last updated on September 29th, 2012, 2:19am

It has aged a little but it's still a great read, very fitting to pass some time.
As a matter of fact, the love portrayed in this manga feels very real (last volume is where things happen, actually), maybe more so than with any other manga I read thus far.
10/10 final volume, 8/10 overall. Heartwarming and moving ending. Definitely worth a read.

... Last updated on March 2nd, 2012, 12:59pm

I enjoyed reading Maison Ikkoku a lot, the characters are very memorable and the manga itself is very touching and funny. You get to follow Godai and Kyoko through the years in the apartment together, how they grow closer to each other and how Kyoko struggles abolut her own feelings, wanting to be faithful to her dead husband and so on. It's great to see how Godai matures through the years and how much he comes to really love Kyoko. But at times I got really annoyed because of so many missunderstandings but other than that this manga is great! It's really funny, dramatic and touching! Mrs. Ichinose, Akemi and Yotsuya take most of the times the credits for it's comedy, always teasing Godai, they make me really laugh! Not to mention Mitaka's fear off dogs and Godai often daydreaming about Kyoko, it's also very funny! This manga gets later on really emotional and it has touched my heart.

Maison Ikkoku might not be as popular as Rumiko Takahashi's other works (Inuyasha and Ranma½) in America but it's still worth reading without a doubt. It will really touch your heart! But this is a silce-of-life manga with no fantasy or whatsoever, some might find it a bit boring but I didn't. If you like realistic and/or romantic manga I'll warmly recommend this one. This is without a doubt a classic.

Don't get me wrong, I like long winded romances *cough*Pastel*cough* but this is just pushing it. Five volumes in and I must say that this is - so far - the hardest to finish manga I have ever encountered. It starts off like any other romance, but it gets repetitive really quickly. Blame it on the stupidity of the characters. I particularly loathe the supporting characters; is their only purpose in the story to be idiotic busybodies?

Old school art is not a problem with me (I don't really care about the art as long as it doesn't make me dizzy, and I am an Adachi Mitsuru fan so I'm used to old school manga). The only thing that irks me is that it is sometimes difficult to tell Yusaku apart from Shun. But yeah, art is decent.

Anyways I do plan to finish this and I am optimistic that the end will be good, so I'm going to hold off on the rating. It's just that to get to that good ending, I have to force my way through all that stupid and harshly unrealistic slice-of-life... and that's going to take a lot of motivation. Unless of course someone's willing to tell me where the meatier parts are.

It's very good at the beginning, very funny and everything. The male character Yusuku sucks badly, but i thought "well, it adds something". But after a while, I just couldn't bear with it. GROW SOME BALLS MAN !

and for the first time i skipped through chapters. looooooooooots of chapters, i basically stopped at a little after half the manga to read only the last 15. But guess what : even the ending is kinda long. Never saw that, it's the kind of manga that just makes me tired.
But don't mistake me Kyoko is no better, unable to move from her spot. She hates whenever Yusuku does anything, gets mad at anything, can't decide what to do about Mitaka or Yusuku.

It really is a huge disappointment since it gets real boring though it started good. The art is pretty good, and the other characters not so bad (special mention to the grandma), so I don't lower it more than a 5. A shame, had it been less than half as long it would have been awesome.

... Last updated on April 4th, 2012, 2:59pm

Well, I only have the first volume of the manga, so I'm not really in the place to say much. However, I must say that this was a very light read and I enjoyed it very much. It's very different compared to the mangas being released these days. It's funny, cute, and a great joy to read
I can only hope that I would be able to find the other 14 volumes!

Even after 30 years this manga stands out and is better than the crap available today. This is a must read for any comedy and romance fans as this manga as well as Kimagure Orange Road are the ones which are still copied and taken inspiration from. Believe me, I hate to read old 80's manga but these 2 I just loved and you won't even mind the art. The art in this is so cute and is just timeless. The best part is the development and confession of love happens quite early and most of the situations are really believable unlike most of this blushing and far-fetched situations that happen in new romance series nowadays. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to read atleast once in your life no matter how old you are this was truly the start of great romance in manga.

... Last updated on December 20th, 2009, 1:21am