Maison Ikkoku (1-40) Second Impressions
(Spoiler Free) There are plenty of anime, books, and films out there with twisting storylines and dramatic plot twists - and they can be quite interesting provided they’re done well. But the most gripping storylines (in my opinion) have always been the ones that get you to form attachments with the characters first and foremost. Once this has happened, interactions and developments between characters becomes even more enthralling than the kind of thing I mentioned above simply because the viewer has become so connected with them. There are many anime titles which try to accomplish this, but they don’t always succeed. It’s very difficult to create utterly likable characters who the viewer cannot resist latching onto. But Kare Kano managed to do it, so did Honey and Clover.
Maison Ikkoku is clearly a character-oriented show. The engrossing moments are a result of the viewer’s connection with the characters. You continue to watch because you want to see these characters get what they desire in the end, and you’ve formed enough of a bond with them that you feel like simply watching their successes will provide you with some happiness. That’s a fairly powerful thing for a fictional story to do, don’t you think?
So far, Maison Ikkoku doesn’t have the uniform quality of Honey and Clover’s first season. There are a bit of “filler” scenes and episodes that seem to wander. But that’s to be expected with such a long series. When the show hits the high points, it hits them well. It doesn’t have the best animation in the world, nor does it have the most excellent soundtrack (I felt the opening song in the first thirty or so episodes has a lovely nostalgic tinge to it, though, with it’s charmingly simply chord progressions and melody). Yet, I never notice when actually watching the show.
Episode 40 was a gripping and effective episode, the peak of the series so far. And all of it is carried by the confused motivations and sentiments of the characters leading to a poignant resolution in which the viewers don’t see what they are hoping for (clearly, as there are still many episodes to go), but are equally satisfied with what they are given.
The best part of this series, though, is that though it alternates between being light hearted and poignant, it never descends into the immature antics of angst-ridden soap opera romances. Something that I’ve always thought about when watching these sort of shows is the line between a realistic and stirring love story and a soap opera. I absolutely cannot stand soap opera romances because I just wonder to myself how love can possible be involved with people who are involved with all this childish (in my opinion) affairs and double-crossing and other such silly stuff.
Am I being idealistic? Perhaps, but is that really such a bad thing? In the modern world, I would prefer to be an idealist.
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