Maison Ikkoku, Vol. 6 (1st Edition): Bedside Manners

Yusaku's grandma is finally going home after what seems like months and Yusaku couldn't be happier. She fit in too well with the other neighbors of Maison Ikkoku that made it their business to torture poor Godai. But she's not going without one last parting shot at getting involved in Yusaku's lovelife. She's asked Kyoko to go out on a date with her grandson! Of course, we all know the date won't turn out like Yusaku fantasizes it will, especially with all his housemates showing up everywhere the couple goes! Godai is also still suffering from an inability to break it off with his on-again off-again girlfriend Kozue. When she knits a sweater for him, Kyoko finds herself unwillingly jealous. In a fight over it, Kyoko causes Yusaku to get injured and he has to spend time in the hospital. Could this be the opportunity he's always wanted? What better way to get attention than from a woman who feels guilty for causing him to get hurt? Maison Ikkoku is a classic manga which always has a excellent balance and pacing to its storylines. The cool thing about Volume 6 is that we finally get to see some tender moments between Kyoko and Godai which I don't remember seeing before. Yes, they fight with each other, but in little glimpses we see that the two might love each other for real, and not in a puppy dog fashion, but as a man and woman. Their little tiffs are usually based on jealousy or hurt feelings which really disguise their mutual affection. But most of the book is peppersprayed with funny comedy. The art is excellent with the backgrounds especially standing out for the great attention to detail. Awesome manga!

The funniest scene in this book is the "hickey" drama, and how much trouble it brought Godai... Not to mention the horrible way he got it! (yeee-uck!) But still, this one has great laughs. Kyoko's actions seem pretty internally inconsistent IMO, because she does not seem to be okay with either Mitaka nor Godai having possible romantic interests besides herself, but at the same time she seems to have no problem with the fact that she's keeping two swains on the line herself... OTOH, in real life, people aren't as consistent as computers, and so it makes the manga seem both more real, and also gives plenty of laughs, I'm all for it.

Takahashi-sensei I love you!! Takahashi-sensei in my humble opinion is one of the greatest manga writers/artists of all time. I know this isn't revolutionary information for the millions who have read her books, but wow! what stories she creates from such simple Ideas. In this volume we finally meet the ever elusive Mr. Ichinose, and let me say he might match his wife physically, but he is much more like our favorite wishy washy student than Godai would like him to be. The main attraction of this particular graphic novel is Kyoko's jealousy. Oh it has made itself evident in several earlier novels, but in this one it really boils over. It begins when Godai's platonic girlfriend Kozue knits Godai a sweater. Godai brings it home and Kyoko almost explodes with jealousy. Godai finally confronts Kyoko and demands that she tell him how she really feels about him, but before any answer can be had. Kyoko almost falls off of the roof of Maison Ikkoku, Godai saves her, but winds up breaking his own leg. This leads to Kyoko and Godai getting closer to each other in the hospital, but the goon squad keep anything from formulating. Also, we get to meet Godai's couin Akira!! Good stuff.

This is a GREAT graphic novel! It managed to almost make mecry the first time through, but there was also a good lot of humor init. Even if you haven't read the others before it, the book would still make sense, but familiarity with the series helps, because this book is all about its characters. And what characters! This book really cliches their personalities well! Rumiko Takahashi is great as always, and I would recommend it to anyone who likes humor, drama, graphic novels, or just good books in general!

Although it was Ranma 1/2 that got me started reading manga, it's Maison Ikkoku that keeps me at it! For a while, Takahashi's stuff was all I read. Now I like things like Evangelion and Rayearth as well, but I haven't liked any other series as much as Maison Ikkoku. That's funny, since I don't like TV soap operas, and this series IS a comedy/drama/soap opera. It's so great though! I'm completely wrapped up in it and totally care about the characters, and am always waiting impatiently for the next book to get translated. This is one is REALLY sweet; you can finally see that Kyoko almost knows who she likes better, and there are some very nice moments between her and Godai. If you've made it this far into the Maison Ikkoku series, keep going! The later books have less comedy than the first few, but tweak your emotions more. They make me cry and I can't help but read on! You should read on too!