Review of Maison Ikkoku Collector’s Edition, Vol. 1 by Rumiko Takahashi

This adorable sitcomic comedy by the inimitable Rumiko made for diverting reading.

I will be continuing with the series. While lacking in supernatural elements, I was at once taken by the cozy atmosphere. Most of the scenes take place in the eccentrically populated titular rooming house, where the quintessential collegial ronin has ensconced himself amid a lech, a loose woman, a precocious boy, and the lovely and charming landlady, who seems oddly obsessed by her shaggy dog named after her dead husband. Continually warm in tone, the nostalgic art possesses a gentleness and a quirky Sunday morning funnies-type feel. In the Rumic cannon, this is by no means a minor work. Fans of Ranma will be able to luxuriate in a more mature narrative. While it does resemble the harem manga Love Hina, this work is less wacky and more subdued. It is well-grounded and believable.