Maison Ikkoku vols. 2 & 3

You know how I said in my review of the first volume that Godai wasn’t going to stay a schmuck forever?  Well, that part is absolutely true.  It’s just that after reading these two volumes it feels like I’ve underestimated the length of time that it’s going to take for him to grow out of that phase.  That’s because with these volumes it becomes clear that mangaka Rumiko Takahashi has figured out that she has something here with the romantic tension between her hapless male lead and Kyoko, the landlady of Ikkoku-kan.  So she’s going to stretch it out as long as she possibly can.

Which is why we get so many sitcom-level stories as Godai and Kyoko’s romantic progression takes a couple steps forward, a couple steps back, a few more off to the side, some sashays, and even a Moonwalk or two for good measure.  You can see this awkwardness in so many plots over the course of these volumes as Godai and Kyoko wind up having to spend New Year’s Eve together, Godai gets a job at a beer garden and has to fend off his obnoxious neighbors, Godai gets a cat named Kyoko, and Godai and Mitaka awkwardly vying for Kyoko’s affections at an ice skating rink.  Reading through these volumes, it feels like Takahashi is going to put her leads through every stock sitcom plot she can before she has them get together.

This wouldn’t be so bad if many of them didn’t rely on idiot plot logic in order to work.  Especially in extended cases where Godai moves out of Ikkoku-kan in a huff because he thinks Kyoko is going to marry Mitaka based on a rumor from Ms. Ichinose.  Then again, it’s hard to feel too bad for him because he also spends these two volumes stringing along fellow college student Kozue as his girlfriend.  I know that Godai eventually becomes a guy worthy of Kyoko’s affections, but man it is rough seeing him pursue her while also trying to be a good boyfriend to the girl he’s already in a relationship with.  Even though there are some quality story bits in this volume, such as the scenes in vol. 2 with Kyoko’s parents, a lot of what went on here tried my patience more than anything else.