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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
Wow, I started reading this series because I believed all the reviews that said it was a heartwarming romantic comedy. I can't believe so many people like it so much. Maybe it just hasn't aged well. I got to chapter four of the second volume and I am done.
Hero Yusako is icky and unlikeable all the way through volumes one and two, but chapter four is really nauseating. Heroine Kyoko is afraid to be alone with Yusako, and she apparently has good reason. He spends the entire scene trying to work up the nerve to grab her, because they are alone in the building, and she can't call for help. The thought balloon literally says, "She could yell, and nobody would hear." Then afterward, he kicks himself for losing his nerve, while she thinks about what a gentleman he was, for not assaulting her.
I guess this is what romantic comedies were like in the 1980s? Rape culture with a laugh track. I'm going to stop reading, and pretend that Yusako got hit by a bus, and Kyoko married the cute tennis pro and lived happily ever after.
Hero Yusako is icky and unlikeable all the way through volumes one and two, but chapter four is really nauseating. Heroine Kyoko is afraid to be alone with Yusako, and she apparently has good reason. He spends the entire scene trying to work up the nerve to grab her, because they are alone in the building, and she can't call for help. The thought balloon literally says, "She could yell, and nobody would hear." Then afterward, he kicks himself for losing his nerve, while she thinks about what a gentleman he was, for not assaulting her.
I guess this is what romantic comedies were like in the 1980s? Rape culture with a laugh track. I'm going to stop reading, and pretend that Yusako got hit by a bus, and Kyoko married the cute tennis pro and lived happily ever after.
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Another lighthearted continuation of the same characters living life in Maison Ikkoku. I like the slice of life story and building relationships throughout. This volume was less sexist which is always nice lol. I don't think there is much to learn from this series so far but it is enjoyable none-the-less.
Writing / Style: 6/10
Characters: 8/10
Plot: 5/10
Enjoyment: 6/10
Overall: 3/5
Writing / Style: 6/10
Characters: 8/10
Plot: 5/10
Enjoyment: 6/10
Overall: 3/5
We complete the first year of Kyoko managing Maison Ikkoku in this volume. She's kind of casually dating Mitaka, the shiny handsome tennis coach Godai has marked as his rival, and now Godai manages to accidentally secure a kind-of girlfriend (Kozue). They're both jealous, and there are all sorts of misunderstandings that make them blow up and then have a sweet moment together.
Highlights include the one-year anniversary dinner. Godai invites Kyoko on a date at Ma Maison, a fancy French restaurant. Kyoko thinks it's for her anniversary, as the other boarders at Maison Ikkoku have invited her for drinks as Mama-san. These kinds of communication hijinks are classic Maison Ikkoku, really.
I also loved the Christmas arc, where Godai buys her some lovely earrings, but then he runs into Kozue and gives her the present, since she knitted him a hat. He then goes searching through his room for the gift he didn't give Kyoko the year before (a brooch). She has knitted him a scarf. And it looks just like the one she knit for Mitaka, which makes both the men wonder what she sees or doesn't see in them. But they get to their Christmas gathering to learn that Kyoko has knitted similar scarves for everyone. :P
It was very cute and sweet, and so slice of life. It's clear that this is going to be a very slow burn, but Kyoko and Godai are just honest enough with themselves to make it a fun one.
Highlights include the one-year anniversary dinner. Godai invites Kyoko on a date at Ma Maison, a fancy French restaurant. Kyoko thinks it's for her anniversary, as the other boarders at Maison Ikkoku have invited her for drinks as Mama-san. These kinds of communication hijinks are classic Maison Ikkoku, really.
I also loved the Christmas arc, where Godai buys her some lovely earrings, but then he runs into Kozue and gives her the present, since she knitted him a hat. He then goes searching through his room for the gift he didn't give Kyoko the year before (a brooch). She has knitted him a scarf. And it looks just like the one she knit for Mitaka, which makes both the men wonder what she sees or doesn't see in them. But they get to their Christmas gathering to learn that Kyoko has knitted similar scarves for everyone. :P
It was very cute and sweet, and so slice of life. It's clear that this is going to be a very slow burn, but Kyoko and Godai are just honest enough with themselves to make it a fun one.