Maison Ikkoku

this movie is a bit of fluff that is only saved by it's mindless sense of fun. if you are a fan of the series, you will undoubtedly be insulted by the lack of care taken with the series. mostly because the serious drama that forms the basis of the story is not present at all.

if those reading this comment have not read the series, or even watched the cartoon, then there is a chance that you may actually find this movie relatively amusing. because it is wacky and fun, and not really terrible. unfortunately, that is a very unlikely case indeed, since this is a cult series and the live action movie has never been professionally subtitled or released in English.

if you are just curious, why not watch this first, it can ONLY get better from here, trust me.

but for those who are serious fans of the series, i feel your pain (and as a consolation, check out the 2007 TV show if you can, it's much better).

This is a funny live action adaption of the animated series. It parallels the first few animated episodes. We meet the residents of Ikkoku-kan; Yusaku Godai - a struggling college student, Yotsuya - the mysterious resident of room 4, Akemi Roppongi - a waitress at Chacha Maru, and Mrs. Ichinose - a nosy party loving woman who live in room 1. Plus, we meet the new manager, Kyoko Otonashi - a quiet and recently widowed woman. Unfortunately this movie is only available in Japanese. However, if you have seen the animated series or read the comic, you will have a good basis to follow the story even if you can't follow the dialog. But still, it is visually funny.