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Published In:
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| Publication Date: October 14, 1980 | |
| Pages: (4 red tint) 16 (black and white) | |
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Manga Summaries
Volume 1 - Will the Cherry Blossoms Bloom!?
1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8|9|10|11|12|13|14|15
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| Chapters Originally Published in: | |
| Big Comic Spirits 1980 Nov-Jul 15 1981 |
Chapter
1: 隣はなにを…!?
Tonari wa nani o...!?
(What are the Neighbors Doing?)
Yusaku Godai finds himself at the end of his rope. He is unable to study for his midterms due to his neighbors constant interference. The residents of Maison Ikkoku include Mrs. Ichinose, the loud, overweight housewife of Room 1, and her bratty son Kentaro, Yotsuya, the man of mystery with a penchant for peeping who lives in Room 4, Akemi Roppongi the sexy, sassy bar-hostess of Room 6 and Yusaku Godai, a ronin desperate to get into any college that will accept him. But Godai's life changes when the beautiful new manager of Maison Ikkoku appears. He decides to stay, but the other residents waste no time in portraying him as a perverted loser. The tenants throw Kyoko a welcoming party, and Godai throws a fit when he realizes that Kyoko thinks he won't pass his upcoming tests. But due to the late night partying, Godai misses his test, and Kyoko begins to wonder what exactly she's gotten herself into.
Chapter
2: 惣一郎さんっ!!
Soichiro-san!!
(Mr. Soichiro)
The tenants bide their time playing with Kyoko's dog, Soichiro, but with the exception of Kentaro, none of them bother to learn his name. Akemi overhears a frustrated Kyoko talking about how important Soichiro's name is. Akemi asks Kyoko to fix a hole in the roof, and then goes to bother Godai and overhears him saying that he's in love with the new manager. Akemi uses this juicy tidbit of information to blackmail Godai into giving her some ramen, and tells him that Kyoko has a boyfriend. When a thunderstorm comes along Godai rushes to the roof to help Kyoko get down, but finds her asleep, mumbling about Soichiro, who he assumes is her boyfriend. Kyoko awakens with a start and almost falls off the roof, but Godai saves her, and accidently cops a feel, the manager slaps him for his trouble. Godai soon learns that Kentaro knows Soichiro, and sets up a meeting. He is shocked to learn that Soichiro is actually a dog.
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Published In:
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| Publication Date: November 14, 1980 | |
| Pages: 20 (black and white) | |
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Chapter
3: 勝手に聖夜
Katte ni seiya
(Suit Yourself, Santa)
Godai decides to buy a brooch for Kyoko and declare his love when he gives it to her. Of course living at Maison Ikkoku provides many obstacles. First he has to buy tickets to the Ikkoku Christmas party at Chachamaru, Akemi's bar, and then Kentaro steals his idea and gives Kyoko a present, and declares that he is in love with her. That night at the party nothing goes right and Godai ends up being humiliated by Kentaro in front of everyone. Kyoko ends up going home early and Godai tries to use the opportunity to give her the present, but a sleepy Kentaro tags along and once again prevents anything from happening. Later that night Akemi wanders into Godai's room, drunk and kicks him out. Godai is stuck playing Othello with Kyoko overnight, but Kentaro interrupts again, preventing Godai from giving the present he bought.
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Published In:
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| Publication Date: December 14, 1980 | |
| Pages:8 (red tint) 12 (black and white) | |
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Chapter
4: 暁に鐘は鳴る
Akatsuki ni kane wa naru
(For Whom the Clock Tolls)
The day before the general university entrance exams has arrived and Godai has only a few hours left to cram. When Kyoko finds out she decides to start policing Yotsuya and Akemi's behavior and make sure that Godai has some quiet time to study. Of course Akemi and Yotsuya are only too eager to test Kyoko's power as manager. Godai finally gives up and goes to the library to study when Akemi twists Kyoko's words to seems as though she likes Godai, which quickly makes him decide to stay. Just as soon as he does though, the power goes out and he and Kyoko are off to check the fuse box in the attic. Once the power comes back on the clock on top of Ikkoku does too, and rings throughout the entire night, keeping Godai and everyone else up.
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Published In:
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| Publication Date: January 14, 1981 | |
| Pages: 4 (red tint) 16 (black and white) | |
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Chapter
5: 春遠からじ!?
Haru togaruji!?
(Hope Springs Eternal)
Every morning Godai heads out to take entrance exams for various universities in Tokyo and Kyoko sees him off, wishing him good luck. One afternoon when Godai gets back to Maison Ikkoku he overhears Mrs. Ichinose and Kyoko talking in the Manager's Room about possible arranged marriage candidates. When Kyoko becomes hesitant to talk about the man she likes, Mrs. Ichinose thinks it must be Godai. Yusaku, eavesdropping at the door, is overjoyed, but Kyoko tries to correct Ichinose's assumption. When they discover Godai was listening Kyoko is so embarassed that she locks herself in her room while Mrs. Ichinose curses the ronin out for his spying. She tells him that Kyoko hasn't told him her feelings for him because she doesn't want to distract him from his studies. Of course this is all a misunderstanding, but Godai is thrilled. The next morning Kyoko does not see Godai off to his test, which depresses him so much that he cuts out halfway and goes to get lunch. At the restaurant he runs into a drunken Kyoko who insists that from now on she will walk him to all his tests to make sure he doesn't skip out anymore.
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| Publication Date: February 14, 1981 | |
| Pages: 20 (black and white) | |
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Chapter
6: サクラサクカ!?
Sakura saku ka!?
(Will the Cherry Blossoms Bloom?)
The results of the private college's are about to be released and no one has seen Godai for a week. The Master of Chachamaru is curious as to why no one at Maison Ikkoku is worried about him, but Akemi explains that no one really cares, and that they all assume he is going to fail anyway. Kyoko, however, is worried and when she gets a call from Godai's Grandma who has just arrived in Tokyo to visit him, she hurridly goes to the train station to make sure she doesn't find out he's missing. Of course, she is unable to keep the secret long, as Grandma runs into Yotsuya who wastes no time in telling her the latest gossip. Kyoko and Yusaku's Grandmother decide to try and look for him at the location of the test results, and are shocked when they run into him, but not as shocked as he is to see them. With much hesitation Godai searches for his number and realizes that after a year of waiting, he has been accepted into college. Back at Chachamaru, the tenants of Maison Ikkoku assume there must have been an error in the test results.
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Published In:
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| Publication Date: March 14, 1981 | |
| Pages: 4 (full color) 4 (red tint) 13 (black and white) | |
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Chapter
7: 春のワサビ
Haru no wasabi
(Spring Wasabi)
Godai runs into Kyoko, who is walking Soichiro and thinks how nice it would be to put his arm around her, of course he doesn't get the chance though. When they arrive back at Ikkoku, Mrs. Ichinose tells Kyoko her phone has been ringing all morning. Kyoko returns the call and the rumor that the landlord is visiting on Sunday spreads like wildfire. The tenants are shocked when the landlord arrives and Kyoko calls him "father." The tenants feel betrayed, thinking that Kyoko has been spying on them so that the landlord can kick them out of Ikkoku. Godai quickly decides to start kissing up to the old man by entertaining Kyoko's tweleve-year-old niece, Ikuko. While visiting Ikuko, the landlord throws his back out, and so Godai volunteers to help them during their family outing. Godai is shocked when they arrive at a cemetary, visiting a grave marked 'Soichiro Otonashi,' who he learns is Kyoko's husband. She became a widow after less than six months of marriage, and took the job as manager to help overcome her grief. Godai realizes that because Soichiro is dead he will never have any faults in Kyoko's eyes, he will be her ideal man forever.
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| Publication Date: April 14, 1981 | |
| Pages: 20 (black and white) | |
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Chapter
8: 惣一郎の影
Soichiro no kage
(Soichiro's Shadow)
Godai awakens from a horrible dream about Kyoko and Soichiro. As he goes to class and see's Kyoko playing with her dog, he comments that he doesn't know how she could marry a dog, and gets a slap for his trouble. At school he meets his friend Sakamoto for coffee and tells him about his dream and what happened. Sakamoto assures Godai that he has no chance with Kyoko. Back at Ikkoku, Kyoko receives a phone call from Grandfather Otonashi, who asks her if she thinks Godai might be interested in becoming Ikuko's tutor. Kyoko asks and Godai sees another opportunity to score points with her, and agrees. When Godai leaves to tutor Ikuko, Akemi and Mrs. Ichinose begin to put itdeas in Kyoko's head that Godai might try to take advantage of Ikuko during their studies. Of course nothing like that happens, but Godai does become distracted when Ikuko pulls out her photo album, as he tries to find a picture of exactly what Soichiro looked like.
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Published In:
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| Publication Date: May 14, 1981 | |
| Pages: 4 (full color) 4 (red tint) 14 (black and white) | |
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Chapter
9: アルコール・ラブコール
Arukoru * rabukoru
(Alcohol Love Call)
Godai shows up at Maison Ikkoku with Sakamoto in two and they are both completely drunk. Sakamoto makes sure that his good friend is going to follow through on a promise he made earlier in the evening and Godai fails to dissapoint. Mustering up enough gusto as a druken twenty year old can, Godai screams out his love for Kyoko in front of Maison Ikkoku, sending Kyoko, Akemi and Ichinose out to see what's going on. Godai sweeps Kyoko off her feet and hauls her up to his room to make good on his declaration of love. Yotsuya is happy to help them into Room 5, as he wants to watch the festivities, but as soon as he gets Kyoko near his bed, Godai passes out. The next morning neither he nor Sakamoto can remember what happened, and all the tenants and neighbors decide to tell Godai a different story. By the time he sees Kyoko, Godai thinks he is apologizing for dancing naked, telling Kyoko it was just a drunken joke. But Kyoko believes that Yusaku told her he loved her as a joke, and goes off to her room to cry, after slapping Godai for his behavior.
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Published In:
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| Publication Date: June 14, 1981 | |
| Pages: 20 (black and white) | |
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Chapter
10: 金網は越えられない
Kanami wa koerarenai!!
(Don't Fence Me Out)
Kyoko is still ignoring Godai after his druken proclamation of love to her. The women of the neighborhood decide to invite her and Mrs. Ichinose to join the Housewives Tennis Association, and meet the coach. The following Sunday, Kyoko and Mrs. Ichinose arrive at the tennis courts and meet a handsome young man named Shun Mitaka, the tennis instructor. He becomes instantly smitten with Kyoko and tests her skills, learning that she is an excellent tennis player. Godai passes the court and sees Mitaka putting the moves on Kyoko and becomes infuriated. He stays to watch them so long that the ice he is supposed to deliver melts, and he loses his job. On the way back to Maison Ikkoku, Coach Mitaka runs into Mrs. Ichinose and Kyoko and gives them a lift, where he finds out that Kyoko is single. He decides to ask her out to dinner sometime, and she accepts. Godai arrives and pretends to have been working hard all day, instead of watching them play tennis.
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Published In:
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| Publication Date: June 30, 1981 | |
| Pages: 20 (black and white) | |
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