The following review is limited to the Love Triangle characters and how the two main characters made me reflect on my past life decisions. To elaborate how inviting the music and nostalgic the setting is, how realistic the problems and funny the characters are, would be too much. Therefore, I'd like to summarize, that at the end of the series you will feel that you've been part of this world and it's sad that the curtain has now fallen.
[INTRO]
Japan in the 1980s had high expectations of young men growing up and looking for their place in society. Young adults had to deal with less job
...
security. This has made long-term financial planning more difficult. And despite technological progress and economic growth, the man is traditionally still considered the provider.
Financial security is essential in order to propose to your crush. You don't get married just because you're in love with each other, but because it's the right partner, and that's determined by cultural norms, economic considerations and family expectations. It's usually a pragmatic decision. For men in love, in addition to the high pressure of striving for professional success, this also means a race against time before a more "suitable" partner proposes and snatches your girl away. A failed exam or an unrealized job opportunity could delay your plans and ruin the rest of your life.
On top of that, aiming too high is not encouraged as in "follow your dreams", but ridiculed for being unrealistic. Aim too low and you're seen as unambitious and lazy. Competition is ruthless. If someone is unavailable for two days, suicide doesn't seem to be a too far of a stretch (yes, I'm still setting up a rom-com review).
[GODAI YUUSAKA]
Bad cards for our protagonist, Godai Yuusaku.
Godai is a 20 y.o. below-average student who lives in a run-down boarding house, the Ikkoku Maison, and struggles through his education and part-time jobs. Constantly broke, he barely manages to make ends meet. His future prospects are not particularly rosy. He's neither the sharpest tool in the shed, nor is he talented or hard-working. He is seen as unreliable and clumsy, and is easily influenced and distracted by others, especially by his fellow tenants of Ikkoku Maison. Like many of his peers, his daily struggles degenerate into binge drinking and procrastination.
As a viewer, his decisions and indecisiveness pisses you off, as you wait for him to get his shit together. At the same time, he brings the most important of all qualities to bear so many setbacks: Resilience. Since young Japanese men have to endure hardship and not complain, Godai shoulders his shitty existence and doesn't mope.
[OTONASHI KYOKO]
One fateful day, 22 y.o. Otonashi Kyoko, an attractive and graceful young woman starts working as the manager of Ikkoku Maison. She fits in there like a diamond in a dung heap. I mean, Kyoko is the epitome of femininity by Japanese standards and embodies the gentle restraint and politeness expected of women in that period.
I've always made fun of weebs and their waifu-syndrome, but my goodness gracious, she will distort your image of an ideal female so bad, this anime should come with a warning. Over the course of the series, you build such a bond with her that it can seriously impact on your emotional well-being. And it's her quirks, which come to light over the course of the series, that make her so human and even more desirable.
However, she's introduced to us as a seemingly perfect object of desire for Godai.
She is friendly, respectful and helpful to everyone around her. She always has a smile on her face and is practically the walking sunshine. She is a responsible and hard-working manager. And although she is only two years older than Godai, she seems much more mature.
When she is not keeping busy with the household chores such as cooking, cleaning or repairs, she lovingly takes care of her huge dog. Her daily chores are performed with such grace that it makes everything seem like a traditional Japanese ritual. She seems very optimistic and upbeat, and encourages Godai wherever she can, bordering on motherly care.
Godai instantly falls for her, but like any guy of that age, he initially only thinks of getting laid. But as they live in the same house, he gradually realizes his feelings and poor Godai falls in love. Men can't help but desire her, usually from afar. But not the underdog Godai. As his buddy put it so well:
"I just have a crush on her. You, on the other hand, probably don't know how to admire a pretty woman, and want to have her all to yourself".
[MITAKA SHUN]
Not only is Kyoko obviously out of Godai's league, but he also has competition from Mitaka, Kyoko's handsome and smooth-talking tennis-coach from a wealthy family background.
Mitaka is everything Godai is not: Self-confident, determined, reliable and financially secure. He knows what he wants and usually gets it. With his good looks and money, women throw themselves at him. Socially, Mitaka is even a few layers above Kyoko, which is why rejecting him would be crazy to anyone else. Mitaka knows this and takes every opportunity to offer Kyoko the luxurious things in life.
Mitaka's Achilles heel is his fear of dogs. This prevents him from getting too close to Kyoko, which is often played for comedic value. However, Mitaka is determined to win over Kyoko, who does not immediately fall at his feet what basically triggered his hunting instinct.
[THE LATE SOUICHIROU]
What neither Godai nor Mitaka know at the beginning is that Kyoko's heart already belongs to someone else. After marrying the love of her life at a young age, her more mature husband and former high school teacher Souichirou died shortly after. Now widowed, she cannot get over her loss. She would rather never marry again and remain forever faithful to him.She fears that Souichirou will really cease to exist, that she would deny their shared love if she opens her heart to someone else.
The Japanese word for widow is "未亡人" (mibojin),the first character, "未" (mi), means "not yet", the second character"亡" (bou) means "dead", and the third character, "人" (jin), means "person". So basically a person who has yet to die, Kyoko hides her pain and wants to preserve the memory of their love. As much as she's there for others, Kyoko herself is very private and reserved. She subtly avoids male advances and leaves them hanging in the dark.
We only see her melancholy side when she is alone, barely know what she's thinking, if it weren't for these glances and facial expressions. Most of the time she remains an enigma, as her thoughts are not shared with the viewer. In those quiet and lonely moments, we are only left with her mesmerizing gaze (god those eyes), speculating what she feels.
To say that the way to her heart is a long and thorny journey, is an understatement. It quickly becomes obvious that she has commitment and abandonment issues. Who could blame her? However, if one manages to get through to her and raise her expectations, they will realize that she can also be stubborn and jealous and that she tends to jump to the wrong conclusions. Even if she had a hint of emotions for a guy, her guilt towards her deceased husband would make her deny it.
[OUTLOOK]
Kyoko, Godai and Mitaka have to evolve in order to have a chance of a happy life. In order for Kyoko to resume her life, she obviously has to come to terms with the death of her husband. Can she do that, without betraying the memory of him?
Mitaka has to overcome his fear of dogs and be patient, as he doesn't get what he wants straight away. Can he stay committed?
Godai has the hardest time, because he has to basically re-invent himself to have even the slightest chance with Kyoko. Is that too much to ask of someone like him? Will he fail to overcome this insurmountable hurdle?
Since Japanese people don't tend to burden others with their feelings and try not to express them too directly so as not to offend anyone, misunderstandings and unspoken thoughts are inevitable. Kyoko and Godai in particular deal with their issues themselves. At various points, it seems hopeless for the two of them.
But what brings them together again and again is this run-down shithole, Ikkoku Maison, which is why I think the title of the series is very fitting.
[SELF-REFLECTION]
A few days have now passed since I finished the series, and I'm writing my first review here somewhat for selfish reasons. I need to process something that I've never verbalized before to anyone.
Why did the series leave such a strong impression on me?
If you take a look at my anime list, you'll quickly realize that I'm not necessarily the biggest Slice of Life / Rom-Com Genre Fan. I also find Waifu-Fandom rather embarrassing. I'm part of the generation that is uncomfortable admitting to watching "Chinese cartoons". I'm also not a big fan of slow-burn japanese romance, since holding hands or hugging is not a big deal where I'm from. To me, the 3-dates-rule is annoying. Most of my relationships have actually developed from hook-ups and we got stuck on each other.
The answer is Kyoko.
I initially dismissed Godai as a loser and was often pissed at him. It's inexplicable to me that someone has to be so mothered or picked up by those around him. On the other hand, it seems like Kyoko has a thing for clumsy and needy guys.
Yet I can't deny that I often recognized myself in Godai. It may be because my life experience was similar. With no family and no money, I also had to juggle university and bar jobs at night, only making an endlessly long degree course even longer. I often failed important tests and got hammered and high too often. I lied about where I was and what I did, to myself and others.
To me, Godai embodies this struggle and the existential fears that come with it. The fear not to pass the final exams or get bad results, and never land a good job. I felt it all over again. But Godai does something I wasn't able to do in that stressful time period: He puts Kyoko's needs first without expecting anything in return and despite being worse off himself.
Unlike Godai, I had several relationships during that stressful time, but none of them worked out.
I remember how broke I was back then, and that I couldn't go on vacation with my girlfriend or take them out more often. Maybe it's because I paid more attention to looks than character, but there was little understanding and we always ended up robbing each other energy for other important things. I felt like I wasn't being understood or supported. When I felt misunderstood or treated unfairly, I'd lash out and make it worse.
But the truth is, I probably gave up on every relationship out of fear. Fear of not living up to the high expectations I placed on myself. Not being enough, and being exposed as a fraud. I was too proud to rely on my partner or accept their help. I couldn't even express these fears of failure, the charade had to go on. Ultimately, I wasn't able to respond to their needs when it mattered the most. If both were hurt, I was unable to consider their needs. I needed to be alone, do everything on my own and for myself. If I fucked up, nobody would be disappointed and I had only myself to blame. I was a coward, and without spoiling too much, Godai isn't. He's not too proud to face Kyoko even after he fucked up and show that he's not perfect. He faces the music every time, vulnerable and with no pride.
Long story short, I didn't fuck up. Nowadays, after another couple of failed relationships I'm back to online-dating. My job description alone is enough to attract a certain type of women who wouldn't give me the time of the day in my mid-20s. But I will never know if any of these women would've been there for me, when I was a nobody. My usual conclusion is that they're interested in what I can offer, rather than who I am.
I don't want to sound cynical, but friends of mine who met early on and made it through difficult times have proof that they are committed to each other. And I regret that I will never have that certainty. I can only blame myself.
Kyoko is the embodiment of a partner who encourages you, stands by your side, strengthens you and sticks by you even beyond death. Other men envy you for being with such a beautiful woman, which undoubtedly strokes your ego and makes you want to live up to that. Her expectation is not necessarily that you succeed, but that you consistently pursue your own goals and "give it your best".
I can only admire Godai for never giving up on Kyoko, even though she doesn't make it easy for him by any means. She keeps him at arm's length and he never knows where he stands. Regardless, Godai gives her space and doesn't force anything. He is patient and understanding, never blames her for his jealousy of Mitaka or Souichirou, but rather sucks it up. He is aware of his own limitations but is not ashamed of them; instead, he still strives for the opportunity to make Kyoko happy, despite the fear of being judged. He exposes himself. He even puts Kyoko's well-being before his own needs, even at the risk of his own future. The kid knew from the start, that she's the center of his life and he went all-in.
Reflecting on my past I realize, that’s something I could’ve never done. Risking all those years of hard work for another person? What if she left me afterwards? I can remember how I once almost got kicked out of university. My girlfriend at the time, with whom I had been together for 6 years, said, "So what? It doesn't seem to make you happy anyway." She probably meant that she didn't care whether I had a degree or not. However, I interpreted it as a lack of support.
It pains me to write that even if I had met a woman like Kyoko at that time in my life, I would not have had the strength to constantly put her first or get through to her.
Kyoko left me with a gaping hole in my chest, the size of a watermelon. Ikkoku Maison hit too close to home, and made me ponder what might have been but never came to pass.
Nov 8, 2023
Maison Ikkoku
(Anime)
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The following review is limited to the Love Triangle characters and how the two main characters made me reflect on my past life decisions. To elaborate how inviting the music and nostalgic the setting is, how realistic the problems and funny the characters are, would be too much. Therefore, I'd like to summarize, that at the end of the series you will feel that you've been part of this world and it's sad that the curtain has now fallen.
[INTRO] Japan in the 1980s had high expectations of young men growing up and looking for their place in society. Young adults had to deal with less job ... |
