MAISON IKKOKU Part 7, #2

"I love Dogs," parts I and II

Written and drawn by Rumiko Takahashi

(Viz Comics, B&W, 46 pages; $3.50)

Highly recommended to:

*Comic art lovers everywhere

*Anybody who would enjoy a romantic comedy/drama (more drama than comedy this issue) with likable (albeit flawed), sympathetic characters

Not recommended to:

*Mangaphobes

*People who buy Maison Ikkoku just to see Mr. Yotsuya

Synopsis:

Shun gives Kyoko a week to consider his marriage proposal, with the understanding that if she turns him down he will go ahead with his engagement to Asuna.

Miscellaneous warnings: definitely PG-13 rated material here.

A very moving story, masterfully told, and very, very sad. Sure, Takahashi does end it with a joke, sort of, and she does scatter a few nuggets of her inimitable wacky humor along the way, like Asuna's chasing Kyoko all over town with her dogs (whose names all appear to have come out of a French cookbook), and the inexplicable association of widows and broomsticks (inexplicable, that is, anywhere except in this particular comic book) in the marquee of the X-rated movie that Sakamoto drags Yusaku into. But, as I was reading this, I just felt for Kyoko, and by the time the ending came we were both rather devastated.

As usual, the storytelling is excellent, and Takahashi is so good she just makes it seem easy. The page and panel layout combines with the wonderful expressiveness of the faces to convey the emotions of the characters and the entire mood of a situation. One can almost hear a tone of quiet sadness in Shun's voice on p. 17 when he says "I have waited for four years..." (One can, of course, also see on that same page how Shun's declaration shatters Kyoko's peaceful, secure world.) Page 37 is the real heartbreaker, with the alternating close ups and long shots of Kyoko, bringing out her loneliness and her pain in turn.

The two vertical, elongated panels on that page are both unusual and beautifully rendered, but the loveliest single panel in the story is on the following page--a vision of Kyoko sweeping, through small clouds of dust that shimmer in the early morning light. An epiphany perhaps, or maybe just the stuff that haikus are made of.

The only minor problem with this issue is that, since almost everything is seen from Kyoko's perspective, we do not get more than a glimpse into the feelings of the other characters. This is both deliberate and effective--by removing most potential distractions, Takahashi makes the reader identify and empathize with Kyoko, which heightens the emotional impact of the tale--but, inevitably, one is left to wonder at the end just what was going through Yusaku's and Shun's minds during that critical week. Yusaku especially worries me--he's just not acting very much like he's as madly in love with Kyoko as he once was. I expect this will be addressed soon.

Rating: on a scale of 0 through 10, where 0 is Emerald Twilight and 10 is Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind, this would probably rate a 9, which would put it right up there with the best of the Zot! Earth stories. However, you should check back with me a year from now, to see just how well this story stands the test of time.

Review of next issue