Maison Ikkoku Director Guide

September 4, 2006

Written by Dylan Acres

Because of its short length in comparision to other Takahashi anime Maison Ikkoku benefits from a highly consistent appearance. The fact that the series only had nine animation directors, two of whom directed over half the series between them, also gave the series a unified design. One of the major changes that takes place in the course of the series is the departure of character designers Yuji Moriyama after 26 episodes. He was replaced with Urusei Yatsura character designer Akemi Takada.

Episode Title	Director	Animation Director
1. Sorry To Keep You Waiting! I'm Kyoko Otonashi!	Kazuo Yamazaki	Masaaki Kannan
2. Love is in the Air? Which one Does Kyoko Love Best?	Naoyuki Yoshinaga	Keiko Hattori
3. Hearts on Fire in the Dark! All Alone with Kyoko	Osamu Sekita	Ryunosuke Otonashi
4. Kyoko's Heart Goes Pitty-Pat! Godai is put to the Test	Kougo Tomokazu	Keiko Hattori
5. Kyoko's Climbing the Walls! Godai's Headed For the Hills	Kazuo Yamazaki	Masaaki Kannan
6. Shocking Springtime! Kyoko's Secret	Naoyuki Yoshinaga	Tsukasa Dokite
7. Godai's Agony! The One Kyoko Loves	Kougo Tomokazu	Keiko Hattori
8. Godai's Unspeakable Declaration! If You're Going to Do It, Do It!	Junji Suzuki	Masaaki Kannan
9. The Mysterious Tennis Coach is the Rival of Love	Naoyuki Yoshinaga	Ryunosuke Otonashi
10. Love Panic on the Beach! The Competition's a Dog Hater!	Kougo Tomokazu	Atsuko Nakajima
11. Kentaro's First Love! What's Age Got to Do,with It?	Junji Suzuki	Tsukasa Dokite
12. One Entangled Evening! I Thought You Said You Loved Me!?	Osamu Sekita	Keiko Hattori
13. Godai the Gigolo...? Are You Going to Get That, or Shall I?	Naoyuki Yoshinaga	Masaaki Kannan
14. Way to Go, Godai! The First Date with Kyoko	Junji Suzuki	Ryunosuke Otonashi
15. The Play's the Thing, Not the Playing Around! The Show Must Go On!	Kougo Tomokazu	Tsukasa Dokite
16. Sympathy Scramble! If I Should Stumble	Osamu Sekita	Keiko Hattori
17. The Story of Kyoko's First Love On Rainy Days Like These	Naoyuki Yoshinaga	Masaaki Kannan
18. Kyoko's Gift ! "What , You Mean it's For Me?"	Junji Suzuki	Ryunosuke Otonashi
19. Godai and Kyoko ! An Evening for Two Means Double the Trouble	Kougo Tomokazu	Tsukasa Dokite
20. Kyoko's Ticking Time bomb ! Godai's Extended Absence	Osamu Sekita	Keiko Hattori
21. Godai's Panic! The Cat Who Came to Ikkoku	Naoyuki Yoshinaga	Masaaki Kannan
22. Godai Gets a shock! Kyoko Calls It Quits	Junji Suzuki	Ryunosuke Otonashi
23. Kyoko's Brush with Danger! Mother's Nefarious Plot	Kougo Tomokazu	Atsuko Nakajima
24. Godai in Confusion! Kozue's First Kiss	Naoyuki Yoshinaga	Tsukasa Dokite
25. In this Corner: Godai vs. Mitaka! The Clash of the Proposals	Osamu Sekita	Keiko Hattori
26. Godai's Out of It! Kyoko's on the Rampage	Kazuo Yamazaki	Ryunosuke Otonashi
27. Soichiro Gone!? Yakitori Memories	Kazuyoshi Katayama	Masaaki Kannan
28. Even Kyoko's Surprised! " I'm Kentaro's Father "	Junji Suzuki	Keiko Hattori
29. Fall Festival Foul - Up ! All Swell That Ends In A Well	Kougo Tomokazu	Atsuko Nakajima
30. What!? Kyoko Married!? Godai's Tearful Goodbye	Naoyuki Yoshinaga	Masaaki Kannan
31. Scandal at Ikkoku! Godai's...SHACKING UP!?	Kazuyoshi Katayama	Ryunosuke Otonashi
32. The Incredible , Unforgettable Egg! Yotsuya's Dangerous Gift	Naoyuki Yoshinaga	Keiko Hattori
33. The Case of the Shocking Diary My Husband Had a Sweetheart!	Junji Suzuki	Atsuko Nakajima
34. Overpowered by Love! The Grandma Yukari Gold Tooth Gauntlet!	Kazuyoshi Katayama	Masaaki Kannan
35. The Great Date Race! Kyoko and Godai Have Left the Building	Kougo Tomokazu	Atsuko Nakajima
36. A Kiss Is Just A Kiss... But a Woman's Love is Priceless	Naoyuki Yoshinaga	Keiko Hattori
37. Dangerous Dress-Up! Kyoko Gets an Extreme Makeover	Kougo Tomokazu	Ryunosuke Otonashi
38. Godai's Lost Love!? Kozue Hits on Mitaka	Junji Suzuki	Masaaki Kannan
39. Love Takes Guts! Godai's Part-Time Gambit	Kazuyoshi Katayama	Atsuko Nakajima
40. Cruel to be Kind! Thoughts of Love, at Christmas Time	Kougo Tomokazu	Keiichi Takaoka
41. Kyoko in a Hot Spring... Hot-Cha-Cha! Case of the Outdoor Peeping Tom	Naoyuki Yoshinaga	Masaaki Kannan
42. Fractured Godai! Bedside Chance at Love	Eisuke Kondo	Hiroshi Ogawa
43. Sparkling Fireworks of Love! Godai and Mitaka's Reluctant Recuperation	Kougo Tomokazu	Ryunosuke Otonashi
44. Kentaro Goes Pale! Yotsuya's Frightning Aspect	Naoyuki Yoshinaga	Masaaki Kannan
45. Big, Shocking Announcement?! Kyoko Confesses Love to Godai	Junji Suzuki	Atsuko Nakajima
46. The 'Kyoko Invitational'! The Skating-Rink is Love's Battlefield	Eisuke Kondo	Hiroshi Ogawa
47. Kyoko Tied One On! Man, is She Plastered	Kougo Tomokazu	Keiichi Takaoka
48. Godai's Revelation! Can't You TRY and Understand?!	Junji Suzuki	Masaaki Kannan
49. Mitaka's 'Call of the Wild'! How Can You Love When You Fear?	Sunao Katabuchi	Atsuko Nakajima
50. Kyoko Falls in Love at First Sight?! A Stranger Moves into Maison Ikkoku	Junji Suzuki	Ryunosuke Otonashi
51. Even Yotsuya is Shocked! The Day Maison Ikkoku Disappears	Eisuke Kondo	Hiroshi Ogawa
52. Forgive me, Soichiro! Kyoko's Painful Decision to Marry Again!	Kazuyoshi Katayama	Masaaki Kannan
53. High School Girl Power! War Against Kyoko's Love!	Naoyuki Yoshinaga	Atsuko Nakajima
54. Barefaced Attack! Operation Seduction	Yorifusa Yamaguchi	Keizo Shimizu
55. Pajama Girl Charges In! Maison Ikkoku in a Love Panic	Junji Suzuki	Keiichi Takaoka
56. Yagami is Determined I Won't Give Up My First Love!	Osamu Sekita	Ryunosuke Otonashi
57. The Princess Cometh! Mitaka is Her Prince Charming	Eisuke Kondo	Hiroshi Ogawa
58. Godai or Mitaka? The Moment of Truth!	Junji Suzuki	Atsuko Nakajima
59. Be Still, My Beating Heart! Asuna's Very First Time	Osamu Sekita	Masaaki Kannan
60. Caught in the Act! Kyoko and Mitaka - Hot and Heavy!	Satoshi Yamamoto	Atsuko Nakajima
61. Come After Me, Godai! Kyoko Journeys Alone!	Yorifusa Yamaguchi	Keizo Shimizu
62. All Right! Alone in the Bath with Kyoko!	Satoshi Yamamoto	Ryunosuke Otonashi
63. Yagami's Back! Just When You Least Expect Her!	Junji Suzuki	Atsuko Nakajima
64. Godai's on the Edge! Trapped by a High School Girl!	Eisuke Kondo	Hiroshi Ogawa
65. Yagami's Scream! The Dangers of Private Lessons with Yotsuya!	Osamu Sekita	Masaaki Kannan
66. Yagami's Challenge: I Won't Lose to the Widow!	Junji Suzuki	Atsuko Nakajima
67. Even Yagami is Shocked! The Return of the Gold-Toothed Grandma!	Satoshi Yamamoto	Shunji Suzuki
68. Grandma Yukari's Fighting Spirit: The Baseball Battle!	Eisuke Kondo	Hiroshi Ogawa
69. Underwater Confusion! Godai's Suspicious Hickey!	Junji Suzuki	Atsuko Nakajima
70. Farewell Grandma! Party on Down at Ueno Station	Chisato Shigeki	Masaaki Kannan
71. A Midsummer Night's Dream! Godai Finds a Job!	Junji Suzuki	Atsuko Nakajima
72. A Baby is Born: Godai's Tearfully Happy Life	Satoshi Yamamoto	Shunji Suzuki
73. Hostage Crisis at Ikkoku! Yagami Makes Herself at Home	Eisuke Kondo	Masaaki Kannan
74.All (Not So) Quiet on the Job Hunt Front! Godai's Eleventh-Hour Save	Junji Suzuki	Atsuko Nakajima
75. One-Track Love: Yagami and Asuna Never Say Die!	Chisato Shigeki	Masaaki Kannan
76. I'll Wait! Kyoko's Double-Duty Declaration	Junji Suzuki	Atsuko Nakajima
77. You Go, Godai! You Do Have Pride, After All!	Satoshi Yamamoto	Shunji Suzuki
78. I'm Not Sayin'!! The Cabaret Chronicles	Chisato Shigeki	Atsuko Nakajima
79. I'm So Sorry, Kyoko... I Don't Deserve to Eat Your Lunch	Eisuke Kondo	Masaaki Kannan
80. Godai Goes Ga-Ga! Yagami's a Bunny Girl Now?!	Satoshi Yamamoto	Atsuko Nakajima
81. Obsessive Love! Asuna Just Won't Give Up!	Junji Suzuki	Masaaki Kannan
82. Perfect Papa! The "Mister Mom" Godai Story	Chisato Shigeki	Shunji Suzuki
83. Off to the Yokohama Border! Kyoko's Doing a Runner	Eisuke Kondo	Masaaki Kannan
84. "One Thousand Percent Suspicious!" Kyoko's Scandalous Night	Junji Suzuki	Atsuko Nakajima
85. The Main Event! Godai and Mitaka's Fight-to-End-All-Fights	Koji Sawai	Masaaki Kannan
86. It Happened One Shocking Night! Asuna's Salad Anniversary	Chisato Shigeki	Atsuko Nakajima
87. Asuna's Pregnant?! Mitaka's Surprise Shotgun-Announcement	Eisuke Kondo	Masaaki Kannan
88. Love All Over... The Lingering Taste of Kozue's Kisses	Junji Suzuki	Shunji Suzuki
89. Love Forlorn! Today is IT for Godai and Kyoko	Koji Sawai	Atsuko Nakajima
90. Kyoko Retires! Ikkoku, A Distant Memory?	Chisato Shigeki	Masaaki Kannan
91. Kyoko's Big Shock! Akemi and Godai Together?!	Koji Sawai	Atsuko Nakajima
92. Wedding Bells for Kozue! Is Godai's Love Eternal?!	Junji Suzuki	Shunji Suzuki
93. Spring Is In the Air! Two Hearts in Love!!	Eisuke Kondo	Masaaki Kannan
94. Way to Go! Godai's Do-or-Die Proposal!!	Junji Suzuki	Atsuko Nakajima
95. How Touching! A Ring Filled with Grandma's Love!	Koji Sawai	Masaaki Kannan
96. As Long as There's Love! Maison Ikkoku Forever!	Chisato Shigeki	Atsuko Nakajima

Tsukasa Dokite (Episodes directed: 5)

Dokite uses very strong, clean dark lines in his animation. His draftsmanship produces a very crisp animation quality. You can recognize Dokite's unique button noses in the episodes he worked on.

Keiko Hattori (Episodes directed: 10)

Her character's faces are curvier in closeups, but hew more closely to Moriyama's designs in wider shots. It is in the closeups that the viewer can really see Hattori's personal style as the faces are curvier, and her depiction of hair consists of larger, poofier strands. The animation style is extremely consistent throughout her episodes, and everything flows smoothly.

Masaaki Kannan (Episodes directed: 27)

Kannan directed the very first episode of Maison Ikkoku and had previously contributed to Urusei Yatsura. At first he was stayed stylistically close to Yuji Moriyama's character designs, for example, the male characters eyes were drawn with Moriyama's design of very small pupils. After Moriyama left the series with episode 26 Akemi Takada became the new character designer and Masaaki's work looked more like her designs. Masaaki uses very expressive faces with great displays of emotion. He uses a lot of closeups in order to display his expressive faces. Even working with two seperate character designers Masaaki's female characters retain a similar quality in their eyes; two shines in the eye, one large one small. Masaaki is an incredibly talented at interpreting the designs he is given, and stays very true to the character designers original vision.

Atsuko Nakajima (Episodes directed: 25)

One of the most popular character designers working in anime is Atsuko Nakajima. Nakajima began to employ more closeups as the series progressed. Even though she is best known for Ranma ½, Maison Ikkoku is where Nakajima really honed her talent. Very expressive use of lines in the face, particularly under the eyes to convey emotions. When a fan of Ikkoku envisions a character from the series, it is likely Nakajima's look that comes to mind because of the high number of episodes she directed in her unique style.

Hiroshi Ogawa (Episodes directed: 6)

Ogawa's characters have larger whites of the eyes which conveys a lack of emotions. Kyoko is an exception to this, as her eyes are always depicted with more detail. The colors are a bit washed out in his episodes. Ogawa's faces slightly longer and more narrow although he is very good with profile shots and much better with facial details in closeups. While the animation quality is high, the subtle changes that Ogawa uses in his designs aren't to my personal taste. If I had to choose a least favorite it would be him.

Ryunosuke Otonashi (Episodes directed: 12)

Without a doubt Ryunosuke Otonashi is one of my all time favorite animation directors. You can always tell when you're watching an episode he worked on as his characters have very rounded, large, wide eyes, not as oval-shaped as other directors draw their eyes. His characters all appear to have cute, younger looking faces. His designs are a bit more cartoonish than some of the other designers but the animation is always high quality and his designs are almost OVA like.

Keizo Shimizu (Episodes directed: 2)

Shimizu's episodes have an above average animation style. She is very faithful to the character designs. It is difficult to descern a style unique unto herself, which is probably a good thing. She has a very consistent style, but at the same time delivers a high level of quality to all the characters, both male and female, main characters and supporting ones. For example Akemi is as well done as Kyoko. As the series progresses her character designs reflect the maturity of the characters.

Shunji Suzuki (Episodes directed: 6)

Even though he came to Maison Ikkoku very late in the series and only directed six episodes, Suzuki brought a very polished, fluid style. His designs fall somewhere between the faithful designs of Masaaki Kannan and the unique depictions of Ryunosuke Otonashi's style.

Keiichi Takaoka (Episodes directed: 3)

Takaoka's characters have less rounded faces, more angular/rectangular/narrow, even in profile. It could be said that his profiles are more realistic. His episodes have a high animation quality throughout the entire series. Takaoka's characters have very good detail in the eyes in closeup, but sometimes in shots where there is no animation or very little animation, the designs are slightly lessened. Because he directed so few episodes and his designs deviate from the other animation directors so much Takaoka's episodes tend to stand out more. He isn't bad by any means, but because his work appears so infrequently he isn't one of my top animation directors.

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