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Maison Ikkoku: The Final Chapter

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Maison Ikkoku Kanketsuhen Poster Maison Ikkoku: The Final Chapter
Maison Ikkoku: Kanketsuhen
めぞん一刻 完結編

Premiere: February 6, 1988
Movie Theme: Kiss no Glass by Rika Himenogi
Director: Tomomi Mochizuki
Screenplay: Michiru Shimada & Tomomi Mochizuki
Music: Hideharu Mori
Character Designs: Yuji Moriyama

Summary:

On a rainy afternoon two days before Godai and Kyoko's wedding, Ichinose and Akemi plan the next night in a series of party celebrating the event. They await Yotsuya's arrival with more party supplies, and of course, for the guests of honor to arrive as well. When Godai gets home he walks to Kyoko's room to find that she is not home. Upon looking inside, he sees her wedding kimono laid out, and goes in to look. As he stares at it, he daydreams out loud about marrying Kyoko. After a few moments he is interrupted by Ichinose, Akemi and Yotsuya, who have been watching. They all go up to his room and begin teasing him about Kyoko getting cold feet and running away. Godai ignores them for the most part, but they continue to taunt him until he gets depressed and lays down. As he lays there they begin to discuss a mysterious letter that Kyoko has been eagerly waiting on, and wonder aloud if it could possibly be from a secret lover.

Downstairs the phone rings and Godai eagerly gets up to answer it, hoping that it's Kyoko. Yotsuya and Ichinose grab his legs to slow him down, and end up making him miss the call altogether. Godai pouts in the hallway, while the others decide to continue the party there with him. As they all begin to drink again, the doors opens and a voice calls out for Godai. He walks down the stairs and finds Ibuki Yagami waiting for him. She says she's there to celebrate a her birthday, she's turned 20. Everyone leads her up to Godai's room for the party, and she is confused when she sees the "Congratulations" banner already hung up, thinking it cannot be for her. Everyone teases Godai about telling her the truth, but then attempts to prevent him from doing so as long as they can.

Yotsuya offers a congratulatory toast to Yagami but before he does, rams a fork into one of the tatami in Godai's floor, pulling it up. As he does, he pours beer down to the room below and waits. A few seconds later Nozomi Nikaido rushes into the room yelling at Yotsuya. They offer to let him join them for the party and congratulate Yagami. Downstairs, Mr. Chigusa arrives and finds no one to welcome him. Upstairs, Yagami is getting drunk and doing her best impression of Lum for Godai, while Mr. Chigusa discovers his daughter's wedding kimono and becomes emotional. Upstairs Yagami has had enough of all the mysteries and demands to know what is going on. Nikaido states things plainly, and tells her that Godai does not love her, because he is marrying Kyoko the day after tomorrow.

Yagami does not handle the news well and begins down drink an entire bottle of sake all at once. She continues to drink as another guest arrives downstairs. It's Master, who is rehearsing different means of proposing to Akemi. As he finally finds his way upstairs, he is hit in the face by a beer can that Yagami threw at Godai. Master congratulates the groom-to-be and asks Akemi if he can talk to her for a moment. When the other tenants try to listen in he asks if they can go to her room. Once there he continues to stall as he works up the nerve to propose to her.

As Yagami has drunk most of the alcohol, Ichinose rushes downstairs for some more, closing the door to Room 1 just as Iioka enters the building. Unsure if he's in the right place, he bumps into Mr. Chigusa who is wandering in the hallway. When Iioka mentions Godai's name, Mr. Chigusa grabs him and tosses him about, finally pulling him into Room 2. Ichinose walks past and closes the door without noticing them before heading back upstairs. In Room 6, just as Master is about to propose, Akemi hears Soichiro barking downstairs and goes to greet the returning Kyoko. Godai rushes down as well and finds that Kyoko has been returning Soichiro's belongings to the Otonashi family. Ikuko has accompanied her and rushes off to see her wedding kimono. As Kyoko goes to change clothes she asks Godai if she's received any mail today. The mention of the letter she is anticipating stuns Godai, who says that she has not. Just then Kyoko sees Yagami standing on the stairs sticking her tongue out at her. The others haul her back upstairs, and Kyoko plans to join them in a few minutes.

Iioka and Mr. Chigusa talk in Nikaido's room while the party continues upstairs. Akemi decides to go back to the party in Room 5 rather than sit in silence with Master, and Kyoko and Ibuki join in as well. During a toast, Yagami makes a scene and says that Kyoko and Godai do not look like a couple who trusts one another. The group decides that the wedding is off, and just as Kyoko is about to explain who the letter is from, Sakamoto appears with more alcohol. Everyone quickly goes back to their loud partying. Soon Mr. Ichinose arrives at the door to Room 5 to tell Kyoko that there is a man waiting for her downstairs. As Kyoko leaves to see who it is, Godai follows and finds Kyoko talking to Mitaka.

Mitaka smiles happily as he sees Godai and congratulates them both on their upcoming wedding. He tells them how happy he is for them and what a great pair they make. Godai thanks him, and Mitaka tells his shy wife, Asuna, to come inside. She does, holding a basket full of puppies. Sugar, Ginger, and Pepper, the children of McEnroe and Salad. Kyoko can see that Asuna is pregnant and congrtulates the happy couple. Mitaka seems especially excited. Kyoko invites them upstairs but they pass, and say they just wanted to congratulate them both. As they leave, Kyoko walks them out while Godai waits for her. Ikuko comes down to tell her aunt that she's leaving as well, and heads off into the night.

Just as she leaves Sayoko Kuroki and Saotome from Godai's college Puppet Club arrive and perform a play to celebrate the upcoming nuptuals. The play uses Godai's old princess and pauper puppets and merges that fairytale with his and Kyoko's own story. Needless to say Godai is not to thrilled with it, but Kyoko and everyone else seems to enjoy it. As Kyoko hugs Godai, Yagami becomes very upset and once the play is over, Godai is too busy dealing with a drunk and miserable Sakamoto to stop Yagami from taking Kyoko upstairs for a private conversation. As they begin to talk, Akemi returns to her room and finds Master has fallen asleep. She asks him why he has never fired her for being so unreliable, and he thinks that maybe she's starting to understand that he has feelings for her. In the attic, Yagami asks Kyoko who she loves more right now, Godai or her late husband. Kyoko replies that she has never thought of comparing the two men, and that perhaps one day if Yagami falls in love with someone else she will know how Kyoko feels at this moment. Yagami surprisingly accepts this assessment and tells Kyoko that she will still try to convince Godai to have an affair with her one day. Kyoko simply smiles and says she will be on the lookout for that.

As Kyoko leaves the attic, her father is sleepily talking to Iioka, who is half asleep himself. Master decides to leave Akemi without proposing, but she seems to know what he wanted to ask, as she walks him to the door she runs into Kyoko, and tells her that perhaps married life wouldn't be so bad. Akemi passes a sad looking Yagami in the hallway and tells her that if she needs to cry she can use her room. Yagami heads to Room 6 and has a fitful sleep as she overhears the continuing party next door. In Room 5, Sakamoto has fallen asleep, and everyon else has resumed drinking. Ichinose gives Kyoko a new apron to celebrate her wedding, and Nikaido suddenly remembers that a letter arrived for Kyoko earlier in the day. He hands the letter to her, and everyone goes completely silent. Kyoko thanks him and rushes out of the room, with Godai following along quickly behind. Everyone tells Nikaido that it will be his fault if they cancel the wedding.

Godai follows Kyoko into her room, determined to learn what was in the letter. She tells him that it was a letter from his grandmother. Kyoko had written a letter apologizing. Four years earlier, Kyoko found a picture of Godai as a little boy in Yukari's purse while she was visiting. Akemi walked in and startled Kyoko, causing her to rip the photo. Kyoko was so ashamed that she had the photo repaired, but for some reason could never bring herself to return it to Yukari. She felt comforted when she looked at it, and she knew she had started to have feelings for Yusaku. Godai smiles and asks Kyoko what his grandmother's letter said. As he reads it, he learns that his grandmother appreciates Kyoko's thoughtfulness in writing to her, but that it is she who is grateful to Kyoko for taking care of her grandson. She sends Kyoko the photo back and tells her that it is hers now. Godai finishes the letter and looks at Kyoko. She tells him that for this one day she will be Kyoko Chigusa, and after that... Godai holds her hand and leans in to kiss her, but just then the tenants and Yagami interrupt with a shouted "good morning!" They then declare that the tenth day of the ten day party-a-thon is about to begin.

Notes:

Released on February 6, 1988 as a double feature with the Urusei Yatsura Movie 5: The Final Chapter, this movie marked the end of the Maison Ikkoku storyline. The storyline takes place two days before the wedding of Godai and Kyoko and most of the characters in the series make an appearance. The movie is 90 minutes long, and originally the director wanted to utilize real time, following a 90 minute long party at Ikkoku without any cut aways. The script makes clever use of the entire cast and their conversations to carry the movie through this real time story. The television series original character designer, Yuji Moriyama made his return for the movie, and gave the characters a makeover at director Tomomi Mochizuki's request. The movie also marks the only appearance of Room 2 resident, Nozomi Nikaido, who was omitted from the television series. There are two versions of the Final Movie on DVD, one is 72 minutes the other is 90. The 90 minute version has been remastered and has the openings and endings from the TV series and the theatrical preview.

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