The story of a Boy, a Girl, and the Drunkards Who Live to Interfere... Bashful college student Yusaku is madly in Love with beautiful Kyoko, the widowed manager of his apartment building, comfortably shabby Maison Ikkoku. As Yusaku, and handsome tennis coach Shun vie for Kyoko's affections, the other Maison Ikkoku residents-a motley crew of volatile personalities-can't resist medding in their affairs.

Kyoko must fight for her independence as her overprotective meddling parents use evry trick in the book to get her to give up her beloved job and move back home. Yusaku, reluctantly dating Kozue, is introduced to her overly solicitious family. And then he ends up on a never-ending visit to his own doting folks. Come celebrate Christmas and New Years with the whole gang at Maison Ikkoku! You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll kiss your heartache Good-bye!

Now everyone seems to forget that "home is where the heart is"! First Kyoko's dog Mr. Soichoro after her late husband gets hopelessly last. Then, due to a misunderstanding, Yusaku moves out of Maison Ikkoku in a huff. Unfortunately, the tiny apartment he moves into is still occupied- by a beautiful masseuse and her ape-like yakuza (crime syndicate) husband! Can Yusaku ever go home again?

Godai reaches for a star; a New Year's temple visit offers confusing advice; a drunken kiss from a heartburned Akemi causes havoc; a new leotard creates excitement; Kozue says it with flowers; Coach Mitaka forms an unlikely alliance; an impromptu costume party convinces Kentaro his life is doomed from the start; and finally, a wave of melancholy overtakes Kyoko with the sudden apperance of a postcard from the past.

The fifth graphic novel of Maison Ikkoku, constant hints about grandchildren push Kyoko over the edge; a day at the ballpark puts more than pride on the line; a night spent club-hopping gets Godai in hot water; Gramma Godai comes to town; a framed photo in Coach Mitaka's apartment gets taken the wrong way; Gramma's plum wine brings emotions to the surface; a suspicious-looking "bruise" on Godai's neck brings out the the worst in Kyoko; and finally, a brief Hokkaido encounter puts things into perspective to Goidai.

The sixth Maison Ikkoku graphic novel, Koyoko and Godai get in over their heads at the fair; as her last hurrah before heading back to the countryside, Gramma Godai brokers a dream-date for her wishy-washy grandson; at long last, we meet the mysterious Mr. Ichinose; Kentaro asks Kyoko and Godai to pose as Aunt and Uncle for the purposes of a three-legged race; a shouting match over a hand-knit sweater from Kozue sends Kyoko over the edge; a cute country cousin comes to nurse a now-hospitalized Godai; and finally; the admisssion of Coach Mitaka to the next bed over from Godai forever after redefines the term "bedside manners."

The seventh graphic novel, the hijinks surrounding the leg which fractured in "Bedside Manners" escalate to a new level with the arrival of a new (if not exactly welcome) roommate; discharged at last, a missed "Adolescent Psych" exam causes Godai and Kyoko to undergo some teenage-style angst of their own; a windfall from Gramma Godai funds a hot springs resort holiday; Kyoko's (temporary) returns to her parents' home provides a perfect excuse for Godai to "casually" drop by i n his best suit; Godai spots a "face in the darkness" during an overnight stay at Father Otonashi's; and finally, an eavesdropping Godai hears more than he wants to at the graveside of Kyoko's former husband..

The eighth graphic novel, the arrival of a wide-eyed new tenant-Room No. 2's Nozomo Nikaido-causes trouble for all (but especially Godai); Yotsuya and Nikaido square off, with Kozue providing additional ammo; insisting there's "nothing between them'" both Godai and Kyoko refuse to make the first movie; a ring proves just the thing to worry Coach Mitaka; Godai heads home to "discuss his future," not realizing someone else may have gotten there first; a poolside afternoon finds Kyoko without her top and a Godai without his skin; and finally, Godai's new student-teaching assignment at Kyoko's old high school starts off with a hearty slap on the back...

The ninth graphic novel, naive nymphel Yagami gets both herself and Godai in a compromise position; Kyoko winds up hosting a Maison Ikkoku slumber party; Yagami's "long goodbye" turns into something less..well, permanent; Kuroki (puppet club, remember?) puts Godai to work; Yagami also tries to pul some employment string on Godai's behalf; a last-minute delivery foils Godai's plans for the future; Yagami becomes...well, at least temporarily...a permanent resident of Ikkoku; the "Maison Ikkoku Hostage Crisis" picks up steam as Yagami takes up vacuuming; a looming graduation date casts a shadow on Godai's future; and finally; a job offer at up-and-coming new company "Kasumi, Inc." promises to set Godai up for life...or does it?

The tenth graphic novel, family pressure to make an arranged marriage pushes Coach Mitaka to put the screws to Kyoko: the "brothers and sisters" of potential fiancee Asuna Kujo (Who's anonly child) put a damper on engagement palns; a sudden embrace sends both Asuna and Godai reeling; Manager Kyoko takes flight on her first solo trip, panicking Godai into spending his entire "marriage savings" to follow her; and finally, Godai is drawn once again into Yagami's orbit when he accepts (and spends!) payment for tutoring sessions not yet taught...

The Eleventh graphic novel, Yagami, the naive nymphet, continues her seduction of "Mister G" by maneuvering him into being her at-home tutor (much to her over-protective Daddy's distress); a New Year's Eve or "oshogatsu" visit from Mitaka revelas the triumph of his "training" while Asuna, the delicate miss with her pack of yapping canine "children," sets her cap for the handsome coach; and finally, as Godai's charade regarding the pink slip he received from the nursery school is exposed, Mitaka's message to "that dog girl" is not at all received in the spirit with which it was intended....

The twelfth graphic novel, Godai and Mitaka hide behind a tombstone while the Manager's marriage prospects are debated; Asuna starts taking tennis lessons; a runaway hostess at the strip club's got Godai playing "Daddy" to her two kids; Mitaka's reserving of a hotel rrom "just for the night" gets Godai and Kyoko's father searching madly from dusk itll dawn; the delinquent mama comes back for her kids just in time for Godai's exam; and finally, a drunken Mitaka and Godai "go at it" while an angry Manager-and a very, very, very comforting Asuna-await them at their respective homes.....

As Godai struggles to leave the cabaret and find an honest job so that he can propose to Kyoko, his rival, handsome tennis coach Mitaka, moves into the home stretch, courting Kyoko ever more aggressively. But shy, lovesick Asuna hasn't given up on her beloved Mitaka either. As if that weren't enough, Godai's old girlfriend Kozue returns to make a bid for his hand. For whom do the wedding bells toll?

With all the other suitors and girlfriends out of the picture, now there is only Godai and Kyoko -- but years of misunderstandings, and the shadow of Kyoko's husband, still stand between them. Can Kyoko truly forget Soichiro? Does Godai dare support them both as professional nursery school teacher? As roommates and parents throw last-minute wrenches into the machinery, Kyoko and Godai must decide what is their hearts.