Maison Ikkoku Chapter 1 By Rumiko Takahashi Translated by Gavin Steyn Footnotes & corrections by Glenn Tarigan Page 1: Voice 1: I'm leaving! I'm leaving! Voice 2: Hold on, wait a second, hold on. -------------------------- Godai: Let go of me! If I stay in this sort of place, my whole life will be messed up!! Yotsuya: Hold on, hold on. -------------------------- Page 2: Ichinose: Quiet!! What's all this noise at this ungodly hour! -------------------------- Yotsuya: Well, Godai says he's leaving. Ichinose: Again... Isn't this the third time he's said that? -------------------------- Ichinose: Just because the results of your last trial exam were bad. Godai: It's this environment that's totally rotten. -------------------------- Yotsuya: You're blaming this environment for your own lousy abilities. Godai: My abilities aren't bad; just my luck is bad. Ichinose: This is a pointless conversation. -------------------------- Akemi: Keep quiet, OK. I can't sleep. Godai: Waa, waaa... Ichinose: Akemi, have you no shame? -------------------------- Akemi: You all just give him attention, which gets him puffed up with his own importance. Godai: Hah! -------------------------- Page 3: Godai: I'm going to give notice to the manager, so don't stop me. Akemi: It's real this time, isn't it? -------------------------- Kyoko: Excuse me. -------------------------- Kyoko: This is Ikkoku, isn't it? -------------------------- Akemi: Yes, but what do you want? Ichinose: Do you want something? -------------------------- Kyoko: I'll be the new manager for these apartments. My name is Kyoko Otonashi. -------------------------- Page 4: Ichinose: The manager...you? Kyoko: Yes -------------------------- Akemi: What happened to the old man who used to be manager? Kyoko: Well... -------------------------- Kyoko: "I'm tired," was all he said, and he returned home to the countryside, leaving me here. -------------------------- Yotsuya: Godai, didn't you have something to tell the manager? Godai: What? -------------------------- Ichinose: If you're going to leave, you should give notice right away. Yotsuya: That's quite right. Godai: Who said they were leaving? -------------------------- Akemi: But... Godai: These people love jokes. Kyoko: So I've heard. -------------------------- Page 5: Kyoko: I'll be moving into the manager's room tomorrow. So, if you'll excuse me for today... Godai and Yotsuya: We'll be awaiting it with pleasure. Akemi: You don't have to bow to her!! -------------------------- Ichinose: She's young, isn't she? I wonder if she can handle the job? Godai: She's just fine. -------------------------- Akemi: Aaah--back to bed. Godai: I'm off to study. Ichinose: Don't make any more noise, because I'll be watching my soaps. Yotsuya: Time to play. -------------------------- Godai: Before I study... -------------------------- Page 6: Godai: I'll block off that hole, so I can relax. -------------------------- Godai: Whew... Serves him right! -------------------------- Yotsuya: It's been a while. -------------------------- Yotsuya: Hey, you can see her fast asleep. Come on, Godai, it's very interesting. Godai: Youuuu -------------------------- Page 7: Godai: Can't you just come in through the door? Yo: Aaaah, you can see her!! You can see everything!! -------------------------- Godai: Hey, everything?! Yotsuya: Yes. -------------------------- Godai: What's this? Isn't it just the same as what we saw in the hallway a few minutes ago? Yotsuya: But it's more fun to peek on the sly. -------------------------- Godai: Get out!! I've got a practice test the day after tomorrow. Yotsuya: Aaah! -------------------------- Godai: What is it? Did you just see something fantastic?! Yotsuya: What are you talking about? -------------------------- Yotsuya: I just remembered something. I didn't come in here to peek. -------------------------- Page 8 Godai: A welcoming party for the manager? Yotsuya: Sure, because all the residents always have free time. -------------------------- Godai: You're the only one who has free time. What do you do for a living, anyway? Yotsuya: So you're not coming? -------------------------- Godai: Who's not coming? Yotsuya: You're a complicated person, aren't you? -------------------------- Godai: But I've got a test the day after tomorrow, so I'll be leaving part way through. -------------------------- Mover: This is the last of them. -------------------------- Page 9: Kyoko: Oh, good morning. Godai: Goof morming. [note: This isn't a misprint. Godai's saying good morning through a mouthful of toothpaste.] -------------------------- Godai: Can I help with anything? Kyoko: No, it's better for you to keep studying. -------------------------- Kyoko: Maybe next year you'll pass your exams!! Do your best!! -------------------------- Ichinose: Hey, if you don't hurry, you'll be late! Kentaro: Bye. -------------------------- Ichinose: That your dog? Kyoko: His name is Soichiro-san. Kentaro: That's a strange name. -------------------------- page 10: Akemi: 'Scuse me. D'you have a moment? Kyoko: Sure. -------------------------- Kyoko: Uh... You are... Akemi: Akemi, from apartment 6. -------------------------- Akemi: I know it's a bad time for me to bring this up, but the old manager wouldn't do anything about it. -------------------------- Kyoko: Godai-san was peeking? Akemi: Day after day...It's terrible. -------------------------- Akemi: Hey, open up, ronin! Godai: Whad'ya want? -------------------------- Page 11. Kyoko: Exuse me. Godai: Uh... -------------------------- Akemi: Move! Godai: What? What? -------------------------- Kyoko: We'd just like to inspect your room for a bit. Godai: Wha...! Wait a sec, wait a sec!! -------------------------- Akemi: Why's someone who's just a ronin trying to put on appearances? Godai: Shut up. -------------------------- Akemi: Kanrinin-san, here's the hole that he's peeking through! -------------------------- Godai: Waah! Don't go in there! Kyoko: Where, where? -------------------------- page 12 Kyoko: Y-you can see ev... Akemi: Waah --this is terrible! You can see everything. Godai: Wrong!! -------------------------- Akemi: _What's_ wrong! You're a pervert and a failure! -------------------------- Godai: Look at that wall, and say something. Kyoko: But... -------------------------- Kyoko: Yotsuya's room is next door, isn't it? Godai: That's right, and it's just terrible. -------------------------- Kyoko: You also like to peek at men? -------------------------- Godai: It's nothing to joke about!! Kyoko: It was a joke. -------------------------- Page 13 Godai: How many times do I have to tell you? I'm innocent, I tell you, innocent!! -------------------------- Kyoko: Excuse me, could you pass me a nail? Godai: Sure. -------------------------- Kyoko: You don't need to bother explaining to me; please go on studying. Godai: But... -------------------------- Kyoko: You have an exam ["moshi" in Japanese] tomorrow, don't you? -------------------------- Godai: Huh? Kyoko: Your exam is... -------------------------- Godai: Wha... What's wrong with your hips? ["koshi" in Japanese] Kyoko: Don't you have an exam tomorrow?! -------------------------- Page 14 Yotsuya: You! Even though you can see a woman's lower half in a closet, you shouldn't lust after her. Godai: Waah... -------------------------- Ichinose: Yotsuya, don't say such naughty things in front of children. Akemi: Wow--the hole is fixed. Thanks! Godai: Wait a sec... -------------------------- Godai: What are you doing? Yotsuya: Did you just ask what we're doing? -------------------------- Yotsuya: It's the manager's welcoming part. Don't you remember? Godai: Why is it in this room?! -------------------------- Page 15 Ichinose: Because this room has the least baggage. Akemi: We couldn't fit into another room. Godai: Tomorrow, I've got a... -------------------------- Akemi: An exam, we know already. Yotsuya: You can leave in the middle; you won't put us out. -------------------------- Kyoko: Um... Aren't we causing trouble for the ronin? Yotsuya: IT's no problem; his results will be the same, anyway. Godai: The results haven't been decided yet! -------------------------- Yotsuya: Now, to help celebrate for our new manager... All: Kampai!! Kyoko: Thank you. Godai: They're so selfish. -------------------------- Page 16 Akemi: Drink, drink, drink some more. Kentaro: Mom! Stop it, you're embarassing me!! -------------------------- Kyoko: Um... It looks like we're bothering him. Akemi: It's no problem, no problem. -------------------------- Akemi: When we're noisy like this for him, we give him an excuse when his test results are bad. -------------------------- Akemi: Some people are happy when they can blame their lives on other people. -------------------------- Kyoko: Ronin-san. -------------------------- Page 17 Godai: I'm going to bed. Kyoko: Ronin-san. -------------------------- Godai: Stop saying, "ronin-san, ronin-san" to me! Kyoko: Oops!! -------------------------- Akemi: He's gone... back to the Celestial cave, back to the Celestial cave!! [Note: I've translated this literally. A better translation might be "He's crawling back under his rock."] [See footnote 1] -------------------------- Kyoko: He's hurt. He's really hurt. Yotsuya: Well... -------------------------- Yotsuya: To ease the hurt of Godai's heart, I shall sing a song. -------------------------- Kyoko: You're being mean to him. -------------------------- Page 18 Yotsuya: He's being stubborn today. Akemi: He always comes out for us after about 5 minutes. Kyoko: He's hurt. Even what you just said hurt him. -------------------------- Akemi: Aa! Kanrinin-san, what are you doing? Kyoko: Huh? Yotsuya: Really, that's vulgar!! -------------------------- Yotsuya: Aaah--the manager is stripping. Akemi: Kyaa! You've got such a good figure; I'm jealous!! Kentaro: Stop it; you're embarassing me. -------------------------- Yotsuya: This is what kind of man he is. Godai: Damn. They tricked me. Akemi: Don't have sympathy for such an idiot. Kyoko: He's tough. -------------------------- Page 19 Kyoko: Soichiro-san, last night was terrible. -------------------------- Kyoko: I...I've lost confidence that I can deal with these people. --------------------------- Godai: I'm serious; I'm going to jump and kill myself!! Yotsuya: Don't fall, Godai. Godai: I missed my test. Ichinose: If you're going to jump, do it from the top floor. You just think jumping will get you sympathy. Footnote 1 This version is taken from the `Kojiki' (the `Chronicle of Ancient Things'). The shrine of Iwato in Takachiho of Miyazaki prefecture is often called Ama-no-Iwato (heavenly Iwato). This shrine is linked with one of the most well known of Japanese myths (at least to the Japanese). At the shrine is a cave reputed to be the one where Amaterasu Omikami, the Sun God, hid thus darkening the world. This was because Susanoo, the storm god and Amaterasu's brother, had visited and maliciously destroyed her rice fields and defiled her sacred hall with excrement, among other things. Amaterasu angrily hid in the heavenly stone cave and closed the door. The deities worried, and created a plan. On a tree they hanged maga-tama beads, and from the middle branches was hanged the first mirror, forged from metal. To encourage the Sun God to come out, they amassed around the entrance of the cave and one of the goddesses did an obscene dance: Ama-no-Uzume flipped over a bucket and loudly stamped upon it. Then she exposed her breasts and her genitals. The 800 various deities simultaneously laughed. Interested by the sounds of mirth, Amaterasu peeked out of the cave door and asked why they were doing what they were doing. Ama-no-Uzume responded, `We celebrate because there exists a God that is greater than you.' And while she was saying that, another god showed the mirror to Amaterasu. Being the first time that she'd seen a mirror, she thought this stranger and stranger, and bit by bit came out of the door to look at the mirror. A god hidden nearby grabbed Amaterasu and pulled her out, while another god extended a rope behind Amaterasu saying, `You may not go back farther than this!'