Prelude Maison Ikkoku: When the Cherry Blossoms Return in the Spring

1992 0h 27m JA

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 3

AnimationRomanceDramaComedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Kyoko Otonashi is a 22-year-old widow. Six months have passed since the sudden death of her husband, Soichiro. In her resolve to move on, she has recently taken over the management of a boarding house owned by her father-in-law. She now finds herself reminiscing about the few seasons that she and Soichiro had together, and about the first time that she saw him: when he became her geology teacher during her final year of high school. This prequel is the third and final OVA released after the conclusion of MAISON IKKOKU, an animated series based on the manga by Rumiko Takahashi. The past events are retold through flashback sequences using scenes from the television series, with narration by Sumi Shimamoto as Kyoko.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Cast

Issei Futamata
Godai Yusaku (voice)
Sumi Shimamoto
Kyoko Otonashi (voice)
Hideyuki Tanaka
Soichiro Otonashi (voice)
Ryuji Saikachi
Otonashi-rojin (voice)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Shigeharu Shiba
Writers: Rumiko Takahashi
Languages: Japanese
Countries: Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 6

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 27-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 6

ERA

Did you know

34 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 6

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Maison Ikkoku Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 6

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 6

CAST

Did you know

Issei Futamata and Sumi Shimamoto and Hideyuki Tanaka carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 6

WILD

Did you know

Only 3 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Shigeharu Shiba directs. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 27-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
234 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Part of the "Maison Ikkoku Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Issei Futamata and Sumi Shimamoto and Hideyuki Tanaka carry the top of the cast.
6Only 3 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Runtime: 27 min · 0h 27m
Status: Released
Original language: JA

Part of

Maison Ikkoku Collection

A new manager, Kyoko Otonashi, has arrived at Ikkokukan, a very old wooden apartment building. Yusaku Godai, a Ronin who lives in room 5, falls in love with Kyoko Otonashi. It depicts the lively daily life of Ikkokukan, a place where unique people gather, centering on the love story between a young widowed manager and her younger lodger.