Maison Ikkoku

As of this time, Maison Ikkoku is my favorite anime. Known more for its comedy than drama, it is nonetheless an incredibly touching story with many twists of plot, and very understandable characters. Truly a tribute to Rumiko Takahashi's unique grasp of human relations. This is, sadly, a part of daily life which I will always lack awareness of, and so it is beautiful to see it explained!

Character Descriptions:

Kyoko Otonashi is a deep and complicated character, trying desperately to remain mature, much less sane, in a house which discourages good behavior. She is stubborn, else she would have left long ago. The reason she is so adamant on staying, of course, is because she's the manager. As manager of the apartments of the Ikkoku-kan, she feels it is her job to look after all the tenants, even the troublesome Yotsuya or the gossiping Ichinose. However, she seems to have gained an unusual concern and attachment for the tenant of Apartment #5, Yuhsaku Godai. At least he hopes, at any rate.

Yuhsaku Godai is one of the four paying tenants of the Ikkoku-kan, and is an ailing college student. As the story begins, he is a ronin, or student who has failed the entrance exams to the college of his or her choice. As such, he is attending a second-rate college. As his philosophy goes, it's better than nothing.
Also as the story begins, Godai has just packed in anger and defiance, as the other tenants once again used his room as a place to party throughout the night, even as he was trying to study. This is largely responsible for his failure on the exams, and possibly for his simple failure as a student. However, on his way out the door, he was met by a staggeringly beautiful woman who was going to become the manager.
For some odd reason, he decided to stay. ;)

Yotsuya, whose given name is not known, is one of the most mysterious characters of anime history. He has bluntly stated that he will not tell anyone what he does for a living, but whatever it is, he still does not seem to make enough money to buy his own food. This is evidenced in his tendency to creep through a hole from his room and steal Godai's noodles, one of the student's main staples. This is usually done right under Godai's objecting nose. Of course, we believe he could feed himself if he wanted to.
Yotsuya, along with the other tenants, is always making trouble for our beloved heroes, often by spying and subterfuge. He will deliberately misinterpret any information gained, usually with the intent of relaying it to the other tenants. Often to Kyoko, herself.

Apartment #6, immediately next to Godai's, is the home of Roppongi Akemi. She is often seen wandering the halls in a very transparent nightgown. She trusts Godai perfectly, and takes advantage of that whenever she can. Like Yotsuya, she is a troublemaker, often scheming with him (over a drink) in her off hours. I'd have to say that teasing Godai is one of her chief joys in life.
Akemi is not quite so mysterious as Yotsuya, but her own remarkably detailed personality is not brought fully into focus until midway through the 96 episode series. Also unlike Yotsuya, we have a fairly good handle on her profession. She works at the Chachamaru, a local bar and site of many parties held by the Ikkoku-kan.