RANTS!!!
It often takes forever to find where Maison Ikkoku cels come from. This is usually because of the large number of episodes (96) one must check.
I've been looking for ways to help speed up the process. I'm making lists based on character appearances and clothes worn (Kyoko, Godai and Ichinose). I'm not sure how helpful this list will be since most Maison Ikkoku cels seem to be in Japan and France. Most of the collectors in those countries wouldn't be able to read this. Be that as it may, here is a sample of the lists I've done so far. Yeah I know...I have a lot of time on my hands. ^_^
Unfortunately I counted a lot of beginning-of-the-show previous episode recaps on this list. I don't really feel like going back and rechecking them. One of the reasons was that there are weird recaps that show what happened earlier, but mix previous episode footage with new added footage showing the same scene. It's often hard to tell what was old and what was new footage. So when I started working on this list. I just lumped everything that I seen in the episode together.
Here are a few examples (Can't guarantee these are 100 percent accurate but these are the figures I use):
CHARACTER APPEARANCES:
Asuna (Counting Flashbacks): episodes 56-60,61(flashback only),75-76,81,85-88 and 95-96.
Asuna's Parents (Counting Flashbacks): episodes 56(mother intro),57(father intro),59-60,75(both),76(mother only),81(both),85-87 and 95.
Godai's Grandma (Counting Flashbacks): episodes 5,20,34-35,67-70,79(cameo),81-87 and 95-96.
Ichinose's husband (Counting Flashbacks): episodes 28,41,48,50 and 96.
Ikuko (Counting Flashbacks): episodes 6-7,10-11,14,27,33(still shot),39,44,46,52 and 96.
Kentaro (Counting Flashbacks): episodes 1-7,10-11,13-16,18-21,23,25,27-32,35,37-39,41,43-44,46,48-49,51,55-57,60,62-63,65,68,71,76(cameo),77-78,90-91 and 96.
Kozue (Counting Flashbacks): episodes 10,12-14,17-18,20,22,24-26,29,32,34,38-39,42-43,50-51,54,57,60,67-68,88-92 and 96.
Kozue's Parents (Counting Flashbacks): episodes 24-26 and 38.
Kyoko's Father-In-Law (Counting Flashbacks): episodes 1,6-7,24,27,31,33,39,51-53,76,90-91 and 96.
Kyoko's Parents (Counting Flashbacks): episodes 22-24,48,52,76,81-84,90-91,94 and 96.
Cabaret Manager (Counting Flashbacks): episodes 78-82,86-89,92-94 and 96.
Mitaka (Counting Flashbacks): episodes 9-10,12,14,16,18,20,24-26,29-30,32,34,37-44,46,49-52,54,56-60,61-62(flashback only),64,68-69,71-72,75-76,80-88 and 95-96.
Principal of Pre-School (Shinomi Day Care)(Counting Flashbacks): episodes 67,75,77,79,93,96.
Sakamoto (Counting Flashbacks): episodes 3-8,13-17,21,25,29,31-33,39-40,42,45,47,58,60,61,67-69,72,74,77-79 and 96.
Souichiro-san (The Dog): episodes 1-23,25-33,36-39,41-45,48-73,74(piece only ^_^),75-78,80-96.
Yagami (Counting Flashbacks): episodes 53-56,63-68,71-80 and 96.
Yagami's Parents (Counting Flashbacks): episodes 64(?),66(mother only),71(?),72(father only),73-74(both),75(father only),77(both) and 78(?).
ITEMS WORN:
Godai wore light gray/greenish "Boy's An Non Jacket" (Counting Flashbacks):episodes 33-34,36,38-40,42-48,50-51 and 80-95.
Godai wore red, long-sleeve sweatshirt over green collar shirt (Counting Flashbacks): episodes 27,28,31-34,36,38-40,42-51,53-55,57-58,60-61 and 77-79.
Godai wore red, long-sleeve sweatshirt over blue collar shirt (Counting Flashbacks): episodes 80-94
Godai wore lined, yellow Happi coat (?Counting Flashbacks): 35,36,39,45,48-49,81,85,89,91 and 95.
Godai wore lined, light greenish Happi coat (?Counting Flashbacks): 3-4 and 18.
Godai or Kyoko wore jackets (not counting raincoats,overcoats,sweaters or sweatshirts. Must be wearing it - not draped over arm,etc.) Episodes 1-5,14,15,17-23,28,31-34,36,38-48,50-52 and 80-95.
Kyoko wore earrings: episodes 12,18,26,31,39-40,58,83-84 and 95-96.
Kyoko wore hairband at the TOP of her head: episodes 9-10,25-26,31,65,67 and 77.
Kyoko wore a blue T-shirt: episodes 66-67,70,72-75.
Kyoko's Piyo apron is always yellow in episodes 1-26 and always pink in episodes 27-96. The only exceptions are when the lighting make it appear a different color.
KYOKO'S HAIR RIBBON COLOR
(the one that's behind her neck not the ribbons that are tied further down her back.)(sometimes I counted the episode recaps at the beginning of the show):
Bluish/Purplish: episodes 1,3,5,13,15,17,20-22 and 25.
Light Pink: episodes 1,2,4,14,26,42,45,50 and 51.
Dark Pink/Light Red/Red/Light Burgendy: episodes 7,8,11,19,22,23,27,28,30,32-34,36,37,39,42,43,49,50,52,55-60,63,67,69,71-75,77,78,82,84,86-89 and 93-96.
Yellow: episodes 27,30-34,36,39,40,44,47.48,50,51,53-55,57,59-61,63,64,66,69,74-80,82 and 96.
Green: episodes 64-66,68 and 70.
ITEMS:
Kyoko used her regular broom (not the push mop): episodes 1,8,10,15,19-22,28,30,32-33,36,39,42-43,45,50,52-59,61(laying on the ground only),63-65,69,71-72,74-75,78,81,86-87,89 and 93-94.
If I can get enough cross references, I can identify Maison Ikkoku cels much quicker (at least with Kyoko, Godai and Ichinose in them). Extreme facial closeup cels will remain hard to identify. To help with those I've made a list of Kyoko's hair ribbon colors, hairbands and earrings. Although the most helpful list seems to be clothing desciptions and their colors...a list way too cumbersome to list here.
I can also make lists based on opposites such as what episodes Kyoko never wore a hair ribbon. This could also narrow things down by searching in the opposite direction.
Some strange things I noticed while checking episodes.
1. There are several episodes where Kyoko's hair ribbon switches color. You can check for yourself in episodes 1, 22, 50, 63 and 64. Sometimes the color switches more than once.
2. In episode 35 in the restaurant. Ichinose is seen wearing her jacket. A couple seconds later she's not wearing it.
3. Episode 77 about 16 minutes into it. Okay...why are Kyoko's ankles light green? Everyone elses ankles are flesh tone. In fact if you didn't see her slippers or pants she'd blend in perfectly with the wall behind her. Looks weird. ^_^
4. In episode 93 at the very beginning while Kyoko is walking Souichiro-san her skirt is dark blue. The color quickly changes to light red and then back to dark blue.
5. In episode 14 when Kyoko is at Mamezou tearing up that thing with her teeth, if you look at Kyoko's shoulder you can see the broken lines on the cel. You can also see it pretty easily on the back of her coat as she runs into Ma Maison the second time. The copying machine must not have been working well.:(