Maison Ikkoku: My Best Rival's Wedding

The deck really seems stacked against Godai when Mitaka, the dashing coach at the nearby tennis club, proposes to Kyoko. He's not only handsome and suave, he's rich, with a degree from a top university, a luxurious condo, and a convertible sports car. How can the perpetually broke and socially maladroit Godai ever hope to compete with him? Fortunately, there's a major chink in Mitaka's armor: he has a phobia about dogs and Kyoko loves Soichiro, the big mutt named for her late husband. After she goes out for a snack with a friend from high school who has a husband and an adorable baby, Kyoko realizes that her biological clock is ticking--and very loudly. She begins to consider the proposals from Mitaka and Godai, weighing the virtues and faults of each man. But a series of misunderstandings leaves her so fed up with both of them that a life of celibacy begins to seem like a desirable alternative. These romantic contretemps are complicated by the interference of the other inhabitants of Maison Ikkoku, especially Mrs. Ichinose, who's so adept at spreading rumors that she qualifies as one of the mass media. Not rated: suitable for ages 13 and up for sexual humor, alcohol use, smoking, and slapstick violence. --Charles Solomon Amazon.com