ANN's Allen Divers wrote positive reviews of the anime, saying "The beauty of "Maison Ikkoku" is the fact that the entire cast feels dynamic enough that each could be the center of an episode without pulling away from the main idea of the series." and called it a must-see for fans of romantic comedies. Melissa Sternenberg of THEM Anime Reviews gave the show a perfect five star rating, calling the development between the two main characters refreshing and praising the supporting cast for reacting to what happens around them. Although she did point out the music and sound effects might seem dated. She finished saying "There may never be 'the greatest anime series of all time,' but I would bet a good amount of money that this series would be on most (respected) anime viewers' top five lists." TV Asahi released two Top 100 Anime lists in 2005; "Maison Ikkoku" came in 80 on the nationwide survey of multiple age-groups, and 89 on the web poll. A 2019 NHK poll of 210,061 people saw "Maison Ikkoku" named Takahashi's third best animated work.