Chiyochichi

Kimura

Tomo Takino

Kagura

Koyomi Mizuhara

Yukari Tanizaki

Ayumu Kasuga

Minamo Kurosawa

Sakaki

Kaori

Chihiro

Chiyo Mihama

Yuka

Masaaki Ooyama

Miruchi

Kimura no Tsuma

Kamineko

Maya

Tadakichi-san

Nekokoneko

Ten year old child prodigy, Chiyo Mihama, is finding it tough fitting in at high school with the girls five years her elder: Osaka (dimwitted with a weird take on the world), Tomo (a powder keg that goes off at a moment’s notice), Kagura (the competitive athlete of the bunch), Yomi (the hothead), and Sakaki (timid and obsessed with a love of animals that isn’t reciprocated). Together with their teacher, they navigate the rough waters and fun times of high school.<br>
<br>
(Source: Sentai Filmworks)

Ah, High School. It’s one of the most monumental periods of anybody’s life, and whether it’s for the better or for the worst, we’ll never forget the time we spent there. Who doesn’t remember the friends they made, and the bonds that grew from them? Who could ever forget that one weird teacher who made every day a new experience? Who ever forgets their class clowns, their space cadets, and those really athletic kids who excelled in sports but fell behind in academics? Surely you’ll never forget the ten year old who skipped several grades, the perverted teacher who openly admits to having the hots for young girls, and the weird looking cat deity that showed up in our dreams and threatened to half-decapitate us? Wait, what’s that? None of that last sentence makes sense to you?

Well, it makes perfect sense to the students of Azuma Public highschool(There, someone finally named the damn thing), and it will strike a particular chord with the students in Miss Yukari’s homeroom class, who go through all of that and more as they attempt to support each other through three years at one of the weirdest high schools in Japan. With the power of their friendship, they’ll be ready to withstand intense rivalries, bug-nuts crazy dreams, harrowing exams, tedious study sessions, intricate wordplay jokes, self-destructive diets, and even the reckless driving of a teacher who may just be less mature than they are… But through it all, will they be able to survive each other?

Yep, I just did a plot summary for what has to be the most plotless anime I have ever seen. Azumanga Daioh was released way back in the year 2002, when the playing field was a lot smaller, and standards on anime quality were mercifully low… And yet, visually, it still holds up. Okay, fine, it’s animation style is dated as hell, but the over-all quality was so good even back then that it’s aged surprisingly well. JC Staff has released several rough looking shows in the past, but Azumanga Daioh’s slow pace and dialogue-heavy story was a major boon to them in terms of budget management.

Strictly speaking, it doesn’t take a lot of money to animate a show like this one. Despite being a comedy, there’s little if any action in it, and the little action we get comes from the exaggerated movements of the energetic characters like Tomo Takino and Miss Yukari. Luckily, the money wasn’t all spent there… They had more than enough resources to put intricate detail into every single move the characters make, to the point that they can run, spin around in place, engage in a snowball fight, or even just turn their heads slowly for a delayed awkwardness reaction, and it all comes out just as seamlessly. Hell, at one point the entire student body turns their heads toward one point on the screen, and you can not tell me they didn’t use cleverly integrated CGI to pull it off.

But as I said, these moments are few and far between,. as the show is mostly dominated by static shots of the characters standing around, talking to each other, and over-reacting to the weird or sometimes stupid things that are being said. These cheaper moments, taken straight from the manga, help to save money for the handful of moments where JC Staff decided to go off-script and throw frugality to the wind, with a few examples being the aforementioned snowball fight(and the one matrix moves that Sakaki performs in it) and a bizarre sequence from the early episodes where the girls are out walking together and then out of nowhere, they just start prancing on the clouds. I still haven’t figured out what the hell was going on there, by the way.

I mentioned earlier that the art style behind Azumanga Daioh was dated, but I don’t mean that in a bad way… It’s been a very long time since anything that looked like it has been released into the anime market. The style is very 2-dimensional in nature, and yet the characters move as if they were rendered in 3D instead. Hell, there were certain moments when I could swear I could almost notice some cell-shading(admittedly, I was high). The characters are drawn in a very cartoony, yet still anatomically realistic fashion that’s at least somewhat grounded in reality, as there are plenty of big eyes(this is anime after all), but they’re adorned onto believably sized heads. The character designs are highly distinct, and are just as unique as the art style. You may have trouble remembering who Chihiro is(and who could blame you) but everyone else can and will be burned onto your memory forever.

The music has a very distinctly school-time feel to it, as it’s mostly played with instruments you don’t often hear on anime soundtracks… Recorders, flutes, xylophone and tuba were the ingredients chosen to put together one of the most iconic anime soundtracks of all time. The most instantly recognizable would be the tune Shin Gaki(of which there are several versions that suit a surprisingly versatile list of situations) and the ‘next episode’ tune, segments of which were used for the unforgettable eye-catch music. The opening theme, Soramimi Cake, is like a macrocosm of the series, as it showcases some of the most important running gags and interactions from the series, and is just a cheerful, upbeat joy to listen to. The ending theme, Raspberry Heaven… Defies rational description. Yeah, sorry guys, but all I can really say about it is that there’s a damn good reason people like to jokingly call it a Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds music video.

The English dub was early ADV Films, and all of the old classics are here! Luci Christian shines in what might be her funniest role ever, as the loud, pugnacious teacher Miss Yukari, and Monica Rial plays her more cool, down-to-earth counterpart, Miss Kurosawa(AKA Nyamo). Jessica Boone plays the mascot of the series, the child prodigy Chiyo-Chan, and while she doesn’t quite sound like an actual ten-year-old, she does sound eerily similar to the original Japanese actress. I’m normally not a fan of Nancy Novotny, but I’ve always believed that every voice actor has at least one good role and one bad role, and she is perfect for the role of the cynical straight-man character Yomi.

Kira Vincent Davis plays one of her two most famous roles… The other being Lucy in Elfen Lied… In the role of Ayumu Kasuga, otherwise known as the space cadet Osaka, a nickname she earned for being a transfer student from Osaka. She speaks in a slow, clueless southern drawl, which is much better adaptive choice than what the manga did, having her speak in a clunky and entirely inconsistent Brooklyn accent. Kira plays this off with a lot of lovable charm, always sounding natural with it and never over-the-top. Andy McAvin in the role of scary teacher Mr. Kimura is… Well, perfect for all the wrong reasons, and let’s just leave it at that.

Christine Auten is a little harder to talk about, since her role as Sakaki-san is very strong and silent in nature, but she does a great job. Alison Sumral plays what I consider to be one of the more complex characters in the series, Sakaki’s rival Kagura, and she sounds very much like the sporty yet surprisingly emotionally fragile tomboy she’s supposed to be. There are no really bad actors here, but if I had to pick a couple of duds in the cast, there’s Tiffany Grant, who over-acts hard in the role of Sakaki’s stalker Kaorin(Who thankfully gets phased out throughout the series) and Mandy Clark in the role of Tomo, who does a great job keeping up with the fast-talking pace and loudmouthed volume of her character, but doesn’t really have the acting chops to add anything to it. Suffice to say, there’s a reason she doesn’t work a whole lot anymore.

While the acting in this dub is really good on average, I’m afraid I just can’t really recommend it over the subtitled version, and that’s mostly because of the adaptive writing. Azumanga Daioh is a Japanese comedy, and of course, it uses a lot of really culturally impenetrable Japanese jokes… Jokes that don’t really have an equivalent in English. You might think it would be impossible to change these jokes to make them more serviceable to an English speaking audience, but lo and behold, the official translated manga did just that, swapping out the more traditional Japanese humor with jokes and tongue twisters that are way easier to enjoy while still retaining the general spirit of the original. The dub didn’t even bother trying to do that, instead just translating pretty much every joke word-for-word. I’m sorry, but if you’re going to have to sit through a ton of jokes that make no sense to your own local sensibilities, it just feels a lot less jarring to hear them in their native tongue from people who understand what they’re saying. I still have no idea how a character’s bust size makes them either American, Hawaiian or Japanese.

So, Azumanga Daioh is one of the many anime that I’ve been hesitating to review for a long time. Unlike Heroic Age, I wasn’t hesitating because I didn’t know how to put my anger into words, but to be more accurate, I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to express just how mixed my feelings on it are. I do of course consider it to be one of the most important anime ever made, but at the same time, I honestly think it’s a little over-rated. And since the series itself takes such a directionless approach to it’s story, I’ve decided to go into this review without writing out the outline before-hand. I’m going completely off-book with this.

To start with the negative aspects, I feel like it’s kind of a clumsy adaptation. This is one of the few anime that I was able to watch AFTER having completed the manga, and even upon my first viewing, I could tell that it was going through a lot of the vignettes from the series out of order, which you might not think would be noticeable in such a plotless show… But it is noticeable, as several changes had to be made for the sake of preserving continuity. Some scenes that originally contained references to other scenes had to have those references either removed or replaced to compensate the new ordering.

Scenes that were supposed to take place before Kagura joined the main cast are suspiciously absent of her after she joined it, and scenes she was supposed to be involved in later in the series will be shown early on, with other characters acting out of character to replace her. And that’s not even mentioning the flourishes from the manga being added to the anime at random, like pictures detailing the height of Sakaki and Kagura, and one of the characters saying “Oh!” between vignettes apropos of nothing. While most episodes are able to group the vignettes into coherent stories, there are a handful of episodes… Two of which are unfortunately the first two… Where a lot of the scenes feel like they were arbitrarily added in just for the sake of inclusion. It’s not as noticeable when a joke lands, but they don’t always do that.

Another problem I had… And I know a lot of people will argue with me on this… Is the character of Classic Lit teacher Mr. Kimura. People are going to have different reactions to him, but personally, I found him downright unsettling. He’s a paid full time teacher who claims loudly and proudly that he became a teacher because he loves high school girls, he develops a stalker-ish crush on one of his students late in the series, and the story is constantly trying to confuse us about his character by showing how happy his family is, and how generous he is to charity, only to have him barge in on the girls during swimming class and wonder aloud about how much he’d enjoy watching them change their clothes. And the worst thing is that everyone just tolerates this and doesn’t make a big deal about it. I don’t know how Japan handles the idea of ephebophilia, but in America, he’d at least lose his job, and hell, a home investigation might even land him n jail faster than you can say Jared Fogle.

I get why he exists, of course… He’s there to act like a total creep during scenes where the girls are wearing school swimsuits or gym uniforms in order to directly lampoon any viewers who may otherwise be enjoying such scenes for the wrong reasons, which is in service to one of the strongest aspects of this show… It is completely and utterly asexual. Unlike the manga, which contained glamour shots of the characters between stories, the series makes no attempt to sexualize any of them to the audience. None of them ever pursue love interests(aside from Kaorin), nor is dating ever an issue, although a joke about Tomo being undateable does come up.

In terms of fanservice, this may be one of the most squeaky-clean anime out there, and yes, I’m saying that despite the presence of three different beach episodes. During swimsuit-heavy episodes, whether on the beach or in the pool, the art style changes dramatically, either going as cheap as possible to make the characters appear less appealing or converting to bizarre Shaft-esque angles to distract you from them. There’s no manipulative shininess on their skin, no sparkles as the sunlight reflects off of water droplets, and refreshingly, no bath scenes. Yes, it’s sad to say, but even in the hundreds of anime that aren’t allowed to show nudity, they will still put the girls in the bath for extended periods of time, covering them up with steam or convenient censorship so they can have their cake and eat it to. Not only does Azumanga Daioh not resort to that, but the closest it ever comes to nudity is when Yomi’s weighing herself on the scale at home.

While there are a handful of culturally impenetrable jokes to get confused by, there’s still a lot of physical and character driven humor that viewers of any language can enjoy. Characters play jokes on each other that will leave you in stitches, particularly where Tomo is involved, and a lot of it still holds up over the course of multiple viewings. Despite a computer showing up in the later episodes, the stories are entirely timeless, with characters playing outside and hanging out with each other for fun, preferring to engage in activities like going for walks, visiting the wealthy Chiyo’s beach-house, and, at one point, just lain jumping rope together. There really isn’t any drama to speak of, as this show’s highest priority seems to be staying positive and upbeat at all times, but there are still a lot of quiet moments that work on a deeper level than the rest of the material, which leads into what I consider the strongest element of the series by far… The characters.

Azumanga Daioh is plotless, this is true. It has no real goals, and nobody has any serious ambitions that you’re expected to care about… This is a character driven comedy, and while it doesn’t do a perfect job of translating the original manga’s 4-panel Charlie Brown style to film… A tougher task than it sounds… it still does an admirable job, mostly thanks to the outstanding cast of characters that the manga gifted it with. Aside from the predatory lesbian kohai, there’s no character here who can easily fit into an archetype, as there’s a level of duality and nuance to each of them. It doesn’t just have an energetic genki girl, it has a genki girl who pisses everyone off and gets her comeuppance a lot. Every single archetype that you can find is similarly taken in a new direction that no other show will want to take it, and it works so well with how the characters interact with each other. They feel, through and through, like a real group of friends plucked right from life, certain circumstances aside, and they make so many memories that you WILL find yourself crying the first time you see the final episode, and the grand, emotional send-off this series gives to the tightly bonded characters that it’s spent so much time developing, making it a show well worth revisiting.

Azumanga Daioh was at one point available from ADV Films, but not only did Funimation never rescue it, but I’m still not sure if Sentai still owns it under their new name. It’s essentially been out of print since before 2006, and cheap copies aren’t easy to come by. you can generally find the entire series for between 50 and 100 dollars on Ebay, but don’t even bother checking places like Amazon or Rightstuf for it. You might get lucky and find it used in an anime store or an FYE(which is where I got my copy, btw), but if you can’t afford to pay for it third party, the only real option you have left is illegal streaming. The original manga by Kiyohiko Azuma is ridiculously easy to find, and I highly recommend picking it up, either in quarters or in the newer omnibus format. A new supplemental portion of the manga has not been released stateside, neither has the few short OVA films, but you can find both pretty easily online.  His follow-up manga, Yotsuba&, will likely never be animated, but try it out.  It’s available stateside, and it’s really freaking funny.

I mentioned earlier that I consider Azumanga Daioh to be one of the most important anime ever made, and I don’t say something like that lightly. I say that for two reasons: The first is that word I kept throwing around in this review, ‘unique.’ There has never been, and will never be, another anime like this one. It has, in a very real sense, become a genre of it’s own, which leads me to my other reason: It’s heavily influential, and the amount of anime that have taken their cues and, at some points even characters, directly from Azumanga daioh is staggering. This show is the reason there are so many anime following a group of female friends through high school, powered by personality alone. This show is the reason that so many high school anime make such a big deal out of aging the characters and holding a graduation on the final episode. This is a show that any self-respecting anime fan has to have either watched or read at least once… you don’t have to enjoy it, you just have to experience it, and you may come away from it with a better understanding of slice of life anime and what, if anything, can make them good. It’s the definition of a seminal series, and for that, I’m willing to forgive it’s unfortunate flaws… But not forget them. I give Azumanga Daioh an 8/10.

Reflecting back on Azumanga Daioh (Azumanga) brings quite a bit of thoughts.  As someone who grew up watching mostly American cartoons, and later dabbled with anime through such shows as Hokuto no Ken and Cowboy Bebop, with the occasional mecha thrown in for good measure, I've always had certain prejudices about what an animated program should be about and how it should proceed that I've had to fight over the years.  

After getting further into anime over the years and trying to branch out the genres that I watched to try to figure out a bit more of the language and culture, I sought out some slice of life shows that were recommended.  I tried a few of the popular shows that people had recommended, eventually hitting a few of the cute girls doing cute stuff shows, such as K-on and Lucky Star and I never quite understood what the hype was about.  While I didn't actively dislike the shows (although Lucky Star really tried my patience), I couldn't wrap my head around what was going on and what the shows were really trying to be.  

After discussion with a good friend who had walked the paths before, he recommended that I take a look at Azumanga in order to fill in the gaps about what was going on.  While I can't say that Azumanga changed my life or made me think too deeply about things like certain other anime did over the years, I can say without reservation that I finally got the whole cute girls doing cute things genre after watching Azumanga and what it can be when done well. 

Sometimes in order to understand where you are and where you're headed, the right course of action is to look to the past and see where it all began.  Azumanga is the Ur example of these girls doing slice of life comedies that more or less swept through the 2000s and to some extent never really left the rotations as there still seem to be a lot of anime that borrow heavily from the popular shows in this genre to some extent.  Sadly, even the more popular shows, even if they became household names to anime fans do not quite hold up to the original in a lot of ways, which I hope to collect a few thoughts on in this review, which may or may not stay coherent.

To give a review of the basic technical aspects of the anime and the staff, Azumanga's art style follows the actual manga (which is a great read) very closely.  The huge eyes and rather simplistic art style play well for how the show presents itself.  While the show is generally fairly realistic, there are occasional flirtations with the surreal, and the art style and simple animations hold up well.  Nothing looks terribly out of place, the colors are generally bright and vibrant, the characters are expressive even if things occasionally go over the top.  The art stays very grounded in the cute side of things.  The show has a soothing feel to it most of the time.

The sound track is excellent and stays with you as you watch the show.  The opening track is one of those great catchy tunes that sounds and pairs well with with the playful and lightheartedness of the show.  The closing theme is surreal and dreamy, which the show also wades into on occasion.  

The voice actors are great, and really lend life to the characters.  Tomo, Chiyo and Sakaki's actresses stand out to me for sheer expressiveness and giving great life to these characters.  Sakaki's character especially could not have been easy to voice precisely for her dearth of lines and personality, but the actress nailed it.  I cannot comment on the English voice actors, but I would strongly recommend that this one be listened to in the original at least once as the actresses are great at expressing the personalities of the characters and their growth over the course of three years of high school.

I've also never quite seen characters in this genre done quite as well as in this show.  The character of Osaka was amazing and it's worth watching the show just to see what's going to pop out of her head.  Chiyo is innocently adorable in all the right ways.  Tomo is that overly genki friend of ours who's always trying just a little too hard to mask some insecurity or other.  Yomi may as well have been many of us with the cynical wonderment at what our idiot friends are up to while trying to keep things on track.  The awkward, yet sensitive soul, Sakaki round out the major characters that we watch grow up through high school.  Yes Kagura exists, but I never really felt she was as important as the other five in the anime.

The female teachers (Yukarin and Minyamo) also operate on an interesting yin and yang dynamic as they are both friends, rivals, drinking buddies, and a great subtle commentary on twenty something career teachers in Japan as well for those familiar with the realities of that lifestyle.  The one male teacher put in as a creepy dude who is a bit too obsessed with the high school girls rounds out the staff and is a tongue in cheek riff on the type of creep who's getting the wrong thing out shows about high school girls.  All excellent actresses (and actor I would suppose). 

Technical analysis out of the way, what exactly is it that makes Azumanga a must watch anime?  

Others have wrote what needs to be written on character analysis and given their thoughts on their favorite characters.  I'm not here to say who's the best girl in the cast or to tell you why, that's something everyone's perfectly capable of figuring out themselves.  Although it can be difficult to pick a favorite character as they're all great in their own ways.

Azumanga does what many slice of life shows actually forgot about over the years in that it actually showed the ups and downs of high school in a way that was realistic, showed character development, and remained wholesome and heartwarming all the way through.  Most slice of life shows after Azumanga just can't quite get that formula down correctly for some reason.  They all seem to lack something Azumanga had.  

Azumanga also stays away from fanservice outside of the very occasional swimsuit shot, staying firmly into a level of innocence and wholesome high school antics that is strangely out of character for Japanese entertainment of this type.  While it's not 100% pure at heart, it's about as close as it gets and the fact that it became one of the most interesting shows about nothing despite the temptation for cheap fan service says more than I could say about how they take a show that's literally about high school life and made it compelling to watch.

I don't have a whole lot of say about any kind of "deeper message" here.  There's a general message that life moves fast and that time waits for no one.  In many ways, you can't take it with you and life moves on after school as people take different directions in life.  Azumanga never really gets deeper than this and that's fine.  That's not the point of a show like this.  

To sum up this mess of a review (which I'll probably clean up at some point), watch Azumanga to see what cute girl slice of life can be when done well.  I can't really think of anything that came after it that does the cute girls doing cute things quite as well as Azumanga.  It's not a masterpiece, but it's quality.  It's one of those anime that should be watched as it was so influential.   

I wish that I had seen this show before others in the genre.  I can't think of many shows with all female protagonists that quite stand up.   

Highly recommended, all audiences.

Where Cute Girl Slice of Life Started, One of the Must Watch Shows in the Medium

~~~img220(https://static.zerochan.net/Kasuga.%22Osaka%22.Ayumu.full.881030.jpg)~~~

Review by me lol

Slice of life has always been a genre I've thought to have massive potential. By removing the tightly knit plot and fantastical setting of other anime, it leaves the perfect opportunity to focus on characters. Some of my personal favorite anime like __New Game__ and __Imouto Sae Ireba Ii.__ use the slice of life format to craft some of the most interesting and believable characters set to screen. All of this is to say that slice of life in its conception allows for the perfect canvas to write intricate characters. Which is why whenever I see an anime do the complete opposite, I'm instantly interested in it.

__Lucky Star__ will always be one of the most interesting slice of lifes to me for the simple reason that it ditches complex characters in favor of ones that are paper thin and utterly simple. Of course, pulling off simple characters in a genre where characters are near the only appeal is incredibly difficult, but when it's done well it will never cease to amaze me. Which is where we get to Azumanga Daioh.

Azumanga Daioh is the concept of simple character writing taken to its logical extreme. Running gags persist throughout the entire series and you'll be able to extrapolate most of a character's personality within the first few minutes of seeing them on screen. And that's precisely the point. Azumanga Daioh uses simple characters to show complex character relations. Within the massive group of friends the show follows, characters interact with each other differently depending on their relations with one another. A few examples: Osaka, Tomo, and Kagura form a group they call "The Knuckleheads", and this bond formed in idiocy persists in small ways throughout the show. Kagura has a rivalry with Sakaki, and will often compete with her. Chiyo and Osaka form a close bond with each other. These relations turn what might have become relatively stale into something incredibly interesting.

Not to mention, the characters in Azumanga Daioh are just FUN. I especially love Ayumu "Osaka" Kasuga. She really does steal the show in so many ways. Aside from her there's the hyperactive but lovable Tomo, adorable and intelligent Chiyo, cool with a penchant for cuteness Sakaki, responsible voice of reason who can also be occasionally immature Yomi, and competitive Kagura. There's also three teachers in the main cast: irresponsible Yukari, responsible Minamo, and perverted Kitamura. That's a simple explanation of the entire cast but I don't think my description emphasizes just how real each character feels. Despite being simple and very out-there, the cast almost feels like they were made for each other. There's not a single cast member I didn't like, and most of them I absolutely loved.

One of the more interesting parts of Azumanga Daioh is the emphasis on school events, traveling, and generally breaking away from the monotony of school life. Three times the characters go to Chiyo's summer home, three times they have the sports festival, and on top of other miscellaneous events and the school festival, Azumanga Daioh manages to constantly break up the pace of the show to keep things consistently fresh.

Another standout part of this anime is the comedy. While it's mostly what you'd expect from a slice of life, it occasionally gets super out-there and surreal, especially when Osaka's involved. This surreal side of the comedy really helps Azumanga Daioh differentiate itself from other anime, not to mention it's just super funny. I've rarely seen a show that can make me laugh as consistently as this one, and on top of all the other things I loved, the comedy really helped complete this show.

Azumanga Daioh is just another slice of life comedy. It also perfects everything it sets out to do. I'll always remember episode 19 as one of my favorite moments in anime. It's not the climax of a giant arc, it's not explosive or big or even really anything out of the ordinary. It's a scene of Minamo and Yukari simply talking about the future and what they want to do with their lives, and it managed to get more emotion out of me than the climaxes of most anime. I never really noticed or cared that Azumanga Daioh is mostly fluff, because it's fluff that makes you feel something, with characters that are simple but also utterly enthralling. Azumanga Daioh truly is a masterpiece in its simplicity.

Azumanga Daioh is often heralded as one of the shows that pioneered the “(absurd) slice of life comedy” genre – later followed by series such as Lucky Star and Nichijou – and as such, it is recommended as a classic anime and staple of said genre.

Why was it then, that I had such a hard time getting through it?

In contrast to Nichijou, with its fast-paced and physics defying humor, Azumanga Daioh relies more on comedic timing and culturally related jokes. While I was watching it, I got a strong impression that this show is driven more by the slice of life elements rather than comedy, but the long stills and grating trope-driven personalities seem to suck the humor out of even the best situations.

The (heavily repeated) jokes and gags are very bland, although it is hard for me to fault it for this. It could be that Azumanga Daioh was copied by other series to the point that the jokes lost their humor, or the majority of the jokes do not translate well into English, but regardless of the case, the anime becomes something that feels like a chore to watch rather than a relaxing and humorous pastime.

Aside from the loose connections formed by the class room setting, there is not much of a plot to tie things together, leading one episode to seem no different from another, with no sense of progression or development over time. This episodic nature does not necessarily become a demerit, but combined with the other flaws such as the humor and character personalities (or lack thereof), it only serves to magnify those issues.

The characters themselves, often regarded as the linchpin of this genre, were shallow at best and irritating at worst. Again, it could be the case that the characters themselves defined the tropes later repeated throughout future anime, but you can only watch those personalities show up in so many low quality anime before you start to get sick of them. They are childish, yes – but it is an experience best described as babysitting the same annoying kid for the tenth week rather than observing comedic interactions between students.

The one highlight, however, would be the art style / animation. It is dated, but the art is always consistently high quality for the era, even during gags – which is an area where other comedy anime often start to slip on the details.

As far as the anime itself goes, I can easily say that I would not recommend it to anyone I know. If you were doing a historical study of the genre, then it would be worthwhile – and maybe if you were fluent in Japanese and familiar with the cultural jokes, then it could even be humorous. Maybe at the time it originally aired, it would have been more humorous/relevant and a stronger candidate as a result. But for the average Western watcher? I would say no.

While monotonous, I can see how Azumanga Daioh might appeal to a select few.

Azumanga Daioh is one of my favourite slice of life anime and even as far as saying one of my favourite animes I have ever watched so far. While there are many more interesting slice of life anime out there that sound far more interesting, I still like azumanga daioh more. The plot of the show is simple, just a story about some school students. But the way the show was done was amazing.

The art is nothing special but it is really good and quite well done. Some scenes are recycled in the episodes but there never bad and doesn't get old. The soundtrack on this series is really well did and really catchy if you ask me. The ost in the show plays in situations such as when yukari is driving and everyone in it starts screaming for their life, the soundtrack for the sea it suits it very well. Another thing I wanna add, one ost that is really nice to listen to is "Shin gakki". There are 6 of them, the best in my opinion is the the 6th one which sounds like its played by a violin.

The comedy in this show is simple yet never fails to make me laugh. The infamous "oh my god" scene from azumanga daioh is so random but still really funny to watch. There are more scenes in the show that are really amazing. The characters in this show are also great. For example: Osaka: the space cadet of the group, Chiyo: the youngest yet most smart and mature than everyone, Tomo: the energetic of the group, Yukari: an English teacher who is extremely crazy and and so many-many other characters which are really entertaining to watch. The characters are really well designed and well written even the ones that aren't part of the main cast I might say are also great.

The pacing of the show is also quite alright. It shows the timespan of 3 years of the characters school life in 26 episodes. They have recurring events happening such as the school festival and chiyo's summer house. Each time these events happen in the show, they always add something new to it. Such as a new sporting event being held at the festival, new problems to overcome at chiyo's summer house, and more shenanigans that occur which may or may not be caused by the group. Even new experiences occurring in the group are actually interesting to watch.

I have nothing more to add about this series. Overall, this show is definitely worth checking for what its worth. The team behind this anime did a really amazing job. Although the plot sounds straight forward and not interesting, its still a really good show with surreal yet enjoyable moments in the show. I really love how the show is done. I recommend this show to anyone who just wants to sit back, relax, and just enjoy watching some light hearted slice of life anime.

My score of 9.8/10 does not represent an objective rating, but rather my enjoyment of the series.
Before we get to the overwhelming positives, let me get the ONE negative out of the way:

FUCK. KIMURA. i hate this man's guts. Every time he appears on screen i just get sad that he is tarnishing an otherwise perfect show. He is not funny in the slightest, has no redeeming qualities and has no character development whatsoever. He is just creepy and gross and unpleasant. He deserves to burn in Hell. i don't get why an otherwise incredibly wholesome show had to include this "character". In general, i don't get why so many anime need this "pervert" character that is either pedophilic, incestual or both. It's just not funny and takes me out of it so much. Thank god he wasn't there too much. Without him, i think my enjoyment rating wouldve been a 10.

Now that that's out of my system, let me mention some small things i wish i had seen: 

- i wish Tomo had a moment where she apologized or at least felt remorse for being annoying. i don't dislike her, but she definitely does get on your nerves a little bit. i understand that it's her whole character, but just a small moment at the end would've been perfect.
- i wish i could've seen more of Kaorin, her love for Sakaki was actually pretty funny and quite cute. It would've been cool if it got developed a little more.

Everything else about this show is perfect in my eyes. 

The humor is definitely not for everyone, but i knew from the moment i saw the "OH MY GAH" clip on YouTube that it was exactly my thing. That clip alone actually made me watch the series and i'm happy to say that it was an excellent decision. 
The jokes are unpredictable, goofy and have perfect comedic timing. i genuinely would constantly burst out laughing. Sure, the jokes aren't very complex or anything, but they would always get me anyway. And the delivery is always on point.
The voice acting is amazing. It's quite exaggerated, and the actors aren't afraid to really go all out. Every voice is perfectly cast in my opinion.
The animation is very simplistic and quite choppy, which not everyone will enjoy. However, i found it extremely charming and i grew to really love it. It fits the silliness perfectly and makes the physical comedy and wacky faces the characters make all the more hilarious.
i LOVE the main characters. i got so attached to them, and their shenanigans are so fun to watch. i could honestly watch them do anything and i'd love it.
The main cast from least favorite to favorite:
- Kagura : my least favorite of the main 6, i think she's a nice person and her drive is commendable. Her constant desire to compete with Sakaki wasn't bad, but out of the running gags i didn't find it particularly funny. i like how she has good chemistry with Tomo. Definitely don't get me wrong, i do like her.
- Yomi : Feels like the most normal character, but that does make her a little forgettable. She does feel like an emotional anchor, that keeps the other characters from going too far which i like. i also really like her role as a foil to Tomo's antics. Her diet shtick is fun too.
- Tomo : the firecracker. She can be very funny with how much energy she has. Although, as i said before, she can be a little annoying because she's kinda mean lol. Her bullying of Chiyo is pretty damn funny but like, she never apologizes.
- Sakaki : an amazing character who is very sweet and smart. Her love of animals is adorable and i loved seeing her progress throughout the show in terms of that. i do wish there was a little more to her though.
- Chiyo : Gosh this girl is adorable. She's such a good friend too, and really funny. i'd say she's the emotional heart of the show, and the voice actress is incredible. i think it's impossible to not like her.
- Osaka : My favorite anime character of all time. This girl is the funniest, most precious and lovable character ever put to screen. Everything she says is so out of pocket and hilarious. i genuinely can't get enough of her. She's iconic and deserves the world. At heart, she's actually super kind and cares for all her friends. i really have to give props to her voice actress for NAILING every single line. i absolutely love how she so gets serious and then says the dumbest shit imaginable. And even the way she moves and just stares blankly is so funny.

i also have to mention Yukari and Nyamo. i love their dynamic so much, and Yukari is insane. The whole Yukari-mobile gag is one of my favorites. Great characters.

There is no real overarching story obviously, except for the fact that the characters progress through all three years of high school over time. The ending of the show is perfect though and got me pretty emotional.

IN CONCLUSION
A genuinely hilarious show full of cute moments and lovable characters, including my favorite character ever. Basically a constant smile machine, except when Kimura is on screen. Excellent voice acting and charming animation. It is very simple and childish, and honestly kinda retarded. If that sounds like your thing, then DEFINITELY watch it. However, if that doesn't sound like it's for you, you probably won't like it. i think this is a show that will only be loved by a certain type of people, but most people would find dumb. If you're unsure, give the first episode a watch, and by the end of it you'll have made up your mind, guaranteed. As for me, i LOVED it. i'm so sad it's over.

Cute, sweet, hilarious and heartwarming. Lovable characters. Excellent voice acting and charming animation. Osaka.

I enjoy anime. Few things submerge me into a world in such an effective way as an anime with genuine love and thought put behind it. Masterpieces like Perfect Blue, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Breaking Bad, and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood give the medium the name of quality it deserves. We owe this wondrous medium to the forefather himself: Kiyohiko Azuma, creator of masterful works such as Yotsuba&, the opus I will be discussing today, Azumanga Daioh, and, broadly...

The entire medium of anime.
_________________

The crux of this review will strike at the heart of this work of art; it's soul; it's characters. Each character gives a pondering, attentive viewer a new concept to think about in terms of human morality and the question of fatalism vs humanism; existentialism and nihilism.

The show's simplest characters give the viewer an easy way into the work. This is important, as a strong entry point and some level of accessibility to newcomers is required for master works of this caliber. Chiyo Mihama, a genius 10-year-old girl, lives life on an every day basis. She excels at her highschool-level schoolwork far better than her fellow classmates, hangs out with her friends, and goes home to a very rich, yet seemingly unpresent family. She has nothing to worry about concerning the very base levels of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, and uses her time to seek fulfillment in the higher, more humanist levels. She is a kind, yet naive soul, who does good out of her own nature. She is human like you and I and simply chooses to be a being of good nature. 

On the same track, the girl just named Sakaki has a similar morality to Chiyo. Though, some may argue her decency exists as a byproduct of inaction.  Addressing Maslow's everpresent hierarchy of needs, it seems Sakaki is most concerned with the third level. Though, she doesn't seek this sort of love and connection in her fellow man. She seeks it through the idealistic affection she desires most from animals.  Sakaki is more complicated than Chiyo simply through what the allegory her quest for feline affection represents says about human desire: we get close to the flame and we get burnt.  However, she doesn't stop. Every time she sees the nefarious cat, whom wishes nothing but harm and ill-will onto her, she tries to forge peace and understanding. Though it never works, she never falters. Sakaki stands for all of the virtues of the ideologies of Stoicism and Existentialism.

Now we venture to the opposite end of the spectrum: simple humans who choose a path of indignity and harm, whether intentional or not.

The lesser example of this sort of destructive and detrimental behavior is Kagura, the newest member of the main cast introduced early on but only implemented later. I don't believe Kagura to be an ill-willed individual. Her wickedness appears in the shape of which it appears in all of us: through a lack of consideration.  Through selfish actions like destroying the watermelon that Tomo wanted to break (we will talk about Tomo later) and desecrating Sakaki's simple drawings of cute cats with a more perverse sense of violence and a fascination with the macabre, she presents herself as a good-natured individual with a complete lack of control over the self. Kagura represents the disparity between the Ego and the Id, a Freudian concept.  To put it simply, the Id is the base of human desires and the Ego, though a term that has been misascribed to more religious concepts of Pride, is the Id's inhibitor.  The Superego is also a part of this dynamic, but it doesn't really apply to the point I'm creating about Kagura's nature.  

Kagura is, in essence, somebody who lacks control over her Id. Her base, primal instincts have won a psychological war over her sense of self-evaluation and morality.  But she is far from a bad person. After all, somebody truly wicked does exist.

Her name is Yomi, a girl with such a stubborn desire for vindication that she honestly reminds me of the vengeful, horrible men of history, such as figures like Adolf Hitler and Genghis Khan. Her overwhelming Pride disguises itself in clothing cut from the cloth of morality: maturity. Yomi feigns her position as the most mature member of the Azumangans, but this is a farse. Her temper is short and when she happens upon a chance to position herself as dominant or superior, she takes it. Many of her most wicked acts are done for mere amusement rather than as a product of any genuine misconceptions or emotional turmoil.  All of these traits unfortunately make sense, as they are all attributes of a sociopath. The willingness to harm for amusement whilst smiling through the gnashing teeth of a facade of charm and maturity is a trait that can be observed historically in wicked men such as Ted Bundy, Charles Manson, and Jim Jones, the orchestrator of the Jonestown Massacre.

Her most depraved act comes in the very beginning of Azumanga Daioh, with her plot to assassinate Osaka (a figure we will discuss later) with a dish far too intense for her frail palate. Even Tomo, a character lacking in what we normal people would consider decency, recognizes Yomi's wrongdoing. An act of evil done in the name of poising oneself as superior is, indeed, horrible, but not unforgivable. That's where the true nature of Yomi's inhumanity rears its abominable head: she shows no remorse. She, like a toddler with no concept of good and selfless behavior, doubles down.

I hope this example of one of her many iniquities has properly demonstrated Yomi's consistent, unflinching immorality, the dark underbelly of the most independent and free concepts of existentialism. When one can carve their own message unto the driftwood cascading down the stream of life, why should they be concerned with doing good by others? In her depravity, she acts as a foil to every other character, especially to Tomo, the closest thing the beast has to a connection with anything besides her own self-image.

Tomo is the exaggeration on the points I discussed concerning Kagura. While Kagura is a decent person who regularly loses to her Id's sweet whispers, Tomo IS the Id.  The Ego inhibiting her most irrational actions and the Superego informing her most moral moments do not hold domain over the mind of the irregularity that is Tomo Takino. The most interesting aspect about Tomo is that she is not at all selfish. No, a truly selfish person is like Yomi, a person who sticks themselves to the sides of others in order to parasitically suck the lifeblood from them. Tomo is different. The question of self-benefit does not cross the pathways of her mind.

This irregularity shows itself in a very well known scene; the key scene. In it, Chiyo naively holds out the only key the group has to her gaudy summer home, stating that it would be a catastrophe if they were to lose it. Mysteriously enticed by this idea of danger and pain, Tomo swiftly grabs the key and throws it into the inpenetrable foliage of the surrounding bush. I have deliberated with myself and among peers, back and forth on if this moment could be used as evidence to classify Tomo as evil. I still believe there is no all-encompassing answer to be found relating to this quandry. Good and evil don't apply to Tomo. Tomo is Tomo. She doesn't resemble a human in nature simply by the fact that matters of the self don't hold meaning to her. She could be considered evil by one who considers the effect of a situation to be the only moral issue at hand, but as I am one who owes consideration to the sentiment of a given action, I can't agree with this view. She is not the only character this story with this odd trait of seemingly possessing no ego. However, they are quite different.

Ayumu Kasuga, nicknamed 'Osaka' by her peers due to her city of origin and her thick Osakan accent, is a paragon of good nature. She is spacey, unpunctual, and unconventional in the way she speaks and thinks. This is, however, a trait that heavily endears me to her. For this section of the analysis, I will venture in the realms of my own biases. To me, Osaka is an ideal rather than a person. Osaka understands what few others can with her unconventional wisdom and finds a perplexing joy and wonder in common aspects of every day life. Whether that simple thing is solving riddles, slamming her face into a tray full of baking soda, or picking apart the entertaining factoids and inconsistencies of the Japanese Kanji, Osaka revels in it all. 

The ideology I subscribe to is Christian Humanism. This is an ideology that posits that humans can fulfill their own destinies and find happiness in a way that is also not divorced from spiritual things, distinguishing itself from a more common understanding of Humanism as per the thinking of Renaissance men. I believe that joy is not something that is grandiose or hopelessly ideal; joy can be a day out with friends, a good TV show, or plunging into a rabbit hole on a niche subject you've just discovered. In this way, I can relate myself to Osaka.

Osaka is complete, and she is kind. She does not judge, and she will align herself with even the most hopeless castaways on the fringes of society. She does not patronize the young Chiyo for her childish appearance and naive intelligence, she simply accepts her. She does not lose her patience with people like Tomo and Yomi, she simply lives alongside them. Even after Yomi attempts to poison her, she is not angry. When the failed assassination attempt manifests itself into a deadly barrage of hiccups, she does not lash out. Such a capacity for forgiveness and peace, both internal and external, is a standard I strive for. May we all follow the example she sets.
_____________________________
There are many things I simply don't have the time to discuss when it comes to this masterpiece. For example, I didn't discuss the complex moral disparities between Yukari and Nyamo and the themes of growing up and being an adult they bring with them, nor did I discuss Kaori and her Icarus-esque, self-destructive love of Sakaki. I hope to speak on them someday in another fleshed out review. If you have not seen Azumanga Daioh, I suggest you do. And I pray you leave the two-cour experience with your life having been changed for the better, as has mine. Thank you for reading, and goodbye.

A Modern Opus imparted to us by Kiyohiko Azuma, the Creator of Anime

Azumanga Daioh is one of those anime series that you should see when you want to clear your head and relax. There's no need for big thoughts or drama, just a slice of life that's perfect for a laugh.
In this anime, we follow the schooling of six high school girls over 3 years. There's Sakaki, a tall, taciturn girl, Tomo, who's always energetic, Chiyo, who's a gifted girl from primary school, Yomi, the guardian of the group, Osaka (whose real name is Ayumu Kasuga but everyone calls her that), who's quite absurd, and Kagura, who's athletic. We follow their daily lives and see them evolve alongside a number of rather zany characters, including their teachers. The anime runs for 26 episodes and there's also a manga, but I can't seem to find it anywhere. It's an original work by Kiyohiko Azuma, the mangaka who also drew _Yotsuba&! _(which I highly recommend, and whose similarities with Azumanga Daioh are obvious once you've seen both). I'd like to take this opportunity to say that the opening is very cool and easily memorable! 
The anime is simple but its humour, sometimes absurd, is quite effective and constantly renewed. I'm thinking, of course, of the character of Osaka-san, who is more than absurd but really very funny. There are often scenes that seem almost devoid of meaning, and there's humour in the funny situations. The running gags are also very well managed and you can't get enough of them.  In fact, that's what surprised me about this anime: the humour manages to be fresh without straying too far from the basic premise. For example, Sakaki's running gag with the cats may seem laughable at first, but in the end it turns out to be quite important for the character and makes for a great episode later on!  But Azumanga Daioh isn't just about humour! It's also full of tender, simple scenes that remind us of what we might have experienced as teenagers, from sports parties to discussions with other students. 
In terms of direction, the anime remains fairly simple, but at the same time there's no need for exceptional animation when it comes to evoking the daily lives of high school girls! Although it's over 20 years old now, I think the anime has aged quite well and doesn't seem too outdated. The anime's music is also fairly basic but still memorable and goes well with the various scenes. The seiyuus are all excellent and play their roles wonderfully. I particularly like the seiyuus of Chiyo and Osaka, who manage to give memorable voices to their characters.  
In short, I'd definitely recommend this anime, if only for the clips that are often posted on social networks and to see how it's possible to make a simple, no-frills anime that's still memorable for its humour and its characters!
img220(https://media.senscritique.com/media/000006512719/1200/azumanga_daioh.jpg)

Azumanga Daioh Series Watch Order

Azumanga Daioh