Azumanga Daioh
 |
|
| Help |
Written By: zitch on 2005-09-21 22:12:06
(Last Updated on 2006-01-17 02:27:09)
| Overall |
|
Berserk had a dark theme and bloody battles. Haibane Renmei had strong symbolism and analogies to adolescence. The Twelve Kingdom had an extremely detailed and expansive world. Vision of Escaflowne had a whole multitude of genres mixed together in its storyline. What are these animes doing in a review of such a extremely cute and often hilarious series named Azumanga Daioh? All of them boast a wonderful cast of characters that linger in your mind long after the series is over. Azumanga Daioh (Which translates to "Great King Azumanga" which is short for "Azuma's manga for Dengeki Daiou magazine") is a sometimes sickenly cute and funny series of 6 school girls and 2 of their teachers. Much of the humor is based off of Japanese culture or puns of the Japanese language, but the fansubs notes help alot with explaining those reference (that and some insane speed reading skills...) And the main plot... is... the normal lives of these school girls. No story about inner demons. Not an arc filled with agnst. No tall blondes or dragon-slaying princes taking schoolgirls to different worlds. Nope, Azumanga Daioh is simply the episodic view of the lives of rather normal (if silly) schoolgirls; it occaisionally takes a trip into the absurd or surreal (That yellow cat thing or Osaka's imagination...), but mostly keeps itself grounded in the reality and eventlessness of highschool life. The original run of this series was shown in 5-minute segments every week day, with a 25-minute compilation shown on the weekend, hence animenfo's description of 130 5-minute episodes, which can also be seen as 26 25-minute episodes. Granted, the humor in this series might be slow and hard to catch, especially if you don't understand Japanese culture and the language (at least in the Subtitled versions). Having fansub notes to explain the joke may kill their funniness, and the comic timing and repetition may be annoying to some. I'd say, if you can enjoy the first 2 or 3 25-minute episodes, then the rest should be good to go. Even then, I had to limit myself to 2 episodes a day max else I would overdose on Azumanga Daioh... :) Also, if you thought Haibane Renmei was slow, this series might be more so. Don't expect much action, fan service, slapstick, or perversion in this one. Though it does use all four as the basis for a few jokes, it definitely does not rely on them. It does make use of puns, running gags, and cuteness. |
| Animation |
|
The animation is rather simple for the most part. Hell, it rarely, if ever, gets complex, and really had 2 modes, simple, and ridiculously simple. Then again, I found the style to fit the series well. This anime also features ALOT of repeated frames and sequences, or still characters moving across the screen. Not something that bothers me any, but those looking for impressive eye candy will be disappointed. Ok, yeah, did I mention that it was ridiculously cute? No? Well, yeah, it is rather cute... |
| Sound |
|
The voice acting (at least in Japanese) is very impressive, and a large part of the comedy in this series. Sound effects were well used. Background music was very appropriately used. The opening song is fast paced and silly, the end song is nice and sweet. Both seem to reflect the cuteness of this series. Both are part of the reason that I had to limit myself to 2 episodes a day. No, it wasn't that I didn't like them, noo... I really like them... I could just feel my manhood... just... sapping... away.... |
| Story |
|
As I said, there is no central arc. In fact, the entire anime is really divided into 5-minute segments. Some do combine into longer arcs, but each arc lasts no more than one 25-minute episode, in fact each episode usually has 2-4 arcs in it. Azumanga Daioh is simply a set of stories that peek into the lives of those 6 high school girls and their teachers on their 3 year journey through high school. It surprisingly has some nogastolic qualities to it. Well, no, my high school life wasn't as cute or as funny or Japanese, but this series still reminded me of copying homework the morning it was due, waiting till the last second to study for tests, class trips, wondering what I want to do for my future, the sadness of graduation, and all of those otherwise meaningless things that all high-schoolers seem to go through. Yeah, I was a rather agnsty and depressed teenager, but Azumanga Daioh seemed to bring out the good part of those years. The characters are what really drive the show. Almost all of the humor is based on the quirks and interactions between them. |
| Character |
|
And any good anime needs a solid cast, and Azumanga Daioh has that. Let's start with the youngest: Chiyo Mihama, or "Chiyo-chan", is the child prodigy. She is 10 years old and has skipped 5 years to enter 10th grade at the start of the series. She is extremely knowledgeable and responsible (for a high-schooler even, much less a 10 year old...), she still features the quality of a child; naivety, fears, and wants. Her parents are extremely wealthy, but are never seen in the story (if you discount the yellow cat...). Cuteness is Chiyo's running gag. Cuteness far beyond what is humanly reasonable. She must be eliminated lest reality implodes from blushing at her cuteness... Next we have Tomo Takino. Extremely energetic and competitive, but some how a slacker at the same time. She seems to revel in annoying others, though she's usually playfull about it. Her actions can be described as ADHD. She often does poorly at school, thought that's through lack of effort more than anything. Her running gag, obviously, is her hyperactivity. Koyomi Mizuhara, or "Yomi", is a long time friend of Tomo. She tries to carry herself as the most mature and serious of the group, and is often a contrast to the rest of the group's silliness. She tends to get annoyed at the others, especially at Tomo. In terms of school, her grades are second best to Chiyo's. Yomi's quirk is her always watching her weight and worrying about her diet, despite her appearing quite healthy and fit. This quirk is an often used target for Tomo's teases. Sakaki, or "Miss Sakaki" or "Sakaki-san" is the tall and quiet one of the group. She is the one that I most identify with in the series. No, I don't have long hair and large breasts, but she was sentimental, introverted, and socially awkward; she is a natural athlete, but she is not interested in sports. All of those would describe me in high school (Though hockey has cured me of the last part late in high school and now...). She probably features the most character development (AND I DON'T MEAN HER CHEST you SICKOS!!!) out of the group, though it's not very dramatic. Her height, athletic ability, and larger than normal breasts (Okay, okay, that should be the last time I mention that!) are sources of discomfort and embarassment, and would rather trade her cool and tough-looking demeanor for Chiyo's cuteness. In fact, her "running gag" is her attraction to cute things, such as Chiyo and animals. And with animals, though she does like dogs, cats are her most favorite, though cats, for some explicable reason hate her. Cats biting and attacking Sakaki is a running gag through much of the anime. Then we get to Ayumu Kasuga, or "Osaka" as she was nicknamed in the first episode. The was a transfer student from Osaka, but she is the complete opposite of the common stereotype of Osakans (loud, exuberant, and fond of cracking bawdy jokes). Instead, Osaka is more of the, let's say, "least sharpest knife in the box". Osaka is best described as slow, inattentive, and easily lost in thought. She does have a mind that works quite differently than most people (Some may consider it ADD), and makes her prone to daydreaming, absentmindedness and non-squitur (all of which I can also somewhat identify with...). Though she does feature all of that, she is very good at trick questions. Kagura is a late addition to the group, joining them in the 2nd year. She tries to hold a rivalry with Sakaki in sports, though Sakaki is usually uninterested in it. Kagura devotes much of her time to the swim team, but is an all-around athlete and is sometimes seen training after school or late at night. The is similar to Tomo in terms of energy and poor study habits, but she is good-natured and eager to help friends. "Tomboy" might be the best description of her. Kagura also gets a bit of character development late in the series, though it is small, even compared to Sakaki's changes. Yukari Tanizaki, or "Miss Yukari" is the girls' English and homeroom teacher. Her teaching method, is... unique..., but she does hold a close relationship with the class. Her driving, well, leaves much to be desired, and is a often used comic device (much to poor Chiyo's psyche...). Minamo Kurosawa, or "Nyamo" is a gym teacher at the school and an old friend of Yukari's. Nyamo's and Yukari's relationship and temperment can be compared to Yomi's and Tomo's, respectively. They often hold bets on many things, such as the school's annual athletic competition. Nyamo's past romantic relationship are often a source of Yukari's ribbing. We also have a whole cast of minor characters that make repeat appearances including Mr. Kimura, the openly lewd and creepy classics teacher, and Kaorin, the girl with a major infatuation for Sakaki. It really shouldn't be difficult to find a favorite amoung the cast. |
| Value |
|
The pure nogastolic value of this series had really suprised me. I especially felt moved watching the girls' graduation. I had not expected to reminisce of my high-school years when watching it. Azumanga Daioh, though not earth-shattering deep, is something that I will have to rewatch again. This series of the nothingness of high school has been an enjoyable one, and it was made even more enjoyable by the new insights into Japanese culture that the fansubs (I believe I got the Triad subs) highlighted. Now, I don't expect many people to really connect to the series like I did. I would recommend that you enjoy this series in small doses, and treat it as the cute and light comedy that it is. |
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes / No
