Title - "Azumanga Dai
"/"Azumanga Daiou"/"Azumanga Daioh"
Alternative title(s) - N/A
Genre(s) - Comedy
I will cover the Japanese version only. That is all. I will pretend that the dub does not exist.
You have manga and you have "Azumanga". Based on a 1999 yonko ma - * by Azuma Kiyohiko-sensei, Azumanga Dai is a 26-episode series, condensed from 130 5-minute episodes. It ran under a magazine called Dengeki Dai and as a result of that and the author's name, you have "Azumanga Dai". There is also a short movie that was shown right along with the "Sakura Taisen" movie from the year before last year. The anime came out in April of last year. Originally, there were plans of a second season this year, but that got canned.
I was actually introduced to "Azumanga Dai the Animation" because of the Professor. The Professor said some interesting details about "Azumanga". He said some statement about SNK's Yamazaki Ry
ji as a naughty teacher in the series. Well, it turned out that Yamazaki’s seiy, Ishii Kji-san, plays as the naughty teacher.
The series is focused on a bunch of high school girls. You have Miyama Chiyo-chan, the ten-year old genius who managed to get into high school at such a young age. There’s Kasuga Ayumu, who would later on be known as 
saka, since she transferred to the school in Tokyo from Osaka. There’s also the pair of Takino
Tomo, the energetic girl, and Mizuhara Koyomi, the real serious talker, who have been friends since they were little, though their personalities are totally different. Then, there’s Sakaki, the cool girl who actually has a soft spot for anything cute, especially cats. Next, there’s Kagura who claims to be Sakaki's rival, since she is second in athletics to her. Finally, there’s the pair of Aida Kaorin, who is obsessed with Sakaki, and Inoue Chihiro, a friend of Kaorin and the rest of the gang. (The full names of Kaorin and Chihiro were really hard to find. Believe me. Now, we have to wonder about Kagura's as well as Sakaki's.)
Of course, I can’t describe "Azumanga" without talking about the weird, but interesting teachers. There’s Tanizaki Yukari-sensei, the funny, yet lazy English teacher. There’s also Kurosawa Minamo-sensei, the popular physical education teacher and Yukari-sensei’s long-time friend/rival. Yukari-sensei would call her Nyamo a lot, though Minamo-sensei doesn’t like being called that during work. Finally, there’s Kimura-sensei, the classics teacher and that naughty teacher I was talking about. He is the only male that gets attention in the series.
"Azumanga" is the total opposite of what school is like and that's one part that makes this series as a whole great. This series is about as good a comedy as you are going to get in any form of entertainment, regardless if I talk about anime and manga or not. If I want to pick a series that should win the "Series of the Century award", this would be my pick, no matter what (assuming that we don't factor in dubs). I am flat out serious.
Before I forget, special thanks goes to The Triad. This fan sub group or rather trio of groups did put a lot of heart into translating this series. There were others as well, but The Triad should desrve the most amount of appreciation.
Fun - 10
Yes, the series gets a perfect 10 in the fun section, but it gets a hard working 10. So many series, especially comedy series, lose their flavor towards the end. "Azumanga" keeps it from the beginning to the end.
You have fun scenes with the students. You have fun scenes with the teachers. I wish I had a fun high school experience just like in "Azumanga". I don’t want to say this for my high school experience only. I want to say this for my experience in school overall.
"Azumanga's" comedy is not the only reason why this series is fun. "Azumanga" carries a trait few other series have. It is a series that knows how to use both fiction and reality elements together. On the fiction side, you have elements like Chiyo-chan's tails in her hair and you have to see the series why I mention this. On the reality side, you will see the students get a bit older as time goes along and you can relate to them.
Yeah, you will have fun with the series overall. It is that good. Really!
Here’s where I mention the flaws in the series. First off, there is not enough Kaorin, Minamo-sensei and such! Seriously, as a whole, this is one of the few series in which I have to say, "You will either love it or you will hate it." The series has comedy, which is not fit for everyone, but honestly, I love the series as a whole. There are also some scenes that could require a little explanation. Having some knowledge in Japanese culture and Japanese society can make the series more enjoyable, but I wouldn't say that it is a prerequisite. I mean, even though I barely have some knowledge, I understand a few of the culture and society jokes and I like the series. Finally, if you have read the yonko ma, the humor has been cut down a bit here in the anime, but thankfully, the anime is as good as the yonko ma.
Life - 10
This series is my anime series of 2002. How's that for life? That goes to show you how good it is.
Audio - 10
The music is silly, but it is silly in a good way. The songs fit the series and that’s what really matters. Both, the opening and the ending songs, "Sora Mimi Cake"/"Ear Playing Tricks Cake" and "Raspberry Heaven" respectively, are songs by Oranges & Lemons and they do blend in with the series. It’s definitely one of the best song duos right now if you ask me.
The group of seiy is remarkable. Each character has a seiy that really brings himself/herself to life. I can say this for many series, but not many series can do it as well as "Azumanga" or better than "Azumanga". Whether you have Hiramatsu Akiko-sama as Yukari-sensei, Hisakawa Aya-sama as Minamo-sensei or Higuchi Chieko-san as Tomo, you have a group of seiy that will make your jaw drop. The group is that remarkable.
Apparently, "Azumanga" will hit North America, but back then, honestly, I did not see this series being heard in a different language. Why? I'll list a couple of them. There are various scenes to worry about if one should dub it to another language, especially with one of the introductions of a certain character, if you know what I mean. Also, so much of the humor lies within the seiy. At the time, it was wise if the series was left the way it was, but what now? I won't say anything here.
Art - 10
When I first looked at this series, I said, "Wow!" This is a beautiful series. The girls look good as always. The teachers have good designs. Shoot, even the guys that never get any attention look good! My fellow anime and manga fans, this is about as good as the art can get. It can’t get any better!
Story - N/A
I will not give a score here. This series has no story. Come to think of it, I don’t think the series is supposed to have a story. If you want a series with story, look elsewhere. You won’t find a story here. What I can say is that this series does give a fresh, new flavor. I have not yet viewed a series that is very similar to "Azumanga".
Overall - 10
"Azumanga" is that good and a bag of Gummy. So what are you waiting for? Go and check out "Azumanga"! Anime or yonko ma, go check out "Azumanga"! It is that good!
Oh and please play their games too. "Azumanga" djinshi volleyball, "Puzzle Bobble" with an "Azumanga" flavor, I must play them all! I want to see a djinshi fighting game similar to "Queen of Hearts" with Kimura-sensei playing like Yamazaki for example and I want to see an "Azumanga Memorial" so that I can end up with Kaorin! Have Chiyo-chan help you out on knowing what saka, Tomo, Yomi, Sakaki, Kagura, Kaorin and Chihiro like. Ah, let's throw in Yukari-sensei and Minamo-sensei as well. ^_^
Well, apparently, there is an "Azumanga Memorial" that is "naughty", though I don't know what its real name is. There are other games as well like the role playing game of the Play Station and there are some Game Boy Advance games too. I guess that's all for now.
+
Spiffy art, humor that lasts and lasts, silly music, seiy nailing their roles with pure feeling, "Azumanga Dai" daisuki yo!
-
Some scenes do need some explaining, the humor is cut down a bit from the manga, and you will either love the series or you will hate it.
Date of creation - 3/28/03
Last update - 7/28/04
* Yonko ma are four panel comics.