Azumanga Daioh Highly recommended

Director
Hiroshi Nishikiori
Production
GENCO, J.C.Staff, Kadokawa Shoten
Country of origin
Japan
Format
Series
Running time
26 episodes
Year
2002

Azumanga Daioh vol.1 (eps 1-5)

By John Huxley
1st Aug 04

If you haven't already taken a quick glance at the selection of images down there at the bottom of this page, please feel free to take a second to do so. They look fairly ordinary, don't you think? In fact, judging from these wholly unspectacular bunch of screenshots you might even presume that Azumanga Daioh is an uninspired, derivative anime that's not worth pursuing any further. Well, looks, as the saying goes, can be deceptive. The animation, the artwork and the presentation may be entirely run-of-the-mill, but Azumanga Daioh is an extraordinary piece of animation that deserves much more than a cursory glance.

Based upon the 4-panel manga series of the same name, Azumanga Daioh is a lighthearted comedy that follows an unusual group of mostly female highschool students as they bumble their way through an education (of sorts) provided by an equally eccentric teaching staff. Such a simple premise may not sound too exciting but it serves its purpose well; the schoolyard is a familiar location with which we can all relate (even if a few of the details may seem alien), something that I think helps us sympathise with the characters because we've all been through a similar (but hopefully not identical!) situation at some point during our lives. The creators of Azumanga Daioh have been wise enough not to become too concerned with the details of the Japanese education system, making this a much more accessible show for a world-wide audience (and anything that might have been confusing has been kindly explained for us in the handy 12-page booklet that comes packaged with this disc...although the explanation often relates to the US education system, so it's actually not that useful for those of us who live in the UK or elsewhere).

Of course, it will take more than a familiar location to make Azumanga Daioh funny. This is where the characters step in: ranging from the doe-eyed, spaced-out Osaka to the manic and overly competitive Tomo, this motley crew's undeniable charms are enough to wrench a bellylaugh out from even the most stone faced of viewers. Although the full cast is much larger, the central characters number no more than five or six, each with their own unique attributes, personalities and individual quirks. Sakaki, for instance, is the envy of the entire classroom thanks to her cool demeanor, yet underneath her enviable appearance is a shy, retiring girl who has a penchant for cute kittens (unfortunately the cats don't like her as much as she likes them). You'll grow to love each and every one of them in time and appreciate them as individuals rather than the stereotypes they might first appear to be.

But that's not to say that Azumanga Daioh isn't afraid of a silly gag or two. Each episode is full to the brim with slapstick, puns, one-liners and situation comedy. These range from the simplest of time-worn slapstick routines right up to intricately woven and often subtle humour. This isn't The Larry Sander's show by any means, but it's not as broad as many have come to expect from the average anime comedy, either. No, Azumanga Daioh is a cut above the rest, an excellent example of how comedy can travel across countries, continents and cultures and still remain as fresh as the day it was conceived.

With such a wide range of humour on display, not everyone will laugh at all the jokes that the writers of Azumanga Daioh have to offer. Some may even be left cold by the brevity of a few sketches, a result of the slightly unusual formatting that has been favoured here. Most probably a byproduct of the show's 10-panel manga heritage, Azumanga Daioh does not always follow a single plotline, with some episodes consisting entirely of unrelated short sketches whilst others stick to a more traditional format. This can leave Azumanga Daioh with a slightly segmented appearance at times, but it does have the advantage of adding variety into a show that otherwise might have been in danger of becoming stagnant. Another consequence of this haphazard format is the obvious lack of any coherent, overarching storyline, the likes of which we have come to expect from our anime series over the last decade. But for Azumanga Daioh such things as suspense, drama and plot twists aren't a necessity - if anything they would be a hindrance to the beautiful simplicity of this show.

Besides, Azumanga Daioh doesn't need to hide behind convoluted plotlines or overplayed characterisations, this is a show that can afford to rely entirely upon its unquestionable ability to make an audience laugh. Which is something that Azumanga Daioh can do better than any anime series I care to remember. Highly recommended viewing for anyone with a pair of eyes and ears. Actually, both of those are optional. Watch it regardless.

R2 DVD Notes

Features: English 5.1 and Japanese 2.0 audio, English subtitles, production sketches, clean open/close, reversible cover, 12 page booklet

Release information: UK: 16th August 2004, ADV

Notes: The cover artwork is pleasantly unfussy, with a simple but clean design that does a good job of reflecting the show's opening sequence. Open the box , however, and you'll find an alternate cover that's basically a full-size piece of colour artwork from the series. Both are beautifully designed, but if I had to choose, I'd go for the alternate version because it's so bold and eye-catching. Also contained within the DVD case is a 12-page full colour booklet with character profiles, translator notes, staff comments and a selection of artwork. I found the translator notes to be super-useful and enjoyed reading the (often quite bizarre) staff comments for each episode. Whilst it may not be as lavish as the booklet included in the RahXephon release, this is still a great extra and helps give the whole package added value for the collector. The contents of the disc are more ordinary in comparison, with only a few production sketches and the open clean/close to keep you interested. Even so, this is a good little package that does the series justice.

-- John Huxley 1st Aug 04

Azumanga Daioh Images