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 DVD V. 6

By David Rasmussen
23rd Jul 06

It’s not often that you find a series that really really hits it out of the ballpark for just about -- oh, alright! I messed up and here we go again… let’s cut to the chase.

Volume 6
Episode 24
For time that seems forever the biting cat has ruled the streets it seems.
It’s favorite “victim” of choice, Sakaki, has been in a love/hate relationship with the biting cat.
But after last DVD’s trip to Okinawa, and the first appearance of the Iriomote Cat, Sakaki may have finally found a cat that could actually care for her… which, as you know, finally comes to past.

One day after Miss Yukari’s class left Okinawa, the Iriomote cat’s mom was killed in an auto incident.
This sent the now family-less cat wandering, following Sakaki’s trail all the way back to Tokyo somehow, through hook or crook (Or just a very unattentive airport staff, which is not a farfetched concept since they did let a dog a few times bigger than Maya slip under their radar at an airport in New York -- do you remember the runaway dog show winning dog that nobody found yet? I do.) until he arrives in Tokyo.

This sets the stage for the confrontation between the biting cat and Maya, which leads to the dethronement of the short reign of the biting cat. All hail Maya, all hail the new King of Tokyo’s feral cats… or not.
Then there’s Tadakichi’s vet who looks like Stan Lee’s distant third cousin, or the whole running to Chiyo-chan’s home because somebody (I’m guessing Tomo) poisoned little Chiyo’s mind about Maya eating Mr. Tadakichi up, only to get her comeuppance when Maya surgically opens up Tomo’s hands looking for defects (no, no, it’s the head you need to open up, not the hand… talk to the hand… eh.)
Finally Sakaki sleeps over at Chiyo’s (and finally confesses something that is at the heart of quite abit of her hallucinations about Chiyo-chan that doesn’t involve her alien cat father, mostly involving her self ridicule about not being “cute” and her obsession with Chiyo-chan’s cuteness).
Oh, and the biting cat makes one final appearance with Tomo’s hand on the line.

Episode 25
As new year rolls about, the end is near.
That means it time to bear down and study like mad… or go mad while studying, one or the other.
Chiyo ends up hosting the girls at her house for study camp, which may be bad news for one of them as she (at the end of the episode) is still a woman without a college.

Episode 26
All good things must come to an end.
Sooner or later Return of the King had to see the light of day in theaters.
Spider-Man 3 has to come out in theaters sooner or later (and unless MARVEL changes their mind there’ll be no Spider-Man 4 since they wanted to stop at 3... Unless 3 goes through the roof and the siren call of money overrides their original promises, I mean just look at Disney and their going to Pirates 3!)
The last Harry Potter book has to see publication and finally come into bookstores… yeah, stop cheering, I know some of you have about as much fascination with Potter as you do watching grass dry, or paint grow… or something.

And so, with graduation, the series ends.
And no, at no point has anyone leaked news about Azumanga Daioh : The College Years (where all the girls find out that, through a series of mishaps and paperwork blunders, they have ended up in the same college with Miss Yukari and Miss Kurosawa… again).
That’s that. The bittersweet ending has come, bring kleenex and prepare to weep bitter tears… or just be comforted in the knowledge that this is all there is, there truly is almost nothing more… almost.

Azumanga Daioh the Mini Movie
Found in the extras section, it is your last taste of Daioh as the series comes to a close.
This is, I suppose, what a movie would look like if somebody ever got around to budgeting the money to do a full length feature movie (which nobody to date has done).
The character designs are the same from the TV Series, and yet spring forth with a more “vibrant” look which denotes a theatrical feel to it (with a larger animation budget).
Though short, and recycling skits from the TV Series, it is interesting… and probably the only “movie” you’ll ever see since nobody seems to be killing themselves in Japan to get the rights to Azumanga Daioh the Movie. Too bad, it would have been nice to see an Azumanga Daioh movie.
Breakdown time, one last time.

Azumanga Breakdown the Finale
What’s Hot?
One last time for good measure (this time for sure since I polished up the review with an actual review).
Yes, ADVFilms has gone and pulled Chiyo-chan’s dad out of Captain Jack Sparrow (nasty!) by delivering a quality series worth raving about, worth talking about, and worth -- well, worth it’s weight in Anime.

What’s Not?
That I totally spaced on that first review… yuck, I’m so bad. Sorry.

Moments to Remember?
Everything, everything, everything.

What to Ignore?
Me, me, me, me. Sorry.

Overall?
Last last time (sorry for the repeat). Please please PLEASE get the thinpack collection of the entire series if you haven’t already gotten the entire series on DVD, and enjoy. Nuff said.

Update
If Right Stuf ever stocks in Revolutionary Girl Utena DVD Box Set 1 (The Rose Collection) I can begin the reviews… really.

-- David Rasmussen 23rd Jul 06

Azumanga Daioh Images