Azumanga Daioh Highly recommended

Publisher
ADV Manga
Writer
Kiyohiko Azuma
Artist
Kiyohiko Azuma
Country of origin
Japan
Length
4 volumes
Year
2000

Azumanga Daioh GN 4

By David Rasmussen
28th Apr 05

All good things must come to an end.
Chrono Crusade is coming to an end. Aria will eventually end. The (dot)hack Quadrilogy, Hellsing, Gundam SEED, etc. All of these will eventually (or in the Quadrilogy’s case has already) come to an end.
So it is that I bring you the finale of one of the best mangas I read this year. Azumanga Daioh.
With the premiere of “Yotsuba&!“ coming in June this seemed like the best time to take the final look at this title, winner twice in a row of Best Manga of 2003 & 2004, this title that comes to it’s close and brings the entire series to a fitting (and beautiful) end.

Looks like Miss Yukari’s class is going on it’s first (and only) field trip, going right to the top of field trip scoring charts with a trip to Okinawa! That’ll mean a plane trip and lots of fun fun fun!
As well as a turning point for Sakaki as she comes face to face with the cute fuzzy little face that’ll be her destiny, the face of the little protected species of wild cat called the Iriomote Cat.

After the trip it’s another trip to Chiyo-chan’s summer home, and this time there’ll be cramming for finals to be done, as well as the first time Kaorin travels with them to Chiyo-chan’s place.

One more Sports festival… but no Cultural Festival (sad)… the preparations for the finals and entrance exams for college… the final fate of all the cast… the downfall of the biting cat and the fulfillment of Sakaki’s greatest dream… just about anything you can think of that’ll wrap this all up in a nice bundle and bring the series to a satisfying and yet abit sad close is here.

Now I know, I know, look at ads and it says that this ending is heartbreaking… well, in a way it is.
It’s a beautiful touching ending but as you know that you must say farewell to the characters you’ve grown to love from the first page of the first book, to the last page of the end, it is abit heartbreaking.
But say goodbye you must, so make sure you pick this up and spend some final quality moments with the gang and say farewell as the series that found a special place in everyone’s hearts comes to it’s end.

And another begins.
Azumanga Daioh is done, but the next great story (Yotsuba&!) is just beginning.
Kicking off this June, this new series will start a brand new story that’ll hopefully captivate you as much as Azumanga Daioh did. Yes, it does not have the same four panel strip format like Azumanga Daioh, and it’s not the same as Azumanga Daioh, but it’s a brand new experience with all new lovable characters (and one who seems familiar but is quite different), new places and new stories.
It won’t replace Azumanga Daioh, but it’ll find a special place in your heart much as Azumanga Daioh did when you first became exposed to this series.

So farewell Azumanga Daioh.
The journey to this point was a good one, and I’ll miss you.
Unless somebody does the smart thing and bankrolls an Azumanga Daioh the Movie project and brings us a two hour (two hour) animated dose of goodness in our future.
That’d be nice. Now the breakdown.

Azumanga Daioh Breakdown the Finale!
What’s Hot? - What’s NOT hot about this?
It’s the closing of one of the best mangas of one of the best series out there and I can’t think of anything bad to say about this series! It’s solid and good and I am going to miss it now that it’s over.
From the start, to now, I’ve been a fan and will continue to be a fan of this series.
Sad to see it end. Wish it went on or was longer, but I’m still happy for the amount of time I had to read this series, and happy this series also had so many episodes (26 episodes) to fill the need for the series.
It’s over, and I’m a little sad, but it was great and I’m glad I took this trip.

What’s Not?
Can’t think of a thing to say.

Moments to Remember?
I could go on, and on, and on and on about what I found so great about this series.
The loveable memorable characters, the great stories, the fun and the enjoyment of the series.
A great series that supposidly had “a lot to do about nothing” (making it the Seinfeld of anime/manga) was to me a series that had a lot to do about everything and then some!
This is one of those series I would recommend to anyone I talk to as something they need to experience.
A must have series you simply must take home now.

What to Ignore?
Nothing. There is no bad points about this series. None at all.

Overall?
A series that is just plain good. Solid storywriting, solid artwork, solid everything. It was one of the best of the best, and I’ll miss it now that it’s done. Farewell, Azumanga Daioh. Farewell.

-- David Rasmussen 28th Apr 05