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Azumanga Daioh (3)Author: Jazzie-kun You have manga, and then you have Azumanga. Based on a 1999 yon ko ma (four piece comic) by Azuma Kiyohiko-sensei, Azumanga Daioh is a 26 episode series, condensed from 130 5-minute episodes. (It ran under a magazine called Dengeki Daioh. As a result of that and the author's name, you have Azumanga Daioh.) There is also a short movie that was shown right along with the most recent Sakura Taisen movie from the year before last year. The anime came out in April of last year. There are also plans of a second season this year, but no details are set in stone as of now. As the plans go on this year, I don't know if there will actually be a second season. It could go either way. I was actually introduced to Azumanga Daioh the Animation because of "the Professor". "The Professor" said some interesting details about Azumanga. He said some statement about SNK's Yamazaki Ryuji as a naughty teacher in the series. Well, it turned out that Yamazaki's seiyuu, Ishii Kouji, plays 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 Osaka, 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 any attention in the series. This series is about as good a comedy as you are going to get in any form of entertainment, regardless of whether I'm talking about just anime or not. Before I forget, special thanks goes to Ishin-Anime. This fansub group did put a lot of heart into translating this series. There were others as well, but Ishin-Anime should deserve the most amount of appreciation. 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! 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. 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 well. It's definitely one of the best song duos right now if you ask me. The group of seiyuu is remarkable. Each character has a seiyuu 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 as Tomo, you have a group of seiyuu that will make your jaw drop. The group is that remarkable. Before hearing news about it reaching North America, I had thoughts saying that I do 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 seiyuu. 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 to understand 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 yon ko ma, the humor has been cut down a bit here in the anime, but thankfully, the anime is as good as the yon ko ma. Did I mention that there is not enough Kaorin, Minamo-sensei and such? Azumanga is all that and a bag of Gummy. It will last for a life time. So what are you waiting for? Go and check out Azumanga! Anime or yon ko ma, go check out Azumanga! It is that good! Oh and don't forget the games too. Azumanga daisuki yo! Overall Rating: 10
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