Anime Review - Azumanga Daioh

Azumanga Daioh

Anime Review
By Le Chupacabra

GENCO
26 episodes
Ages 8+

Chiyo is just a ten-year old kid but she also happens to be a genius who’s been promoted… all the way to high school! There she meets her new classmates and peers: a wacky bunch of colourful personalities. There’s the hyperactive Tomo (think of a female version of Adnan Fakir who’s just been injected with Tang) and her best friend, the calm and collected Yomi. Sakaki is the athlete of the class whereas Osaka always gets lost in her bizarre daydreams. And then there’s Chiyo herself who’s just absolutely adorable. High school will never be the same again for this bunch!

It’s pretty unconceivable that an anime with no plot whatsoever can be so entertaining… but here lies indisputable proof of that: Azumanga Daioh is easily one of the cutest, quirkiest yet cleanest comedies you’ll find!

Unlike other school anime (like School Rumble or Kare Kano), Azumanga doesn’t rely on an ongoing story or complex character relationships to drive itself. Rather it does something unorthodox by chronicling mundane school events like exams and lunch breaks… and then injecting a large dose of hilarity into the proceedings. It’s quite possible to relate with a fair few of these anecdotes! Each episode is split into five small vignettes that are somewhat independent of each other. It’s a weird format, but it really helps in keeping events contained and in retaining a crispy freshness to the anime.

The comedy in Azumanga is quite brilliant as well! It’s a winning combination of absolute randomness and perfect timing with the jokes. The dialogue is also really funny and humour that’s derived at the expense of the characters is even more so. Regardless of the fact that these jokes are reused throughout the run of the anime, they somehow never get stale; rather they seem funnier the second time around! Another feature I appreciate is that Azumanga has very little in the way of toilet humour or crude jokes making it suitable for younger viewers as well.

The characters play a crucial role here since all the wackiness is credit to them. Particularly brilliant is Yukari-sensei; I’ve yet to see a teacher so utterly selfish, arrogant and immature! Then there’s Kimura-sensei who’ll make you smile even if he just stares blankly into open space. (NB – he’s always staring… you’ll get the point once you’ve started watching). The constant sparring between the characters is really entertaining and isn’t too far removed from real life. With that said, their interactions, thoughts and dreams are all quite believable and despite a lack of characterisation, they come across as real people. In fact, it’s possible to see many of your own classmates among this group!

There’s also this discreet, almost latent genius to the events and people in Azumanga and that’s something that hit me after some time. I can’t explain it but whatever magic is woven makes Azumanga feel remarkably genuine and closer to the heart. That’s probably why – beyond the comedy – this anime is truly wonderful.

The last episode of Azumanga Daioh is a beautiful testament to school life everywhere around the world! When it (school and this anime) ends, it does so with emotion. If you’ve graduated school, you’ll really be able to empathise with the characters and there’s this strong sense of lump-throated, teary-eyed nostalgia that the ending of Azumanga will evoke.

The intro song “Goodbye Sadness!” is really catchy and does well in setting the tone for the anime. Equally brilliant is the voice acting, particularly Chiyo’s – she sounds every bit as utterly lovable as she looks!

Despite such a wonderful premise, Azumanga isn’t for everyone. The jokes are of a pretty unique nature and they will not segue with some people. If you don’t find yourself laughing early on… you will fall asleep during the later episodes, trust me! Some portions also rely on knowledge of the Japanese school culture but it’s still possible to enjoy the rest of it.

Azumanga Daioh is a pretty niche comedy with its unique brand of humour and unusual format. However, it manages to be effortlessly entertaining and it’s one anime that you can watch over and over again!