Azumanga Daioh Box Set

Review Date: 2008 November 16 17:43

Reviewed by: Molly Drury

Released by: ADV Films UK

Age Rating: 12+

Region: 2 - UK

Length: 650 minutes

Subtitles: English

Audio: English 5.1 Surround
Japanese 2.0 Stereo

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Summary

Azumanga Daioh is a slice of life, high school comedy anime, consisting of twenty-six episodes, adapted from the manga by Kiyohiko Azuma. The manga was originally published as four panel comic strips in the magazine Dengeki Daioh. It was because of this that Azumanga Daioh was originally broadcast in Japan, in 2002, as five minute long segments and why the anime is split up into short, clear chapters. The anime follows the everyday lives of six high school friends, from the girls first days through to their graduation.

Review

Azumanga Daioh is more a character driven anime rather than story driven. The storylines are usually kept short and simple, and therefore the anime is quite realistic. The girls worry about the little things that seem to be huge problems when you are a teenager, but they don't even mention boys. Yomi worries about her weight, Sakaki wishes that people would stop thinking that she is unapproachable and Osaka...well Osaka doesn't really think at all. The series is shown through Chiyo's eyes, a ten year old girl who, due to her genius, has been allowed to skip five grades and enter high school.

As well as the students, the teachers are also integral to the series. Yukari and Nyamo's relationship reflects Tomo and Yomi's friendship, and it is often as if the girls are glimpsing their possible futures when Yukari starts to drive Nyamo mad. Yukari is the main girl's teacher, and they are often left very confused by her outbursts and generally strange behaviour. Nyamo teaches PE and is very popular with her students, which often leads to Yukari getting jealous. There is also Mr Kimura, a teacher with a penchant for high school girls.