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Studio : J.C. STAFF
Licenced by : ADV Films
Length : 26 Episodes
Year : 2002
Genre : Slice of Life - Comedy
Synopsis :
(by Specky)
Azumanga Daioh is based off a four panel gag manga series drawn and written by Kiyohiko Azuma. This series of short little 'A day in the life' anime lend itself to short segments, and also shown together in the standard 30 minute blocks. From the first few minutes you watch, you get a feel for how hilarious the series is going to be. Following the daily lives of a class of female Japanese Students in Tokyo, (and their crazy teachers!) and the mishaps and everyday follies that end up being a riot to watch. A lot of the fun is lost if you don't understand some of the fundamentals of Japan culture, and anime, but even then, most of it is just so funny, you'll simply laugh at the animation itself. A great show for a good quick dose of laughter.
Alternative Synopsis :
(by Jared Ferenczy)
Azumanga Daioh is a series whose plot is based around the characters in it. It revolves around 10 year-old Chiyo Mihama, who was accepted into High School because of natural talents, and her friends Yomi, Tomo, Osaka, Kagura (in later episodes) and Sakaki, as well as her teachers Miss Yukari and Miss Minamo. The story is also driven around secondary characters whom rarely appear on there own but cumulative, atleast one appears per episode. The story goes through all three years of the Japanese High School with Chiyo and Company and tells each characters seperate events as well as group events.
Added : 2005-10-30
Synopsis by : Specky / Jared Ferenczy
Last update : 2007-08-27
Last update details : Seiyuu modified
Score : 8.1
Number of reviews : 49
Link(s) :
Official #1 : ADV's Azumanga Daioh Website (English)
Official #2 : Azumanga Daioh - An Unofficial Image Fansite (English)
Official #3 : J.C. Staff's Azumanga Daioh Website (Japanese)
Official #4 : Madman's Azumanga Daioh Website (Australian)
Official #5 : Sata Andagi!: An Azumanga Daioh Fansite (English)
Official #6 : Wonderland - An Azumanga Daioh Fansite (English)
Song(s) :
Opening #1 : Oranges & Lemons - Soramimi Cake
Ending #1 : Oranges & Lemons - Raspberry Heaven
Release(s) :
There are no release available for this anime.
Hits : 34452
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Posted by : Stonewolf
Posted on : 2009-10-23 
I used to hate the slice-of-life genre. Then I watched Azumanga, and I was enlightened. From there I went on to enjoy all the other big-time shows similar in nature (Lucky Star, Minami-ke, etc). It certainly won't win any awards for superb animation quality, but that's not what the draw of the show is anyway.
The character interactions/development are superb and are what ultimately make the show "progress". I use quotes because slice-of-lifes typically don't move along a defined plot, however, Azumanga strikes a perfect balance in referencing previous jokes and making them relevant to the current episodes' situation. It really allows you to connect with each of the utterly-lovable characters and gives depth to their quirks.
I recommend this to anyone who is looking for some laughs and a heartwarming moment here or there without having to think much. It has a strong rewatchability factor which is great when paired with the largely unconnected episodes.
Posted by : AJtheFourth 
Posted on : 2009-01-05
As a slice-of-life comedy with little to no plot, Azumanga Daioh succeeds where other shows often fail. Unfortunately, the quality and entertainment value varies from episode to episode, and, although it lays the groundwork for such series, it doesn't compare to Lucky Star.
Animation: The animation is basic, cute, and uses the same color palette for the entirety of the series, with lots of pinks, browns, and oranges. It's not dazzling by any means, but it definitely suits the tone of the series. 6/10
Characters: The characters and their interaction with each other are really what make this series fun and enjoyable. Osaka is appropriately dopey, but laugh-out-loud funny at times, and you'll be amused by Sakaki's inability to interact with the cute things that she so reveres. Nyamo and Yukari's constant battles are also very funny at times. There wasn't one character that I severely disliked; however, there wasn't one character I absolutely loved either, which is a drawback in this type of story structure. 8/10
Story: Like Lucky Star, there is no definite plot, but as mentioned before, this show pulls off the short story format well. The episodes are further separated into two or three separate stories, usually from different character's perspectives, but all related to the same overall theme. Occasionally the episodes are very good, and they can also be very boring. This inconsistency was the thing I liked the least about this show. 8/10
Music: The background music is very appropriately childish for the majority of the series, and I enjoyed the opening theme. The ending theme was only so-so. 7/10
Overall: An 8/10 because I was thoroughly entertained by Azumanga Daioh. I have yet to see School Rumble, although it has been recommended, and I loved Lucky Star. It may not be as good as either of these series, but I enjoyed watching this show. 8/10
Posted by : kevinchaosvs
Posted on : 2008-10-26
Story/Dev: 60%
It’s not that this series is bad; it’s just that it has the misfortune of encountering strong competitions in the form of School Rumble. So yes, Azumanga is watchable, but what awaits is disappointment if you have watched School Rumble before Azumanga. The gags weren’t really that funny either, just little chuckles here and there. Most of them were rather cold too. It’s more on dry slap-stick gags, really.
Characters/Dev: 57%
Firstly, the characters are not as dynamic as Rumble. They’re just throwing in all the generic archetypes into the series. They didn’t make much of an impression in me. I like Sakaki’s love for cats and similar cute animals, though.
Animation/Graphics/Design:
My main complaint for this series, however, is the graphics. The animation quality was average, while the graphics design was rather bad, in my opinion.
Music: 66%
The music didn’t impress either. The OP, while cute, was too high-pitched to my liking. BGM was also just alright, though I like the interludes (played between commercial breaks). ED was rather forgettable as well.
Summary:
I won’t really say that it’s not worth the watch, but on the other hand, I can’t really recommend it either. This series is just too plain and rather forgettable. Like Terentius, there were times when I got bored with watching it.
Personal overall rating: 63%
Posted by : Terentius
Posted on : 2008-05-22
I’ve always enjoyed watching a good story. Admittedly, there are some truly horrid stories, and some classics. Azumanga is special in not having any resembling a cohesive story. Sometimes it works well, sometimes it doesn’t. Review based on the ADV DVD release.
Animation
The animation was ok, but very simple. There was nothing at all demanding that really pushed the talents of the animators to their limit.
Story
Basically, this was nothing more than following the lives of 6 or so girls as they go through their 3 years in high school. Whilst "Lucky Star" took quite a dig at the otaku sub-culture, Azumanga Daioh just poked fun at the characters and their bizarre idiosyncrasies. Due to its slow pace and progression, I didn’t enjoy this as much as Lucky Star.
Characters
We have a stereotypical group of girls here. If you’ve seen the likes of a cool ‘lone wolf’ or the ‘hyperactive’, then you won’t find anything amazingly different. Chiyo the child prodigy was perhaps the only original type of character seen. They’re a very lovable group, but seeing them do the same thing year in year out made it predictable. My favorite character was the weird gawping Kimura-sensei. Creepy, yet funny.
Music
I swear the OP had elements of Strauss’ "Tritsch-Tratsch Polka". Quite how a masterpiece ended up being so irritatingly cute was beyond me. The ED wasn’t anything special either. Very forgettable generally.
Summary
The ADV DVD had the usual clean OP and EDs. Apart from the trailers, it was rather plain. The English dub was OK, but I’d stick with the Japanese. I found the Japanese Chiyo incredibly annoying though.
This was an average show. There wasn’t anything that really captured my imagination. I suppose I would have been much more generous in my review if I had watched this before the likes of "School Rumble" or "Lucky Star". They took what made Azumanga potentially a good show (the sheer randomness of the comedy) to a higher level. I never really got into this and actually fell asleep a number of times through some episodes out of boredom.
Not an excellent show by any stretch of the imagination, but it still has its devoted fans. Unfortunately, I’m not one of them.
Posted by : bloppyblue
Posted on : 2008-04-11 
This anime is absolute WIN!
Characters 10/10
The characters are one of the main thing that stands out most about this anime. They are absolutely lovable!! If you dont like one of the characters, you're doomed to fall in love with another. Or another. Or another! They're so diverse and SO FRICKEN FUNNY! You cant dislike any of them :P
Animation 10/10
The animation is VERY cute and funny :D Just looking at the way the faces are drawn, or the way they move can make you burst out laughing! The way they design the whole sets and how each characters expression is shown, is absolutely genius! Just looking at pictures could make you laugh!
Story 10/10
So the story might not have a specific plot. Its mainly about this group of girls and their hilarious life through high school. Each and every episode is very relatable (if thats a word) but 50x more fun! The simplest plots easily make you laugh :P
Sound 10/10
The voice actors are amazing! Especially Chiyo's "father". The voice acting is so recognizable, and so well done, that even hearing the voices without watching the anime, you can figure out what their attitude is like! The opening is pretty funny, though a bit high pitched. But i still love it :D And the soundtrack isn't bad either. The mood fits really well.
OVERALL 20/10!
I absolutely loved this anime. The ending was a bit sad, but you fall in love with the characters so much you wish it didn't end. I recommend this anime to EVERYONE! Even guys who are all against these kind of anime! Alright... You might not like it if you have no sense of humor and are all about DBZ and fighting...
Posted by : jajajajaja07
Posted on : 2007-06-04 
This was one of the first anime series i have watched fully, and even now i can not help but laugh at some of the things these girls do, especially "Osaka" xD
The Characters in this anime are what makes this series so great! if you do not like most of the characters in this anime, there is a huge chance you will not like this anime, since most of the fun comes from enjoying the "adventures" of these girls.
My favorite character is Osaka. In my opinion she is cuter than Chiyo; Osaka is able to be cute without having a high voice, unlike chiyo.
1) Osaka - insane and cute at the same time!
2) Sakaki - tries so hard to be cute.
3) Tomo - crazy and energetic
4) Chiyo - the penguin !
5) Yomi - the violent, angry one.
girls not listed are obviously not as liked by me as much as those listed, though that doesn’t mean i hate them!
Character score = 5/5 i loved most of the characters
Story/Progression is about a couple of school girls going about their day...yeah.
This anime is like a slice of life anime, where we see the girls gradually grow up while interacting with others. This series may not be complicated or have plot twists, or super villains like most animes, but it was kind of refreshing and brought something different for viewers. They took a chance with producing this anime and the resulted in a big success, in my opinion.
Progression in this anime is quick at times and slows at times; if it were steadier than a higher score would have been given, unfortunately.
Story/Progression score = 4/5
Music/opening&ending themes in this anime are cute, though there isn't a memorable song in this anime.
Music score = 3.5
Animation/Design in this anime, i think, isn’t high quality; its really average, in my opinion.
Animation/Design score = 3.5
Marking Scheme: since this anime focuses on the characters more, the characters will have a greater mark weight than the other categories.
Characters = 50% of total mark
Story/Progression = 40% of total mark
music = 5%
Animation/ Design = 5%
Total = 100%
Characters = 50%
Story = 32%
Animation/Design = 3.5%
Music = 3.5%
Total = 89% or 9/10
You will not like this anime if:
1) you do not like cuteness.
2) you want a story with villains, or plot twists, or creativity.
3) you hate slice of life type anime.
4) you do not like Lucky Star (maybe).
5) you do not like weird or insane characters.
don't know if there are other reasons to hate this anime, since i liked it.
Posted by : shugo608
Posted on : 2007-03-06
To start out, I just finished this anime and I enjoyed it. Here's my overview of Azumanga.
I liked the music in the beginning because it was as random as the anime itself. But the music in the the anime was kind of "okay". (No real meaning in it.)
The story is about a girl whose 10 years old and starts out in high school. And she makes friends along the way, just like real life. A thing I liked is how funny they make real life, which also makes me sad because my life is boring. Besides that, the characters are some what unique. Even though they seem to have been done before, like Osaka: a girl with no unique talents and just seems to take up space, or Yomi: a girl who studies hard and tries to lose weight, all the characters seem to mix together, to make life funny.
The animation fits perfectly with the anime. Of course, it's a bit childish and some people dislike that type of drawing. But for this anime, it seems proper to have "cutesy" style of drawing.
The reason I personally enjoyed this anime is because it had Japanese culture and customs mixed into it, like high school festival. So, you can actually learn something from watching Azumanga. The people who want to learn about Japan and laugh at the same time should watch this.
Posted by : du5k
Posted on : 2006-12-04
Azumanga Daioh practially means the "King of Comics" or something like that... If you see how the anime challenges the boundary of lameness, you can see the "king" of the anime.
There are some animes without much story to began with. This one has totally none; so what we are suppose to see are how these less-than-normal individuals spend their everyday normal lives.
And yup, the main characters are all girls. I suppose using girls gives it a more "watchable" rating... since they're pretty "cute"...
Story
We got chibi-lolita, blur queen, hyperactive tomboy, nerd and the cool girl with a cute side... We got a most unlikely teacher... we have a comedy style that anime series fear to use... mix them together, we get Azumanga Daioh. What's important about this series is that it is totally UNserious, which means all those lame humour will actually turns out to be pretty funny. The thing is, this anime can give you a laugh or two if you watch it once in a while, but if you watch all the 130 scenes in 2 days, their sense of humour gets really old.
Animation
I'l lsay it's ok, and simple. The story didnt have anything exciting scences at all, so I'll say its animation is good enough.
I'll be honest, if there are exciting/emotional scenes, the animation will be pretty bad.
Music & Sounds
I know the song fits the lame mood of the anime, but they could have used a better song. The ending is nice, but the opening is crap.
Overall
It might save you from boredom for a while, but I do not think it is worth my time.
Posted by : Iras
Posted on : 2006-11-30
Story: Okay, I'll be honest, this is where the half of a star is going to be lost because, like several animes, there isn't actually much of a story. It's completly random and normally unrelated segments of a group of teenage girls' highschool lives.
Characters: You'll either love them or you'll hate them, I myself adored them all ~ You have characters of essentially every type you can find, the cute prodigy, the kind goth, the zoney Osakan, and your eccentric, in-your-face, girls. They even have a perverted male teacher (the only reoccuring male in the series, actually).
Graphics: The animation is fairly average, nothing is really there to complain about or to boast over.
Musical Score: The opening theme is outstandingly catchy, no matter how obnoxious it may be. The ending theme is also fun, as well as the random filler music.
Overall Opinion: I laughed, I cried, and I stared ahead trying to figure out what was going on, but overall, I absolutely adore the series. It's definetly not for everyone, so perhaps an episode or two preview would be best before you buy it, but I'd say if you're a fan of comedy, this is a must buy.
Posted by : mangaddict_reborn
Posted on : 2006-11-22
Hmmm. This anime is hilarious; it doesn't offer much but it delivers what it does (offers). That's pretty much all there is to say. I don't love this anime or can't get enough of it, but it does make me laugh.
If I could explain it an anology, it would be this: Azumanga Diaoh is a cute little girl that you coldn't help but walk over and say hi to, but her hold over you isn't enough to keep you from straying away from her, toward a crowd of blossoming, young buxom school girls with... (snaps out of daydream) you understand right? Opening the paper to read family circus in the morning is a fun way to start the day, but putting the dvd in the player and wating for it to load is a tad too much (not that there is a family circus dvd, just trying an analogy). It's not something you'd want to buy but if you walked into a room with it when it was playing, you probably wouldn't leave until the episode is over.
Humor is all it has going for it and it did a mighty fine job.
Posted by : hpikkachu
Posted on : 2006-06-30
Hrmm... I watched this series quite some time ago and to this day, I still wonder why so many have such a high regard for it. I am not hard to please when it comes to anime, but this was one series that i was disgusted with. Okay, animation was crisp and unique, music was catchy and fun, characters were pretty good too; so what am i complaining about? To me, storyline is EVERYTHING. This series had NO story line and no timeline whatsoever. It was all over the place. I didn't even know what was going on. It jumps from this to that without the slightest compassion for the poor spectator. Sure, I got laughs out of it but for me, it wasn't good enough. I enjoy comedy-anime alot and such series as School Rumble and Ranma 1/2 stand amongst my favourite anime of all time. Azumanga Daioh failed miserably to please me. It lacked depth and I really couldn't connect or sympathise with any of the characters. A very immature and stupid (as in clumsy) series. If you want a good laugh then check out School Rumble, Ranma 1/2 or Fruits Basket because at least it has a firm storyline. You'd be wasting your time with this series.
Posted by : limjingzhe
Posted on : 2006-03-26
THIS ANIME IS SO HILARIOUS (in the good way)!!! While watching it I couldn't help but keep laughing throughout the entire show. It even made me laugh till I cried! This anime is full of silly and hilarious stuff, enough to make you laugh your head off.
Even though this show is ridiculously funny, it shows the life of 5 high school girls. They show you the personalities of each of them and how they get along with each other.
The animation is easy to watch and its most probably more of a entertaining show. Although it is really funny and mind jarring, it sometimes causes your mind to drift off, and the anime has a lot of strange pauses. However, I highly reccomend this anime series. It can give you a good laugh or just to cheer you up when you're feeling down. Trust me, it works.
Posted by : alranth
Posted on : 2006-03-12
You can have epic shows, romantic shows, and tragedy shows, but Azumanga Daioh beats them all. It's quite possibly one of the best shows I've watched, filled to the brim with cheeky humor and characters you can relate with.
A quirky opening theme matched the show spot on, light, bouncy, and nonsensical. The in-show music did get a little bit repetitive occasionally, but it still fit the mood throughout the story.
The art/animation was very simple, one might even say lacking in details, but it did manage to fit the over all style of the story. I must say, the amount of cute they packed into it was amazing.
Azumanga Daioh is amazing for its story. It has humor that you can easily relate to (Like when Osaka zones out in class looking at the dust on her eyes), some poignant moments, and places where you just have to laugh. The story might not have very much action or plot, but within that, there are many subtle nuances in the characters that wouldn't usually be brought out in other shows.
The voice actors really brought life into the characters, fitting their personalities perfectly. The characters may have fallen into their little niches a little too easily, but their interaction with each other was topnotch.
The humor may not be for everybody, but Azumanga Daioh must be one of the best (if not the best) anime I've watched. The ending was perfect for the end of an anime about the everyday trials and tribulations of highschool students. 26 episodes seems to short for such a good anime, but at the same time, I wouldn't want to see a sequel or anything. At the risk of sounding cliched, it wasn't enough, but it was all one could want.
Posted by : xenocrisis0153
Posted on : 2006-02-24
Review based on all 26 English-dubbed episodes...
ANIMATION: Unfortunately, despite the usage of many vibrant and pleasant colors (most notably, the pink and light-blue school uniforms), the artwork is way below standard. Objects and characters are given detail, but there is plenty of room for improvement (compare to the incredibly gorgeous artwork in the OVA bonus episode). Background art really fell short. In some cases, nothing but a plain monochronomous backdrop was utilized. Boring, not much to look at. (6/10)
MUSIC: The opening song, Sorakimi Keeki, is very catchy and fits the tone of the series very well. It starts the show off exactly as it should, with something light and bouncy, plus a little energy. The ending theme, Raspberyy Heaven, is... well... odd. Again, it fits the series, though it's nothing I'd want to listen to outside the show. In-episode music was good, appropriate and pleasing, though subtle. (8/10)
CHARACTERS: This is the main focus of the whole series. The cast is likable, real, and most importantly... memberable. It only takes one or two episodes to feel like all of the characters are your best friends. The chemistry between them and the way they respond to situations is what has made this series such a success. (10/10)
STORY: What is the bane of other series is the driving force in this series. There pretty much is no "plot" beyond the basic just-getting-through-high-school-day-by-day logic that Azumanga Daioh employs. It truly is a slice-of-life series in the sense that every "day" is treated just like any of day. There are no battles, there are no overarching mysteries or love-triangles, there are no magical girls. It is just 7 high school girls going to high school. But that's again what makes this series so great, it delivers exactly what it promises. Nothing more, nothing less. (10/10)
OVERALL: How is it even remotely possible for a series with no plotline whatsoever be so popular, so good, so entertaining??? If I hadn't heard that Azumanga Daioh was a fan-favorite, I would have skipped over this entirely, but luckily I gave in to popular demand. And I am happy that I did. The comedy is so simple, it feels like it's nothing we haven't seen before, yet it does have that fresh feeling. As a viewer, you really do get enveloped into the "plot" and you become immersed in the world that Azumanga Daioh creates. It's a fun ride throughout and it deserves all the attention and praise it receives. (8/10... 4 stars, but still highly recommended)
YOU'LL LIKE THIS IF YOU LIKED: Cromartie High School, Galaxy Angel, Sister Princess
Posted by : cheapet123
Posted on : 2006-02-01
Azumanga Daioh is an extremely entertaining anime about schoolgirls just being themselves.
The artwork in this is pretty nice looking. With the adorable Chiyo-chan to the mature Sakaki.
The sound is very good as well. The opening and closing songs are catchy and totally random. As for the voice overs. I started watching this with american dialogue and I prefered it to the original japanese.
As for story. Its mainly about a group of girls getting through highschool. It got annoying at some points where they just would repeat episodes, and only change a few points. But thats adds to the charm and comedy of the anime.
Overall it's a must watch. I loved it, it was funny and the last few episodes knowing that it was going to end soon made me cry. Too bad there's no room for another season because they graduated highscool. But thats a good thing I suppose.
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