Azumanga Daioh, Volume 1

I randomly picked this book off the shelf at my library, not really expecting much, but much I did get. I ordered the other three as quickly as possible, and am currently re-reading volume 1. Anyways.... This series follows the life of 7 high school girls (well, 5. The other two don't really appear very much), each one having special (and some not so special) characteristics. First off, their's Chiyo-Chan, the child prodigy. She entered high school at the age of 10 and astounds the rest of the class with her knowlede. She's not any good at sports, however. Then their's Tomo-Chan, the psycho crazy girl who's best skill is annoying everyone with her pointless remarks and actions. It's only ever so often that we see her act somewhat normal (I don't even know if we see that in this volume). And then there's Osaka, the transfer student from...Osaka. (Her real name is Ayumu something...can't remember). She falls asleep in class alot, get's lousy grades, and is always forgetting books, but overall she's quiet, shy, and my favourite character. And Sakaki...what can be said about Sakaki? Well, she's the athlete of the bunch, who is admired for her big boobs (by tomo, at least). Although she's the most active of the group, she loves cats, (but wouldn't dare tell anyone), who don't seem to like her. She's one of the sanest of the group. Yomi is the most "normal" of the group. She has a sarcastic, dry sense of humour, and is always worrying about her weight. And then Kaorin, who we don't see too often. She has a major crush on Sakaki. And finally, Kagura, who doen't really show up until volume 2, but she's worth mentioning here. She's kind of like a mix between Sakaki and Tomo-Chan. She's athletic, but can also be somewhat psychotic at times. And now a word about the teachers. I don't know how Miss Yukari got her job. She's immature, a drunkard, is late more than her students, and is overall a bad teacher. Miss Kurosawa, the P.E. teacher, is more normal, however, and the students like her. And finaly, there's Mr. Kimura, who's mouth you only see closed once. He's a perv who admits the only reason why he's a teacher is because he likes the girls. Anyways, it's the best, not to mention funniest manga I've ever read before. If you're looking for a manga that has no plot whatsoever, and contains butt-loads of humour, then this is the one for you. Read it, you won't be dissapointed.

I remember the first time I read Azumanga Daioh; I was, literally, in stitches. One of the first things I wondered was what the title meant; It really means 'The Great King Azumanga", Azumanga just a play on words with the artists last name "Azuma", and the comic it was originally published in called "Denki Daioh". The next thing I wondered, What in the heck was the manga even about? Simply, the manga follows the daily lives of 6 highschool girls and their 2 teachers, each character having a familiar bit of ourselves in them, making the characters even more likeable. There's Yukari Tanazaki, a rowdy, immature and thrill-seeking English teacher; Minamo Kurosawa (Also known as Nyamo) a calm headed, well liked P.E. Teacher. Theres also Tomo, the loud-mouth hyperactive girl, Yomi, a smart and serious student, Sakaki, a quiet shy girl that has a soft spot for kittens (Allthough, she ends up getting bitten everytime she tries to pet one!), Chiyo-Chan, the 10 year old child prodigy who transfered to highschool because of her extreme intelligence, Kagura, an athletic girl who views herself as Sakaki's rival, and "Osaka", a spacy transfer student from the mean streets of Osaka, simply given her nickname because of where she was from. The manga is a real joyride to read; those looking for a deep, meaningfull plot in Azumanga Daioh will not find one; however, those looking for original humor and artwork, look no further. Azumanga Daioh is the best example of good comedy, great original (yet simple!) art, and heartwarming characters out there. A definite read for those looking for a great manga to cuddle up with.

This is a great series of books I have to say, this series has influenced me more artisticly that any other manga. As an aspiring Manga-ka, I immediatly adopted some of Azuma's techniques, his Super Deformations are amazing. (laymans terms: Super Deformations = techniques Manga-kas use to exaggerate emotion, like a hanging jaw or angry glare) But asides from the artistic perspective, Azumanga is a fantastic read as well. It's a high school comedy covering the events surrounding a group of friends as they make their way through their four years (each covered in each of the four books). Everyone can find a character they relate to in this diverse group, for me it was Ms. Sakaki, but regardless of who you associate with it becomes a rewarding experience watching that character grow. Also, be forewarned, Azumanga does not follow the typical Manga style. It's written in numerous four panel strips reading top to bottom, akin more to american comics like Garfield than manga, albeit much more developed. So I wholeheartedly reccomend the whole series of Azumanga books for ages 12+ (a wee bit of innuendo, nothing serious), especially since it's only four volumes it's quite a value.

Oh, Azumanga Daiou. Where to begin? How about the plot? Plot? I didn't notice. Azumanga is a story about absolutely nothing that manages to be about absolutely everything under the sun. Get it? How do I describe the humor? Can't. Too hard. Words probably can't describe this series. Maybe they can. So what have we learned? Azumanga Daiou is about nothing and everything and you can't describe the series with adjectives very well. And it's about seven girls and their three teachers. A story about nothing and everything, can't describe with adjectives, and about students and teachers. Particularly odd students and teachers. First up, Osaka: An odd transfer student from Osaka, real name Ayumu Kasuga, but got the nickname Osaka due to her origins. She's extremely odd, crazy, isn't the best student, and deserves an award for her delicate and elegant breaking of chopsticks. Then there's Sakaki: A beautiful high school girl who's body seems to have matured quite a bit faster then everybody else. She plays it cool and never lets her inner emotions show. Well, sometimes. So what are her inner emotions? She's extremely shy about her body, and has an extreme passion for cute things, especially cats. It's too bad every cat she meets (except one) bites her every time she tries to pet them. Then, there's Tomoko Takino: Tomo, Tomo, Tomo...Ugh, Tomo, Tomo, Tomo...the most psychotic and nutty person you can ever hope to meet, but I highly doubt you want to meet her. She has a habit of hitting Chiyo-chan, and competes with Chiyo at tests and with Sakaki at sports (of course, trying isn't winning). The only test she ever beat Chiyo at was a health test that she spent all night studying for, and of course, didn't study at all for the harder, more important test that day. Speaking of Chiyo...Chiyo Mihama: A child genius, started going to high school at age ten, and is still smarter than all of her classmates. She's rich, cute, and has pigtails that scare the hell out of Osaka. Then there's Koyomi Mizuhara: Possibly the sanest of the group, though she does worry a bit too much about her body (which looks fine to me). She and Tomo have been friends since they were kids, and there's nobody better to keep Tomo from going completely insane. There's also Kagura: Self-proclaimed rival to Sakaki, if anyone can beat Sakaki at sports, it's her (though she can't). At times almost equally as crazy and competitive as Tomo, Kagura finishes off the main band of girls with a sharp edge. And finishing off the students, the less-important, appears-every-now-and-then, Kaorin: Kaorin, the cute girl with a mad crush on Sakaki, easily gets jealous, which can cause her to be driven to the point of acting like a rabid dog. And, starting off the teachers, it's Yukari Tanazaki: The least liked teacher at the school, our girls homeroom and English teacher, she gets drunk on a daily basis, has been tardy more than her students, is lazier than a sloth, and she's cheap to boot. Then there's Minamo

Very funny and cute! I loved Osaka's dreams about the false ponytails!