Azumanga Daioh

Azumanga Daioh doesn't actually have a storyline. Well, there's 10-year-old Chiyo, (Who is so unbelievely adorable), who's so smart that she's in high school, and she brefriends the most weird, yet hilarious classmates. Azumanga Daioh is a set of 4 panel stories, and yet it works! The comedy is fresh and funny and the characters are amusing as well. There's Osaka, probaly one of the most slowest manga characters EVER! There's a time when she and Sasaki (a tall girl which the other charaters think she's cool and hard but in fact she has a secret love for cats but they are always biting her) aretalking about an abbreviation of hemeroids (don't ask) then they start talking about I think about dolphins, then another character ask what are they talking about then Osaka comes out with hemeroids again. Tomo is another charater. She's loud and overly competetive with Chiyo. Then there's the absolutely lazy teacher who sleeps in class and forgets where she's supposed to be. (That's the very first scene, she walks into a class and says she won't tell them her bra size then a student says her class is next door). There's a competitive teacher, a lesbian student and so on so forth. Most of the cast are girls but there is a male.... Mr.Kimura.... an out and out perverted teacher who is a teacher souly for teenage girls. All the characters try to ignore him but he just appears! Anyway, Azumanga Daioh is perfect for you if you just want a laugh. It's easy to pick up and read and will have you laughing all the way through reading it.

this series is a yonkoma(short comic strips).its about this group of girls who are in high school and are very unique individuals.no magic powers, ninjas,or any fictional things that you can come up with.just "regular" high school girls. i rated the characters 10 because the characters are so interesting and different that you wonder how they can hang out with each other.each girl adds something to the story.if you have never had a favorite manga/anime character before im sure this series could give you a selection. overall this is a series for stupid jokes,humor, and just plain enjoyment.if you have nothing else to do this is agood thing to pick up.

Azumanga Daioh is often hailed as the mother of all Slice of Lifes, and for a good reason. Not only does it pioneer the idea of "cute girls doing cute things" and "daily life activities with little plot," it does these two things right. Story: 10 The lack of a story is its story. Azumanga Daioh is a classic SOL manga, where most of its content is dependent upon showing the day-to-day activities of its characters, their interactions with one another, and their general progression through life (in this case school life). While it does have a central focus driving it along (the characters' journeys from thebeginning of high school to graduation), this focus is subtle, and is often felt as an aftereffect rather than directly demonstrated. Additionally, there is no romance subplot to be had, which I would argue tends to be the downfall of many SOL manga. As such, the reader isn't hellbent on the result of the relationship, and instead can focus on enjoying the day-to-day aspect. Art: 9 The art is not good. Period. It is an old manga, and the techniques, technology, and style clearly shows. Don't expect breathtaking scenery or beautiful wallpaper-worthy panels. Don't expect adorable girls with detailed hair and clothing, flying in the wind. That said, this is the one manga where a lack of good art...WORKS. This is due to one primary factor: The characters are supposed to be ordinary. Oftentimes, manga artists tend to make the mistake of trying to pass off their main characters as ordinary and unremarkable, but end up drawing them as clear protagonists, with amazing details and shading. In my opinion, if your MC's can be distinguished from NPC's, they are NOT "normal." This is not the case for Azumanga Daioh. Any of the MC's can easily pass as an NPC, and none of them can truly be called "pretty." Sure, some people can argue Chiyo and Osaka looks cute, but it often is due to their personalities than their actual character designs, which looks downright basic. Yet, in this particular case, it only serves to drive home the theme of the manga as a SOL. Take for example the final graduation scene. The reader can really feel the ordinariness and humanity of the student body. They are not protagonists who will all become doctors, lawyers, researchers, or ambassadors. Some of them really look like they will fail at life, while others have an uncertain road ahead of them. This, I would argue, is the reason why so many readers often cite this as one of the most emotional graduation scene: because they can relate. Character: 10 Of course, the art is not the only thing that accentuates the characters. Their personalities are also very distinct and down to earth, making them appeal very much to an average reader. You will like some, you will hate some, you will not notice some, and you will find some annoying; almost as if you were really looking at your actual classroom. Enjoyment: 8 It was enjoyable, and how could it not be with all of the above reasons? However, did I read it in one sitting? No. The lack of any centralized plot (including romantic subplot) does act as a double-edged sword, as it can make the manga somewhat repetitive and mundane, especially if the reader is conditioned by manga with more exciting plot development. Some of the annoying characters can also end up getting under your skin after a while. Nonetheless, it was a pleasant read, and especially hardcore fans of SOL titles such as Non Non Biyori will certainly find it endlessly appealing, although I would be incredibly shocked if such a fan have not read Azumanga Daioh. Overall: 10. Classic. Well worth the read. Masterfully crafted.

Azumanga Daioh is a 4-koma high-school comedy. If you ever enjoyed a manga or an anime consisting of even one of those three components you should pick it up. The setting is simple: We have some high-school girls and we witness their 3 years of high-school, one hilarious 4-koma gag at a time. A word of caution: While this is a masterpiece, there is a good percentage of people who dislike the overall silliness of the genre, so don't go around recommending it to your work supervisor simply because he has enjoyed Death Note and Attack on Titan. The anime adaptation follows very closely the manga,so this review can be applied interchangeably to both of them. The greatness of Azumanga Daioh can be found after you peel the initial layer of simplicity, in the underlying complexity of the work. The main focus is too make you laugh and it delivers. The cuteness of the scenes and the wackiness of the surreal elements are welcome additions, but they always remain byproducts, and are never allowed to upstage the comedy. The principle of initial simplicity and underlying complexity can also be found in the 8 or 9 main characters. Initially they look like stereotypes that can be found in dozen other works, but the fact that they are masterfully written, makes them lovable and memorable. The magaka gave me the sense that he really knew what he wanted the manga to be about and never bothered with elements he did not care about. For instance there is no romance (just a few o-nee-sama gags), no adversity (well, there is a hateful cat), or any drawings of boys (a fact that is farcically mentioned in the anime). I found that this lack of elements the mangaka did not care about made the whole much stronger. The greatness of Azumanga Daioh has spawned many copies, but they cannot capture the brilliance behind it. There are a lot of 4-koma manga (and their anime adaptations), a lot of “cute girls do cute things” slice of life manga/anime, but Azumanga has no peers. The only one getting kinda close is Nichijou, but its success lies on the fact that it copies Azumanga shamelessly. So if you loved the manga the only thing you can do is watch the anime (and vice versa). To get yourself a work of similar quality you will have to cross genres a little bit into high school shoujo (Ouran Kokou Host Club, Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun) or shounen (Great Teacher Onizuka, School Rumble) comedies. Great stuff 9.0/10.