Azumanga Daiou: Gekijou Tanpen

Azumanga Daioh: A Very Short Movie is a pretty good introduction to the basics of the series, helping pave the foundations for each character. The animation also received a bump, with several characters shown in far more detailed fashion than in the anime. While I do appreciate the quality increase, this would be more of a detriment to the show as it works well with minimalism, allowing it to explain more with less. However, the animation appears more vivid here, and flows more fluidly. While the majority of the segment is devoted to finding Chiyo-chan's lost pigtails, there are other defining moments such as those ... involving Kaorin, though others besides Chiyo, Osaka, and Yukari have a pitifully small role. This is a great short to watch as a prequel to the series! 8/10 rating.

This is the second short pilot film that JC Staff released, this one a lot closer(but still not quite matching) the animation style and budget of the TV release. It’s a bit longer than Web Daioh, and while it’s not quite as funny, it does put forth a more accurate representation of what the series would eventually be. Rather than a traditional intro, like Web Daioh had, this film opens with a shot of Chiyo riding on her dog, Mr. Tadakichi, introducing herself and nearly getting thrown off of him. The opening features some of the show’s iconic background music, which is ... always nice.

Splitting it into two halves, the first half is probably the weaker one. It features a couple of minutes of Yukari’s class, squeezing several of the running gags and staples of the series into two minutes. This includes Yukari being a dick, Chiyo getting good grades, the Bonklers(which I’ll always call them because it sounds better than knuckleheads) acting out, Chiyo trying not to be cute, Tomo standing outside, Kaorin being in love, Sakaki musing over a cat bite, and keep in mind, thisall takes place in the span of two minutes... Including the opening.

The second half, in contrast, plays out one joke on it’s own... Osaka and her pigtail dreams. If you’ve seen the anime or read the manga, you know what I’m talking about, and this goes on for almost 3 minutes. Unlike the first half, this one doesn’t stick to the established material, instead taking full advantage of the surreal situation to try some new jokes, like Chiyo slowly turning her head like an owl(creepy) and the entire class thinking she’s a lost child that doesn’t belong there. I’m not going to give away how this part ends, you kind of just have to experience it for yourselves. It’s weird.

The short ends with a thirty second credits, marking the second appearance of Chiyodaddy, and if i’m being honest, I don’t feel as though this one’s as strong as Web Daioh. It suffers in terms of pacing, with so many jokes and in-show references thrown at you in such a short time that it’s hard to process what you’re watching. The Osaka dream is at least new and interesting, especially the way it breaks away from the script.

There’s actual music in it, which I definitely like, especially since upon reflection, this is the pilot for the show’s iconic score, too. The dub is phenomenal, and the actors are on point... Save for Mandy Clark and Nancy Novotny, big surprise there... But I’d especially like to give a shout out to Jessica Boone and Kira Vincent Davis, as they play the most prominent characters in the short and absolutely slaughter their roles.

All in all, not quite as good as Web Daioh, in terms of story, but a small improvement in the area of production values. I give it a 7/10.

This is a scant overview of what can be expected in the then-upcoming series. For manga readers, it’s a lovely run through already-familiar scenarios and characters: Osaka's dream about Chiyo's pigtails, Sakaki daydreams about the cat and so on; for new viewers it’s a preview of what’s to come. It probably isn’t required viewing now as it has outlived its usefulness as a preview of the TV series but it’s so short it doesn’t really matter.

The standout here is the animation, as this was shown in theaters, so it's theatrical quality animation. Watching the characters is the main appeal of this short, otherwise there ... isn't much new here.