Aug 24, 2008
Azumanga Daioh is a delightful change from the flowery, glittery, incredibly feminine artwork of Fushigi Yuugi ("Miaka!" "Oh Tamahome!" "My darling Miaka!" "My Tamahome!" It's enough to make you want to throw up...)
Story: Not a great story, to be quite honest. There's no plot line, and it largely details just the daily lives of six somewhat ordinary high school girls. Then again, that's probably why this kind of anime is so appealing; 99% of the people watching it can relate it in some way to their school lives.
With that said though, there is a bit of plot towards the end of the series
...
featuring one of my (personally) favorite character, which really brings the story into a bit of a "cliffhanger." I put quotes with that because it's not really a plot twist. It feels more like something you'd forget and then reminisce upon later.
The thing that makes the story for this series: it's just plain funny. I don't think I've laughed more in my life. And I don't mean crude humor like you would find in some of the more modern live action movies (like Kill Bill or something, which, by the way, is a GREAT movie.) And I don't mean completely random humor like Excel Saga. When I say humor, I mean things like if one of your friends steals your food from you from right under your nose. Or is someone walks into a stop sign on their way home from school. It's stuff like that, things you'd probably see walking around with your friends, that make this anime hysterical.
Art: If there's something I have to say I appreciate, it's the art. After being harassed by friends to read Fushigi Yuugi (which I found appalling, by the way,) it was nice to not see flowers, glitter, overly flowing hair (my ultimate pet peeve) and overly detailed, overly glitzed-up eyes. I will admit it's not the best artwork in the world; I sometimes feel it doesn't have some of the detail that I'd like to see. But making up for lack of detail is a clean, crisp quality, which I can really appreciate after all that uber-shojo. I love some of the background in the series as well, particularly all the ones involving the beach.
Sound: This is the one thing that bugs me. Sound plays a big part in an anime, whether it be long awkward pauses or just the right kind of music to emphasize the moment. Sound effects? Great. Music? Not bad. But what annoys me so much is the fact that there are long awkward pauses absolutely littered through the entire thing. Sure, they're always in conjunction with the scene (seeing as there's a lot of awkward moments between the characters) but the pauses can be just -too- long. That and the annoying scene with Kaorin and Sakaki... yeah, if you watch it, you'll see what I mean.
Character: If anything, the quality of the characters in this anime make up 99% of why it's so good. Each of the girls have some kind of quirk to them, and the fact that the story line is able to make all of this so visible is just SO well done. I don't know how many times I sat there with my friends running around trying to figure which one we were (apparently I'm somewhat of a Yomi and Osaka, don't ask.) Hell, I've even picked up Osaka's chopstick thing (and made my brother almost spew egg drop soup out of his nose.) If anything, watch this anime just for the characters, even if you think it's boring because there's no plot. The characters will just make you laugh out loud. Heck, just watch it for Osaka, she's a completely kick.
Enjoyment: I thoroughly enjoyed this series, though it did get a little slow and occasionally repetitive. The great thing about it is just the length of it: 26 great episodes. On top of that, you get the option of not having to watch the episodes in order, at least in the first half of the series. You can start with episode 1, hop around for the first half of the series, and then watch the last half in order (due to the aforementioned plot.)
Overall: I have to say this is one of my favorite animes. Watching it just reminds me of when I was in high school with my friends, acting like absolute nut jobs, walking home together, tormenting each other on the bus, all these memories! Great anime to watch with your buddies, or a great anime to watch by yourself if you need a good laugh.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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