Azumanga Daioh: You May Not Know #8

Now I don't usually watch anime, but I don't hate it either. I'm just not head over heels for it, well I was at one point, but I never fully embraced it. What anime I have watched, that being "Inuyasha", "FlCl", and 4 Myazaki movies, I really enjoyed what I saw (except for Inuyasha), but there is one I left out. This anime is one that even when I thought I hated it, I was just being a grump. You May Not Know about....

Azumanga Daioh is, like all anime, based on a manga (Japanese comic), Daioh is special because its mangais a four panel manga/comic strip. It was a huge hit in Japan, so an anime was made. It originally aired as fiveminute sections on T.V., each story arch taking place over a week. After the segments aired, they were eventually put together as 22 minute episodes. As with most successful things is Japan, it was brought over to America in 2005. But just what is this show about? Why should you care? These questions and more will be answered!

Azumanga Daioh begins with 10 year old Chiyo-chan, who is in her first year of high school due to her gifted intellect. She, like most 10 year olds, is a little scared by this big leap from elementary to high, but she finds new and exciting friends in her class. Her new friends include the self-conscious and most normal of the group, Yomi, the crazy and hyper-active Tomo, the tall, quiet Sakaki, who loves all cute and adorable things, while they don't seem to love her back, and the space-case Osaka. Later on in the series, they befriend the athletic Kagura. Through out their three years at the high school, they all are taught by Ms. Yukari, who is basically just like the students she's teaching, for better or hilariously worst.

Now you're probably thinking "This is probably some perverted show made to only sexually exploit these female characters, because that's all that comes out of Japan, grumble, grumble  grumble" . Actually, the show is very light-hearted and can be enjoyed by all ages. While yes it is true the girls dress in swimsuits or make some mature joke, the show is very subtle about it and never makes it gratuitous. To give an example of a mature joke, there's a 2-3 minute scene in the second episode that's all about boob size, but it took me three viewings of the episode to realize that's what the joke was about. They don't just say "YOU HAVE BIG BOOBIES!!!", they're very subtle about it and make this, on paper, tasteless joke into a very clever joke that'll go right over younger kids' heads.

Now this show doesn't have an overarching story besides the one about them all going to high school. Most episodes are self-contained and only make a few references to past episodes. It's mostly skit based, with each new scene starting with a title in the upper-left, since it was originally aired as 5 min. segments on T.V.

You cannot tell me that's not the cutest thing you've ever seen

Now this could get old, seeing as how all 26 episodes have the same skit based structure, but since the show is consistently funny, you never notice the formula. Also, the characters aren't just your average High School stereotypes, you know, the jock, the cheerleader, the goth. No, these characters seem realistic and we can relate them to some of our own friends, people we've met, or even ourselves.

The comedy itself is broad without sucking, which is rare these days in entertainment. The humor can be either chuckle worthy, or dying on the floor. I've had many a time where I'll be laughing so hard and loud, my sister tells me the next day they could me all the way from the end of the house. The jokes can also be kinda random, so you're laughing at just how weird the situation is. The show also excels in adorableness. Since Sakaki loves adorable things, and Chyo-Chan is a cute 10 year old girl, they exploit that to the fullest (above).

The show's presentation is not going to blow your mind, but it does the job. The voice actors are very good and thankfully deliver their lines without being cheesy. The biggest stand-out in terms of the presentation is the music. There are only a few songs on the show, so each of them are used over and over again. But they always get stuck in your head. I constantly find myself humming songs from this show during my own school hours, and I surprisingly find myself becoming more concentrated on what I'm doing.

If anything I've said here has sounded good to you, I implore you to please watch this show. If you haven't liked what you've read or don't like anime in general, then it's probably best you stay away. Overall, I love this show and it makes me laugh every time I see it.