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Azumanga Daioh is a manga by Azuma Kiyohiko that was made into an anime
in 2002.
The manga consists of four panel comic strips which were published in the
magazine "Dengeki Daioh". While Westerners are used to this and similar
formats, known as "4-koma" in Japan, a full-length manga series being
composed of them is almost unheard of.
The anime was broadcast in five-minute segments every weekday, and as a
25-minute compilation each weekend. Thus there are 130 five-minute episodes
which can also be seen as 26 25-minute episodes.
Both the manga and the anime follow the trials and triumphs of everyday
life in a Japanese high school. Six schoolgirls and two teachers make up the
main cast with a few secondary characters including a creepy male teacher
and another girl in the same grade who seems to have a crush on Sakaki, one
of the main characters.
At first Azumanga Daioh appears to be normal high school type anime, but
actually is quite unique in its focus on everyday events rather then the
common staples of magic, aliens, robots, monsters, and apocalypic disasters.
We follow Sakaki's obsession with neighborhood cats, Chiyo's struggle to
find acceptance in an age group far above her own, Yomi's paitience with a
rather silly best friend, and get to see yearly accounts of summer vacation,
holidays, tests, and athletic events. Often surreal and certainly silly,
Azumanga Daioh is a unique addition to any anime fans collection.
Four of the girls made it into Newtype Magazine's top 100 anime heroines
of 2002: Osaka came 7th, Chiyo-chan 11th, Sakaki 21st, and Yomi 78th.
Together they made Azumanga Daioh the joint 2nd most popular series of 2002
for female characters.
Main Characters
- Yukari Tanizaki (谷崎 ゆかり) - English teacher. Selfish, irresponsible, and
generally dysfunctional. The series focuses on her class.
- Minamo Kurosawa, a.k.a. "Nyamo" (黒沢 みなも) - Gym teacher. An old friend and
rival of Yukari's. Far more in-control then her, although she has her own
faults.
- Chiyo Mihama (美浜 ちよ) - Child prodigy, who has skipped five grades and is
still at the top of the class. Has rich parents who never seem to be around.
Best friends with Sakaki.
- Tomo Takino (滝野 智) - This girl somehow manages to be extremely driven and
a slacker at the same time. She irritates everyone around her to no end.
- Koyomi Mizuhara, a.k.a. "Yomi" (水原 暦) - A grade-school friend (...or
perhaps that's the wrong word) of Tomo's. Quite mature and serious.
- Sakaki (榊) - A large, quiet girl with a tough exterior through no fault
of her own. An incredible athlete, even though she's not particularly
interested in sports. Her secret passion is all things cute, especially
animals, and very especially cats; unfortunatly, cats hate her for some
unknown reason.
- Ayumu Kasuga, a.k.a. "Osaka" (春日 歩) - A transfer student from Osaka, as
you might guess. Not actually dumb, but... narcoleptic and absent-minded to
an extreme. Nevertheless, a sweet girl, and a good friend of Chiyo's.
- Kagura (神楽) - A later acquaintance who devotes most of her life to the
swim team. Has a rather one-sided friendship with Sakaki.
Minor Characters
- Kimura (木村) - Creepy classics teacher. Obsessed with high-school girls in
swimwear.
- Kaori Aida, a.k.a. "Kaorin" - Not much is known about her other then her
massive crush on Sakaki.
- Chihiro - A classmate. Nothing is known except the name.
- Chiyo-chichi - A strange catlike creature that appears in Sakaki's
dreams. Claims to be Chiyo's father.
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