I recently had the enjoyment on watching the entire series of Azumanga Daioh and reading it (again) as well. This series is a simple yet fun slice of life comedy that tells the story of a group of high school girls and the things they go through over their three years in high school. Included in the group are all of the various personality types, from Sakaki, the shy/sporty one, to Chiyo-chan, the innocent one, everyone will find at least one character to relate to.* The other characters are great as well, even the creepy Lolicon obsessed teacher has his good moments!
The series begins when the girls first meet on the first day of class. Things start off with a bang and the series stays true to itself throughout.
So now, on to the review! First off let me say that despite the series simple style, I truly have to say that I love it. It's not everyday that you see a manga that is as simply drawn as this one. But don't get me wrong, despite the simple style, the drawings are high quality, in other words you can tell that time was taken to draw it, but many after effects are left out (which is a good thing for this series)!
Next the anime stays true to the manga quite well. Sometimes you could actually find the same dialogue in both! Also the series doesn't take itself too seriously, characters are constantly poking fun at each other's character flaws which leads to quite some interesting moments!
I also like how the series portrays a fairly genuine view into the life of a Japanese high school girl. The series occurs over three years and in those three years the girls do all sorts of things, from the familiar to the quite obscure. This aspect is interesting on multiple levels to me (because I love studying cultures), and it may interest you as well!
I must say that the comedy is equally dispersed throughout the series and it ranges from the "Heh heh" to LOLOMGROFL, if you know what I mean. Even in the anime (where some of the jokes would be rather hard to pull off) this funny factor is portrayed quite well!
Thus I have to say that this series ranks in my top ten series list. From the lovable characters to the memorable storylines, the series does what it sets out to do quite well!
Rating: 5/5, for being hilarious, fun and memorable! I highly recommend both the manga and anime!
Also the dub is not that bad! I watched it about half in original and half in English. Though I think some of the Japanese voices are better fits, the English dub is very high quality, and as another plus, the original jokes are still retained (excepts the couple of instances where they are just way too obscure).
*In case you are wondering, I relate to Sakaki's attraction to cuteness, and Chiyo-chan's lack of sports skills.
And for those wondering, my next review will be of Lucky Star. Since I was on the slice of life kick, I thought I would continue it with this series! So far I have finished the anime and have completed volume one of the manga. If anyone knows where I can find the rest of the scanlations please leave me a comment or PM me. (On another note, if anyone hears that it is being licensed (I'm referring to the manga here.) do the same. I really really want to read it!)
