Shelf Life

Azumanga Daioh

When Azumanga Daioh came out back in 2002, slice of life comedies hadn't quite become the established genre that they are today. The “cute girls doing cute things” premise hadn't yet been pushed to the fore by shows like K-On or Non Non Biyori, and a slow-paced story about school life was a bit more of a novelty. The question, then, is whether or not an old series about six quirky high school girls and their equally odd teachers can hold up against all the changes and refinements that have been made to the genre over the years.

In a lot of ways, Azumanga Daioh isn't all that different from its newer cousins. It offers a mix of goofy, character-based humor and some casual observations about youth and growing up. The story follows the cast through three years of high school, complete with all the expected sports festivals, summer vacations, and holiday parties. It's not until you take a look at some of the details that the differences start to emerge. Character designs are pretty conventional (no one even has blue or purple hair), and the characters' personalities are tuned more for comedy than marketability. The comedy itself also covers a fairly broad spectrum, ranging from typical sight gags and one-liners to more bizarre and occasionally absurd material. The series in general seems prone to doing its own thing instead of following a proven formula.

In some cases, that less refined approach leads to some jokes and storylines that don't really work. Even by slice of life standards, the pacing can be stunningly slow, and it occasionally feels like the series is trying to stretch 20 episodes' worth of content into 26. Some storylines are repeated in each school year without enough variation to justify the return trip, and individual scenes tend to take their sweet time in moving from setup to punch line. Some minor characters are also at odds with the overall tone of the series, the main offender being the uncomfortably creepy classical literature teacher Mr. Kimura. None of these things are deal-breakers, but you can definitely see where more recent shows found room to improve.

That said, Azumanga Daioh succeeds far more often than it comes up short. From the impossibly adorable Chiyo to the lovably spacey Osaka, the main characters make for a well-balanced and endearing comedic ensemble. Each of the six main girls is eccentric enough to carry a joke without veering into ridiculous territory, and it's easy to relate to them while laughing at their antics. If you've been through high school, you'll likely see some of your own group of friends reflected in the characters. Rival teachers Yukari and Minamo further expand the show's comedic range, offering plenty of “adults are as crazy as the kids” humor. Even as the series plays most of its stories for laughs, it does a good job of coaxing the audience into caring about its goofball cast. By the last few episodes, the show manages to build up enough good will towards the characters to make for some surprisingly emotional moments.

On the technical front, Azumanga Daioh is a bit of a mixed bag. The animation and background art holds up reasonably well, sneaking a few impressive shots in amongst the more ordinary moments. The music, on the other hand, is largely underwhelming apart from the enjoyably odd opening theme. The voice acting is solid across both audio tracks, though the delivery tends to be a bit stronger on the Japanese side of things. That's to take nothing away from the English dub, which is strong enough to make the series work for viewers who might not give it a shot in subtitled form. As a potential introductory series for the genre, that extra accessibility is definitely worth something.

After several years out of print since the last ADV box sets, this release is a welcome return to the US market for the series. While it's part of the Sentai Selects budget line, it does include a few notable extras like a reversible cover and a slideshow of production sketches on one of the discs. I don't see it as being a necessary purchase for anyone who owns one of the older collections, but it's a good option for folks who never got a chance to pick up the old ADV sets.

If you're interested in following the evolution of slice of life comedies or if you're just looking for some mostly harmless humor, Azumanga Daioh is still worth checking out. It holds up well, and is funny and adorable in equal measure. Other shows have certainly made improvements to the formula over the years, but this is still a worthy standard that new titles can be judged against.
-Paul[TOP]