| Azumanga Daiou is a silly shoujo comedy based on the short panel strip about the life and schooling of a group of students and their odd teachers. The manga is by Azuma Kiyohiko, and originates in the weekly serial Dengeki Daiou.
The story vaguely follows the traditional growing-up adventure sequence, as the girls go through middle and high school life, finishing with college entrance exams and each girl going their seperate way. Azumanga Daiou's forte is finding humor in the normal events of life, though the occasional serious moment and insane tangent provide good side stories of their own.
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The character designs are reminiscent of a cross between your super-shoujo Cardcaptor Sakura and the random and instantaneous changes of Excel Saga or Kodomo no Omocha. The voice acting is superb, from Kaneda Tomoko's voicing of chibi 10-year old prodigy Chiyo-chan to Matsuoka Yuki's perfectly vacant Oosaka.
In the end, Azumanga Daiou is a lighthearted fun anime that anyone can enjoy. The viewer won't fathom the deeper meaning of existence or come to a life-changing epiphany, but the humor is a refreshing vacation from the latest bleeding-edge deep anime. |
