There are certain anime genres I will readily admit I’m not really interested in. Giant robots, most shows with werewolves, and schoolgirl anime are just a few of the subsets I’ve never particularly cared about. It’s important that I say that to establish the context in which I first watched Azumanga Daioh. While creeping around various anime forums I only heard positive comments about the show and despite the fact it’s about a group of high school girls, and is one of the defining series in a genre I don’t like, I caved to the pressure and gave it a chance. Let me say right up front, I’m very glad that I did. While Azumanga Daioh does have its cutesy moments, and some guys may have difficulty getting into it because it isn’t what they’d consider the pinnacle of manliness, the show really shines because it’s excellent in just about every way. Even better, it doesn’t fall into the creepy and pedo-riffic trap of constant panty shots other schoolgirl shows feature and its comedy is genuinely funny on several levels. Even if it doesn’t resemble the anime you’d typically watch you owe it to yourself to give this show an honest chance, it will win you over.Azumanga Daioh is a comedy that revolves around the high school experiences of a group of female students. The show begins at the start of their high school careers and the final episode is their graduation. An interesting aspect of the episode structure is that certain school events are repeated each year so the series has, for example, three summer break episodes. The comedy comes from how the eccentric personalities of the girls react to normal everyday situations. All the characters have recurring gags but since the cast is so varied the viewers won’t get burnt out on any particular joke from overuse.My main issue with the schoolgirl anime genre, and the reason I was so hesitant to watch this series in the first place is many studios…..uh…..interesting….approach to underage girls in anime. Basically many series degrade into constant fan service, panty shots everywhere, and it’s difficult for a series to really tie anything worthwhile into that focus. Certain behavior in these series goes beyond disarming satire and, to me, desensitizes you to behavior that should definitely not be considered kosher. If I come off as ethnocentric because of those comments I apologize, but I really don’t see that it’s necessary or morally defensible to blatantly establish underage girls as objects of lust. But anyway, let’s move away from that tangent and back to the review. Azumanga Daioh surprised me by not featuring any of those unnerving moments. Instead of turning the girls into sex goddesses it takes several shots at that sort of behavior by establishing a male teacher as a pervert (he is in fact the only male character in the show) and continually emphasizing through the girls’ reactions that his behavior is not appreciated. The show is very Charlie Brown-esque in the way that the cast is limited and parents are never shown. The series is completely focused on the experiences of the girls and doesn’t stray away from that for a second. It’s also important to note that this show has an excellent ending and is a great example of how a character-driven show should wrap itself up.Azumanga Daioh is as dependent on the personalities of its characters as any anime I’ve ever seen and thankfully the cast never ceases to keep you interested. Each of the girls has a unique outlook on events and the way they band together or clash over simple matters makes up the majority of the comedy. The girls have a constant manic energy that manages to be amusing without ever becoming annoying. Some shows would suffer from a limited cast but Daioh succeeds largely because of that decision. By choosing to highlight only a few characters the viewer can really understand every one of them completely and in many cases see the comedy coming just before it happens which is sometimes more satisfying then a surprise laugh.The soundtrack of Daioh isn’t anything special, but it does manage to get the job done. A handful of tunes are used almost every episode in the series but they’re easy on the ears and viewers probably won’t even notice how often they’re recycled. All the music fits the mood of the show well and while you wouldn’t want to listen to it separately it also won’t detract from the other action onscreen which is good enough for me.To conclude, while Daioh is hardly something I was expecting to enjoy it pleasantly surprised me. While it may not appear to be your cup of tea right away give it a few episodes before passing judgment, more then likely you’ll end up sitting through the whole series and thoroughly enjoy the experience. If more school-based anime was of this quality I’d be a much bigger fan of the genre. Don’t let the generic nature of other schoolgirl shows make you miss out on Azumanga Daioh, it’s the cream of the crop and it isn’t even close.Final Score: 9.0Storyline: GoodAnimation: ExcellentSoundtrack: PassableDub: ExcellentAlso Try: Cromartie High School, FLCL
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