Azumanga Daioh: Collected Edition [Paperback]

Unlike most manga series, "Azumanga Daioh" doesn't have a real plot. Or chapters. Or anything major happening.

But despite those odd facts, this delightful little series is one of the few schoolcentric manga that I've read and enjoyed -- a comic exploration of the oddball lives of a gang of young high school girls and a few equally eccentric young teachers. "Azumanga Daioh" doesn't delve too deeply into characters' lives or anything non-fluffy -- Kiyohiko Azuma's stories charm just by being adorable and a little strange.

High school has begun, and there's a crop of new students -- among them is the quiet, tall cat-lover Sakaki, ten-year-old genius Chiyo-chan, the impulsive and freakishly energetic Tomo, the sensible Yomi, athletic Kagura, and a spacey transfer student from Osaka named Ayumu (but who is always called "Osaka" instead). The assorted teens are taught (I use the term loosely) by their immature, mildly bipolar teacher Yukari, and her exasperated gym-teacher buddy "Nyamo."

Over the next four years, the students and teachers must deal with all the normal stuff -- biting cats, contemplations of teen life, ball games, field trips, working at a thinly-disguised McDonald's, swimming woes, visits to Chiyo-chan's summer house and the beach, running for class president (Tomo nominated herself! Aiee!), footraces, the right way to separate chopsticks, random trivia, the Necoconeco, hiccups, Sakaki's secret vice, talking to foreigners, horrendous driving, Chiyo's massive dog, Mr. Kimura's creepy love for teen girls, a sports festival and a stuffed animal exhibit festival.

And to add to all the weirdness, we occasionally see inside their dreams -- think serving penguins, big weird cats, flying parasitic pigtails, and (most implausibly) Tomo getting better grades than Chiyo.

"Azumanga Daioh" isn't really like any other manga I've seen -- it has a couple of "normal" chapters, but most of the time it's rendered in vertical four-panel strips, like daily comic strips. It also has only a few running storylines (such as Sakaki and the little endangered cat), although it does have some fun running gags -- and though there are a spattering of male characters on the sidelines (including the ghoulish Mr Kimura and a horde of nameless boys), it's almost completely focused on young women.

But despite having pretty much no plot, "Azumanga Daioh" is adorable and charming fluff. Azuma takes the ordinary stuff of everyday life (like chatting at school) and gives it a delightfully offbeat twist (poor Chiyo having graphic flashbacks to Yukari's driving). She has a knack for finding the goofy stuff in fairly ordinary life (various methods of curing hiccups) and amplifying it just a little -- while inserting some sly jokes as well.

And the cast of characters is pretty fun -- Sakaki is especially endearing, since she seems imposing and distant, but is actually shy and sentimental (especially about cute stuff); Chiyo is endearing thanks to her short size and conscientious worrywartiness. And the insanely energetic Tomo and surreal-minded space cadet "Osaka" make nice accompaniments, as do Nyami and Yukari, who are sort of a Japanese educational Odd Couple. Except with pillow stealing and payday dances.

It's worth noting that this omnibus is not a rerelease of the previous omnibus edition. The old one was by ADV (who have since sold their rights), and this Yen Press release is an entirely new translation that sticks closer to the original Japanese in many ways (f'rinstance, people refer to yen instead of dollars).

This omnibus -- which contains all of "Azumanga Daioh" -- is simple, fluffy, and all the more charming for being so. It's not so much a slice of life as a hundred delicious little crumbs.

When this arrived, I cursed myself. I'd made a mistake and ordered the wrong thing. Why the heck would *I* want to read cutesy stories about a class of schoolgirls???

Five minutes later I was laughing out loud and blessing whatever gods or goddesses of mischance had sent this wonderful book in my direction.

The format is a bit unlike the usual manga layout - mostly this book takes the form of a series of little 4-frame strips (Just like Peanuts). Initially I thought this was going to be much too limiting, but it really isn't. While most of the 4-panel strips are self-contained, they also sometimes flow together into longer overall stories.

In terms of 'story', this isn't the kind of thing I would ever usually read - nothing supernatural, no violence, not much risqué stuff! - but these characters are just so lovable that they won me over. As I worked my way through this (huge) volume, I really never wanted it to end. I'm already looking forward to reading it all again and getting to know the girls even better.

Beyond any shadow of doubt, the most enjoyable and engaging manga I've yet read.

Oh, and you should also hunt out the DVD series, which I've now seen. Great fun!!

Having really enjoyed the anime series, I figured I should probably get the manga, and when I saw the omnibus edition being re-released, I didn't have any hesitations buying it.

Firstly, I'll say that the release date on this page is wrong. It was released December '09, not February '10. I was pleasantly surprised to have it delivered to me about two months earlier than I was expecting to have it.

Secondly, I'll say that there's a lot more book than I was expecting for the price. I know it's an omnibus and 600 pages, but I wasn't quite expecting it to be as chunky as it was. Given the standard price of manga volumes, this is very good value for money in terms of quantity.

It's also excellent value for money in terms of quality. It's just as funny, if not more so, than the TV series. The characters are portrayed really well, and Azuma does a great job of bringing the reader into the manga and connecting the reader emotionally with the characters. As with his Yotsuba&! series, it's extremely funny, and it's a really great book to have for a little bit of light-hearted humour every day. You can really just open it at a random page, read for a a few minutes, and find yourself laughing out loud and in a good mood for the next few hours.

Must-buy for anyone who enjoys the anime series and doesn't already own the manga, and I'd strongly recommend it to anyone who wants a bit of humour and isn't put off by the cutesy appearance, because this is definitely funny for adults and not aimed at children.