Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
:), 3 May 2004
Azumanga is certainly different. Composed of 4-panel shorts ending in a subtle punchline, the stars are a small group of schoolgirls and their teachers in high school. They seem cliche at first - the cute one, the loud one, the intelligent one - but they develop well. The punchlines are often small and sweet, raising a smile, but some can really make you giggle. Great for a normal read or for dipping into.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
So wrong and yet so perfect, 1 Aug 2006
Structually, Azumanga is terrible, there's no real story line and quite a few main characters. However, it doesn't matter that there is no typical storyline, such as saving the world, as the reader becomes so attached to the characters, that they can't wait to see how they will do in their exams, no matter how trivial this may seem.
There are many characters, but each one has their own personality, and each is so fantastically funny in their own way.
It is difficult to describe the comedy of Azumanga, as it is unlike anything else. It also has a certain innocence to it that makes the whole series incredibly cute and heartwarming. This makes some people believe that it is for children, but it's not. There are a number of jokes in Azumanga that aren't suitable for children, but through these it still manages to keep its innocence. It's like when a cute kitten scratches something up.
To sum up, Azumanga Daioh is, in my opinion, the greatest manga ever, and will remain so for some time. Definitely worth your money.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Azumanga Daioh complete series review, 31 Jul 2007
Azumanga Daioh was one of the first series released by the manga division of ADV - and did they do well.
This series doesn't seem that exciting at first. There are no giant robots. No super-heros. No saving the world. No love triangles. No monsters. No aliens. No fights in outer-space. This series is just pure comedy.
The layout of Azumanga Daioh is also different compared to other manga series. It is mostly in "yonkoma" format, which consists of 4-panel vertical comic strips which each involve a gag of some sort.
So without a huge epic plot to hold it together, how has Azumanga become so popular? It's just about a group of high-school girls, going about their everyday lives. They do their school work together, participate in school sports days and events, enjoy summer holidays together... and that's just about it.
However, each character in Azumanga is different, such as the cute 10-year-old prodigy Chiyo, the athletic and tall Sakaki, and the rather slow Osakan... Osaka. As you follow their lives, it'll be easy to pick your favourite (my personal favourite being Osaka, who I believe is one of the best anime/manga characters of all time!). Even though nothing extraordinary happens, this series is just packed full of funny moments and jokes, and you'll end up smiling and eventually laughing out loud as each character has their own quirks. It is hard to describe the humour - just see for yourself.
ADV has presented this series very well. The books are slightly bigger than the regular size from Tokyopop and Viz Media. Each book comes with a few colour pages at the beginning, and there are translation notes included in the back of volumes 3 and 4. It's a shame they didn't have these translation notes in the first two volumes, but perhaps they were not required. A good idea though if you're considering this as a Christmas present: There is an omnibus edition of Azumanga Daioh being published in Novemeber 2007 which compiles all four volumes of the series into one big book. It might be a bit awkward to read such a big book, but something some people might want to consider.
As I said before, this series is just pure comedy. Although I recommend that you read the volumes in order, it is easy to just pick up a book, flip to a random page and find yourself laughing. If you find yourself wanting more, then I would also recommend the anime series (also available from ADV) which is a loyal adaptation of the manga. This series is only 4 volumes long, and is, I think, an essential part of anybody's manga collection. A worthwhile purchase you won't regret!
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