High school... for many of us it's a time in our lives we remember with contempt, a time when we and everyone around us was struggling to find their identities and otherwise dealing with angst and personal struggles. Azumanga Daioh is a show that follows the lives of a few girls and highlights mostly the lighter side of high school.
Set in modern-day Japan, this show has only a skeleton plot, simply following the yearly cycle of events as the wonderful characters live through their high school years, but the characters are so well developed that they drive the story and make this an extremely enjoyable show. Azumanga Daioh does so many things right that other shows fail to do, most importantly, it doesn't try to be something it's not. It's purely a cute and hilarious comedy that doesn't force anything extraneous, and because of it, the show seems so much more real. The characters seem like people you really know, all with their own special quirks, and we get to experience their thoughts and feelings along with them. This is one of my very favorite animes, with many lovable characters and scenes that left lasting impressions on me. It would likely be rated G, or maybe a very weak PG, mostly clean innocent fun for all ages.
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Main Characters:
Ayumu "Osaka" Kasuga VAs: Yuki Matsuoka and Kira Vincent-Davis.
A transfer student from Osaka, Japan, (hence the nickname), Osaka is a dreamer... a daydreamer in fact. She's a poor student, constantly thinking about weird things or sleeping instead of paying attention in class, but her mind just works differently than other people's. She hangs out a lot with Chiyo-chan, and both of them are completely inept at sports.
Chiyo Mihama VAs: Tomoko Kaneda and Jessica Boone.
Chiyo-chan is a young, rich genius girl that skipped middle-school. She's a kind person and thinks about other people's feelings, but still gets picked on because she's so small, and she gets excellent grades. She lives in a huge mansion and has a pet dog.
Kagura VAs: Houko Kuwashima and Allison Sumrall.
Transferring from Ms. Kurosawa's class when the girls start their 2nd year, Kagura is a fun-loving sports enthusiast. She declares herself to be Sakaki's rival, and basically invites herself into the group of friends. She's not especially bright, but she goes after what she wants, and works hard for her sports clubs.
Kaorin VAs: Sakura Nogawa and Tiffany Grant.
Kaorin is one of the class representatives, and because of her extracurricular activities, doesn't get a chance to really be part of the main "clique" in this show. She really wishes she could be though, as she has a massive crush on Sakaki. Kaorin also seems to get special attention from Mr. Kimura, which is something she really can't stand.
Mr. Kimura VAs: Kouji Ishii and Andy McAvin.
Mr. Kimura is the only significant male character in the show, and he's certainly no role model. As the classical literature teacher, he's a freaky guy that makes no effort to hide the fact that he has a thing for high school girls. He's mostly harmless, but he lacks any sort of tact, and often says about the worst thing he could possibly say in any given situation. It doesn't help that he looks scary and has a wierd voice, either. Oddly enough though, he has a beautiful, loving wife and a daughter at home.
Koyomi "Yomi" Mizuhara VAs: Rie Tanaka and Nancy Novotny.
Yomi is quite possibly the most mature character in this show. She's intelligent, thoughtful, and treats people how they deserve to be treated. She's a little sensitive about her weight, but she doesn't let it get her down, and isn't someone to be trifled with since she's not afraid to give even her friends a piece of her mind... or a smack upside the head. She's been close friends with Tomo ever since they started elementry school.
Minamo "Nyamo" Kurosawa VAs: Aya Hisakawa and Monica Rial.
Ms. Kurosawa is the school's P.E. teacher, and is very popular amongst the students. She really cares about her students, and does that little bit extra to make class fun. She and Ms. Yukari have been friends since they were in school, and Yukari is the one who gave her the nickname "Nyamo." Nyamo is the mature and responsible one in their relationship, much like Yomi is with Tomo.
Sakaki VAs: Yuu Asakawa and Christine Auten.
Sakaki is a tall, beautiful girl that everyone in school thinks is very cool. She's quiet, great at sports and mostly keeps to herself, and is kind of intimidating to people who don't know her. Under the tough exterior though, Sakaki just adores all things cute, especially animals.
Tomo Takino VAs: Chieko Higuchi and Mandy Clark.
Tomo is an extremely hyper, excitable girl that is constantly going full-blast. She's kind of mean, and doesn't think about other people's feelings, preferring to just do whatever comes natural to her, which more often than not is challenging someone to a competition she can't win. She has a big ego, but she just wants to have fun.
Yukari Tanizaki VAs: Akiko Hiramatsu and Luci Christian.
Ms. Yukari is the girls' self-centered, jealous, lazy and short-tempered homeroom teacher. She also teaches languages, but she really doesn't care much about her work, and she's a very poor role-model for her students. She's also a horrible driver, and usually is the one getting overly drunk when she and Nyamo go out.
Other Characters:
Chihiro VAs: Akane Omae and Hillary Haag.
Ms. Yukari's other class representative along with Kaorin.
Chiyo's Father VAs: Norio Wakamoto and Jason Douglas.
This strange cat-like creature appeared in Sakaki's dream and played the role of Chiyo's father. He appears in several other spots, mostly in Sakaki's imagination.
Sakaki often sees this cat as she travels between school and home... and every time she tries to pet it, it bites her. This subplot becomes pretty silly.
Mrs. Kimura VAs: Sayaka Ohara and Kaytha Coker.
Although she makes only a couple appearances at school, Mrs. Kimura gives off the impression of a lovely woman that truly cares about her husband. The girls can't understand how Mr. Kimura is married to such a kind person.
Mr. Tadakichi
Chiyo's pet dog, Mr. Tadakichi is rather large (maybe a Golden Lab), but has a calm, gentle demeanor. When Sakaki visits Chiyo's home, she grows attached to him.
Yamamaya
This wild cat makes Sakaki's dreams come true when it walks up to her and lets her pet it. She falls completely in love, and luckily Chiyo offers to keep it at her house since Sakaki's parents are allergic.
Favorite images:
~ Ratphlegm
~ mantis4400
This page created by Ratphlegm
