Customer Reviews

Azumanga Daioh

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This item ISBN 1435230620 is Vol. 2 of the Azumanga Daioh series.

Due to a linking error this page was linked to the new release of the "omnibus edition of Azumanga Daioh"(ISBN:0316077380) as the library binding format option. Please note the product description on this page is not the 672 page 'Omnibus' edition of the entire series. The omnibus release from the new distributor Yenpress in library binding format is not available from this page.

If you ended up on this product page looking for the library binding format of the new omnibus release from Yenpress go back to the privious page and order the paperback format. If you order from this page you will get the 168 page vol. 2 of the series in a nice library binding.

I hope Amazon will correct this linking error but because all of the responses from them have been worded in ways that ignore or deny any mistake and do not indicate any intent to fix the problem I am placing this review to inform anyone that wants the new omnibus release of Azumanga Daioh to buy the paperback format or wait for Amazon to correct the link for the library binding format.

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.

I resisted getting into Azumanga Daioh because the art made it seem too 'cutesy'. Well, I was wrong. ^.^

Azumanga Daioh may be a 'slice of life' manga, but it's certainly not boring. The pace may seem slow for some readers, but things do happen in this manga. Hilarious things. :D

This omnibus edition comes from Yen Press, and at well over 600 pages, it's a pretty big volume. :D

At the end of the book, there's an index listing(if you want to find a particular story), and throughout the book there are informative translation notes(such as explaining word puns, pop culture,etc). The quality of the paper is really good, and thus the b/w artwork is represented well.

NOTE: This 2009 Yen Press edition has translation that is different from previous releases(when the Azumanga Daioh manga was licensed/released by ADV).

If you're a fan of Azumanga Daioh, this omnibus from Yen Press is definitely worth the money. The book is huge, and in beautiful quality, with color inserts throughout the book. But what really shines here is the translation. If you felt that ADV's translation was lacking, you might like this version a lot better. Yen Press has preserved a lot of things that ADV had previously taking out, ranging from honorfics to entire cultural jokes. (For example, in the ADV version, Tomo tells Osaka that if she was REALLY Osakan, she'd have a meatball sandwich... In this, she says that Osaka would have takayaki, which is obviously a better translation.) Granted, some things were still changed to fit an American audience (Osaka was given a southern accent, similar to the English dub fo the anime), but it still managed to stay close to the original.

All in all, it's a great book. I'd recommend this to just about anybody!

It is hard to express my love of Azumanga Daioh, it stands with Genshiken as my favorite slice-of-life manga ever written. Unlike Genshiken though, I feel that Azumanga is easily accessible to all readers.

There's not much of a plot, it simply follows the lives of some high school girls from their first year to the last semester. It's funny, lighthearted and every page is a joy to read. I once heard Azumanga described as feeling like a "you had to be there" sort of joke. Explaining the humor of the series can never do it justice, but as you're reading (or watching the wonderful anime adaptation) you feel as if you're in on the joke.

I own both the Yen Press and the now out of print ADV Manga version. I have to say that the Yen Press version wins hands down. The translation is much better, and the notes at the end of each section are helpful for those who may not get the more "Japanese" jokes. As a bonus, many of the illustrations are in color in the Yen Press version, which is a nice addition.

I honestly don't believe I could say anything that hasn't already been said by other reviewers. Really, go read them.

Anyways, this manga could easily be summarized as "cute girls doing cute things", because that's all there is to it. Azumanga Daioh chronicles the life of a group of Japanese schoolgirls as they make their way through high school. Yomi, the straight man, Tomo, the hyper goofball, Sasaki, an intimidating girl who's outer appearance contains her sweet nature, Kagura, a competitive sportsman, Osaka, an airheaded transfer student, and Chiyo, a 10-year-old child prodigy, as well as their teachers the child-like Yukari, and their gym-teacher Nyamo.

There's no overarching plot for the manga, as its delivered through gags in the form of yokoma, a 4-panel strip that could be compared to the Western Sunday Funnies. For the most part, Azumanga Daioh keeps a light-hearted humor that everyone can appreciate, although there might be times where it jumps into questionable territory, especially with the side-characters Kaorin, a girl with a huge crush on Sasaki, and Kimura, a teacher with an affinity for high school girls. Other stories include the bizarre dreams of our students.

I have to warn anyone who buys this that a lot of the humor is intended for the Japanese, and although the translators did an amazing job at bringing this to the masses, some gags and jokes may simply go over our heads. This is properly handled, however, in that after each volume (the book is a compilation of 4 volumes), there's translator notes fully explaining the jokes and gags that Westerners may have a hard time understanding. Even if some of the humor doesn't get you, it's still worth going over eveyrthing, if only to appreciate the adorable and simplistic art-style Azumanga Daioh has to offer.

As I said before, I may not be able to do this product justice, as the other reviewers have already done a great job at it. All I can say is that Azumanga Daioh is timeless, and it's an amusing read no matter how many times one goes through it. Due to it's plotless format, one can sit down, open any page, and get a kick out of it. From the moments you get introduced to our colorful characters, to the tear-jerking finale, Azumanga is a must-read for most, if not all, manga fans. I'm sure even people who have no interest in anime could learn to appreciate the book.

If you're interested in everyday life in another country, or just a nice slice of life story - Azumanga Daioh is for you. It's also a great example of the less well-known in the West 'four panel' style for manga, not unlike our comic book strips compared to comic books.

The book follows a group of high school friends throughout their years of high school - no dramatic love interests, magical amulets, or drama. It's the mundane turned interesting, and it ends up being an absolutely fascinating peek into the everyday life. I don't really know how to describe it other than absolutely charming. It's about exams and sports days and summer vacations and studying and dieting and being young, and it's a universal story that everyone can relate a little bit to.

Each section has a list at the end of explanations and translations about the Japanese context of the book that I found especially interesting.

This edition is a great one, it has the whole collection so you don't have to get a ton of little volumes. I hate collecting volumes. My only complaint is that because of the thickness, my book's binding was clearly having difficulties - it got a big thick line down the middle during the first reading, but is holding together fine. I don't know how long it would last with constant referencing, however.

Azumanga Daioh is one of those comics which is easy to pick up and start reading, but very difficult to put down. Not that it has a compelling plot: it doesn't really have one. However, it makes up for that in spades by having some of the most compelling and offbeat characters to ever grace the pages of a comic. Sakaki's secret love for all things cute wrapped in a cool exterior. Tomo's boundless energy and love/hate relationship with Yomi. Osaka's...indescribably unusual ability to be Osaka. Miss Yukari's bizarre selfish outbursts. The characters here become more three dimensional than a lot of characters in movies ever become.

Couple that together with the situations they land themselves in and you've got a book that will have you grinning from ear to ear every time you read a few pages. Samples include the sports festivals, vacation at the Chiyo's Summer House, Chiyo and Osaka working at Magnetron Burger, the Culture Fest, the school trip to Okinawa. You get Sakaki's adventures with cats, Osaka's apparent obsession with Chiyo's pigtails, Miss Yukari constantly competing against(or sponging money from) Nyamo, Mr Kimura's creepy thing with young girls...so many humorous moments that will make you smile.

If you've seen the anime you'll love this. If you haven't, you'll still love this. Well worth the money.

I have annoyed many people on the train by laughing too much while reading this. But I can't help it. It's just so good! Osaka is the best!

This series was one of my favorites as a young teen, and to this day I think I can still call it my favorite manga series. This light-hearted, amusing, and heartwarming slice-of-life series follows the journeys of six different girls through their three years of secondary education, and along the way we meet some interesting secondary characters such as the girls' teachers. It's funny and a real day-brigthener, and never has the series looked so good as in the omnibus. This features all four books smashed into one big volume, and it includes a MUCH improved translation of the text. I even found myself enjoying this book tremendously more than the four volumes on their own (I even though this book was a waste of money when I first picked it up, but sometimes your gut very well can be correct.) Bottom line is, if you want a light-hearted read that will have you smiling and even laughing for the rest of the day, this is the manga for you.