With such awesome things as mechs, magic elves, and personal guardian angels why would anyone ever settle for a plain old slice of life series? It was action packed shows like Cowboy Bebop that sold me on anime, so perhaps you understand my hesitation when I encountered my first anime described simply as “slice of life”. Luckily for me, I decided to dive in and give slice of life a shot and I must say, they're some of the best anime's around. Without a doubt, one of the best, if not the best, representation of slice of life anime, and really, best animes period, is Azumanga Daioh. If you haven't had the chance to see it yet, you really should, and I'll tell you why.

Azumanga Daioh follows the high school lives of six girls, and a couple of their teachers, and the humorous situations in which they find themselves. If I were to recommend an anime to someone completely new to the medium, Azumanga Daioh would definitely be one of my choices because while we all have different interests, we've all experienced growing up and the indelible impact left on us by our friends. For those of you who have seen Lucky Star, there are a fair number of similarities, both in appearance and substance. Both mangas follow a format that resembles the Sunday comics and both shows, as a result, seem like a collection of short moments strung together. But whereas Lucky Star is defined by its sharp wit, Azumanga Daioh has more of a disarming charm. Both, however, find humor in Seinfeld-like observations on life.


Azumanga Daioh focuses primarily on eight characters. There's Chiyo, the 10 year old genius who finds herself in high school with several older girls. Sweet as apple pie, Chiyo works to be friends with her classmates all the while putting them to shame on tests. Chiyo tries to act like a normal high schooler with the ever present problem of being treated like a child by those not in the know.


Then there's Tomo, the hyperactive idiot who motto in life is to do everything with the maximum amount of energy and to not let things like common sense get in the way.

Yomi is the grade school friend of Tomo. A much more low key and down to earth personality, the practical Yomi struggles to tolerate the presence of her overeager childhood friend.

Sakaki is a tall, naturally athletic girl, who is in love with all things cute, particularly cats. She's incredibly shy so she comes off distant and cold, leading everyone to describe her as being “cool” when all she really wants to do it play with cute animals. Constantly misunderstood because she is too shy to speak up, Sakaki always struggles to be seen for who she really is rather than what everyone seems to think she is.

Kagura is the school jock and member of the swim team. She has a one sided rivalry with Sakaki, whom she is always trying to compete with.


Finally there is Osaka. Osaka is great. Inevitably, you'll end up with a favorite character while watching the show and mine is definitely Osaka. Originally I was just going to write a piece on her alone before I decided the entire anime needed some love. Osaka is the school's space cadet, who, while not necessarily dumb, sees the world in a... unique fashion. Whether dreaming about Chiyo's pigtails or attempting to wake up Yukari-sensei, you can count on Osaka to deliver laughs. Imminently likable, any trip into the mind of Osaka is one worth taking. Here, see for yourself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37mPoKQijj8 (possibly the greatest scene ever). (I can't get the embeds to work).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxlC_9zBnDM


The story also features a lot of face time for two of the teachers:
There's Yukari-senei, the violent, hyper competitive English teacher, who often seems to be stuck in a grade school mentality herself, only with the ability to purchase alcohol. Then there's Kurosawa-sensei, the popular PE-teacher and high school friend of Yukari. Unfortunately for Kurosawa, Yukari seems to have interpreted her popularity with the students as some sort of challenge.

The show follows three years of the lives of these people and how they get along (and sometimes don't) with each other. Before you write this off for not having enough action or whatever, you definitely have to check it out. I promise they'll win you over and you'll be pleased you gave it a shot. Why? Because it's the best ever, that's why.


Oh yeah, one more character, Chiyo's dad. Thanks Osaka!

I'll leave you with this closing thought:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXb0hNMI_B0