Azumanga Daioh, Vol. 2: Festivals (2003)
Review by Dindrane
Film:
DVD:

Based upon the manga by Kiyohiko Azuma
Directed by Hiroshi Nishikiori

Features:

• Translator notes
  
• Production sketches
  
• Reversible cover
  
• Clean opening and closing
  

Dindrane's Anime Warnings:

• Sad, lonely stuffed animals
• Perverted middle aged man
• Bad trip dreams
• Sakaki's quest to pet a cat continues

Released by: ADV
Region: 1
Rating: 13+
Anamorphic: N/A; appears in its original 1.33:1 format.

My Advice: Buy it now (and the manga, too)!

Azumanga Daioh is one of the cutest and cleverest shows to appear on the scene in the last year. It's vaguely surreal, but basically a slice-of-life show that follows a group of friends through their school year. This year, Sakaki, Yomi, and the rest are sophomores; the first episode begins with a look at the sports fest, class against class, Yukari vs. Minamo. We're also treated to some segments that show the dreams the various characters have, especially Kasuga (aka Osaka). One of the best episodes centers on the Culture Festival, where we get to see Sakaki indulge her secret love for all things kitteny and cute.

One of the greatest things about this show, and the manga that inspired it, is that it can successfully tread the line between cute and saccharine. Slice of life shows can also be a bit dull, unless the characters are interesting and the plots amusing; luckily, Azumanga Daioh has both great characters and fun plots.

As an aside, you might need to just ignore the perverted old man, Mr. Kimura. It is, of course, inappropriate for a teacher of students of any age to see them sexually, but especially when the students in question are underage. Of course, Kaorin's stalking of Sakaki is a bit creepy at times, too. As Tomo proves while wearing the cat mascot suit, there's a fine line between cute and scary.

The audio and video are both excellent. The colors are a bit soft and watercolor-like for the most part, an aesthetic choice by the creators. The result is a more peaceful, gentler overall look and feel to the show. The production quality is top notch, and there's nothing to complain about here.

The features list is basically what it was like for the last volume, and again, the star of the list is the set of translator's notes on the DVD insert. We get several pages of interesting annotations on the episode and Japanese life in general; all those things that the Japanese take for granted as common knowledge are all interesting and cool to we benighted Americans. There are also a few times, such as when Osaka names one of the stuffed animals "Hanshi," where we really need the notes to make sense of what we're seeing.

Interspersed with the notes are several nice stills from the show, as well, including one cute one of Sakaki and Osaka in their café cat-ears. There's also a nice set of staff comments in the liner notes and some cool images of everything from Mr. Tadakichi to the boy's yearly uniforms, as well. You also get a splendid set of production sketches and a clean opening and closing, and the DVD case itself has a great reversible cover featuring Osaka this time. Most excellent.

Azumanga Daioh is a safe bet for girls of all ages, from childhood to old age. Men are likely to like this show, too, if they love any girls who love cute things, or if they yearn for their own high school years. Just avoid being a Mr. Kimura. People interested in knowing a bit more about what your average Japanese high school girl's life is like will enjoy this one, too. If, like Sakaki, you have a secret fondness for cute things, little cat ears, and huggable plushies, then you'll not only enjoy this show, but love it. If nothing else, it's worth watching just to see Sakaki finally get to pet a furry friend in safety.