Azumanga Daioh

There's some talk of Azumanga Daioh floating around /b/ all the time. I thought it might be a good anime, so when I saw the first two episodes of it on TV (dubbed and probably edited) I checked it out. Didn't find it too interesting, though. Not very funny, not really dramatic, no gripping plot. I've seen a few animes and enjoyed them a lot - FLCL, Evangelion, Fushigi Yuugi, Yu Yu Hakusho, Angel Sanctuary, Serial Experiments Lain - but I didn't see any appeal Azumanga Daioh.

My question is, what do you guys think of it, and if you like it, what's so great about it? Did I maybe miss something in the editing or the dubbing? Does it get better later on?

2GET

watch it subbed. A LOT of humor comes from the brilliant voice acting, wich they butchered in the dub.

There isn't much to edit in Azumanga Daioh for TV broadcast, so I doubt you had to worry about that. The dub voices were pretty accurate, from the episode or two I saw, but the delivery wasn't quite as good, which is a pretty big deal for comedy. Still, keep in mind that Azumanga is very low-key, dry humor, and it will stay that way throughout. I don't think that switching the language is really going to get you to enjoy it any more than you already did.

Oh, and you're definitely in the wrong place if you're looking for drama and a gripping plot. That's not Azumanga's intent at all.

>>5

Well, it doesn't necessarily need drama or plot, but hell, it needs SOMEthing.

It's an anime made from a 4-panel gag-comic, so not really any plot here. I guess you need to be an open person to like this show.

I like it :]

It has SOMEthing. It's called heart. Personally, a slice of life show like Azumanga is a nice break between heavy dramas and save the world video games.

doh, i failed sage

lol, even with a sage button.

Alright, I'll check it out again sometime, and I'll go for the subbed version. Maybe I'll like it more after watching more episodes.

It's like Seinfeld - "A show about nothing", but set in a Japanese  High School.

>>11
Ugh, I understand some people like Seinfeld, but please don't compare Azumanga to it.  They're hardly alike; the similarity ends with the shows being about nothing in particular.  Azumanga has some definite themes, continuing developments, and intelligent humor and musings between the lines.  Seinfeld is good actors trying to make bad jokes funny.

Well, maybe the type of humor in Azumanga is just... different. In fact, so different I actually burst out laughing watching the 1st episode. I suggest the subbed version does more justice!

Azumanga Daioh is so adorable and awesome that you will completely fall in love with the characters, and if you don't cry at the end of episode 24 you have no heart and must kill yourself.

>>14
I didn't cry :>

>>14

>>15

>>19

I cried during the five minute "movie"

>>19

--FROM LACK OF LAUGHTER

I'm glad that Azumanga Catchphrases: The Movie wasn't the only thing made.

Ive seen a lot of anime and Azumanga Daioh Is on the top. Because its just well different! anyway I dont know how anyone can tolerate the dub to this. I mean I dislike dubs In general. But I thought the Azumanga Daioh was complete crap I wanted to vomit. But its one of those series that just shouldnt be dubbed.

>>1 ...FLCL, Evangelion, Fushigi Yuugi, Yu Yu Hakusho, Angel Sanctuary, Serial Experiments Lain...

Considering the list you have there... Azu might not be for you.

Btw Azumanga Daioh is seriously good anime. Azu fans! Go watch / read Yotsubato! It's by the same mangaka so but its not in 4 panel format!

>>21

I seriously think most of the dub aversion is just hearing another voice come out of the character's mouth. I know it's why I still predominantly watch subbed stuff. I'll watch stuff in English sometimes, and think "that was perfectly fine voice acting, but it's not THE SAME voice acting". There isn't anything WRONG, per se, with English Chiyo's voice work, she's just not the exact same voice as the Japanese Chiyo. Yet she is the exact same kind of high-pitched child voice; just in English. I don't think the fans will be happy until they hear a dub that actually completely replicates the sound of the Japanese voice actors (never mind that that's completely impossible for a billion reasons and completely unfair to expect of an actor). You want bad dubs? Check out early anime releases where they rewrote the script, used BAD actors as opposed to good ones. Not that that doesn't go on, in some cases, but Azumanga? That's miles from bad dubbing.

>>3
How could you tell if the voice acting is better if you can't understand Japanese? I don't understand.
>>23
Yeah, it'd seem like worse voice acting because english is a bad language anyway. For it being dubbed in english, I think it's pretty good.

>>24
How could you tell if the voice acting is better if you can't understand Japanese? I don't understand.

You can still tell that someone isn't speaking naturally.

It's not what they say, but how they express it. The original Japanese voice actors usually express certain feelings in their speech that the English sctors can't do as well. Sometimes the voice of a character is better suited to them in Japanese than in English. The tone and such

if you like comic strips like peanuts or calvin and hobbes azumanga would be appealing. otherwise probably not. personally love it.

if you like comic strips like peanuts or calvin and hobbes azumanga would be appealing. otherwise probably not. personally love it.

GF lived in japan for 4~ish years and is bi-lingual. Says anime is better in japanese, more expressive and believable.

I take her word for it. Besides, azudai was the series that got her into anime. Now she cant get enough of it

Azumanga Daioh isn't about drama or plot at all; it's about a bunch of quirky friends going through three years of high school. I love it for the mixture of heart, comedy, and sheer weirdness. If you like it, you should check out Ichigo Mashimaro too.

I've only seen a few episodes of the dub, but I thought it was decent (and I know enough Japanese to watch it without subtitles if I really want to). It's got so much Japanese cultural stuff that the show was guaranteed to lose some of its nuances when dubbed in English, but I think the translators did a reasonably good job, and were actually fairly creative about it. Like when Kagura offered to help someone at the train station and it turned out to be a Westerner, instead of flailing around going "Help! Help Meee!" in English, she's going, "El Helpo? Das Help?! HELPA MIA!!" On the other hand you should accept no substitutes when it comes to Osaka dialect.

Don't forget Yukari's extended "I know English" rant. "It's said zat most Japnese have unique kyaracter of shame. I am like that kyaracter, and am proud of it very much..." XD

>>30

yeah, osaka is the only one who's really out of place in that dub, because her accent just isn't translatable, so you get Southern Osaka, who kind of sort of gives you a little bit of the idea, but not really.

ok, I was looking at this anime and you people have just disgusted me away from it, if a bunch of people that just repeat them selfs over and over idioticly love this show I have no interest in it

>>33
Yes, because that's how you make sensible decisions in life. "Lots of people love something, so I must therefore hate it without even trying it for myself".

Like someone else said; if you like calvin and hobbes, you'll like Azumanga Daioh. I'd also say it's a lot like Bloom County too. There's no real action or drama; it's just a sweet slice-of-life type of series.

That said, if someone likes Azu, but hates most over the top stuff (for instance, mecha) what would be good for them to look for (besides yotsuba; which is on my to-get list)?

>>34

I didn't say it was because lots of people love it, I said it was because you all go on about it idioticly and repeat yourself over and over, it is sickening

>>36

No one can describe what Azumangadaioh is.  You have to see it for... ah screw it.

i'm in the middle of watching the it. i love it so far! i enjoy 'getting to know' characters like that. thats why i like RPG games, you get to learn about the characters personality and how they think. it may seem odd but i really like character devlopment like that

>>27
>>35
Signed. I loved Peanuts when I was younger, and something about Azu reminds me a lot of the old CBS specials, which is why I like it.

Speaking of Peanuts, I flipped through the first volume of the new hardcover complete collection a few days ago. Schultz did some amazing shit in those early years, I was surprised with some of the stuff he got away with at the time.