Azumanga Daioh - Reception

Reception

In Japan, the Azumanga Daioh manga was named a jury recommended work of the sixth Japan Media Arts Festival in 2002. The manga was named one of the top 25 manga at the 2006 Japan Media Arts Festival.

English reviewers have commented positively about Azumanga Daioh. In Manga: The Complete Guide, Jason Thompson refers to it as a "charming comedy" and a "quiet master of the four-panel form", praising the series comedic timing and use of running gags. He felt one of the series' best points was its "character-driven writing", but does warn that its moe nature and the jokes that revolve around the "vaguely pedophilic teacher" might disturb some newer readers of manga. He later said that Azumanga Daioh was an "almost totally innocent" kind of moe, centered around "peep at the chaste world of girls", in which "adorable girls do adorable things". The French manga dictionary Dicomanga noted that despite being a moe series targeted to otaku, it also appealed to female readers for celebrating "friendships between girls as well as comedy." Marc Hairston describes Azumanga Daioh as being "slightly disjointed", with "frequently oblique" and "culturally biased" humour, and says it is both "lighter" and "more wry" than Maria-sama ga Miteru. He describes the characters of Azumanga as being "individuals with slightly offbeat personalities". Mark Thomas, writing for Mania.com, says that each character has "a defining personality trait that is ramped up to abnormal levels" and that each has a foil, which highlights these traits and prevents them from becoming too annoying or unbelievable as characters. Thomas said that the yonkoma format does not lend itself to "complex story arcs", and the story is presented as "quick snapshots of random moments in their daily routines", noting that the narrative is character-driven. Patrick King, writing for Anime Fringe, considered it to be "one of the funniest, most adorable manga series I've read". IGN noted the lack of background art, but said that the expressive faces of the characters made up for it.

Fred Patton of Animation World Magazine, described the anime as "delightfully witty and even an educational window onto what Japanese high school life is really like." Chris Beveridge of Anime on DVD, stated that "There's a lot to laugh with here and a cast of characters that grow quickly on you as you start finding those you favor and those you don't." Andrew Shelton from Anime Meta explains that "The character of the girls is extremely well brought out. The superb observation, and ability to capture expression, makes the anime incredibly fun to watch in addition to meeting the story requirements. The action, and very rich comedy, are also wonderfully represented. There is just so much meaning, and charm, in even the most minor of expressions." The reviewers of THEM Anime and Anime News Network felt that fans who had already graduated high school would feel nostalgic at times while watching Azumanga Daioh.

The licensed manga had sales that reached top 100 lists on occasions and was included in the top 25 manga recommended by International Correspondence in Retailers Guide to Anime/Manga. The English dub for the show was well received, earning six ADR Awards from fans voting on AnimeonDVD.com and Dubreview.com. Volumes three, four, and six won "Best Dub of the Month" and Allison Sumrall (Kagura), Kira Vincent-Davis (Osaka) and Christine Auten (Sakaki) won individual "Best Actress of the Month" awards. Four of the girls were included in Newtype Magazine's top 100 anime heroines of 2002: Osaka was awarded 7th, Chiyo 11th, Sakaki 21st, and Yomi 78th. Together they made Azumanga Daioh the second most popular series of 2002 for female characters.