Manga Review: Azumanga Daioh

Azumanga Daioh by Kiyohiko Azuma has been published in many forms since its creation. It began in the magazine Dengeki Daioh (1999-2002), was collected in four volumes published in both Japanese and English (2003-2004), became a single volume omnibus edition published by ADV Manga (2007), and most recently was released as a newly translated omnibus edition by Yen Press (2009). It is this new omnibus that I chose to read--665 pages of black and white manga, with ten full-color pages interspersed throughout the book. After watching and enjoying part of the anime which was based on the manga, I was eager to read the original material.

The style of this manga is a sharp contrast from most other popular titles. With the exception of three chapters, the entire story is told using the yonkoma format--four-panel comics, with panels arranged vertically and read from the right side of a panel to the left. This particular version retained the original Japanese sound effects, with English translations inserted in tiny print next to the Japanese characters. A similar method was applied to Japanese lettering on signs and clothing, with translations appearing below the panels. The art style is very simplistic and cute, fitting the tone of the manga and leading the reader to focus more on the characters themselves rather than on the artwork.

A typical page from the manga.

The characters are truly the heart of Azumanga Daioh--five high school girls and two of their teachers make up the main cast. The manga begins when the girls enter high school, and concludes three years later as they all graduate (note: Japanese high schools cover the equivalent of American grades 10 through 12). There isn't much of a plot, but rather random scenes from everyday life are highlighted: exams, sports festivals, culture festivals, summer vacations, class trips, study sessions, etc.

Right from the beginning, it becomes clear that each girl has a unique personality that sets her apart from the rest of the group, and their differences are the focus of conflict and comedy.  There is Chiyo, the ten-year-old child prodigy; Tomo, the energetic loudmouth; Yomi, who rarely fails in her studies but always fails at her diets; Sakaki, calm and quiet and a lover of cute animals; and Osaka, an extremely odd new student who moved from the city of Osaka at the beginning of the series. Added to the group are two of their teachers: Yukari, who is almost like an older version of Tomo, and Minamo, the far more serious and responsible of the two. Very little backstory is given, but Azumanga Daioh isn't the kind of story that relies heavily on events of the past. All emphasis is on the events of the present and the interactions of the characters.

The story starts out as a very light-hearted comedy, and it retains this feeling all the way to the final page. Towards graduation time, there are a few moments of bittersweet nostalgia, as the girls are accepted into different colleges and begin to walk their separate ways. However, young Chiyo points out, "Even after graduation...we're still together." There isn't a huge moral lesson to be taught, or any overarching theme to take away. Read it simply for the enjoyment of it. Get to know the characters, learn their quirks, laugh at their comedic antics. I greatly enjoyed Azumanga Daioh, and I would absolutely recommend it to anyone.

Final Project!

For my project, I've decided to create an original story and draw only the first chapter, as the entire story would be far too long to complete by the end of the semester. I plan to create my comic by drawing images with pencil and paper, scanning them, arranging these pencil drawings in panels using the Manga Studio program, and finishing with lineart and shading in either Manga Studio or Photoshop. The comic will be black and white, styled similarly to Japanese manga (which makes it very interesting to draw pages, as the right-to-left format of manga has become second-nature to me and I have to concentrate on remembering that English goes from left-to-right). I was originally aiming for approximately 20 pages (around the length of a manga chapter released in a weekly magazine), but after sketching some pages and seeing how the story progressed, I believe the total page count may be closer to 25 or even 30.

The story opens by introducing one of the two main characters--an 18-year-old by the name of Juno Alexander. While walking home from work one night, Juno discovers a young girl out by herself, and attempts to help the girl get back home. But "home" for this child is a laboratory that she has just escaped from--she is not human, but a highly advanced robot called A.L.I.C.E., the Artificial Learning Intelligent Child Experiment. After hearing Alice's tale of torturous experiments and dreams of the outside world, Juno decides that no matter what, she cannot send the girl back to her creators. Juno's older brother James, however, has other plans; he believes Alice was stolen and fears that it would jeopardize his plans to become a detective if Juno refuses to return Alice and ends up with a criminal record. He calls the police, but before they arrive, Juno and Alice escape.

I will be the first to admit that writing is definitely not my strong point; I chose to use this idea because of the smaller cast of characters (Juno, Alice, and James) and the limited amount of time to complete the project. The names "Juno Alexander" and "James Alexander" have not been definitely decided on, they may still change before the project is finished.

Characters

Juno Alexander: 18 years old. High school graduate, failed to get into any colleges. Recently moved from her parent's home in a city suburb to her older brother's apartment in the city. Intelligent, but slacked off in high school, resulting in very poor grades and nearly dropping out. Loud, kind-hearted, doesn't always think things through before speaking or acting.

A.L.I.C.E. (Alice): 4 years old, appears to be 10 or 11. An experiment to test the limits of artificial intelligence. Impossible to tell at first glance that she isn't human. Programming has not yet been completed, she is using the first prototype of her software and still has much to learn. Created by very nerdy engineers, her database contains a rather large amount of information about video games and comics, but her social skills are somewhat lacking. Shy, naive, very trusting of others.

James Alexander: 21 years old. College student, studying criminal justice. Plans to join the police force after graduation, wants to be a detective someday. Likes teasing Juno and pointing out her mistakes. Hard-working, stubborn, very strong sense of justice.

Sketches

Juno

First drawing.

 

Portrait

Practicing hair, different angles, different expressions.

Alice

First drawing (kinda messed up the profile a bit, need to practice that).

Pose practice.

Pages 1-9