Azumanga Daioh Volume 1: Entrance! - Denkyu.Com
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- Tcov
- 06/01/04
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Azumanga Daioh Vol. 1: DVD & English Dub Review
Written by tcov
I'll admit. I never thought Azumanga Daioh would ever get licensed back when it debuted on the air in Japan. It's one of those shows that is too good to watch and too complex for a regular U.S. audience to understand. But since the anime market has grown like a rash and ADV has money growing on trees, we are blessed with a region 1 release of this wonderful series.
And why is it so wonderful? Is it because it has a unique story with a goal in mind? Well, no, not exactly. In fact, there really is no conflict the characters strive for. It is just good wholesome fun all the way through.
The element that captured my interest is the character lineup. We start with Yukari, a high school teacher, riding her bike to school but gets caught with a loose chain and can't fix it. A student stops to help her while she overreacts (a natural quality of hers), but Yukari goes to steal his bike and leaves him with her bike. I thought it was a brilliant way to start the show. What comes next is also great, when we are introduced to new student, the 10 year old prodigy Chiyo, followed by the 'tsukurimashou' song where she cooks something up while singing a cute tune.
There are 5 little episodes within each episode, each with its own title. Nothing ever goes in order, really. It's just like a comic book, where one strip deals with one situation, and then you go on to the next.
In general, you will meet the main cast, which is a group of girls (for more information on these characters, refer to page 6 of the October 2003 issue) who go by, day by day, in high school. You could call it the 'Sweet Valley High' for the Japanese!
This is a top notch recommendation for all anime fans. Better yet, get the boxed set. The box includes a set of pins and inside the DVD is an insert with all the notes you need to know in order to understand some of the scenes that happen in Azumanga Daioh. There aren't very many extras, but you will fall in love with the show.
So really quickly, I want to mention the English track on this DVD. I, along with the majority of magazine readers, was able to watch the first episode of Azumanga Daioh on a Newtype magazine included-disc, where you could choose to watch the show in Japanese or English. This is one of those dubs I didn't hesitate to watch because I was overly curious.I think Luci Christian did an honorable job as Yukari, but didn't quite capture the kind of intensity Yukari describes. Jessica Boone did a nice job as Chiyo as did Christine Auten as Sakaki. I paid a lot of attention to Osaka's VA Kira Vincent-Davis, which must have been a difficult job because I didn't feel the Osaka coming from her. One of my favorite VA's Tiffany Grant captured Kaorin's enthusiasm quite well. Mandy Clark who voiced Tomo did an exceptionally good job, however I saw some parts that failed from the original.
On the bright side, watching the dub won't be a heart attack. If you can deal with the fact that the class is learning Spanish instead of English (from Japan), it is actually fun to watch as well.
Posted on Tuesday, June 01, 2004 (Archive on Thursday, July 01, 2004)