Series synopsis
Azumanga Daioh, also known as あずまんが大王 THE ANIMATION is a Japanese animation comedy television series that premiered on TV Tokyo on April 8, 2002. It ended on September 30, 2002. It stars Tomoko Kaneda, Yuki Matsuoka, Chieko Higuchi and Rie Tanaka.
Ten year old child prodigy, Chiyo Mihama, is finding it tough fitting in at high school with the girls five years her elder: Osaka (dimwitted with a weird take on the world), Tomo (a powder keg that goes off at a moment’s notice), Kagura (the competitive athlete of the bunch), Yomi (the hothead), and Sakaki (timid and obsessed with a love of animals that isn’t reciprocated). Together with their teacher, they navigate the rough waters and fun times of high school.
Premise
Ten year old child prodigy, Chiyo Mihama, is finding it tough fitting in at high school with the girls five years her elder: Osaka (dimwitted with a weird take on the world), Tomo (a powder keg that goes off at a moment’s notice), Kagura (the competitive athlete of the bunch), Yomi (the hothead), and Sakaki (timid and obsessed with a love of animals that isn’t reciprocated). Together with their teacher, they navigate the rough waters and fun times of high school.
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Tomoko Kaneda as Chiyo Mihama (voice)
- Yuki Matsuoka as Ayumu 'Osaka' Kasuga (voice)
- Chieko Higuchi as Tomo Takino (voice)
- Rie Tanaka as Koyomi Mizuhara (voice)
- Yuu Asakawa as Sakaki (voice)
- Akiko Hiramatsu as Yukari Tanizaki (voice)
- Aya Hisakawa as Minamo Kurosawa (voice)
- Houko Kuwashima as Kagura (voice)
Supporting cast
- Norio Wakamoto as Chiyo-Father (voice)
- Sayaka Ohara as Kimura's Wife (voice)
Guest cast
- Akane Oomae as Chihiro (voice)
- Hiroyuki Yoshino as Male Student B (voice)
- Yonehiko Kitagawa as Mr. Ishihara (voice)
- Yuka Koyama as Eiko (voice)
- Koji Ishii as Kimura (voice)
- Sakura Nogawa as Kaorin (voice)
- Naoki Makishima as Foreigner (voice)
- Mizuki Saitou as Sweet Chestnut Shop Old Man (voice)
- Naoki Yanagi as Male Student A (voice)
- Ryoko Nagata as Female Student A (voice)
- Makoto Yasumura as Student (voice)
- Tadahisa Saizen as Turtle Scooping Man (voice)
Episodes
This series spans 1 season with 26 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 26 | April 8, 2002 | September 30, 2002 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
A Child High School Student 1, "A Child High School Student" We first meet 10-year-old prodigy Chiyo Mihama on her first day of high school. Meanwhile, English teacher Yukari-sensei is also on her way to school, and nothing seems to be going her way. 2, "A Genius" We learn that, in spite of being very smart for her age, Chiyo is far from perfect. Nonetheless, Chiyo quickly becomes a featured member of the class. 3, "Scary, maybe?" Chiyo is helping out in class when she meets Miss Sakaki, the tall quiet girl that everyone idolizes. But, upon reviewing Sakaki's pick of career choices, Chiyo wonders if their might be more to Miss Sakaki than meets the eye. 4, "The Rampaging Tomo-chan!" We meet Tomo, the hyperactive girl, as she challenges both Sakaki and Chiyo and generally gets herself into trouble. 5, "An Osakan Girl" A new transfer student, Ayumu, arrives from Osaka. Now, poor Ayumu must try to deal with her classmates' preconceived notions about Osaka natives. |
April 8, 2002 |
| 2 |
Osaka's Day 6, "Osaka Today As Well" We learn more about Ayumu (now known as "Osaka") and her unfortunate habit of spacing out at inopportune moments. 7, "P.E. - Volleyball" During Kurosawa-sensei's gym class, we see how athletic (and unathletic) the girls can be. 8, "Hiccups" After sampling some of Yomi's spicy lunch, Osaka gets a bad case of the hiccups. 9, "The Brain..." Hours have passed, school is over, and Osaka's hiccups still have not gone away! The girls do everything they can to help her, but can the cure be worse than the disease? 10, "Brand New" We get a small glimpse into Osaka's imagination, where anything can happen, and reality as we know it ceases to exist. |
April 15, 2002 |
| 3 |
Yukari and Nyamo 11, "Nyamo" We get to see more of P.E. teacher Minamo Kurosawa, a.k.a. "Nyamo," esp. her relationship with Yukari. 12, "Factional Rivalry" Envious over Nyamo's unmatched popularity with the students, Yukari shanghais the girls into basketball game. Only, Yukari doesn't play fair... 13, "Yukari's Here" When Yukari visits Nyamo at home, we get to see just how dysfunctional their relationship can be. 14, "Not My Fault" Yukari and Nyamo go out for a drink and end up running into *gasp* a foreigner! Meanwhile, Tomo, Yomi, and Osaka end up sharing in a little philosophy. 15, "Forever And Ever" Yukari shows her wild(er) side while knocking back glasses of sake, much to Nyamo's shagrin. |
April 22, 2002 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | TV Tokyo |
|---|---|
| First aired | April 8, 2002 |
| Last aired | September 30, 2002 |
| Runtime | 25 minutes |
| Status | Ended |