Synopsis
Azumanga Daioh features an ensemble of young women, each with a distinct issue or personality for viewers to relate to. From struggling to fit in to annoying best friends to a sympathy for the neighborhood cats that borders on obsession, Azumanga Daioh squeezes in something for everyone. Originally, the series aired in five minute segments every weekday with a 25-minute compilation episode airing on the weekend. As a result, these longer, conventional episodes are segmented into chunks of five with a sort of miniature plot for each segment.
Chiyo Mihama
A child prodigy, also known as Chiyo-chan, who is considered amazingly cute by the other characters. Through her, the series humorously explores the consequences of skipping five grades to tenth grade (the first grade in Japanese high school). She is a target of jealousy due to her intelligence and wealthy family. Chiyo’s twin ponytails were used in several visual gags in both the manga and anime, such as flying wings in Osaka’s daydreams.
Tomo Takino
An extremely energetic and competitive girl, despite being nonathletic and a slacker. Tomo’s character is extremely impulsive and rarely considers the consequences of anything.
Koyomi “Yomi” Mizuhara
A grade-school friend and Tomo’s general antagonist, Yomi as she is commonly known, is the title’s voice of reason and straight man, carrying herself as the most mature and serious of the group. Though smart and athletic, she is constantly dissatisfied with herself due to her weight and is always trying various diets in an effort to become thinner.
Sakaki
A tall, soft-spoken girl uncomfortable with her height and busty physique. Her reticence is misinterpreted as mysterious, or cool. She is naturally athletic but she has no real interest in sports. Sakaki is, in reality, an emotionally sensitive person who holds a secret longing for cute things. She loves cats, but the neighborhood cats dislike her and her parents do not allow cats in their house because her mother is allergic.
Ayumu “Osaka” Kasuga
More popularly known by her nickname Osaka (大阪, Ōsaka?), Ayumu is a transfer student from Osaka. Tomo quickly chose for her the nickname “Osaka” contrary to Ayumu’s behavior, which is different from what Tomo sees as the “typical” Osakan. Ayumu lacks the energy or motivation to dispute the nickname. She has a mind that works differently than other people, prone to daydreaming, absentmindedness, and non-sequiturs, but exceptional at answering very specific types of riddles.
Kagura
A girl who joins Yukari’s class in the second year. Yukari selects her as a ringer to win the school athletic competitions. Originally in Nyamo’s class and with little success in studies, she devotes her time to the swim team but is an all-around good athlete. She is genuinely nice to her classmates but is competitive and has a slight obsession with Sakaki, with whom she sees as an athletic rival due to Sakaki being a naturally gifted athlete with no training at all. She is also sensitive and prone to tears when she doesn’t perform as well as she wants to, or at the thought of parting with her friends.
Yukari Tanizaki
The girls’ English and homeroom teacher (class 3), with very unconventional methods and a close relationship with the class. Her students are casual enough to call her by her first name: Yukari-sensei, and even use the very informal and intimate name and title of Yukari-chan. She can be moody and, like Tomo, is incredibly impulsive and has a tendency not to think things through. Yukari has a rivalry/friendship with Minamo and attempts to prove that she is the superior teacher. Yukari is known for being an absolutely horrible driver with a car beaten entirely with dents. Yukari’s driving skills are responsible for Chiyo-chan developing an occasional phobia to riding in cars.
Minamo “Nyamo” Kurosawa
A gym teacher at the girls’ school. In the girls’ first year of high school, she was the homeroom teacher of class 5. During their last two years, she was the homeroom teacher of class 2. She is an old high school friend and rival of Yukari, who occasionally refers to her by an old nickname of Nyamo (にゃも, Nyamo?), despite Minamo’s wishes to the contrary. Popular with the students, Minamo is nicer and in greater control of herself than Yukari, but, in moments of weakness, Minamo has proven that she can be just as vulnerable to losing control as is Yukari. She likes to gossip about Yukari to the students, but doesn’t do so because Yukari has blackmail material on Minamo from back when they were students.
