Azumanga Daioh: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

Azumanga Daioh: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie Review

Azumanga Daioh is a school comedy slice-of-life anime. Based on the original manga by Kiyohiko Azuma. As broadcast on Aichi Television Broadcasting, AT-X, Bandai Channel, TV Osaka, and TV Tokyo.

Featuring animation by J.C. Staff. With the voices of Akiko Hiramatsu, Chieko Higuchi, Yuu Asakawa, Yuki Matsuoka, Rie Tanaka, Tomoko Kaneda, Aya Hisakawa, and Houko Kuwashima. Featuring theme song performances by Masumi Itō (Oranges & Lemons), Yōko Ueno (Oranges & Lemons), and Tomoko Kaneda ("Chiyo-chan no Tsukurimasho").

Executive produced by Tarō Maki (El-Hazard: The Magnificent World, Tenchi Muyo!), Tatsuo Satō (Figure 17), Toshimichi Ōtsuki (Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone, Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance). Produced by Nobuhiro Ōsawa (Amazing Nurse Nanako, Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?), Shinichi Ikeda (All Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku Nuku, Love Hina), and Yūji Matsukura (Ai Yori Aoshi, Doki Doki School Hours). The production values are excellent on Azumanga Daioh.

School time is fun time. There is so much in store for teacher Yukari Tanizaki (Akiko Hiramatsu). The teacher has a lot of surprises in store. Not only is Yukari a relatively inexperienced teacher, she has never dealt with such a wide range of students before.

 Tomo Takino (Chieko Higuchi) is a tomboy. Sakaki (Yuu Asakawa) is tall and kind. Ayumu "Osaka" Kasuga (Yuki Matsuoka) is a klutz and aloof student.

Koyomi "Yomi" Mizuhara (Rie Tanaka) is more mature than the rest. There’s even Chiyo Mihama (Tomoko Kaneda), a 10-year-old child genius who is a student despite being five years younger compared to everyone else. Can Yukari survive as a teacher to such a wide range of students?

The characters are at the heart of the show. The wide cast of characters is fantastic and each character plays a nice role in the series The ensemble is essential to the storytelling. These characters are fun – audiences love them and this is why the series gained such a reputation as a cult anime classic.

The music by Masaki Kurihara (California Crisis: Gun Salvo, PetoPeto-san) is well done and plays a big element on the series. The score is fantastic fun. The music is at the heart of the series and adds to the comedic sensibilities while also working well for the dramatic elements of the series, too.

The character designs by Yasuhisa Katō (Happy Lesson, ToHeart2) are well done. The designs add a lot to the production. Each of the main cast of characters is given a unique character design. The designs are essential to the series aesthetic and storytelling.

The series features impressive animation. Azumanga Daioh features art direction by Chikako Shibata (Atelier Escha & Logy: Alchemists of the Dusk Sky, Honey and Clover). The series also features chief animation direction by Takashi Wada (Lunar Legend Tsukihime, Rune Soldier). The team of animators brought a wonderful sense of whimsy to the production. The animators delivered in spades with some fantastic and colorful art. The aesthetic helps to add so many layers to the series. It is wonderful to see and the animation stye has held up well over the years.

The cinematography by Masaru Takase (Uzumaki, Eiken) is impressive. The cinematography is a nice aspect of the production. The style is wonderful and highlights the vibrancy of the school and of the cast of characters.

The series is written by Ichirō Ōkōchi (Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion, Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress). The writing is well-done. The scripting allows time for character moments for the entire cast of characters. The scripting also allows plenty of time for the comedic sensibilities to shine through. These are essential elements to the series and the storytelling.

Directed by Hiroshi Nishikiori (A Certain Magical Index, Gad Guard), Azumanga Daioh is a cult classic. The series has gained a big following over the years. Fans of classic comedic anime will find this to be enjoyable. Azumanga Daioh is cute, fun, and engaging. Azumanga Daioh is certainly a step above for comedic anime storytelling and the director has fun with the premise and brings a lot to the table.

Azumanga Daioh: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Sentai Filmworks, Azumanga Daioh is presented in 1080i MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.33:1 full frame. The series has been upconverted from standard definition. The series colors are well reproduced on the release. The series line art is well done, too. Unfortunately, the series does not have a native high-definition release and animation is limited in resolution due to the time of the production.

The result is a less than native presentation – one that is never quite native high-definition due to production constraints from the era. The animation has been upscaled and there can be subtle improvements over a standard DVD copy but the release still looks far off from being as good as a native HD presentation can look. There is only so much that can be done with the animation. The results are reasonably good for an upscale and fans should find it to be a satisfactory presentation – as long as fans are willing to accept the limitations.

Azumanga Daioh: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound and Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (with English subtitles). The release sounds reasonably good although it doesn’t sound as pristine as a newer production. The audio track is crisp, clear, and easy to listen to. Dialogue is well reproduced. The English subtitles are well done and are free from egregious spelling or grammatical errors. The English surround sound only provides modest ambiance improvements over the stereo audio provided for the Japanese language version.

Usually, the Blu-ray disc format allows for a superior audio presentation with lossless encoding. Even so, there are sometimes releases where the audio quality seems limited by the source. This appears to be one of those cases. The source audio doesn’t sound as crisp as modern anime series do and it does appear to be only modestly improved on the Blu-ray disc. The results are mixed as a result. Fans shouldn’t necessarily consider a double-dip for the audio alone as it isn’t a massive night and day difference. The subtle differences are mostly down to encoding on this particular release.

Azumanga Daioh: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Clean Opening Animation (HD, 1:32)

Clean Closing Animation (HD, 1:37)

Production Sketches (HD, 12:17)

Unfortunately, Sentai Filmworks has presented an average supplemental package. The release could have been a lot better with some more engaging bonus features. The release could have used some additional extras like audio commentaries, behind-the-scenes featurettes, cast/crew interviews, production roundtables, convention panels, and the like. In the era of streaming, this aspect can make or break the difference between a one-time stream and a physical copy purchase, even more-so in this case when one considers the release is simply upscaled from standard definition.

One thing that would have been nice to see is a steelbook option. Especially given the classic status of the anime. A steelbook edition would have been appreciated. Hopefully Sentai can reconsider the lack of a steelbook option and do a nicer collector's edition in the future. Premium steelbooks are one thing Sentai excels at and this classic anime deserves the steelbook treatment.

Azumanga Daioh: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Azumanga Daioh is an entertaining and engaging anime series. The classic anime series has developed a cult reputation over the years. Fans of classic comedic anime will find something special to appreciate.

The release has been upscaled from standard definition. Unfortunately, there is not a native high-definition release available. For fans wanting the release on Blu-ray, there are subtle differences. Improvements are small but some might find it worthwhile to own. Even the audio is only modestly improved. There is only so much that can be done to try and improve upon the source animation and audio given the age of the anime production. The series is a classic. Recommended.