Review by me lol
Slice of life has always been a genre I've thought to have massive potential. By removing the tightly knit plot and fantastical setting of other anime, it leaves the perfect opportunity to focus on characters. Some of my personal favorite anime like New Game and Imouto Sae Ireba Ii. use the slice of life format to craft some of the most interesting and believable characters set to screen. All of this is to say that slice of life in its conception allows for the perfect canvas to write intricate characters. Which is why whenever I see an anime do the complete opposite, I'm instantly interested in it.
Lucky Star will always be one of the most interesting slice of lifes to me for the simple reason that it ditches complex characters in favor of ones that are paper thin and utterly simple. Of course, pulling off simple characters in a genre where characters are near the only appeal is incredibly difficult, but when it's done well it will never cease to amaze me. Which is where we get to Azumanga Daioh.
Azumanga Daioh is the concept of simple character writing taken to its logical extreme. Running gags persist throughout the entire series and you'll be able to extrapolate most of a character's personality within the first few minutes of seeing them on screen. And that's precisely the point. Azumanga Daioh uses simple characters to show complex character relations. Within the massive group of friends the show follows, characters interact with each other differently depending on their relations with one another. A few examples: Osaka, Tomo, and Kagura form a group they call "The Knuckleheads", and this bond formed in idiocy persists in small ways throughout the show. Kagura has a rivalry with Sakaki, and will often compete with her. Chiyo and Osaka form a close bond with each other. These relations turn what might have become relatively stale into something incredibly interesting.
Not to mention, the characters in Azumanga Daioh are just FUN. I especially love Ayumu "Osaka" Kasuga. She really does steal the show in so many ways. Aside from her there's the hyperactive but lovable Tomo, adorable and intelligent Chiyo, cool with a penchant for cuteness Sakaki, responsible voice of reason who can also be occasionally immature Yomi, and competitive Kagura. There's also three teachers in the main cast: irresponsible Yukari, responsible Minamo, and perverted Kitamura. That's a simple explanation of the entire cast but I don't think my description emphasizes just how real each character feels. Despite being simple and very out-there, the cast almost feels like they were made for each other. There's not a single cast member I didn't like, and most of them I absolutely loved.
One of the more interesting parts of Azumanga Daioh is the emphasis on school events, traveling, and generally breaking away from the monotony of school life. Three times the characters go to Chiyo's summer home, three times they have the sports festival, and on top of other miscellaneous events and the school festival, Azumanga Daioh manages to constantly break up the pace of the show to keep things consistently fresh.
Another standout part of this anime is the comedy. While it's mostly what you'd expect from a slice of life, it occasionally gets super out-there and surreal, especially when Osaka's involved. This surreal side of the comedy really helps Azumanga Daioh differentiate itself from other anime, not to mention it's just super funny. I've rarely seen a show that can make me laugh as consistently as this one, and on top of all the other things I loved, the comedy really helped complete this show.
Azumanga Daioh is just another slice of life comedy. It also perfects everything it sets out to do. I'll always remember episode 19 as one of my favorite moments in anime. It's not the climax of a giant arc, it's not explosive or big or even really anything out of the ordinary. It's a scene of Minamo and Yukari simply talking about the future and what they want to do with their lives, and it managed to get more emotion out of me than the climaxes of most anime. I never really noticed or cared that Azumanga Daioh is mostly fluff, because it's fluff that makes you feel something, with characters that are simple but also utterly enthralling. Azumanga Daioh truly is a masterpiece in its simplicity.