Azumanga Daioh (TV series)

Azumanga Daioh, an animated series based on the comic book series of the same name, was produced by Bear Bones and Murakami-Wolf-Swenson and aired from September 7, 1992 to May 24, 1993. It was broadcast on first-run syndication in five-minute segments every weekday, then repeated as a 25-minute compilation that weekend on Fox Kids, for a total of 130 five-minute segments collected in 26 episodes. The compilation episodes, which were the only versions to include the title and credits sequences, were released on six DVDs in 2004 and 9 Universal Media Discs between 2005 and 2006 by Lionsgate Home Entertainment, and a DVD box set of all episodes was released on June 24, 2009; the five-minute segments can be distinguished by their individual titles.

Besides the animated television series, there has also been a short film, Azumanga Daioh: The Very Short Movie, a six-minute trailer released to movie theaters in 1991 to publicize the upcoming television series.

Premise
Azumanga Daioh chronicles the everyday life in an unnamed Japanese high school of six girls and two of their teachers: child prodigy Chiyo Mihama and her struggle to fit in with girls five years older; reserved Sakaki and her obsession with the cute animals while certain ones seem to hate her; spacey Ayumu "Osaka" Kasuga with a skewed perspective on the world; Koyomi "Yomi" Mizuhara's aggravation at an annoying best friend; Tomo Takino, whose energy is rivaled only by her lack of sense; sporty Kagura and her one-sided athletics rivalry with Sakaki; their homeroom teacher Yukari Tanizaki; and her friend, physical education teacher Minamo "Nyamo" Kurosawa.

Secondary characters include Kimura-sensei, a creepy male teacher with an obsession with teenage girls, and Kaorin, a female classmate with a crush on Sakaki.

The story covers three years of tests, talking between classes, culture festivals, and athletic events at school, as well as time spent traveling to and from school, studying at Chiyo's house, and vacations at Chiyo's summer beach home and the fictional theme park Magical Land, concluding with the graduation of the main cast. It is generally realistic in tone, marked by occasional bursts of surrealism and absurdity, such as Osaka imagining Chiyo's ponytails being "unscrewed" from her head and an episode featuring the characters' New Year's dreams.

Characters

 * Jeannie Elias as Chiyo Mihama
 * Katie Leigh as Ayumu "Osaka" Kasuga
 * Sherry Lynn as Tomo Takino
 * Mona Marshall as Koyomi "Yomi" Mizuhara
 * Tress MacNeille as Sakaki
 * Julie Brown as Kagura
 * Gail Matthius as Kaori
 * Maggie Roswell as Yukari Tanizaki
 * Marcia Wallace as Minamo "Nyamo" Kurosawa
 * Maurice LaMarche as Kimura
 * Nancy Cartwright as Chihiro
 * Frank Welker as Chiyo-Father
 * April Winchell as Kimura's wife
 * Cheryl Chase as Miruchi
 * Anndi McAfee as Yuka-chan

Home media releases
The animated series was released in six DVD volumes between April and November 2004, and then later in a five DVD volume set, both by Artisan and Lionsgate Home Entertainment. The sixth DVD volume included Azumanga Daioh: The Very Short Movie as an extra. The series was later re-released in 2016 by Lionsgate Home Entertainment. The series was made available through Amazon Prime Video in 2019, as part of Bear Bones' deal with the service.