History Manga / AzumangaDaioh

''Azumanga Daioh'' is a comedy {{manga}} series written and illustrated by Creator/KiyohikoAzuma, which revolves around six high school girls, as well as their classmates and teachers, and depicts their lives in ''{{yonkoma}}'' fashion. ChildProdigy Chiyo Mihama [[GradeSkipper enters high school at the improbable age of ten]], and befriends five other teenage girls: intimidating but [[ShrinkingViolet shy]] Sakaki, loudmouthed GenkiGirl Tomo Takino, her beleaguered StraightMan Koyomi "Yomi" Mizuhara, airheaded {{Cloudcuckoolander}} Ayumu "Osaka" Kasuga, and brash PassionateSportsGirl Kagura. Being episodic to the point of resembling sketch comedy, and largely lacking serious conflict or drama, the series has little in the way of conventional storylines, instead revolving around [[SliceOfLife the ennui of everyday life]].

Heavily character-driven, its humor, especially in its manga incarnation, often relies on {{Beat Panel}}s, subtle changes in facial expression, {{Running Gag}}s, references to Japanese culture, and jarring shifts into absurdism. It's also notable for demonstrating that a series about high school girls could be popular and profitable by focusing on their personalities [[{{Fanservice}} instead of their bodies]]. Its impact on Japanese media was strongly felt, as the formula and tropes that it popularized would go on to define an entire genre, the SchoolgirlSeries.

* TheComedyDrop: During a sports fest episode, Tomo witnesses the boy's gymnastics team, and suggests that Chiyo do a handstand while Tomo supports her. But Tomo, [[AttentionDeficitOohShiny has the attention of a flea]], and is distracted, causing Chiyo to fall flat on her back.

* AlwaysLate: Yukari Tanizaki, despite being a teacher who despises laziness from her students, is [[SenseiChan so lazy and immature herself]] that she frequently shows up late to her own class. Usually it's because of her poor sleep schedule, preferring to doze off rather than get up on time, while other times it might be due to things like showing up to the wrong class or getting stuck in line for the newest UsefulNotes/[=PlayStation=] game. Eventually, her friend and coworker Nyamo starts driving her to school, allowing her to start showing up on time more often.

* {{Keigo}}: Chiyo speaks in a very polite manner in Japanese, which indicates her kind and precocious nature, as well as her wealthy upbringing. Tomo makes fun of this when she imitates Chiyo by ending all of her sentences in "desu yo", a polite ending participle, regardless of whether it actually makes sense. Unfortunately, this joke is mostly LostInTranslation as a result.

* {{Keigo}}: Chiyo speaks in a very polite manner in Japanese, which indicates her polite and precocious nature, as well as her wealthy upbringing. Tomo makes fun of this when she imitates Chiyo by ending all of her sentences in "desu yo", a polite ending participle, regardless of whether it actually makes sense. Unfortunately, this joke is mostly LostInTranslation as a result.

* PhysicalAttributeSwap: Brought up jokingly at one point. When Sakaki admits that she is still growing and recently went over 170 centimeters, Osaka suggests that she got that tall by "sucking away" the height from Chiyo. This leads Chiyo to start begging Sakaki to "give it back."

* HorsebackHeroism: In her New Year's dream, Kaorin imagines Sakaki riding in on horseback to rescue her from a group of "delinquents" (the other main girls).

* HorsebackHeroism: Kaorin imagines Sakaki as this in her New Year's dream, rescuing her from a group of "delinquents" (the other main girls).

* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Osaka is by far the biggest airhead in the series, and possibly {{Anime}} as a whole. So much so that she provides this trope's [[Cloudcuckoolander/AnimeAndManga Anime and Manga]] page image. The rest of the main cast is this to some degree; with Kimura-sensei and Sakaki the most notable examples (but in very different ways).

* {{Keigo}}: Chiyo speaks this way in Japanese, which indicates her polite and precocious nature, as well as her wealthy upbringing. Tomo makes fun of this when she imitates Chiyo by ending all of her sentences in "desu yo", a polite ending participle, regardless of whether it actually makes sense. Unfortunately, this joke is mostly LostInTranslation as a result.

* LateForSchool: Happens with Yukari every once in a while, which is noticeable here because she's ''the teacher''. It's mostly because she commutes by bike (the car she uses for the summer trips belongs to her parents, so it's implied she can't use it regularly). She finally starts showing up on time once she gets Minamo to commute her to school

* BookEnds: The very first chapter, April 1999, features banner art of Yukari in formal wear lamenting how depressing the title of the opening strip is. The very last chapter, March 2002, features banner art of Yukari in formal wear expressing pride in the conclusion of the series.

* JapaneseSchoolClub: Despite taking place in a Japanese high school, clubs play a relatively small role in the series; only two characters are part of clubs (Kagura is on the swim team and Kaorin is in the astronomy club). The possibility of joining a club is discussed by the other girls early on. Kaorin invites Sakaki to join the astronomy club, but rescinds her offer after being [[FaceOfAThug intimidated by Sakaki's glare,]] which Sakaki silently regrets. Tomo suggests she could put her energy to use by joining the pep squad (which Yomi [[ActuallyAGoodIdea thinks is a perfect fit]]), while Chiyo asks about joining a "pet club", which the school doesn't have (to both her and Sakaki's disappointment). In the anime, Kagura also lampshades that all the other girls are in the "go-home club".

* JapaneseSchoolClub: Despite taking place in a Japanese high school, clubs play a relatively small role in the series; only two characters are part of clubs (Kagura is on the swim team and Kaorin is in the astronomy club). The possibility of joining a club is discussed by the other girls early on. Tomo suggests she could put her energy to use by joining the pep squad (which Yomi [[ActuallyAGoodIdea thinks is a perfect fit]]), while Chiyo asks about joining a "pet club", which the school doesn't have (to both her and Sakaki's disappointment). In the anime, Kagura also lampshades that all the other girls are in the "go-home club".

In 2009, to celebrate the series' tenth anniversary, Azuma wrote up a new series of "Extra Lessons" interquel strips, featuring the first (and only) new pieces of official ''Azumanga Daioh'' content since the end of its anime adaptation. That same year, a reprint of the original manga was put out featuring redone artwork by Azuma; while it wasn't a full front-to-back redraw, it did feature a good amount of touch-ups, especially for the first volume (where several characters originally looked [[EarlyInstallmentCharacterDesignDifference very different from their later designs]]), and even included some new strips slotted alongside the old ones (separate from the "Extra Lessons" installments). Since then, no new material has been put out, not even for the 20th anniversary in 2019.

* InherentlyFunnyWords: During the class trip to Okinawa in July 2001, Osaka fixates on Okinawan language, finding its heavy use of long syllables amusing. After Chiyo teaches her how to ask "Is that a [[AsianLionDog Shisa]]?" in Okinawan ("Shisa yaibīmi?"), she uses the phrase as much as she can. Later, she bursts into giggles when she hears the Okinawan word "osenmikocha" (a room of prayer in Shuri Castle), and when she goes to tell Tomo about it, she can't even finish her sentence because she's laughing so hard. When she spots [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chanpurū chanpurū]] at a buffet the following evening, she immediately names every type they have and loudly shouts "Chanpurū!" after finishing her meal. Finally, in the second July chapter, she fixates on the word "sātā andagī", a type of Okinawan pastry, repeating it constantly. Every time she speaks Okinawan, she overstresses the long syllables.

* InherentlyFunnyWords: During the class trip to Okinawa in July 2001, Osaka fixates on Okinawan language, finding its heavy use of long syllables amusing. After Chiyo teaches her how to ask "Is that a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shisa Shisa]]?" in Okinawan ("Shisa yaibimi?"), she uses the phrase as much as she can. Later, she bursts into giggles when she hears the Okinawan word "osenmikocha" (a room of prayer in Shuri Castle), and when she goes to tell Tomo about it, she can't even finish her sentence because she's laughing so hard. When she spots [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chanpurū chanpurū]] at a buffet the following evening, she immediately names every type they have and loudly shouts "Chanpurū!" after finishing her meal. Finally, in the second July chapter, she fixates on the word "sātā andagī", a type of Okinawan pastry, repeating it constantly. Every time she speaks Okinawan, she overstresses the long syllables.

* InherentlyFunnyWords: Osaka burst into giggles when she hears the Okinawan word "osenmikocha" (a room of prayer in Shuri Castle), and when she goes to tell Tomo about it she can't even finish her sentence because she's laughing so hard. Shortly afterward, she fixates on the word "sātā andagī", a type of Okinawan pastry; when she pronounces it, she overstresses the long syllables.

* InherentlyFunnyWords:
** The Japanese/Okinawan for Sata Andagi is actually "Saataa Andaagii" - Osaka overstresses the long vowels.
** Say "osenmikocha" around Osaka and she'll burst into laughter.

* In January 2001, we learn that Yomi took a vacation to Hokkaido over winter break, which was her first time riding an airplane. When she asks the others if they've been on a plane before, Tomo and Osaka both say they haven't, while Chiyo-chan says she has. When the time comes for the class trip to Okinawa in July 2001, the group is split into those who have been on a plane before (Chiyo, Yomi, and Sakaki) and those who haven't (Tomo, Osaka, and Kagura). Naturally, Tomo bothers Yomi by ignoring airport etiquette, buying and opening souvenirs before she's even left.