Azumanga Daioh: The Animation - DVD

Chiyo Mihama is ten years old and has just enrolled in high school, skipping several grades due to exceptional intelligence. She is small, earnest, and instantly beloved. Her homeroom teacher is Yukari, who is late on Chiyo's first day and cadges a ride from a student. Tomo is chaotic energy in human form, inseparably attached to her childhood friend Yomi. Sakaki is tall, cool, seemingly unapproachable, secretly obsessed with cute animals, and regularly bitten by a cat she is trying to befriend. Osaka transferred from Osaka, does not act like anyone expected, and exists in a private dream-world of lateral thinking. Kagura is an athlete. Over three years of high school — cultural festivals, summer vacations, Chiyo's beach house, a trip to Hokkaido, and the slow approach of graduation — this is what happens to them. Which is to say, not very much, and everything.

Azumanga Daioh is a 26-episode series produced by J.C. Staff, directed by Hiroshi Nishikiori, and written by Ichiro Okouchi, based on Kiyohiko Azuma's yonkoma manga. It aired on TV Tokyo from April to September 2002 in five-minute daily segments before being compiled into 26 standard-length episodes for home video.

The Japanese DVD release by Starchild Records (a division of King Records) was the original home video release of the compiled episodes. This is a Region 2 Japanese import — requires a region-free or multi-region DVD player. No English subtitles are included on the Japanese release. 

Notable Staff & Voice Talent

Director: Hiroshi Nishikiori (Angelic Layer, later Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online)
Series Composition: Ichiro Okouchi (Angelic Layer, Code Geass)
Original Manga: Kiyohiko Azuma (serialized in Dengeki Daioh, MediaWorks; also: Yotsuba&!)
Studio: J.C. Staff
Music: Masaki Kurihara
Opening Theme: "Soramimi Cake" by Oranges & Lemons
Ending Theme: "Raspberry Heaven" by Oranges & Lemons

Japanese Cast:
- Tomoko Kaneda as Chiyo Mihama
- Yuki Matsuoka as Osaka / Ayumu Kasuga
- Chieko Higuchi as Sakaki
- Rie Tanaka as Kaorin (Steel Angel Kurumi, Burst Angel, Gundam SEED, Texhnolyze)
- Yuu Asakawa as Kagura (Love Hina, Familiar of Zero additional cast)
- Houko Kuwashima as Tomo Takino (Gate Keepers 21, Ceres, Z.O.E. Dolores I, Noir, Kaiba, Claymore, Space Brothers, Canaan, Gundam SEED)
- Akemi Kanda as Chiyo-chan's Father voice

English Dub Cast (ADV Films):
- Monica Rial as Chiyo Mihama 
- Kira Vincent-Davis as Osaka 
- Mandy Clark as Sakaki
- Luci Christian as Yomi 
- Tiffany Grant as Miss Yukari (Evangelion)

US Release - DVD Volume Breakdown (ADV Films, 6 Volumes)
- Vol. 1 — Transfer Student (Eps 1–4)
- Vol. 2 — Hot, Hot, Hot (Eps 5–8)
- Vol. 3 — Cat's Eye (Eps 9–13)
- Vol. 4 — School Daze (Eps 14–17)
- Vol. 5 — Field Trip (Eps 18–22)
- Vol. 6 — Graduation! (Eps 23–26 + Very Short Movie) 

Japan Release - DVD Features (Starchild Records Boxset)
- Original Japanese packaging and liner notes
- Textless Opening & Closing Animations
- Japanese Audio Only — No English Subtitles
- Note: Requires Region 2 or multi-region DVD player. 

Edition Details

Japanese Title: あずまんが大王 THE ANIMATION (Azumanga Daiō: The Animation)
Runtime: ~650 Minutes (Complete Series, 26 Episodes)
Director: Hiroshi Nishikiori
DVD Release Year: 2003 (Japan, Starchild Records / King Records individual volumes); Japanese box set June 24, 2009
Original Broadcast Date (Japan): April 8 – September 30, 2002 (TV Tokyo)
Publisher: Starchild Records / King Records (Japan)
Rating: All Ages
Region: Region 2 (Japan) — requires region-free or multi-region DVD player
Genre: Comedy, Slice of Life
Themes: High School Daily Life, Ensemble Girl Cast, Iyashikei Pioneer, Yonkoma Adaptation

Media assumed VG+ unless otherwise noted.