R2 DVD Reviews
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Thursday, 05 May 2005 12:28 |
Hmm. When Volume 4 of Azumanga Daioh paid another visit to the school festivals, I wrote "I sense we'll be
seeing them again at some stage, too."
Ding! Correct. As the girls head into their final year, the
beach trip & sports fest make another appearance, giving me a
horrible feeling of deja vu. For sheer "Awww..." value, though,
don't miss Sakaki's new feline friend....
20 - Third Year
It's the beginning of the girls' final year in high school. For
Osaka, the main problem is having to walk to the thrid floor every day,
but for Kaorin there's a much bigger problem - she's been transferred
to Kimura-sensei's class, and away from her beloved Sakaki. It's
only the beginning of the year, but already Yukari-sensei's getting
worked up about exam results, and her mood isn't helped any when Nyamo
gets a birthday gift from her class - something her class has never
done. Menawhile, the girls are having to start thinking about
career paths, although not eveyone's convinced when Tomo announces
she's going to join Interpol...
21 - School Trip
It's time for the class school trip, and they're on their way to
Okinawa - once they've finished teasing Chiyo-chan about the trip being
cancelled. There's sightseeing to do & a diving trip, before
Sakaki's greatest dream comes true when she gets to stroke an Iriomote
wildcat - without getting her hand bitten off, either. Meanwhile,
Kaorin's still trying to fend off Kimura-sensei...
22 - Entrance Exams Study Camp!
Summer break, but with college entrance exams approaching there's not
going to be much time for fun - this year, it's all studying. But
you may as well study in the nicest surroundings, so it's off to
Chiyo-chan's summer house for Summer Holiday Study Camp, although
there's no escaping the terror of the Yukarimobile this year.
Once at the summer house, though, the beach somehow manages to become
the number one priority, while Nyamo's lack of knowledge is shown up
when some of the girls ask her for study help...
23 - Last Sports Fest in High School
It's sports fest time again - time for Yukari -vs- Nyamo, Round
Three. There's a new set of events this year, and to Osaka's
delight there's a bread-eating contest. Before the contests come
around though, there's preparations to be made - which would be a lot
easier if Tomo wasn't spending her time wrecking things, Osaka's
plans for domination in the bread-eating race are thwarted by there
being too many varities of bread on offer - she just can't decide what
to eat, while Kaorin loses it completely when she sees Sakaki in the
boys' uniform. A match made in heaven...
AzuDai's nothing if not consistent - I predict episode 24 will be another culture fest episode. Any takers?
If you've been watching Azumanga Daioh this far, you'll
know what to expect - the basic style of the show hasn't changed any
since it started, rather it's just the changes the girls have had to
deal with over the time that are used to make the comedy. Sakaki
gets the best treatment with this batch of episode, both with poor
Kaorin being forced to watch her from afar while dealing with
Kimura-sensei's obsession with her (the fate worse than death), and
with her finally being able to cuddle a cat when she meets her friendly
Iriomote wildcat.
Still more than capable of bringing a smile to my face - even if it is
rehashing some old territory, it's done in a way that's still
enjoyable. Worth watching.
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