From Publishers Weekly: It's tough to tell the difference between teacher and students in Azuma's comedy. Teacher Yukari Tanizaki is oblivious, immature, emotional and one of the people shaping young minds. Her students face difficulties in school that most never imagined. For example, as one pupil starts to ask a question, Miss Yukari cuts him off, stating she won't talk about her bra size. Another group of students are ready for their lessons, but instead of learning about social studies or science, they learn how Miss Yukari spent her weekend. Maybe that's not so bad, considering Miss Yukari's not the brightest bulb in the bunch and has her students correcting her on many technical points. Her students aren't sure how to react, but their bewilderment is half the charm of this manga. Like the 1980s TV series Head of the Class, Azu has an eclectic mix of pupils ranging from child geniuses to sports enthusiasts to tough girls; each possessing much more than meets the eye. The precocious child genius may be great at academic subjects, but she still draws like a little girl and has the emotions of a kid. The unemotional tough teen melts for tiny animals and longs to have a pet of her own, even if all of the creatures she comes in contact with seem to hate her. The art is simple and minimalistic, but adequately conveys the thought and emotion behind each strip. Azuma's cast has depth, dimension and character, and their story heartily entertains.

It's not manga, it's Azumanga (and it's smart, fun and totally addictive)! Created by the iconoclastic Kiyohiko Azuma (hence the name), Azumanga Daioh is strongly character driven, telling the story of a group of high-school girls and their hilarious daily tribulations.

The girls enter their senior year and Miss Yukari speaks ill of Tomo in the third volume of Azumanga Daioh! This volume marks the return of the sports meet, where Sakaki, Osaka, Kagura and the others compete in categories like the three-legged race and beanbag tossing, while Chiyo-chan races to find an idiot for the scavenger hunt... The manga also includes a "First Dream of the New Year" special, where Sakaki meets Chiyo-chan's tomato-hating "father" and his penguin housekeeper... Will Osaka succeed in her resolution to "get faster"? Will Kaorin ever let go of Sakaki? Find out in Azumanga Daioh volume 3!

Everyone's favorite gang of high schoolers is back for their final year. This time, the gang takes a trip to sunny Okinawa, where Osaka plays with sea cucumbers and looks for something to eat. Yomi announces her intention to join InterPol, and Sakaki gets a cat that will (gasp!) let her pet it! When the gang gets together for a camping trip, Mr. Kimura makes his big confession to one of the students! Meanwhile, Chiyo-chan seems to be disappearing under a horde of pigeons... It's all the zaniness and tongue-in-cheek comedy you've come to expect from this popular series, culminating in the bittersweet graduation ceremony where everyone goes their separate ways.

This four-panel comedy chronicles the everyday lives of six very quirky high school girls. Meet the child prodigy Chiyo, the animal-loving Sakaki, the spacey out-of-towner Osaka, the straight-laced Yomi and her best friend Tomo, and the sports-loving Kagura throughout their high school lives. With its strong cast of characters and punchy dialogue, Azumanga Daioh has become one of the most widely-recognized books in the market, not to mention the first four-panel comic from Japan to gain wide popularity in the U.S.