There is one anime in this world that I have never failed to get a person to like. I have shown this to people from all walks of life, many of whom had never even seen an episode of Dragon Ball Z, let alone were big into the anime scene to begin with. If I had to say what makes Azumanga Daioh such a perennial favorite, it would have to be its approachability mixed with its eccentricity. It brings a light-hearted story with recognizable and utterly endearing characters, even without having to color their hair or give them special powers. Fancy Hearing Cake, the opening for Azumanga Daioh is the first thing anyone sees of this show, and it’s easy to see how it can draw anyone in. From its off the wall presentation to its adorable yet incoherent lyrics, Fancy Hearing Cake is Azumanga Daioh in a nutshell.

Fancy Hearing Cake takes place in what I can only describe as either a collective acid trip by the gang or some surrealist purgatory. The girls run around like mad, moving amorphous bubbles around and swaying back and forth. To those who have actually seen the show you’d realize now that it’s all just references to events in the anime, but put together in this non-sequitir style makes everything so crazy and hilarious it sets the mood for the entire show to come.

My favorite part is the lyrics. Let me just show you the first stanza.

A piano sends its melody to the fields of dreams all over the world.

Believing the broken clock,

Whose side is time on?

I know right? What in god’s name is any of that supposed to mean? That’s the beauty of it, honestly. You’re not supposed to get why girls awaken from apples to bestow a kiss or how books can be spread open in sorrow. At the very least the title is explained somewhat, in that it uses the idiom “Fancy hearing that?” which no one but the english use nowadays, but that hardly helps. It’s just crazy and hilarious, and since you’re already in this deep you might as well strap in for the ride, cause it’s gonna be a good one.

Note: Ignore the swine flu warning at the end, kinda caught me off guard too. It’s still the best quality rip I could find so I guess crazy people are good at audio extraction? Who knew.

Azumanga Daioh can be found on Rightstuf in two different versions. Honestly, the more expensive format is packaged in that weird way like Half-Life 2(Was I the only one to do that?) was where all the cds go off a central hub, making it really annoying to move em around. Plus, there’s no difference in what you get from both, so I’d probably suggest the thinpak. I cannot stress how enjoyable this show is, so if you don’t already own it, what are you waiting for? It’s only 30 bucks for the best anime in town.

They also sell the manga’s omnibus, which is all four volumes in one package which contains some material not used in the anime, and does look pretty nice on its own.