Fancy hearing cake

My search for a manga series as fun to read as Full Metal Panic led me to Azumanga Daioh, and a group of silly, yet endearing high school girls. The series has four volumes- one for each year of the girls' high school experience, alla Harry Potter. But there are no wizards or giant robots in the four-panel sketches that giggle down the page from right to left. I was first disappointed that the manga contained no speculative element. As I turned the pages, I grew to enjoy Chiyo-Chan's perky piggy tails, Osaka's wide-eyed daydream stare, Miss Sakaki's desperate wish to have a cat, despite the fact that every cat she meets tries to bite her. But as the vignettes of the lives of ordinary high school girls unfolded, a little fantasy found its way into the series.

Call them dreams (daydreams in Osaka's case) if you like, but the fantastic experiences met in sleep bleed into the girls' daytime consciousness. Osaka becomes convinced that Chiyo-Chan's piggy tails allow her to fly, and are trying to control her. Miss Sakaki dreams that Chiyo-Chan's father is a Tanuki-type furry Japanese guardian spirit. The animal-loving Sakaki sews stuffed animals that look like the guardian spirit. Sakaki, and soon all the girls, begin to call the stuffed animals "fathers."

Azumanga Daioh isn't speculative fiction. The stories depend on the realistic framework of school life in Japan. But there is a fun thread of imagination that spec fic fans will enjoy. And if that still isn't enough to intrigue you, then you can always try the Azumanga Daioh anime DVD. The theme song to the anime is called "Fancy Hearing Cake" (空耳ケーキ). I'm actually studying Japanese, and have no idea what a fancy hearing cake might be. If anyone can figure out what it means, let me know.