Sakaki’s cats expose the distance between appearance and desire
Her intimidating stillness and enthusiasm for cute animals do not cancel each other. The strip makes their mismatch the point.
Coverage: Premise and early character setup
Other people have already decided
Sakaki’s reserved manner gives other characters room to imagine confidence and coolness. Her interest in animals reveals a desire that does not fit comfortably inside that image. Azumanga Daioh gets considerable mileage from letting the audience know the difference.
The comedy does not require either side to be false. A person can look imposing and want something very soft. What becomes funny is the speed with which an observer treats an outward impression as a complete account of an inner life.
The cat does not honor the fantasy
A cat’s refusal to behave as Sakaki hopes gives the joke a second mismatch. The imagined encounter is affectionate; the actual encounter can be uncooperative. Her quietness makes the disappointment readable through a small movement or pause rather than a long complaint.
That economy is part of why the four-panel format suits her. An expectation can be established quickly, interrupted by an animal’s action and left hanging just long enough for the reader to supply the feeling.
Why the old shrine had a point
The former Neko Mamire page at this domain singled out Sakaki. A character with so much of her reaction held in reserve rewards that close attention. Look at where her attention goes, not only where another character says it ought to go.
