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Azumi
Background Information: Azumi Azumi is a manga series created by Yu Koyama. It concerns the title character, a young woman brought up as part of a team of assassins, charged with killing three warlords that threaten Feudal Japan with an agenda of war & bloodshed. Azumi was adapted into a popular & extremely violent action film by Ryuhei Kitamura in 2003. Death or Love, directed by Shusuke Kaneko, followed in 2005. Since the movie was produced by Mataichiro Yamamoto, the movie will soon be distributed to the US by his company called Asia Vision, a company owned by his other company, Urban Vision. After the Battle of Sekigahara, a samurai is tasked by the Ieyasu shogunate to raise a band of assassins to finish off Tokugawas allies & other ambitious warlords. Azumi, played by Aya Ueto, is discovered weeping next to the body of her dead mother by the samurai master & his entourage of young students, Azumi is then raised from a youth in the martial skills of samurai & shinobi sword fighting & the art of assassination. Over the last few months, Ive seen my DVD collection grow quite substantially. With the purchase of Kill Bill, I found that I wanted a few other movies to compliment the movie, & thought it would be best to turn to the Asian Movie Market that provided the inspiration. After buying Battle Royale, amd Ninja Scroll, I was looking for something that combined the best of these two movies. I loved the grip of the script in both movies, & I loved the way the set action pieces werent predictable or felt stale in comparison to Kill Bill Vol 1 finale. I found it was a toss-up between 2 movies - Azumi & Zatoichi. The former was little-known, but the latter had received high praises in recent film festivals. But the thing that really swung it for me was the main character. A female ninja/assassin always seems to have a little bit more grace & style in the action scenes, & she reminded me a little of the main character from the playstation & xbox game called Tenchu. So, probably due to aesthetic reasons, I found myself choosing Azumi instead. And trust me, Im very happy with my decision! The movie runs at 2 hrs 20 mins, which is long for the majority of movie viewers, but Ive always been a fan of movies that dont feel rushed, so I didnt mind myself. I was very suprised to find that the movie had been adapted from an 80s/90s manga comic of the same name. The action scenes in no way disappointed me. Some moments reminded me a little of Shogun Assassin because the bloodshed is a little intense, & isnt for the weak of stomach. And after watching the extra documentries on the disc To summarise, you really need to give this movie a chance. This is how comic books SHOULD be adapted for the big screen. The movie is long enough to give you the chance to bond to the character before the enevitable show-down, & the set-scenes are selected perfectly to mold the story. Buy if youre a fan of Manga, comic-book adaptions, sword-play/martial arts movies, & movies that will be considered as future classics! Aya Ueto is a Japanese actress, idol & singer. // In 1997, Aya Ueto participated in the 7th All-Japan National Young Beauty contest, where she received a special award from the judges. Her discovery led to many TV commercial deals, which would eventually start her acting career. In 1999, she formed the J-pop band Z-1 with Mami Nejiki, Mai Fujiya & Manami Nishiwaki. They released five singles before breaking up, but Aya went on to start a solo career when she signed with Pony Canyon two years later. She released her first single, Pureness, in 2002. Since then, she has released several more singles & three albums. Meanwhile, Aya began her acting career in 2000 with a role in Namida wo Fuite. In 2001, she played a part in 3 Nen B Gumi Kinpachi Sensei & her performance greatly boosted her popularity. She starred in several later dramas, including Koukou Kyoushi 2003, Hitonatsu no Papa e & Aim for the Ace!. Death or Love. She is often said to physically resemble Japanese star Momoe Yamaguchi. As of 2005, she remains ubiquitous in Japan, appearing constantly on magazines & in commercials.
Editors Choice: Azumi, View DVDology
Biography: Ryuhei Kitamura Ryuhei Kitamura is a Japanese film director growing in popularity in Japan & in the international Japanese film community. Kitamuras films are known for their extensive mythology, impressive sword fighting & martial arts & over-the-top action sequences. Born in Osaka, Japan, Kitamura quit high school & went to the School of Visual Arts in Australia at age 17. His first film was the short Exit, which he made as his graduation piece at age 19. After graduating, he returned to Japan to establish Napalm Films, his independent film production studio. While his films Down to Hell & Heat After Dark were successful in film festivals, Kitamura rise to international fame came from Versus. Kitamura went on to direct several movies, including adaptations of the manga Azumi & the popular Japanese TV drama Sky High. He had also collaborated with director Yukihiko Tsutsumi in the Duel Project, in which the two agreed to produce the best dueling movie with minimal production time & budget, with Aragami being Kitamuras part.
Editors Choice: Azumi, Versus, View DVDology
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