Azumi II

U e t o--- A y a
I s h i g a k i--- Y u m a
K u r i y a m a--- C h i a k i

AZUMI II
DEATH OR LOVE

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Azumi is changed into a mortal teenager despite the still-swinging sword she has.		She's now plagued by nightmares and regrets, but at the same time doggedly persistent with 'the mission'.


Nagara is the only friend left from her colleagues in the first movie.		She swears Nagara will not die on her in this sequel.


Another curious comeback: the bandit leader Ginkaku looks exactly like Azumi's dead boyfriend Nachi -- whom she killed in the first movie. Ginkaku's band is supposed to be Robin-Hoody, but until the movie ends we have no idea why we are expected to think so of them.		But Ginkaku gives the voice to some among the audience. He says Azumi is the stupidest of all because she is nothing but a tool for someone's politics. He also says Azumi's categories of 'for war' (foes) versus 'for peace' (friends) is equally ludicrous.


Azumi and Nagara believe in their late mentor's coaching that they have a mission to prevent war by killing people who are 'for war'.		They never know any better. Only without such an important non-selfish purpose they would have spent their lives in misery.


Savor it; this is the only scene where Azumi laughs in this movie.		The deserted war-ravaged village is not even a hundredth of what Gamo was in the first movie.


The disarray looks too much aimed at by the people in charge of the props.		Luckily Ueto Aya always looks good even when she is not supposed to.


A not-so-enticing fight, but it's an echo of what Azumi was.		The bandits join Azumi, Nagara and Gozue for no other reason than that they all fall for Azumi.


Gozue is best in archery. Something unlikely if she's supposed to be a ninja tutored by Hattori Hanzo. The actress is still the Go-Go of another movie which wrecked nerves as far as stuff about Hattori Hanzo was concerned: the martially-incorrect Quentin Tarrantino movie Kill Bill.		Azumi should have been happy with Ginkaku, but even without any leak of the plot you can easily guess happiness is not in the scenario, though inappropriately-placed hairdye certainly is.


Azumi's constant look all the movie through is like this.		The bandit smokes something 16th-centurian like this.


People (men) keep dying when they be around Azumi.		Azumi meeting the hysterically un-scary Kunio.


The fighting scenes in the bamboo grove might incite some 'wow'. If, that is, you have never ever seen Zhang Ziyi's movie House of Flying Daggers.		After one and three-fourth movies, Azumi finally wails and asks why people she cares about keep on dying.


When Azumi shows up donning the Oda Nobunaga-like cape, she means collateral damage.		Unfortunately all the bad guys never even suspect so.

		Why the heck people fought against the Tokugawas so that Azumi had to kill them?
She's mushy now, but her sword is still made of metal.