Phil Hubbs Following on from the first film we see our female assassin hunted down by hired ninjas for her handy work. She is on her way to complete the mission set out in the first film and assassinate 'Sanada' (her finale target), along the way she meets up with a group of bandits who assist her but this also allows spies into the equation. This is the basis for the plot very simply laid out.I must say I got the feeling this film may have been one big long film that was cut into two on purpose, the whole thing filmed in one go. The continuity is very good with both plot and certain actors returning and you do get a fairly epic feeling in the scope of things. Aya Ueto in the lead is still cute as hell while Tak Sakaguchi seems to be in every modern Japanese flick with any hint of action.To be honest the film isn't entirely different from the first in the terms of what happens. Its more sword slashing, blood spurting and many similar yet nicely created characters, it also visually appears identical to the first hence why I think it was all made at the same time. Not exactly worthy of an epic award but certainly well made with some grand action sequences to please the eye.Like all Japanese Samurai/ninja films it has a lovely period feel to the proceedings with small segments of fantasy or myth. These do add to the charm of the film but also take away from it. The story is based on a manga comic but there are so many of these adaptations from Japan you do get a strong sense of deja vu half the time.The main plus points in this film (like many other films from the land of the rising sun) are the characters. Big, bold, colourful, exciting, athletic and overflowing with emotions whilst the flash of their Katana's glint in the sun at you. The plot is pretty much the same old search for revenge, truth or justice motif with nothing really new to offer in terms of action but it does the job well.7/10

gashmanflirty You really have to watch Azumi 1 as this is a continuation and No.1 sets the groundwork. I enjoyed watching this, it is important that you allow yourself to get into the film and focus otherwise it will just go over your head and you will become detached. You notice every so often that there seems to be some lack in budget. However this is overcome by the storyline and the quality of the acting. Some villains remain from Azumi 1, especially Lord Kato protector. These allow you to have a stronger connection to the film & allow you to become more involved; ultimately enhancing viewing performance. 7.6/10 for me. Thats just about on the high fair side. Could of been more with higher budget. But i more than appreciate how it is currently. Azumi definitely somehow grows on you and you always know she will come through her battle's no matter how hard the opponent. Her mission seems to be one of good, therefore you support it. One thing that was always going through my head from Azumi 1 was the reference made by a character to Azumi & speed over power. In same light looking at Azumi's figure she seems flimsy yet she wields so much impact. I also always like after she kill's someone the stance after, it is delayed then blood starts gushing out. They think they were never caught yet realise the blade has penetrated her skin. She has some sort of back blade as well which comes in very hand and she uses in devastating effect. The mix of enemies work well. But in Azumi 2 it becomes even more prominent the desire to complete the mission. That is what they live for and without it they are somewhat lost. Being compelled to carry out your duty. This somehwhat leads me to think about 'Bushido', and in parts of the film i was thinking about 'The Last samurai '. Anyway enjoy Azumi 1 and 2 but if you fall asleep it is more than difficult to get back into it. This probably because there are so many details to remember , culminating in the conclusion that the storyline has strength.

trashgang This is still a real good example of Asian flicks so it's not for everybody but if you can understand their way of living than you really will enjoy this flick. It goes further were part one stopped and their are some flashbacks but overall the story is much better than the first one. But you will need a paper to wrote all the names down to understand who is who. Again they used CGI for some scene's to fill in the blood or the more gorier (funny) parts that reminded me of one of the traps of Cube. But when the red stuff flows it sputters like they use to do in Asian flicks. It clocks in at almost 2 hours but still you keep attracted to the screen. Nowadays it's easy to find the DVD and it's so cheap that you have to pick it up.

athena24 Yesterday I saw the fist Azumi and it impressed me so much that today I went to see the second one.I still think that the movie by itself is good. It just doesn't lift to the height of the first one. It's seems that many had expectations about this one that doesn't came through, but if to look at it without comparing to the fist one, Azumi 2 is fine.The plot is OK. More flaws than in the first one but it's not the problem of this film. It is not as appealing as the first one, but still interesting and never boring. I'm a little disappointed that Kanbei (my favorite character from the first movie) is underused.The positive thing about this movie, is that it keeps the main cast from the first Azumi (specially when I saw them one after the other).fights are great, and pretty much on the same level as in Azumi.The ninja characters are very interesting. They have new tricks and new weapons, and add a lot to the movie.But the movie has two major flaws: One is the character of Azumi and Nagara, which seems to be less determined in their mission and find other things more important ( like love or quiet living), one thing i could never expect after the ending of the first Azumi, and even less after their swearing to Tenkai in continuing the mission.The second flaw doesn't concern the first Azumi, and it is in the dialog's of the characters. They say things that are obvious ,make them look stupid. They also look more dramatic (which is far above most of Chinese Kong Fu movies conversations but still reminds them).Overall i think Azumi2 is a likable samurai movie and better than most in this category.