Azumi

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Movie
German title Azumi
Original title あ ず み
Country of production Japan
original language Japanese
Publishing year 2003
length 128 minutes
Age rating FSK 18
Rod
Director Ryuhei Kitamura
script Isao Kiriyama ,
Rikiya Mizushima
production Mataichiro Yamamoto
music Taro Iwashiro
camera Takumi Furuya
cut Shuichi Kakesu
occupation
chronology

Successor  →
Azumi 2 - Death or Love

Azumi , also Azumi - The Fearless Warrior ( Japanese あ ず み ) is a Japanese chambara film directed by Ryūhei Kitamura from 2003 with J-Pop singer Aya Ueto in the lead role. The film is based on motifs from the manga series of the same name by Yū Koyama and is about the young warrior from the same name on her campaign against warring princes.

The film found a sequel in 2005 in Azumi 2 - Death or Love , directed by Shusuke Kaneko .

action

Japan in the 17th century. Prince Tokugawa Ieyasu and other allies unite the empire and finally secure supremacy in the country with the victory in the Battle of Sekigahara . He founded the Tokugawa dynasty of the shoguns , but in the following years there were a number of armed conflicts between rival daimyōs . In a dream, the war veteran and samurai Gessai appears a wise priest who wants to create a peaceful nation and prevent bloody conflicts in the future. To achieve this goal, Gessai will, the desire of the old man, secretly gather a group of children around, she trained as assassins for rival with the help of warlords off the feudal Japan back into a bloody civil war to overthrow. The warrior then roams the country and takes a total of ten orphans. In the mountains, far away from civilization, he trains them to become master students.

After years of intensive training, the master gathers his protégés one day, the only female member of which is the petite Azumi, creates five groups and orders them to kill their friends in a sword fight. The five survivors, including the particularly talented Azumi, should be able to do their duty completely ruthlessly and without feeling. Together with their sensei , the chosen samurai leave their hiding place into a world that is unknown to them. On the way they are subjected to a further test, in the presence of Gessai they witness how villagers are attacked and killed by a horde of bandits. However, their master forbids the quintet to fight because their katana only serves a "higher mission".

The group first moves on, is soon visited by a ninja who brings Gessai helpful information - the names of three supposed belligerent rulers: Sanada Masayuki , Katō Kiyomasa and Asano Nagamasa . The group can confront their first victim, Nagamasa, without much resistance and kill them along with his entourage. However, contrary to their assumption, they cannot liquidate the second Prince Kiyomasa, who, alarmed by the murder of his ally, takes various security measures and hires a doppelganger. The prince proves to be extremely docile and in turn hires opponents to stop his assassins .

But disagreements and emotions soon develop within the group as well. When her poisoned companion Amagi dies, the otherwise loyal Azumi rebels together with Hyuga against her Sensei. The conspiratorial group fell apart at this point. When Hyuga, who is in love with an artist , also dies, the retarded Azumi reflects on her femininity and initially wishes for a completely normal life as a woman, but somehow she can not escape her fate , the armed struggle. She follows her master.

Meanwhile, the dutiful master Gessai and two of his remaining samurai attack a ship in which Prince Kiyomasa is staying, falls into a trap and, to his amazement, has to fight against an overwhelming number of opponents. The aging samurai is captured and used as bait for his devoted disciples. One of them fights sacrificially in front of his foster father, but is defeated in the face of the hopeless situation and dies. The other student, Nagara, manages to escape.

The next day , the injured Gessai is crucified in order to lure the group's strongest assassin, Azumi. The plan works, the young woman appears, slaughtering the hostile crowd almost single-handedly, completely emotionless and unreserved. She finds support in Nagara. After the battle has calmed down, the dying master Azumi releases from any obligation, recommends her a normal life before succumbing to his injuries. In tears, Azumi says goodbye to her teacher and mentor and carries out the murder of the second warlord Kiyomasa.

At the end of the film, she meets Nagara and tells him her next mission goal: Sanada Masayuki.

Awards

Reviews

“Opulent film adaptation of a samurai manga that takes up a number of (film) myths of the warrior caste; the irony-free story is celebrated at a sometimes breathless pace and with a fascinating showdown. "

- Lexicon of international film

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Azumi. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used