This film is crammed with memorable characters and scenes: the fey but deadly bad guy, Bijomaru (Jo Odagiri, looking like an undernourished Phil Oakey, c. Raised to deal in cold blooded death, the teenage assassin girl Azumi must defeat three evil warlords while also battling her own heart.

In the fight to make them assassins, after Azumí strikes Nachí: First scene - Azumi's chest is covered in blood; Second scene - Azumi'chest is clean; Third scene - Azumi'chest is covered in blood again. Niwa-suzumi are two story rooms with a garden and 2 Twin beds on the ground floor, and a tatami room above on the 2nd floor.Sora-suzumi are two story rooms with 2 Twin beds on the ground floor, and a tatami room above on the 2nd floor. Japanese teen-star Aya Ueto plays the eponymous heroine, an orphaned waif rescued from the roadside by a master warrior and his small entourage of equally waif-like protégés. Versus, which Kitamura wrote and directed, was simply a collection of mindless gore sequences lacking any kind of storyline, that was, frankly, one long bore.

Hidden from the world until they reach their late teens, this unlikely 'family' is trained in the art of swordplay by their master as preparation for their mission to rid the country of three troublesome warlords who are committing wholesale slaughter throughout the land. True, there is a huge amount of bloodletting (the death toll runs into the multiple-hundreds, and we get to see them all in vibrant in-your-face bloody colour), but there is also a reasonable – if a tad simple and clichéd – storyline, and, for this type of movie, a lot of attention is given to character development.Azumi is a real barnstormer of a movie; great fun to watch, and deserving of a much larger audience than it has received in the West. Sometimes, the term 'cult' seems to be a euphemism for 'popular with undemanding teen horror-fiends'. There is a spacious daybed on the balcony on the 2nd floor, where you can relax while reading a book during the day or cooling down after the bath while feeling the refreshing breeze from Setouchi. Half of these orphans are killed within fifteen minutes of the opening credits, and the manner in which their deaths are contrived serves notice that this is to be no ordinary mindless action flick.

decked out in flowing white robes and carrying a red rose, who giggles with glee when fighting a worthy foe, and swishes his sword distractedly through the long grass as he observes the effect of the latest wound he has inflicted upon his adversary; Saru, the warlord's sidekick, possessor of an astounding hairdo and a habit of uttering monkey noises as he fights, and Azumi herself, who is never just a cipher, but who questions the validity of her mission at every turn, and resists, futilely, the life that has been mapped out for her. Luckily, Kitamura handed over the writing duties to Yu Koyama, creator of the Manga comic script upon which it's based, and producer Mataichiro Yamamoto, and I only hope Kitamura steers clear of his lap-top from now on, because Azumi is an absolute pearl of a movie that seems to revel in the mythical warrior story it relates. Bedding for the tatami room can be provided for up to three guests, making the lofted room like a second home, ideal for families or large groups. A sofa at the foot of the bed functions as a place to recline, substituting the engawa of traditional ryokans. refers to Azumi saying 'Bokuwa' (the predominantly male word for referring to yourself) instead of 'Watashiwa' (the female or unisex form) when pointing out that she could hide her swords in her cloak.I'm not too familiar with Japanese cinema – especially the Chambara genre – but I had come across director Ryuhei Kitamura's cult favourite Versus a couple of weeks before viewing this flick, so I wasn't expecting great things. Definitions and other text are available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply.

Kitamura even plays on this by having a rival assassin enthusing over her cuteness as they do battle – and moments before she runs him through with her sword.On the generous balcony on the 2nd floor, a daybed can be enjoyed for reading, cooling off after a warm bath, or taking in the sea breeze. Situated on the second floor, Suzumi rooms have a private balcony, which can be enjoyed from the cypress bathtub. The dining experience is centered around French cuisine crafted from the finest Setouchi ingredients, presented on tableware that has been passed down through generations of the Horiuchi family.