Considering the demographics of its fans, it seems only fitting that the heroine of "Azumi," director Ryuhei Kitamura's adaptation of the best-selling manga series is a mini-skirted, seriously sexy young babe. Made in 2003, "Azumi" is only now being given a U.S. theatrical release, though it won't be long before it finds its natural home on the video store shelves. The samurai epic depicts the adventures of its titular character, one of 10 teen orphans raised by a master swordsman (Yoshio Harada) to become assassins and thwart the plans of an evil warlord (Naoto Takenaka).

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