Bootleg Report: Azumi 2: Death or Love and Cutie Honey



In the original Azumi our hero was charged with killing three lords who were conspiring against the Tokugawa shogunate. She killed two, and so in Azumi 2: Death or Love (2005) she turns her attention to the third. The original movie was directed by Ryuhei Kitamura, but this one is by Shusuke Kaneko, and it’s far more coherent, suspenseful (has Kitamura ever managed to build suspense in any of his films?), and interesting than its predecessor. The only sour note is that it looks like the budget and inspiration ran out before they got to film the inevitable scene where Azumi takes on the lord’s entire army.

The source for this DVD appears to be a Korean DVD, but ripped and given a new menu. The subtitles are very good.



Cutie Honey (2004) is a live-action movie based on the long running Japanese manga and anime character. Director Hideki Anno decided to play a little joke on his audience, so the whole movie emulates an anime movie, with exaggerated poses, choppy dialogue, and bright colors. The results are sometimes engagingly surreal, but just as often shrill and annoying. I guess the plot is the same as the manga, with the superpowered Cutie Honey being the dead daughter of a scientist resurrected by his inventions, but the plot hardly matters. Either you find the manic humor funny, or you won't get past the first ten minutes.

This DVD appears to be a straight rip of a Chinese DVD. The subtitles are nice, if occasionally misspelled.

Posted: Tue - September 20, 2005 at      

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