<s>
A	O
sequel	O
,	O
titled	O
AZUMI	B-Application
(	O
Latin-script	O
title	O
in	O
all	O
caps	O
)	O
,	O
was	O
serialized	O
in	O
the	O
same	O
magazine	O
from	O
2008	O
to	O
2014	O
,	O
with	O
its	O
chapters	O
collected	O
in	O
14	O
tankōbon	O
volumes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
series	O
has	O
been	O
adapted	O
into	O
two	O
feature	O
films	O
starring	O
Aya	O
Ueto	O
(	O
2003	O
's	O
Azumi	B-Application
and	O
2005	O
's	O
Azumi	B-Application
2	O
:	O
Death	O
or	O
Love	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
video	O
game	O
and	O
a	O
stage	O
play	O
in	O
2005	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Azumi	B-Application
received	O
an	O
Excellence	O
Prize	O
at	O
the	O
1997	O
Japan	O
Media	O
Arts	O
Festival	O
and	O
won	O
the	O
43rd	O
Shogakukan	O
Manga	O
Award	O
in	O
the	O
general	O
category	O
in	O
1998	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Azumi	B-Application
focuses	O
upon	O
the	O
life	O
of	O
the	O
titular	O
young	O
female	O
assassin	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
Azumi	B-Application
begins	O
her	O
duty	O
,	O
the	O
manga	O
introduces	O
its	O
characters	O
into	O
mainstream	O
history	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
of	O
the	O
early	O
missions	O
that	O
Azumi	B-Application
undertakes	O
are	O
the	O
assassinations	O
of	O
the	O
prominent	O
supporters	O
and	O
generals	O
of	O
the	O
Toyotomi	O
clan	O
,	O
against	O
whom	O
Tokugawa	O
Ieyasu	O
expected	O
to	O
again	O
go	O
to	O
war	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
manga	O
"	O
reveals	O
"	O
that	O
many	O
of	O
the	O
Toyotomi	O
leaders	O
who	O
conveniently	O
died	O
of	O
diseases	O
or	O
accidents	O
prior	O
to	O
the	O
final	O
confrontation	O
between	O
the	O
Toyotomi	O
and	O
Tokugawa	O
were	O
actually	O
victims	O
of	O
assassinations	O
by	O
Azumi	B-Application
and	O
her	O
comrades	O
,	O
thus	O
indicating	O
to	O
the	O
reader	O
when	O
the	O
events	O
were	O
taking	O
place	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Azumi	B-Application
is	O
raised	O
by	O
an	O
old	O
man	O
known	O
as	O
Jiji	O
(	O
Grandfather	O
)	O
,	O
whose	O
name	O
is	O
later	O
revealed	O
to	O
be	O
Gensai	O
Obata	O
,	O
as	O
the	O
only	O
girl	O
among	O
ten	O
students	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Early	O
in	O
the	O
manga	O
,	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
their	O
training	O
,	O
Azumi	B-Application
and	O
her	O
comrades	O
are	O
ordered	O
to	O
go	O
to	O
Shimotani	O
,	O
a	O
hidden	O
community	O
of	O
ninja	O
who	O
became	O
farmers	O
,	O
to	O
learn	O
the	O
basics	O
of	O
ninjutsu	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
10	O
erabareta	O
senshi	O
(	O
chosen	O
warriors	O
)	O
,	O
who	O
are	O
all	O
young	O
children	O
(	O
Azumi	B-Application
has	O
her	O
first	O
period	O
well	O
after	O
her	O
first	O
missions	O
,	O
so	O
she	O
appears	O
to	O
be	O
somewhere	O
between	O
10	O
–	O
12	O
years	O
of	O
age	O
at	O
the	O
onset	O
of	O
the	O
manga	O
)	O
are	O
told	O
by	O
Jiji	O
that	O
they	O
have	O
completed	O
their	O
training	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Azumi	B-Application
pairs	O
with	O
Nachi	O
,	O
and	O
all	O
others	O
pair	O
with	O
their	O
closest	O
friends	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
ten	O
children	O
each	O
fight	O
their	O
respective	O
duels	O
,	O
and	O
Azumi	B-Application
slays	O
Nachi	O
,	O
an	O
event	O
which	O
appears	O
to	O
deeply	O
traumatize	O
Azumi	B-Application
,	O
but	O
she	O
hides	O
her	O
feelings	O
,	O
as	O
do	O
the	O
others	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Azumi	B-Application
slays	O
three	O
men	O
and	O
four	O
teenagers	O
but	O
is	O
unable	O
to	O
kill	O
a	O
woman	O
with	O
baby	O
,	O
a	O
task	O
which	O
one	O
of	O
her	O
comrades	O
quickly	O
accomplishes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
8-19	O
)	O
,	O
Azumi	B-Application
frequently	O
fights	O
and	O
kills	O
many	O
bandits	O
—	O
many	O
of	O
whom	O
are	O
depicted	O
robbing	O
,	O
murdering	O
,	O
and	O
raping	O
innocent	O
victims	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Azumi	B-Application
does	O
not	O
question	O
that	O
her	O
killing	O
such	O
bandits	O
is	O
right	O
,	O
and	O
few	O
readers	O
probably	O
question	O
her	O
righteousness	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Azumi	B-Application
questions	O
whether	O
it	O
was	O
right	O
for	O
her	O
to	O
have	O
killed	O
so	O
many	O
men	O
who	O
had	O
been	O
driven	O
to	O
banditry	O
not	O
by	O
their	O
own	O
choice	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
consistent	O
recurring	O
theme	O
is	O
the	O
contrast	O
between	O
Azumi	B-Application
and	O
other	O
prominent	O
characters	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Azumi	B-Application
is	O
compared	O
to	O
a	O
bodhisattva	O
—	O
a	O
kind	O
of	O
enlightened	O
being	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
is	O
indicative	O
of	O
the	O
theme	O
in	O
Azumi	B-Application
where	O
characters	O
around	O
Azumi	B-Application
are	O
motivated	O
by	O
a	O
variety	O
of	O
obsessions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Not	O
all	O
the	O
forces	O
(	O
particularly	O
those	O
motivated	O
by	O
more	O
noble	O
incentives	O
,	O
like	O
a	O
pair	O
of	O
ninja	O
assassins	O
whom	O
Azumi	B-Application
kills	O
,	O
who	O
are	O
participating	O
in	O
the	O
planning	O
of	O
a	O
revolt	O
as	O
the	O
only	O
way	O
for	O
a	O
ninja	O
community	O
to	O
survive	O
)	O
are	O
depicted	O
as	O
if	O
their	O
single-minded	O
drive	O
towards	O
their	O
goals	O
are	O
somehow	O
evil	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
nonetheless	O
,	O
in	O
each	O
case	O
,	O
those	O
who	O
are	O
attached	O
intensely	O
to	O
something	O
in	O
the	O
world	O
are	O
killed	O
by	O
Azumi	B-Application
,	O
while	O
she	O
,	O
who	O
seemingly	O
has	O
little	O
attachment	O
to	O
the	O
earthly	O
world	O
and	O
few	O
personal	O
desires	O
,	O
survives	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Written	O
and	O
illustrated	O
by	O
Yū	O
Koyama	O
,	O
Azumi	B-Application
was	O
serialized	O
in	O
Shogakukan	O
's	O
seinen	O
manga	O
magazine	O
from	O
1994	O
to	O
2008	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
sequel	O
to	O
the	O
series	O
,	O
titled	O
AZUMI	B-Application
(	O
Latin-script	O
title	O
in	O
all	O
caps	O
)	O
was	O
serialized	O
in	O
the	O
same	O
magazine	O
from	O
December	O
26	O
,	O
2008	O
,	O
to	O
February	O
28	O
,	O
2014	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Azumi	B-Application
was	O
loosely	O
adapted	O
into	O
an	O
action	O
film	O
directed	O
by	O
Ryuhei	O
Kitamura	O
in	O
2003	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
sequel	O
,	O
Azumi	B-Application
2	O
:	O
Death	O
or	O
Love	O
,	O
directed	O
by	O
Shusuke	O
Kaneko	O
,	O
followed	O
in	O
2005	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
action	B-Application
game	I-Application
for	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
,	O
based	O
on	O
manga	O
's	O
original	O
story	O
,	O
was	O
developed	O
by	O
Gargoyle	O
Mechanics	O
and	O
released	O
in	O
Japan	O
only	O
by	O
Entertainment	O
Software	O
Publishing	O
in	O
2005	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
theatrical	O
version	O
,	O
directed	O
by	O
Okamura	O
Toshikazu	O
,	O
premiered	O
on	O
April	O
3	O
,	O
2005	O
,	O
starring	O
Meisa	O
Kuroki	O
as	O
Azumi	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Azumi	B-Application
Original	O
Soundtrack	O
containing	O
music	O
from	O
the	O
film	O
was	O
released	O
by	O
For	O
Life	O
Music	O
in	O
2003	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Azumi	B-Application
figure	O
line	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
manga	O
version	O
was	O
released	O
by	O
figuAX	O
in	O
2006	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Azumi	B-Application
received	O
an	O
Excellence	O
Prize	O
at	O
the	O
1997	O
Japan	O
Media	O
Arts	O
Festival	O
,	O
and	O
won	O
the	O
43rd	O
Shogakukan	O
Manga	O
Award	O
in	O
the	O
general	O
category	O
in	O
1998	O
.	O
</s>
