Mugen no Juunin, Azumi Recommendations
Historical fiction epics that are full of dismemberment and gory battles involving samurai, assassins, ninja & everything else you'd expect to see in a Japanese period piece where swords are used.
Azumi is as unknown outside of Japan as BotI is known. This is because, until very recently, NONE of the manga had ever been translated into English. Dark Horse have been releasing BotI officially for nearly two decades, as well as there being internet translations by fans. The only translated Azumi content before the recent manga fan translation started was for the two live-action movies. And it's a pity because Azumi is a long-running
manga classic on the same page as Berserk and other old/endless series loved outside of Japan.
The biggest linking factor BotI and Azumi share is their female characters. In BotI mentally strong female characterisation (the most skilled fighter, Maki, also being a female) defines it as a series. During a time when females held no power in a man's world, it's the heroine Rin that drives the story onwards and grows from a girl into a cunning woman over the course of the series. Azumi's titular heroine walks a similar path to Rin - growing as a person and a woman with each trial she faces - but, unlike Rin, Azumi starts out extremely skilled as a warrior. Azumi is like Maki and Rin from BotI being merged into one character.
If there is one negative Azumi has that BotI doesn't, it's the art. The titular heroine, Azumi, is beautiful... but the HUGE old school male eyebrows and some cartoony design choices hurt it. Having said that, BotI's art improved over its lengthy duration, and Azumi's artist improves later as well if the sequel scans are anything to go by. It's hard for an artist not to improve when drawing a series for 1-2 decades!
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