Some of this is less a review and more of me gushing so take that as you will Azumi is a very fun manga. The characters are all distinct memorable and lovable or detestable. The action is extremely well done. It doesnt waste time. And it has what is one of the best female protagonists up with the likes of Gally. 590https://i.ur.com/mpGDXwu.png 590https://i.ur.com/pBvV1j6.jpg There is no overall story with a clearly defined goal in Azumi. The manga is more about Azumis journey consisting of many arcs over a long period of time. This is perhaps Azumis greatest weakness. To facilitate this journey an arc has to end in a way that allows this journey to continue and for another arc to begin. Things become predictable in regard to the general outcome. As I heard someone once say the manga should be called Azumi gets her hopes up and then has a bad time. While fun times are to be had you begin to only expect that bad outcomes will eventually swoop in. Much like Azumi herself you start to become somewhat numb to it after a while. The story isnt necessarily deep or interesting instead your entertainment comes from seeing how Azumi will handle the situations she finds herself inwhich brings me to the gushing part of this review and what I really want to talk about. The way the author draws combat is more satisfying than any other manga Ive read before. Every single motion is communicated extremely well. Every element of visual language is at play and employed with great fluency. Motion lines polymorphic panels blur overlap telephoto lens effect etc... how many manga do you see have telephoto??? 590https://i.ur.com/v63YPiV.png Everything in the toolbox is frequently used in such a way as to maximize the flow of what is being portrayed. These are all things youre familiar with but I cant think of a single other manga that Ive read that has as much movement that is as clearly conveyed as in Azumi without becoming a confusing mess. Many of even my favourite manga some of the best in action fall into the trap of being confusing sometimes on exactly what is happening or at the very least janky yet Azumi flows like pure water. Reading Azumis fight scenes is like experiencing 144hz when you were previously stuck with 60. 590https://i.ur.com/RgCQGQZ.png 590https://i.ur.com/aSqITVQ.png 590https://i.ur.com/olvu5mt.png 590https://i.ur.com/MzPHOnt.png 590https://i.ur.com/LDmaSiP.png 590https://i.ur.com/fAwvGHj.png It doesnt sacrifice clarity for moneyshots nor does it go for actions scenes consisting of a series of panels that are cool for the sake of cool. If a character is in a pose or in a position you know exactly how they got there where they can go from it and realistically how things could proceed. Fights are exceptionally fun to read and they are very common. But this praise isnt limited to fights it applies to everything. Simple scenes of characters interacting with each other like playing with each other while in sleeping bags will have that same immersive expression of movement. As you can see the style is somewhat unique. Mostly it sticks to what one might consider a dated style. I dont think its so much that the style is dated as it is that the author pursues freedom. When he wants to be detailed he is. When he wants it to be pretty he does just so. The author allows characters to look frumpy which makes for very expressive faces. Sometimes youll even get a mix of all three in a single panel with simple emotive characters up front while detailed and shaded characters are behind them. 590https://i.ur.com/MJBEC95.png 590https://i.ur.com/SedK4ho.png That said none of that matters. Whats most important is that Azumi is cute and I love her.