Crows Zero 2

The boys are back for their final fight.

Two years ago Suzuran - the School of Crows waged a war with Housen Academy. When the battle pushes Suzuran to the brink of defeat, Suzuran's leader Kawanishi Noboru (Shinnosuke Abe) broke the rules of combat and used a knife to murder Housen's leader Makio Bitō (played by Kamen Rider Kabuto's Yoshiyuki Yamaguchi). Because of this tragic incident Suzuran and Housen created a non-aggression pact and both schools vowed to leave each other alone. Sometime later a student named Genji Takiya transferred to Suzuran.

Suzuran vs Housen

Heir to the Ryuseikai Yakuza, Genji set out to be the first person to conquer Suzuran and earn the right to lead his father's organization. With the help of his mentor Ken, Genji forged many alliances but also made a number of enemies along the way. These enemies included a motorcycle gang called the Armored Front, the force of nature known as Rindaman, and the man closest to conquering Suzuran Tamao Serizawa. After many hard fought battles, Genji's faction was able to defeat Serizawa and his forces. However, while Genji won the battle the war was far from over. Many students still doubt Genji's strength and even those who acknowledge his power refuse to accept his leadership. Suzuran is on the brink of an internal war. To make matters worse, when Kawanishi is released from prison he is attacked by forces from Housen looking for revenge and he flees to Suzuran for asylum. When Genji attacks students from Housen he accidentally breaks the non-aggression pact and the war is on. Will Genji be able to quell Suzuran's internal strife and bring down Housen Academy? Or will he become a casualty in the war he created?

 

Shun Oguri returns as Genji Takiya.

Directed by Takashi Miike, Crows Zero 2 is the 2009 sequel to Crows Zero (2007) which is based on the manga Crows written by Hiroshi Takahashi. If you've read my review of Crows Zero you're probably aware it's one of my favorite Japanese movies. It has great action, a lot of attitude, memorable characters and some minor issues aside is the total package in my book. Crows Zero is the reason I got into this genre and similar titles like Bad Boys J, Sugarless, and HiGH & LOW. So when I heard there was a sequel I couldn't wait to see it, but given how high the bar was set by the original I was skeptical if Crows Zero 2 could live up to it. While it did fall short in several areas, I still came away from the movie having felt it was a great experience and firmly establishes why Crows is one of the best properties in this genre. Sans the Armored Front, the entire cast from the first movie returns most notably Shun Oguri (Genji), Kyōsuke Yabe (Ken), Meisa Kuroki (Ruka) and Takayuki Yamada (Tamao). Joined by newcomers Nobuaki Kaneko, Gou Ayano, and Haruma Miura the movie has a massive cast of characters that weave together one badass film filled with action and attitude, while telling a fascinating coming of age story about courage and loyalty.

Enemies make the worst friends.

While Genji and Tamao are no longer enemies (at least not outright) they're still not on the same page. Tamao is still bitter about his loss to Genji in Crows Zero and while the rules of Suzuran state that Tamao's faction is supposed to fall in line under Genji, he refuses because he believes he wouldn't have lost if Genji didn't have outside help. Tamao's refusal to work with Genji sets a bad example which many students emulate and refuse to obey Genji as well. Of course let it be said that Genji doesn't respect Tamao either and when Housen threatens to bring their full force on Suzuran and wipe out the crows for good, the two rivals must decide if they'll unite or watch Suzuran burn.

Housen's Finest

Nobuaki Kaneko portrays Housen's current leader Narumi Taiga (pictured right). Kaneko hasn't forgotten what Suzuran did to the previous head and he's ordered his men to take Kawanishi Noboru's life. When Genji breaks the non-aggression pact that's all the reason Kanenko needs to up the stakes and set out to destroy Suzuran altogether. He's a character driven by revenge, but he does have his own honor code: preferring to fight the strongest students one-on-one and firmly opposed to the use of weapons. Similar to Suzuran, Housen does have some dissension among the ranks. Played by Haruma Miura, Tatsuya Bitō (pictured left) is the leader of Housen's freshmen class and the younger brother of the deceased Makio Bitō. However, he doesn't seek revenge for the death of his brother because in his view crushing Suzuran won't bring his brother back. He'll strike at Suzuran when he feels he's strong enough to honor his brother, not avenge him. His refusal to allow the freshmen to join Kaneko causes tension among Housen's seniors.

T.I. wrote a song about this.

Crows Zero 2 is complex. The story is familiar and I felt a personal connection to it. Genji is in a place where he's worked hard to achieve his goal, but found out it wasn't what it was cracked up to be. He's in that uncomfortable, crippling place that only a few people find themselves in. Given his situation and the goal in front of him, he did the right thing and made all the right moves, but it ended up hurting him in the long run. Victory has defeated him and he's not sure what to do anymore. He's getting close to graduation and has yet to bring Suzuran under his flag. On top of that, his mentor Ken is no longer there to guide him. There's a real sense of hopelessness throughout the movie and Genji is under so much pressure he can barely stand on his own feet let alone fly. Even so he keeps going. He keeps fighting his way because that's what a man does.

 

It's going down.

Crows Zero 2 is a fantastic film, but it's not perfect. As mentioned the cast is massive and while some characters receive a generous amount of screen-time, many don't. While Housen's top brass isn't as stacked as Suzuran's the amount of characters here warranted a short-film or at least a TV special to give them the introduction they deserve. Sure Narumi Taiga gets plenty of screen-time given that he's the main antagonist, but we know next to nothing about his enforcer Ryo Urushibara (played by Gou Ayano). Also, while Tatsuya Bitō is a unique character he's barely in the film. The subplot involving two Yakuza syndicates does continue from the first film and although I can't put my finger on it, it just seemed like it didn't fit with the rest of what was going on. It seemed like it was only there to give Genji more adversity to overcome.

Suzuran Strong

Some of the fight scenes were a little choppy and while the enormous battle at the end of the film was quite the spectacle, the large number of people fighting in the school led to some really crowded scenes where I couldn't always tell who got hit and who was fighting who. The battles outside the school were great, but it's when they take the fight inside that a lot of problems with the camera work shows up. There is a way to cram 30 people into a tight corridor and make them fight and make it look good. HiGH & LOW was able to do it, Crows Zero 2 not so much.

"There's nothing wrong with being a crow."

Crows Zero is known for its great music, and legendary Japanese rock group the Street Beats return. Your favorites from the first film are here (I Wanna Change) along with a new ending theme "Sasurai no Uta" (Song of Wandering) which was a fitting and emotional send off for the film and these characters.

Suzuran High class of 09'. Thanks for the memories.

Crows Zero 2 had its negatives, but its positives far outweighed them. It had everything the first Crows Zero had and despite some flawed execution in certain areas, told a captivating and inspirational story with plenty of BADASSERY throughout. Crows Zero 2 reminded me why I enjoy this genre so much and while not a perfect movie, was a perfect bookend to Crows Zero. There is a movie called Crows Explode, but because it follows a completely new cast of characters this is the last we'll see of Genji and the gang. I will miss these characters, but I'll never forget their stories.

Bad Boys J (2013)

Whatcha goin to do?

Bad Boys J is a 2013 Japanese drama series based on the manga "BADBOYS" by Hiroshi Tanaka which ran from 1988 to 1996 in Young King magazine. The manga was quite popular and was later turned into a five episode OVA, a drama series, and a full-length movie. Bad Boys J follows Yōji, Hisao, and Eiji - a young group of friends who are members of the Gokurakuchou on their quest to become the number one gang in Hiroshima. Unfortunately, whether it's due to bad leadership, poor planning, scarce resources, or overwhelming competition the Gokurakuchou have had a run of bad luck and one more defeat could lead to the entire gang dissolving. Their luck changes when a transfer student by the name of Tsukasa Kiriki shows up in their town. To the gang and pretty much everyone else, Tsukasa looks like a textbook errand boy and his passive nature doesn't help that image. However, when he gets serious he's a force to be reckoned with. After KOing the leader of the Gokurakuchou over a misunderstanding, Tsukasa becomes its new leader, but the fight to the top of Hiroshima won't be easy. Gokurakuchou will have to contend with the Nights - Hiroshima's gang of vanity-obsessed pretty boys who sent more than a few gangs to the hospital, and Hiroshima's number one gang BEAST which has 3,000 members.

 Strap in kids. This gets complicated.

As you can see from the relationship chart, Bad Boys J has a huge cast of characters that the series utilizes remarkably well. Despite having a large cast, every gang gets a few episodes in the limelight and character development is consistent. Some members of Gokurakuchou have a history with the other gangs and often times this history stems from old friendships and rivalries. While it's inevitable that these gangs would face off, every conflict stems from a different reason so the encounters remain fresh and the outcomes are mostly unpredictable.

 

Shiro of Nights, Tsukasa of Gokurakuchou, and Danno of BEAST

Another point in the show's favor is that it constantly defies convention where tropes and story-telling are concerned and this is due in no small part to the great writing and equally great acting. Kento Nakajima (Sexy Zone) plays our main character Tsukasa Kiriki and delivers a passionate performance with a lot of emotional range. Tsukasa is essentially a fish out of water in Hiroshima's underworld and we see this in Tsukasa's compassion towards friend and foe alike and his desire to seek a common ground. Ryosuke Hashimoto (A.B.C-Z) who plays Nights leader Hiro comes off as a shallow pretty boy, but he clearly cares for his gang and follows a strict code of honor. Despite his host club good looks he's surprisingly strong, but prefers partying over fighting. My favorite character was BEAST leader Hidenori Danno. Played by Takashi Nikaido (Kis-My-Ft2), Danno is a stoic character who radiates power. At the same-time he quietly commands respect from all of BEAST's 3000 members. Since becoming the number one gang in Hiroshima, Danno seems bored almost disenchanted with the yanki life, but the arrival of Tsukasa seems to breathe new life into him. It says a lot about our cast as several of them are singers from boy bands, but also have some acting chops to boot.

Shiro defeated?!

As mentioned, the show does a good job of avoiding tropes where character development and story-telling are concerned. It would have been easy to make Tsukasa another boring invincible main character, but he isn't. Not only that, but defeat doesn't mean friendship in this show partially because there are some guys so tough that even Tsukasa just cannot beat them. Alliances - when made are mostly temporary. The top of Hiroshima is a position that only one gang can hold and it doesn't look like BEAST is giving it away anytime soon. The show deals with universal themes such as growing up and leaving one's past behind, whether or not a person should do the right thing if it hurts someone close to them, upholding duty or friendship, and even dilemma's specific to yanki or delinquents such as if society labels you a thug or criminal you don't have to wear that label just because someone assigned it to you. The show does get fairly dark which is the norm for this genre, but it inserts comedy at just the right times so it doesn't become too much.

I could go on all day about why you should watch this series. It oozes style, has good music, excellent pacing, and some really badass fight scenes. The show is about manly men doing manly men things. It's not afraid to wear its machismo on its designer sleeves and it's very refreshing in that regard. Bad Boys J is a must-see especially if you're a fan of Crows Zero or just looking for a badass show different from the norm.

Crows Zero (2007)

Alma Mater of Badasses

Directed by Takeshi Miike, Crows Zero is an adaptation of the manga Crows by Hiroshi Takahasi. Crows is the original delinquent manga surrounding a group of high schoolers attending Suzuran, the School of Crows. Suzuran "achieved" this moniker as only the worst of the worst students attend this school. In addition to battling it out to see who will be the best, the students of Suzuran also run afoul of gangs, other schools, and even yakuza trying to move in on their turf. Crows Zero is a faithful adaptation of the manga but it also has its own unique qualities which helps it stand on its own original story.

The King of Suzuran has a nice ring to it.

Crows Zero follows Genji Takaya, the son of a yakuza boss who enters Suzuran on a bet with his father. Genji's father will hand him control of the organization if Genji can do what no one has ever done before; dominate Suzuran. The school is filled to the brim with badass guys from all over the prefecture, including a third year named Tamao Serizawa who very nearly has the entire school under his fist. In his quest to dominate Suzuran, Genji is going to have to learn how to cooperate with others, contend with deadly rivals, and steer clear of Tamao's traps and dirty tactics, but all that is only half the battle. If Genji wants to take Suzuran he'll need an entire army.

Chasing the elusive mayfly of love.

Crows Zero is one of those rare films that does a brilliant job of exploring all those cinematic mainstays: plot, acting, music, character development, and action. The actors in this movie all do a spectacular job at portraying their characters and conveying both the verbal and nonverbal emotional atmosphere of any given scene. This is a school of badasses and sure you'll have the cliche nonverbals such as characters posturing, walking around with their hands in their pockets, and so forth, but the actors here have such range that they're able to emote with their eyes and facial expressions as well.

GPS

While Genji is the main character, there are also other major players in this film with whom he shares the spotlight. However, it never feels like someone is getting too much or too little screen-time. Also, the pacing of Crows Zero is very well-done. The film uses its two hour run time (give or take) to provide enough character development and help the viewer grasp how these characters relate to one another and the world around them.

Class is in session.

The relationship between Genji and Ken is one of heart and writing brilliance. Being a high school delinquent, Genji is a kid who doesn't respect authority of any kind and he certainly isn't on good terms with his father. Oddly enough, Genji finds in Ken a mentor and perhaps a father figure, in part because Ken understands Genji's dream as he once reached for a similar goal. Ken sees Genji not only a young man who needs guidance, but he sees that Genji has a certain quality few leaders have and he really wants the kid to succeed. The two have a believable, at times hilarious, and in some way heartwarming student-teacher relationship that is tested throughout the film.

The Armored Front AKA Things Got Real

Genji also builds relationships with other characters and it's interesting how he changes some of them. Some of Genji's allies want to see what he's capable of while others just want to crush Tamao Serizawa. Then there are those who truly believe in Genji and want to help him achieve his goals.

Music is done courtesy of The Street Beats who some have called Japan's answer to The Rolling Stones. Crows Zero was my first encounter with this band and the theme song for the movie "I Wanna Change" had me blasting my surround sound and dusting off my air guitar. "I Wanna Change" is the perfect theme song because it sets up every characters motivation for the entire film. It also speaks of the burden and the uncertainty in the lives of these young men, young men whose wings have been burned yet they still want to fly and they'll never stop aiming for the top. Even if society gives up on them they fight and they struggle because they can't afford to give up on themselves.

The Challenger

And this is a key part of the direction as well because when you compare to Crows Zero to the original work Crows, on the surface it would appear that Suzuran is the only thing connecting the two. However, all the themes in Crows are here. The drive to get to the top, the passion of youths who choose to go down the road of life at full speed, and how a person can be driven to fly even after their wings have been broken. We're looking at an adaptation that is faithful not only to the small details of the original work, but the spirit of the original work as well.

The Champ

Whether we're dealing with manga or film, works of this genre are about drama, manly tears, comedy, and lots of people getting their asses beat. Crows Zero delivers in dividends. These are either very coordinated actors or very good stuntmen because you see people getting kicked through doors, thrown out of windows, tossed in fire, and whatever else a street fight might demand. While the sound effects clearly exaggerate the impact of the punches, it's not done in an overly intrusive kind of way, but merely drives home the point these characters are in some brutal fights.

The Boss of Japan sounds so much better.

What's great is that while there is a lot of fighting in this movie, it's never graphic and it never takes precedence over the plot or character development. Everything in this movie is just so balanced. There are also several reveals and plot-twists and some took even me by surprise. I've been watching movies a long time and it's always refreshing when you see a film that shows you something different. I highly recommend Crows Zero to anyone looking for a great movie you can watch over and over again.