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.

Returner (2002)

In the future, the human race is nearly extinct because of a war against an alien species. Scientists narrowed down a date and location where the event might have occurred that sparked this war. Milly (Anne Suzuki), a young resistance fighter is in the middle of her mission briefing when the aliens find the base and massacre her comrades. Milly narrowly escapes through a time portal to modern day Japan where she encounters a vigilante named Miyamoto (Takeshi Kaneshiro) also known as the Returner.  It is up to Milly and the Returner to save the future by finding a way to stop the war before it starts.

While it may be true that the trope of "alien invaders show up and destroy earth" is not all that inventive, Returner adds an element of originality by placing a greater emphasis on its characters and the relationships between them. Indeed, this is a very character driven science fiction movie which is not the norm for this genre. This fact ties into a revenge subplot involving Miyamoto and Mizoguchi (Goro Kishitani) who serves as the movies primary antagonist. It might seem a little hackneyed at times but the script does an admirable job of combining Milly's story and Miyamoto's story into one cohesive, compelling narrative. This is further aided by the fact that Mizoguchi's most prominent character trait is his ambition which quickly, but believably elevates him from a petty crook to a crime boss that endangers the world.

The science fiction setting isn't done in an overly indulgent manner. There aren't any floating cars or flying motorcycles, or photon torpedoes. Apart from the time portal and a watch that can slow down time for a few seconds the technology here isn't too far removed from what we have today. The technology isn't merely there mind you - it does serve an actual purpose, but it's not the major focus of the scenes which are largely there to develop the characters and plot. Of note is that the opening scene takes place in the future but the rest of the movie, with the exception of a flashback or two, takes place in modern day Japan.  There are a wide variety of settings that fit the story well. Miyamoto encounters Mizoguchi on a ship where the latter is doing business, there is a large dining room when Mizoguchi is meeting with the other crime lords, and there is an oil rig where the final showdown takes place.  The appearance of an aerospace technologies lab fits right in and is an important setting the brings the two extremes of Returner together. With that said it bears mentioning that it is the fantastic writing which allows all of this to happen.

The enmity between Mizoguchi and Miyamoto could make a very good stand alone action film while Milly’s quest to save the world would make a good movie or anime. An impromptu quantum leap of sorts lands Milly in the very center of the conflict between Mizoguchi and Miyamoto and while it seems that she brings the problems of her future with her, she actually discovers the origins of the crisis through her interaction with these characters.

The characters and scenarios are written more realistically than one might expect for a typical sci-fi movie. Characters don't easily adjust to the events that happen around them. Also, there are no heroes in this story - in other words there are no individuals who are selflessly dedicated to a particular cause, rather we are seeing characters that are almost real people. The pressure of having to save the world does at times look to be more than what Milly is able to handle. Also, the more time she spends in the present the less inclined she feels to return to the future where things are not so great, to say the least. Miyamoto doesn't believe that Milly is from the future or that there is an alien invasion as he is far more concerned with taking revenge on Mizoguchi. Mizoguchi himself is only interested in getting to the top of the criminal underworld. None of the characters are archetypes taken to an extreme.

The script is also true to the personality of the characters themselves. Milly and Miyamoto don’t fall in love with one another simply because they are the male and female leads which in most other movies would be a substantial subplot. However, they simply do not identify with each other on those levels. They do grow closer together but not in a way that would be typical of Western cinema. The animosity between Miyamoto and Mizoguchi is the driving force of this film and the tension it carries throughout is there until the very last draw.

Our three stars played their roles with expert finesse. Takeshi Kaneshiro is not new to the business and has starred in films since 1993 so even in 2002 he was a seasoned pro. His performance in Returner is widely believed to be one of his best roles.  He really expresses that anger and hatred his character has for Mizoguchi but not in the traditional, cinematic verbals.  Rather, it is in the non-verbals such as his facial expressions and eyes that speak more than words could.  Goro Kishitani displays adequate range as Mizoguchi but it almost seems as though he's playing himself given how cool and laid-back Kishitani is known to be in real life. He does a brilliant job turning Mizoguchi into a villain you just love to hate while at the same-time bringing out qualities of style and cunning reminiscent of classic Bond villains. Anne Suzuki was simply amazing. Her voice work in anime has always been critically acclaimed and she brings that experience to this live-action role. Suzuki's performance really gave the impression that Milly had the weight of the world on her shoulders, she conveyed the frustration and at times hopelessness of this character, and at other times really brought out the heart which complimented Miyamoto's character and kept him going. Suzuki really brought out Milly's supportive side even while the character herself was one in very much need of the same relief she gave to others.

A great deal of attention was paid to the plot and how to make it all fit together. The creators were able to artistically and seamlessly blend the sci-fi story and the revenge story together into a cinematic good time. The characters also benefited from being able to have much of the spotlight all to themselves.  Milly, Miyamoto, and Mizoguchi were given the time to develop as individual characters, and interact with one another without being overshadowed by special effects or a convoluted story-line which is unlike most other movies in this genre.

Although Returner was different from what I expected, I had a good time watching this. Each of the characters were appealing in their own way and really left an impression on me, while the plot admirably wove together two dissimilar stories into a convincing narrative. True, it may not appeal to those looking for an action packed movie or those seeking a traditional science fiction movie. However, what is here is a highly entertaining story, great characters, and an ending that really stayed with this viewer. It's not the best sci-fi action movie out there but it doesn't have to be. It's an enjoyable film that still holds up after more than a decade.

- Jetstream Rev