Operação Corvo

Welcome to Suzuran High School, a high school whose students are scrambling to earn the title of King of High School. Genji, a transfer student, is no exception, now trying to take the title and find allies to be able to defeat Serizawa as a tough opponent.

Good. Exclamation. Explosive. A nice fight look to watch. A nice storyline to enjoy. Carrying the concept of the problem of power struggle as a ruler in schools, this film presents a classy inter-class brawl and is full of strong violence. The fierce battle scenes are the attraction of this film, especially in the final battle between Genji and Serizawa. So is how they can strengthen each other's alliances and bring down opponents both from cunning means and by force. This film also brings an element of comedy that adds excitement to this film.

All characters have their own portions and conflicts that give color to the story. Shun Oguri as Takiya Genji and Takayuki Tamada as Serizawa are the key characters and as the soul of the film. Genji's appearance as a Yakuza boy was indeed a children's idol at that time. A fierce look and full of ambition. Meanwhile, Serizawa became a leader with a flamboyant, hilarious, decisive and respected style.

Being an adaptation of a Japanese comic book, Crows Zero offers some of the most entertaining fight scenes I've seen in awhile and the soundtrack is awesome. However, just because this film begs not to be taken seriously, doesn't mean I can ignore the shortcomings. There is a Yakuza angle that is never really explored or tied in coherently. The number of loose, underdeveloped subplots is astonishing. Last but not least, the English voice-overs are atrocious; I'd much rather just have subtitles. Everythign else sums up a fun time at the movies. You'll be dropped dead center in one of the toughest schools in the country, Suzuran, which is over run with gangs and violence.

The film is reason enough for Western fans of the Japanese medium, such as anime, manga, and video games to rejoice and I am pretty sure fans of the comic won't have reason to complain either. For its male target audience, it is sure to be a hit. Also, if you watch this film and enjoy it there is also a sequel out in the works which I will cover in the coming weeks

Crows Zero is a manga adaptation about factions of students fighting for control of a Japanese high school. Not exactly a new idea, as every other anime and manga is about that very subject. But that's not what made Crows so uninteresting to me, I've previously enjoyed many movies and shows with similar plots. My issues with the movie were that I never felt any connection to the characters, and couldn't care less about what happened to them. Add that to the unremarkable fight scenes, and you've got a recipe for "meh". I did appreciate the sporadic humor, but that quickly (and unfortunately) faded away as the movie progressed. 

Die-hard fans of the manga may want to check this out, but I can't recommend that anyone else go out of their way to see it. If you want to see high school students beating each other to a pulp, there are much better (and more exciting) options.

Personally, I'm not a Miike Takashi fan, and I usually dislike these "Furyou" (deliquent high schooler) genre films, but it was surprisingly enjoyable film even for me.

The plot is quite typical of high school movies. Genji (Oguri Shun), a son of yakuza boss must achieve an unprecedented unification of notorious Suzuran High School (AKA: Crow's High School) in order to take over his father's position. Genji soon finds the strongest guy in the school: Serizawa (Yamada Takayuki), who was also set to conquer all other classes. Genji challenges Serizawa to a duel, but of course, being a newcomer that he is, wasn't taken seriously at first. Genji then seeks help and builds up his own army while defeating other minor 'bosses', and eventually a showdown with Serizawa in his journey to the top of Suzuran High.

The story for this film is extremely well-designed, with excellent flow from beginning to the very end. What I especially liked about this movie is that it was more than just random violence by bunch of kids trying to look badass. Although it IS action packed, the main theme of this film is school politics and friendship. Oguri Shun's character developed very well, from a clueless kid to a leader backed by many trustworthy friends.

Cinematography for this film was extremely well-done, from school to the streets, you can tell the production crew paid attention to the tiniest detail in every single scene. Action was also very well-directed for an exciting 2 hours. I thought it was even more visually pleasing than Miike's "Ryuu ga Gotoku".

Casting for this film is absolutely incredible. I recognized so many faces, many who established themselves in yakuza or delinquent roles, but the most pleasant surprise was Yamada Takayuki, who had his share of dark roles in the past, but never a violent one such as this, and possibly the first as a villain. I've never thought him as a wild type, but he was so cool as a villain and gave his character really big presence in this film. I'm still not convinced with Oguri Shun's acting or his role as a violent punk student, but he seemed to be less out of place as he was in "Hana Yori Dango" dorama series. All the other cast did what they do best, and a very high level of acting overall.

Although I haven't read the manga series, this prequel was very easy to follow. It's impossible to take away the cheesiness associated with manga-adaptation or high school violence, but it was an extremely well-directed action movie with a meaningful message.

If you assemble a staff like Takashi Miike, Shun Oguri, and Meisa Kuroki, you can expect a better than average high school drama.

If the story isn't interesting, the mayhem that goes on the screen keeps things going. It's a mindless entertainment, no doubt about that, but it's designed to cater to certain crowd of people that identifies with this sort of story.

Based on a comic by Hiroshi Takahashi, Crows Zero is about Genji Takiya (Shun Oguri) who transfered to Suzuran Boy's School. The school is the lowest grade high school in the province. The students are all delinquents, but Genji is notch above the rest. Nobody has become the top leader in this high school, but maybe Genji will succeed where no one else have in the past.

The story is definitely not for everybody. But if you understand the plot, it's quite entertaining. Director Miike puts in his usual high quality behind the chaotic directing style that he has.

Just don't choose this movie as a one to watch with your girlfriend on a date.