The film was really violent, but not in the violent notorious way. It was rather light for a violent film and with some comedic touches on the sidelines which wasn't really out of place. The graphics and effects were great. The setting, music, plot… especially the cast was perfect. I wouldn't want anyone else to be casted on this film.
Definitely Oguri Shun has rocked this film!
I am an Oguri Shun fan but I'm not rating this for being biased, the rating for me fits the whole movie because it was THAT COOL.
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I'm not a great fan of this type of movie, but I enjoyed the battles and the comic side of the story.
i really liked the cast,cuz,of course i'm a fan of Shun. I have to say, in this movie he displayed fantastic acting skills.One of his best movie in my opinion. I really loved Yamada Takayuki's acting in this one too. made me wanna see other movies whit him. The music was a plus of adrenalin and I think that there is no one that can complain about this. yes there war some slow dialogues but after all the "movement" I think they ware necessary to digest and even to understand the story.
A great movie, definitely rewatch this.
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Music: It was enjoyable. Nothing as memorable as the soundtrack to 1 Litre of Tears, but decent none the less.
Cast/Acting: The only, and I mean only, reason that I wanted to try out a violent movie in the first place was because Oguri Shun stars in it (him being my favorite Japanese actor). I wasn’t disappointed. Of course like his role in Hana Kimi and Hana Yori Dango he plays a more silent and serious type and plays it even better than I’ve ever seen. I had no problem believing into his charactor.
In addition to Oguri Shuns brilliant acting, I loved some of the leaders from other gangs. Mostly because, as a girl, a lot of them made great eye candy. Such as Tokio played by Kenta Kiritani, Izaki played by Sousuke Takaoka and Hiromi played by Shunsuke Daito.
Even better than the eye candy were the fight scenes. No lie.
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After saying that, I'll now state that this is one of my favorite movies...EVER.
The story was great; newbie wanting to make a name for himself in a tough school where fighting is how you get anywhere or get anything done. I haven't really seen this story anywhere so the plot seem relatively fresh and interesting while still staying relatively simple. The music was nothing extraordinary. Just your typical fighting music, but it wasn't bad and was good for the scenes.
And come on we can't fail to mention the EXTREME eye candy that is present in this movie. I mean seriously holy Shisus there are some fine men in this movie. And while this is what initially caught my attention, it is not the reason I freaking adore this movie.
The best thing is the acting. Yeah Oguri is a tough bad boy who wants to prove himself, there is a quality in his character that automatically makes you love him. He is also real and genuine and doesn't put on pretenses. In many ways he reminds me of Nakatsu from Hana no Kimi. You get the same feel from both of them even though they are also different in many ways.
Overall A++++
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Fight it out
Crows Zero is centred around the Suzuran High School and it’s internal power struggle wherein the crown is determined by teenage hand-to-hand scuffles. Genji is one such “crow,” as the notorious students of Suzuran are called. He is the son of a yakuza and it is his ambition to be at the top of Suzuran’s hierarchy. On his very first day he challenges Serizawa, the crow who is almost at the very top of Suzuran.I went into the movie knowing that it would be chock full with action scenes and it was. The fighting scenes were quite exaggerated with characters dramatically spewing blood, spitting teeth and clashing against each other.
Such action movies have never been my thing but I wanted to try the movie which has spawned two sequels and a manga. Crows Zero had a lot of space for improvement. I for one do not want to spend 2 hours of my time watching hoardes of teenage boys fighting against each other with a mindless ambition. There was too much testosterone and too much blood and it wouldn’t be half so bad if there was a meaning to everything.
Loyalty and leadership were quite a central to the storyline but as the movie dragged on and stretched a storyline that would be more appropriate for a one hour movie into double of that, the message was lost and I was honestly just so bored.
There is a noticeable lack of female characters here and the few that you may spot are to serve as plot devices. The “damsel-in-distress softens badboy” trope was not just annoying but if felt out of place. The sub-textual love triangle between Tokio, Serizawa and Genji was a lot more entertaining to watch. ;)
Overall a watchable movie but I can’t rate it higher than a 5.5 nor am I motivated to watch the sequels.
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In spite of all these benefits, there are some boring moments. The dialogues were so.. uninteresting.
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This review may contain spoilers
Good, But High&Low Has Ruined Me
📝 So... How Did I Feel About This One?⚠️ WARNING: Potential Spoilers — I’m Not Saving You from Emotional Damage
So, Crows Zero.
This is one of those movies where I can absolutely understand why people like it.
It's entertaining.
The cast is good.
There are plenty of fights.
The characters are memorable.
And the whole idea of Suzuran High being this legendary school full of violent little psychopaths is honestly pretty damn entertaining.
But after falling down the High&Low rabbit hole?
I couldn't help comparing it.
And that's where things get a little complicated.
Based on how these movies connect to the larger universe, you could probably look at Crows Zero as a predecessor of sorts to The Worst.
But honestly?
Not really.
They're connected through the world and the schools, but Crows Zero doesn't feel like part of the High&Low franchise itself.
And after watching everything I've watched in the High&Low universe so far, I'm actually glad it doesn't.
Because while I enjoyed Crows Zero, it just didn't hit me in the same way.
It was good for what it was.
But it wasn't good enough for me to think:
“YES. THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN PART OF HIGH&LOW.”
And that's okay.
Not everything needs to be absorbed into the cinematic universe.
Sometimes a movie can just exist over there doing its own thing.
💕 Things I Loved
The cast was definitely one of the strongest parts for me.
There's a lot of recognizable talent here, and everyone does a good job making their characters memorable.
I also liked the overall concept of Suzuran.
The entire school is basically organized around strength, reputation, and which group of idiots can beat the other group of idiots.
Which, admittedly, is not exactly revolutionary territory for me anymore.
Apparently I've watched enough Japanese delinquent dramas that this is now a legitimate genre of interest.
The rivalry between Genji and Serizawa also gives the movie a solid central conflict.
You know where this is going.
You know these two are eventually going to have to face each other.
And the movie takes its time building toward that confrontation.
The action is also good.
It's not High&Low levels of “HOW DID THAT PERSON SURVIVE THAT?” but there are definitely some solid fights.
And honestly, watching everyone fight over who gets to be king of Suzuran is entertaining enough to keep things moving.
😭 Things That Hurt My Feelings
Okay.
Let's talk about the music.
The J-rock itself wasn't bad.
I actually like J-rock.
But the way it was used here leaned much more toward the ballad side, and it just didn't always fit the aesthetic for me.
After getting used to the High&Low soundtracks, this felt noticeably different.
High&Low's music has this energy that makes the fight scenes feel even bigger.
Here, there were moments where I was sitting there thinking:
“Okay... this is a perfectly decent song.”
But also:
“Why does this feel like it belongs in an entirely different movie?”
And then there was the R&B/pop music from the live house.
Girl.
Can we not?
I am trying to watch teenage delinquents destroy each other.
Please give me something with a little more bite.
🔥 And Then There Was THIS...
Suzuran High School.
Because good lord.
This school is a whole damn ecosystem.
You've got the Serizawa Army.
You've got Genji building his own faction.
You've got individual class leaders.
You've got the Armored Front.
You've got the Ebizuka Trio.
You've got Rindaman wandering around being treated like some kind of urban legend.
And somehow everyone knows exactly who everyone else is supposed to be afraid of.
At one point, I was mentally trying to keep track of all the different groups and realized I was basically watching a high school political thriller where the primary form of diplomacy is punching somebody in the face.
And honestly?
That might be the most Crows Zero thing imaginable.
🫠 Final Mood
I liked Crows Zero.
I thought it was entertaining, the cast was good, the story was solid, and there was plenty of delinquent-school chaos to keep me occupied.
But after getting completely swallowed by High&Low, I can definitely see why I prefer that franchise.
Crows Zero is good for what it is.
It just didn't have that same spark for me.
And honestly, I'm glad it stayed its own thing rather than becoming another branch of the already enormous High&Low universe.
Because at this point, I already have enough schools, gangs, factions, characters, rivalries, and emotionally complicated men punching each other to keep track of.
I do not need another twelve tabs open in my brain.
Still, I'm glad I watched it.
Especially because now I have a better understanding of where some of those connections to The Worst come from.
And apparently, this is what happens when you casually watch one Japanese delinquent movie.
You end up researching an entire cinematic ecosystem.
Again.
Started: Curious about the movie connected to the High&Low universe.
Finished: It was good, but I'm perfectly happy keeping Crows Zero in its own corner of the delinquent-movie universe.
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Discovered this film/series since early 2010s and have watched it thrice a year!
I've been in love with this film/series for years and have always seen it at least thrice a year. I can't name one bad thing about it. The action is excellent and fire. The cast is fantastic, including all the extras! Usually, extras don't try since they figure they won't appear on screen but that didn't happen in Crow Zero. Every extra looked like he/she belonged! I can't praise this film/series enough. Even after all this time, I never found it cringy or that I needed to skip parts. I always sit through the whole film like it's my first time. Crow Zero to this day, 10+ years later, is still one of my all-time favorite films.Was this review helpful to you?
