Crows Zero
Crows Zero (クローズZERO, Kurōzu Zero), also known as Crows: Episode 0, is a 2007 Japanese action film based on the manga Crows by Hiroshi Takahashi. The film was directed by Takashi Miike with a screenplay by Shogo Muto, and stars Shun Oguri, Kyōsuke Yabe, Meisa Kuroki, and Takayuki Yamada. The plot serves as a prequel to the manga, and focuses on the power struggle between gangs of students at Suzuran All-Boys High School. The film was released in Japan on October 27, 2007. It has spawned two sequels, Crows Zero 2 and Crows Explode, as well as a manga adaptation released November 13, 2008.
Plot
Newly transferred high school senior Takiya Genji (Shun Oguri) arrives at Suzuran All-Boys High School, an institution infamous for its population of violent delinquents. During the freshman orientation assembly, yakuza arrive at the school seeking vengeance on third-year Serizawa Tamao (Takayuki Yamada) for assaulting some members of their gang. The thugs mistake Genji for their target and a brawl ensues on the school field. Meanwhile, Serizawa is visiting his best friend Tatsukawa Tokio (Kenta Kiritani), who has just been discharged from a hospital. Upon returning to the school, Serizawa witnesses Genji defeat the last of the yakuza.
Crows Zero 2
Crows Zero 2 (クローズZERO II, Kurōzu Zero 2) is a 2009 Japanese action film directed by Takashi Miike with a screenplay by Shogo Muto. It is the second film based on the manga Crows by Hiroshi Takahashi, and a direct sequel to 2007's Crows Zero. The film stars much of the cast from the first film, including Shun Oguri, Kyōsuke Yabe, Meisa Kuroki, and Takayuki Yamada reprising their roles. It was released in Japan on April 11, 2009.
Plot
8 months after triumphing over Serizawa Tamao (Takayuki Yamada), Takiya Genji (Shun Oguri) still struggles to attain supremacy at Suzuran All-Boys High School. Following a decisive defeat at the hands of the legendary Rindaman, and on the verge of graduating without fulfilling his goal, Genji grows quietly desperate. He begins challenging Rindaman regularly, but consistently fails to beat him. His situation escalates when he unwittingly breaks a non-aggression pact between Suzuran and a rival school, Housen Academy, by coming to the aid of Kawanishi Noboru (Shinnosuke Abe) during a heated confrontation. Genji learns that the agreement between the two schools was established two years prior when, during a skirmish, Noboru violated a gang law and used a weapon to fatally wound Housen's former leader, Bitō Makio. Suzuran had subsequently sworn not to interfere with Housen's retribution upon Noboru's release from prison. Genji's protection of Kawanishi provokes Housen's current leader, Narumi Taiga (Nobuaki Kaneko), to declare war against Suzuran. Genji and his allies go on the defensive, engaging in several violent conflicts with Housen's "Army of Killers".
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