Crows ZERO

The Suzuran Senior High School for Boys, nicknamed "The School of Crows", is the poorest achieving, most violent school in the country. The students are called "crows" and they band together in factions, battling each other for influence and power. But they all share a common goal, one that has never been reached in the school's history: unification. No one faction has ever reigned supreme.

Oguri Shun plays the role of Genji Takiya, a transfer student who attempts to take over Suzuran Boys High School and is mentored by old boy yakuza Katagiri (Kyosuke Yabe) as he faces off against rival Serizawa (Takayuki Yamada).

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• The mega-hit Takahashi Hiroshi's comic, CROWS, has sold over 32 million copies. And is supposed to be a bible for Japanese "Yankee" (country pumpkin hooligans). It was serialized in Monthly Champion from 1990 to 1998 and has the sequel "WORST" which is currently at 19 volumes and boasts a printing of 27,000,000 copies.


• Crows Zero grabbed top spot at the Japanese box office ending 7-week reign of popular Takuya Kimura's "Hero".


• The movie was screened at Pusan Film Festival and along with another Miike's last movie Sukiyaki Western Django will be showing at the Sydney Film Festival in June.


• Crows Zero earned a Best Actor prize for Shun Oguri and a Best Supporting Actor for Kyosuke Yabe in 17th Japan Movie Critics Awards.


• The movie has been confirmed to be getting a sequel, which will release in 2009. According to producer Mataichiro Yamamoto, there was never any intention to end the story after only one film. However, this sequel is reportedly the story's conclusion.


• "Crows ZERO" was redone as a manga. The comic was serialized in Weekly Champion, started with this year's 50th issue, on sale November 13.

• MX, by Tyler Lim
  http://www.moviexclusive.com/review/crowszero/crowszero.htm
  Watch out for the stylish variations of the Japanese high-school uniform look - a sartorialist-wannabe would be pleased at the slashing silhouettes and the duck-like waddle that every yakuza-wannabe ah beng should pick up. There is something in this flick for everyone, and it was thoroughly entertaining!
• Twitch, by Todd Brown
  http://twitchfilm.net/site/view/afm-crows-0-review/
  Crows 0 is essentially a third Young Thugs film, albeit it one played out on a larger scale and with higher production values than earlier efforts. The end result? You'll come for the fights, but you'll stay for the characters. Brash, playfully violent, full of an over riding love of life, and absolutely filled with little character flourishes that bring the world to life Crows 0 is an effective, engaging, touching and hugely entertaining reminder that Miike has plenty of substance to back up his style and that the man has absolutely never gotten the respect he deserves for his ability to work with young actors.
• Variety, by Derek Elley
  http://www.varietyasiaonline.com/content/view/4624/
  Pic finds Miike still on his current creative roll, if not at the same inspired level as yakuza fightfest "Dragon." There's the same mixture of irony and deadly seriousness in the face-offs and mano a mano fighting, as well as a central hero who simply gets off on the physical pain of combat.
• Hooked, by Alicia Tan
  http://www.hooked-nussu.org/content/view/1398/37/
  Nonetheless, CROWS ZERO leaves you at the edge of your seat, literally, almost wishing that you were Genji, Serizawa or even Katagiri as they exchange blows. So in this stifling time of term paper deadlines and looming exams, the never-give-up and alternatively uplifting CROWS ZERO might give you that much needed adrenaline rush to go at your studies head on.
• The Hollywood Reporter, by Maggie Lee
  http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/awards_festivals/fest_reviews/...
  After a succession of one-to-one tussles and battle royales that remind one of moving up levels in computer games, the film slowly builds up a moral universe with values of loyalty, friendship and self-sacrifice that are conservative and echo the epic struggle between historical Genji and Heike clans, Japan's answer to "The War of the Roses," which Miike reinterpreted in "Sukiyaki Western Django." Unlike "Django," one actually develops grudging respect for both sides.
• by jasongray
  http://jasongray.blogspot.com/2007/10/tokyo-attacked-by-crows.html
  The fights are fast, furious and frequent. The massively bass-heavy thuds are straight out of a video game, adding to the fun. It's violent, but not in a wince-inducing way. But of course, it wouldn't be a Miike film without some nasty treatment of women, suggestions of sexual perversion, and a completely goofy use of CG in one scene.

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Meisa Kuroki Interview
about "Crows Zero"
Runtime: 4:38
"Crows Zero"
Press Conference
Runtime: 5:03
Oguri Shun "Crows Zero"
Interview
Runtime: 1:03

Oguri Shun Photobook
Shun X Genji

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