is a film based on the manga
Crows by
Hiroshi Takahashi. The film was directed by
Takashi Miike, written by
Shogo Muto and stars
Shun Oguri and
Takayuki Yamada. The movie tells the untold story behind the characters in Suzuran, a violent high school.
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Plot
The plot begins when Takiya Genji (
Shun Oguri), the son of a
Yakuza
boss named Takiya Hideo, enters Suzuran All-Boys High School as a
transferred senior with the goal of conquering it. During the freshman
orientation lecture, Yakuza arrive at the school seeking third-year
senior Tamao Serizawa to avenge an injury. To show his worth, Genji
fights and defeats the Yakuza, who mistake him for Tamao. One of the
Yakuza, Ken Katagiri is impressed by Genji's skills. Meanwhile, Tamao
greets his best friend Tokio Tatsukawa, who is discharged from a
hospital, claiming that he is in good health. Tamao quietly dismisses
Tokio claim and takes his bike to ensure he won't get harmed, slightly
insulted that Tokio would lie to him. Tamao drives back to the school to
witness Genji brutally finish off the last of the yakuza thugs. The two
briefly take in the looming threat of each other's presence before
Tamao is arrested for not having a driver's license for a bike.
After the intro, Genji meets Ruka in a nightclub, where she sings as
an R&B singer. Genji declares his ambition of conquering Suzuran to
his father, who failed in the task. They agree that if Genji conquers
Suzuran, he may inherit his father's Yakuza family. The next day, Genji
meets Serizawa and Tokio, who was a childhood friend of Genji's. Tokio
manages to halt a potential fight in between the two and tells Genji to
take down Rindaman before approaching Serizawa. Rindaman, who is
giant-sized and a legendary figure in the school, ignores Genji, who
instead finds Ken Katagiri. Ken attacks Genji for getting his gang
arrested but Genji takes him down in one punch. Ken surrenders and takes
Genji to a quiet bar to chat about Suzuran.
Ken tells Genji that he was in Suzuran as well, and came close to
ruling it, but failed and ended up being a dropout. He proposes teaching
Genji about leadership and influencing others to join his army, in
order to correct Genji's lack of strategy in his ambition. Genji follows
Ken's advice that he writes in a small notebook and manages to easily
conquer Chuta Tamura's class, admitting him into his army. The Mikami
Brothers of Class B join Serizawa's army, who then approach Class C's
leader, Takashi Makise, who maintains a neutral position, claiming that
even if Serizawa beats him in a fight, his men will never follow an
enemy leader.
Genji decides to acquire Makise by exploiting his weakness for sex.
Ken arranges a group date, but due to Makise's obvious awkwardness
around women, the date flops miserably. Makise joins Genji anyway, based
solely on the friendship formed on the day. Meanwhile, a gang known as
the Freshmen Trio, have managed to take control of their grade level.
They are soon provoked by Izaki, a notorious and calculating senior.
Izaki proposes joining Genji, but ambushes him instead, to test his
strength. Genji fights valiantly, and Izaki is impressed, despite
thoroughly defeating Genji . He joins forces with Genji, forming the
Genji's Perfect Seiha Army.
Serizawa is alarmed by the rapid rise of Genji, but chooses not to
take action. A member of his army, Tokaji takes covert action against
the perceived threat by ambushing Izaki and hanging him from a rope,
bloodied. This provokes Genji, unused to caring for his fellow men and
claims that, "This really hurts." Makise stops him from making a rash
attack on Serizawa, their army still too small to hold a major fight.
Later, Serizawa and Tokio meet Genji in a pub, but Tokio suffers a
seizure and is rushed to a hospital, where he learns that he has a large
cerebral aneurysm, and that the surgery required has a 30% success rate. Tokio chooses to go ahead with the operation, confident of his survival.
Angered by the provocations, Genji attacks Serizawa's classes even as
Makise tries to stop him. Chuta is also ambushed by Tokaji, and as
Genji tries to leave to attack Serizawa, Makise finally decides to leave
the GPS Army, stating that he cannot follow a leader without control.
Ken tries to encourage Genji, and learns that Genji 's father is Hideo
Takiya, a former associate of Ken's.
Tokaji covertly tries to arranges a deal with Hideto Bandou, a second
year and leader of a biker gang, The Front of Armament, to kidnap Ruka
to further provoke Genji and throw him off his focus. Meanwhile, Genji
challenges Makise to a fight, with a condition that if Genji wins,
Makise joins him again. Makise forgives Genji with their familiar, "Take
all," gesture the two shared on the night they became friends. Genji
holds back his tears of gratitude and playfully flips off Makise, the
bond sealed again. Ken's boss, Joji Yazaki asks Ken to kill Genji,
disregarding the fact that killing the heir to a Yakuza family would
entail an all-out war. Izaki returns from the hospital and is given an
awkward but warm welcome back by the Genji and his gang. Ken's order to
kill Genji bears too much on his conscience and he informs Genji's
father Takiya Hideo of Yazaki's plan to kill his son. Ken decides that
he will not do as he was asked, and suffer Yakuza punishment for
disobedience - death. Ruka calls Genji, telling him that she is abducted
and that her abductors wore jackets with skulls on the backs. Realizing
that they are the Armoured Front, the GPS Army gathers and makes their
advancement to the Narai Warehouse, The Front's headquarters.
A fight ensues, and Bandou is impressed by Genji 's strength. He
calls an end to fight to ask why Genji has chosen to oppose The Armoured
Front. After Genji states that Ruka was abducted by men wearing jackets
bearing skulls Bandou reveals that he has sealed the skulls and that
none of his men bear the skulls on their backs. He then tells Genji that
Tokaji might be behind the whole farce and tells him where he can find
him. Finding Ruka there, Ayman is finally bent for war against Serizawa.
Serizawa, who was not aware of Tokaji's actions, fights him and agrees
to Genji 's proposal for an all-out battle on the school grounds. They
decide to fight at 5 PM, at the same time when Tokio will enter
operation, the idea being that Serizawa will fight alongside Tokio. The
two share a cold stare down and leave. The next day, the two armies meet
across the rain soaked school ground, Serizawa' army having 100 strong,
GPS, 70. The two armies shout their battle cries and charge at each
other.
As the battle enters full swing, the Freshmen Trio comment on the
battle's balance. The battle goes in Serizawa's favour, even though the
GPS army fights strongly. The Armoured Front joins the battle midway on
the GPS' side, evening the odds. Towards the end, only Serizawa and
Genji remain standing, and fight. Meanwhile, Ken's boss takes him to a
dock to be executed for his disobedience. He gives Ken his coat, stating
that Ken had always wanted to wear it (aspired to becoming a Yakuza
leader). He then shoots Ken, who cries out to Genji before sinking.
The battle drags into the evening as Genji and Serizawa continue to
pound on each other, both badly damaged and exhausted. Genji gains the
upper hand and wins the fight against Serizawa, who receives a call
informing him that Tokio's operation was a success. Ken wakes up in the
sea suddenly and swims up to the surface, realising that the coat he
wore was bulletproof. Having defeated Serizawa, Genji finally meets
Rindaman, stating that he has to be defeated if Genji is to be titled
the king of Suzuran. Rindaman replies that Suzuran can never be
conquered, as there is always someone left to defeat. The film ends as
Genji attacks Rindaman.
Gangs of Suzuran
1. Genji's Perfect Seiha Army - GPS
- Genji Takiya
- Ken Katagiri
- Chuta Tamura
- Takashi Makise
- Shun Izaki
2. Team Serizawa
- Tamao Serizawa
- Yuji Tokaji
- Shoji Tsutsumoto
- Tokio Tatsukawa
- The Mikami Brothers
3. The Armoured Front (Second Year, Biker Gang)
4. Ebizuka Junior High Trio (First Year)
- Hiromi Kirishima
- Honjo
- Makoto Sugihara
5. Rindaman
Cast
