Mark Schilling reviews Takashi Miike's 'Crows Zero II'. We are sooooo jealous...

If you've been around these parts long enough you know we're big fans of the first Crows Zero film. It was only a matter of time after the success of it around the world that the next obvious step was to prepare the sequel. We giggled like little school girls as each subsequent trailer came out. And it opens in Japan this weekend! So cue in Japan Times writer Mark Schilling to give us the skinny on this anticipated sequel...

As in the first film, the brawls are nearly nonstop, though the strobing has been toned down and the violence amped up. The action is, accordingly, more realistic, right down to the gory-looking makeup and bone-crunching sound effects. Also, the group battle scenes, with hundreds of punks whaling on each other, have a scale and impact reminiscent of the gaudier clashes in "Braveheart," though no one gets their head lopped off with a sword.

...Miike directs with an energy, velocity and cheeky bravado that are pure punk. He also understands why his Suzuran toughs fight as easily as they breathe — it's not just a release for their raging hormones, but a way of being with their friends and telling the world they exist. Even with the bashed heads, they are alive in a way their better socialized contemporaries, the video-game warriors included, will never understand.

You can find the full review at the link below, trailers after the break and a special video of one of the artists featured on the soundtrack!

Another reason why CZII is going to kick all sorts of ass? Japan's got 11 year old girls like Namiki Ruri who can kill it on guitar and are on the soundtrack. Thanks to Jason Gray for the heads up on this!