From the soundtrack to the set design this film is overflowing with elements reminiscent of the franchise's history. But what I liked best were all these homages (small & big ones) to the first two crows movies and even "Blue Spring". Unfortunately "Crows Explode" lacks the humor completely. I always felt like "Crows Zero" and "Crows Zero II" never quite managed to find the right balance between realism and the highly stylized action, weird Asian humor and exaggerated drama. But here it really works to the films advantage.
The way the characters and locations are designed & presented feels even more stylized and over the top than before. Aside from that the story follows the same formula as before - nothing special here. The story works even if the characters aren't as defined as in the previous Crows movies. Admittedly none of them sticks out the way Genji Takiya did but they don't need to. Compared to its predecessors "Crows Explode" sticks more to the manga source material and presents a wider array of characters. The combination of Toyoda and Crows works perfectly and results in a Crows movie that really feels like a fresh take the material. They show a very unique, if stylized, filmic portrayal of the high school delinquent topic. I really enjoyed the previous Crows movies and Toyoda's "Blue Spring". Even more so when it was clear that Toshiaki Toyoda will be in the director's chair. When I heard the news about a new Crows movie I was excited.
I am gonna come right out and say it: "Crows Explode" is my favorite entry in the Crows-franchise.
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