クローズ

CROWS

Action

MANGA

STATUS
COMPLETE
VOLUMES
26
RELEASE
January 1, 1998
CHAPTERS
101

DESCRIPTION

Harumichi Bouya transfers to Suzuran High mid-year, but this isn't just any school, it is know as the Crows School where the rotten of the rotten students go to. Bouya becomes the number one fighter in the school and in doing so he sets off a chain of events of high school gang warfare in the area.

Crows is the prequel of the manga "Worst", and it a story occurring in Suzuran two years before the story of "Worst."

CAST

Harumichi Bouya
Yasuo Yasuda
Saburou Hanazawa
Megumi Hayashida
Ryuushin Kunou
Osamu Furukawa
Toshiaki Honjou
Makoto Sugihara
Bandou Hideto
Tatsuya Bitou
Hideyoshi Katou
Hiromi Kirishima
Kanayama Jou
Osamu Takanashi
KoUichi Haruyama
Hideyuki Bitou
Futoshi Akutsu
Takeda Kousei
Kouhei Jinnai
Kobayashi Masanari
Shinsuke Nakajima
Makio Bitou
Kouichi Kijima
Tatsuo Kuzugami
Fujita

CHAPTERS

RELATED TO CROWS

OVA ActionKoukou Butouden Crows

Cover Art for Crows Gaiden: Katagiri Ken Monogatari

MANGA ActionCrows Gaiden: Katagiri Ken Monogatari

MANGA ActionWorst

MANGA ComedyCrows Ladies

MANGA ActionSono Go no Crows

MANGA ActionCrows Gaiden

MANGA ActionCrows Zero

Cover Art for HiGH&LOW THE WORST: Housen Gakuen Nisshi

MANGA ActionHiGH&LOW THE WORST: Housen Gakuen Nisshi

MANGA ActionCrows Gaiden: Linda Linda

Cover Art for Kuzu!! - Another Crows: Kuzugami Tatsuo

MANGA ActionKuzu!! - Another Crows: Kuzugami Tatsuo

MANGA ActionCrows Respect

Cover Art for Crows Gaiden Housenka: the beginning of HOUSEN

MANGA ActionCrows Gaiden Housenka: the beginning of HOUSEN

MANGA Zoku: Crows Gaiden

MANGA ActionHarumichi

MANGA ActionQP

REVIEWS

Risottoro
86/100
Birds belong in the sky
(A few mild spoilers)
Cool delinquent manga that provides style but also substance with social commentary on frustrated youth.

The main character Bouya Harumichi is a solid character. He's laid back, funny with a monkey like playful personality but can get serious when he needs to.
The cast as a whole is quite solid also. They're likeable characters and they have a certain presence, but none of them are really amazing or have any real depth. They are good at being delinquents and so in that regard they're fine.
Similarly, the antagonists are nothing special. I'm being a bit harsh though. The characters are all entertaining and make you care about them. In particular this manga is good at portraying character relationships through great character interactions. The banter and jokes between the characters is all very genuine and feels real.
Character designs are pretty good and help to maintain that atmosphere of high school delinquents.

The fights are ok, not amazing but good enough. They're usually quite short and they do feel somewhat grounded in reality. The story does a good job of constantly managing to be entertaining, it's a simple story but it always retains my interest.
I like the passage of time in the story, how around halfway through we get new students and not just for the protagonists school. It sets up a new generation and we see this towards the end of the manga.
The story is very good at conflict escalation. The way it gets you hyped and excited for the battles. As the story goes on, previous antagonists become allies and seeing these groups of people come together is quite exciting.

The title 'crows' refers to the delinquents in the story. The symbolism of this is displayed in the first page, the crows are social outcasts, hated by the public but they aren't caged birds. They don't conform to societal norms and expectations, through their delinquency and friends they find an outlet in life, something that makes them feel alive
They're people with no goals and no future, they aren't the average student with a conventional mindset. They don't like education and they have nothing else to do so they rebel against society in the only way they can. In one surprisingly sad scene a powerful delinquent is killed and before he dies he calls for his mom.
This obviously shows the innocence and fragility of the character at his core but more interesting is the ripple effect of his death. Though these characters beat the shit out of each other on a regular basis, death is still shocking and carries weight. This death causes the others to reflect on themselves and begin to give up the delinquent lifestyle. Though these characters engage in violence regularly as long as they live a future is possible, but when this characters future gets taken away, its a melancholic reminder that acts as a shock. In a less emotionally mature story, death would have no weight but here its significant and ties into the theme of the manga in a fantastic way.

This manga displays a fairly realistic picture of delinquency by focusing on humanity. Crows are still birds and are meant to fly high, and that's what the story is about. These characters aren't evil, they need guidance so they can create a future and they do that through their forged bonds. At the end we get to see what everyone is up to and it's a very satisfying conclusion.

The only person who doesn't find his way is the protagonist Bouya. I thought this was slightly disappointing but I guess it somewhat makes sense. Bouya is described as the lone wolf searching for freedom
He's similar to his rival Rindaman who was also a lone wolf. Rindaman didn't graduate from school and kept repeating years, Bouya is following in his footsteps and like Rindaman he will eventually find his place in the sky.
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Laevatein
95/100
No cage can stop a crow from taking flight.
__Prelude__
Suzuran, a school where all of society's misfits coagulate. Those who attend have no future in studying, their place in the world is etablished by holding up their fists, ready to take action against those around them. In this violent society, physical strength remains to be the be-all and end-all amongst the teenagers with nothing else to prove. Suzuran maintains a well etablished hierarchy, however a system like this fails to unite all involved to a common goal. While there may be someone at the top, Suzuran has no leader. And thus, the stage is set for Crows, for the skies to be taken by those willing to jump towards it. For those who choose to fly when walking is easier, the stage is set.
__Enter Harumichi Bouya__
Harumichi is our protagonist. A typical delinquent, from not being intellectually capable to resolving everything he knows how to with his fists and physical prowess. By all means, he is violent, he loves to fight, smokes, skips classes and most likely everything else you can add to the typical mannerisms of delinquents in high school. But it's this same Harumichi who retains some sort of inexplicable charm that, just as it does most of the cast, draws us in as readers. He is a delinquent, but he is not scum, and I believe that is an important distinction to make. Harumichi is goofy, he's loveable in some of the best ways possible, as a protagonist he doesn't feel to be someone too far out there.

As the story begins, we see Harumichi enter the fray. Joining Suzuran, it's clear what intentions are in mind for our delinquent protagonist. To reach the top of Suzuran. Is he capable of doing so? Well, that's for you to find out by reading. Regardless, in trying to do so, what entertainment is sought after? If you've come here, I can safely assume you love bouts of action. Raw, unadultered fist fights that cause people to get hurt. Rough, gritty, real, but along the line, somehow captivating, deep, emotional. Crows is a series that entertains by giving us what we came for, action, but by somehow intertwining emotions for the members of the cast before we've even begun to realise it's happened. As we watch Harumichi fight and take on other delinquents in this violent world, in our hearts we begin to root for him. We begin to find satisfaction in whatever victories he may come across, or sorrow in his defeats, and through it all, we begin to see Harumichi take flight.
__Living Legend__
Somewhere along the line, we all reach roadblocks in our lives. It's not always so easy to overcome the obstacles along our path of simply continuing on. And it's along this path of delinquency where Harumichi must confront the strongest to prove his own worth here. The strongest, however, are not so easily overcome. Just as obstacles in our own life aren't often so easy to overcome. But this is a theme where I feel this delinquent series shines above many. In life, you may find that things are more difficult than you may at first imagine. However, it's things like these that ingrain us with the qualities of someone who can overcome those obstacles. Essentially, a roadblock isn't an excuse to give up. We keep fighting, as Harumichi does with his fists, we do in our own ways, we fight to overcome. We find the more we fight, the more determined we become, the closer we come to reaching goals, to overcoming obstacles, to salvation and satisfaction. Fighting isn't always a gritty thing we do with our fists, but it's through this fist fighting in Crows that I feel we take away a more profound message - fighting isn't done simply for the sake of getting into conflict with someone or something else, but rather, it's something we do to realise our own goals. It's what we do to push onwards.
__Cage__
Suzuran is what we may refer to in this series as a bird cage. This school is where our crows reside. Each and every one, those who look to take to the skies, those who decide they aren't satisfied with being swept along by the tide. Those who decide to fight. This series is elevated by a strong cast. We have many delinquents apart from our protagonist, all of which have their own goals, reasons for fighting or for choosing not to fight. Crows utilises a cast that feels very three-dimensional in many facets of being. Beyond fists, beyond fighting, beyond violence, there are feelings. We see feeling in the cast, and I feel this is something that helps draw you in. While there is of course the aggressive nature of the series that holds enjoyment for all fans of action to indulge in, Crows boasts a story that is elevated by giving us the chance to understand and relate to characters within it. As you read, this is something you will come to understand.
__Flight__
On the surface, Crows is a series about delinquents who choose to fight. Within that, Crows is a series that tells a tale of how we choose to pursue our goals. There is something to enjoy for fans of action, and something to enjoy for those who wish to take a deeper message from the series' they choose to indulge in. At the end of the day, all of that goes out the window if a series isn't enjoyable at face value. Without a doubt, Crows is enjoyable. It's not too sophisticated, it doesn't try hard to be something it isn't, but in what it is, it succeeds with elegance and grace. So indulge to your heart's content, take the time to read a series you may find enjoyment in.

No cage can stop a crow from taking flight. People were born without the ability to fly, but we can. We can fly. And no cage, no expectations or inhibitions can stop you. Just as nothing could stop the crows of Suzuran from taking flight, inevitably, you can too. It's determination, perseverance, motivation, and it's not easy. Crows sets an example, to enjoy ourselves, but within that enjoyment, to find a goal to work towards. There is beauty in this gritty delinquent series, won't you take the time to see it too?
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