Just like everyone else that's posted here, It boggled my mind as to how the storyline of this movie would link Crows Zero and Crows manga. I'll say it now, "This is movie one of a 2 part series."

@ Loktar: The movie is set one month after Genji graduates, so this is no where near Katsuragi's reign for sure. When Hiromi meets up with Katsuragi for the first time in the manga, he states that Katsuragi was head of Suzuran two years ago. Hiromi would have still been in Ebi Mid, while Serizawa was still in 2nd year of Suzuran. I need help clarifying this but in Crows Zero 2, Kawaishi appears to be head of Suzuran at that time and eventually ends up in juvie due to the Bitou incident. He disappears and Katsuragi from the manga takes his spot?

For Crows Explode, you have to take into account the Japanese school system as well. Most schools graduate 3rd years in March, and the new semester begins in April. So the span of Genji's graduation to the next wave of incoming 1st years is literally a month or so. In the trailer you can see that the school is reopening and I'm assuming those are all 1st years waiting for the gates to open.

Here's how I think it'll go down:

Crows Explode 1: Genji doesn't beat Rindaman at the end of Zero 2 and leaves Suzuran un-unified. Rindaman is the likely candidate to take the top when he goes into 3rd year but as mentioned throughout the manga, he doesn't show up to school most of the time and has no interest in rule, leaving the top open. He even mentions it himself when he hears of Bouya for the first time.

(Ebizuka Trio and Bandou are not present in movie one... so far. Although it's a whole different roster of characters, we just witnessed Rindaman in the trailer and Makise announced as an add on, so who knows?)

Ebi Trio: The absence of the Ebi Trio is something even I can't predict right now. In Zero 2, Hiromi is backed up by the rest of the 1st years but by the time you really meet the Trio in the manga, it's literally just them three against the Bandou faction. The easiest way to put it? They simply just didn't feel like coming to school until Bandou started making his move. Remember that high school in Japan is not mandatory.

Bandou: Likewise with Crows Zero, Bandou is of handling his duties with TFOA and makes no appearance until the end of Explode 1, where he makes a small cameo implying that Explode 2 is where he'll come in and take the entire Explode 1 roster under as the Bandou Faction.

It irritates me a lil that you have to take into account that these new guys are the other smaller factions that are in the shadows but that's my only reasoning that the closest guy to the top in Explode, 3rd year Toru Gora, goes without mention in the manga because he becomes a small fry in the Bandou Faction.

As Bandou mentions in the earlier volume after Senda and Yamazaki are defeated by Bouya, "All of a sudden all these small factions who have kept quiet... are starting to come out of no where.", this could be where the director is taking his angle from?

The movie itself uses Suzuran as a setting but this movie is supposedly about Suzuran vs Kurosaki Industrial. Most likely this movie is to set up Worst more than Crows? So my cast predictions:

Rindaman and Ken San from the Zero series: When the conflict begins at Suzuran, Rindaman withdraws and looks for consultation from Ken, just as Genji did before him. (Assuming that he's taking Katsuragi's place as the "Ken" figure in the movie world). Rindaman leaving Suzuran opens the floor for...
Toru Gora, "King": To gain his high rank amidst the 3rd years (with the absence of Bandou). While the 3rd years are organizing...
Kagami, "Joker": Becomes the top dog in the 1st years and...
Kaburagi, "Desperado": Transfers in while all this is going on... from Kurosaki, and the movie conflict starts from there.

For Explode to go directly into the manga is impossible, it'd be rushed too quickly. So just to recap. Explode 1 builds an army, Explode 2 is where Bandou comes in and takes over, reintroduces Ebi Trio, and... makes you forget about what happened overall. The span of these movies, I'd say about 2-3 months. Bandou returns from suspension 8 days after Bouya is introduced, so Explode has to happen pretty quick in it's timeline to match up with the manga.

Taking into consideration, a lot of class years do go unmentioned in both the movie world and manga world. All while Bouya was taking the top, there's no mention of any 1st year players. After Bouya becomes a 3rd year, the new 1st years come into play and the 2nd years get forgotten. (HA!) In Zero, you hear nothing of any 2nd years. So yeah, there's a whole lot happening in the background that the movie world can BS about.

...

"Heh, I had a lot to get off my chest. I know there was a lot more conflicting parts to this but I've had enough thinking for today."