timotey
This review may contain spoilers
I watched this little drama - 6 eps 20 or so mins each - mainly and mostly for Yamada Yuki as Murayama. Murayama is truly one of his best roles so far, hands down. Why? Because Murayama is so very multifaceted: dumb yet wise, ruthless yet caring and loyal to a fault. And then there's his obsession with - and devotion to - Cobra-chan!
This drama is set during the 2nd and 3rd High & Low movies. And before High & Low: The Worst. It goes deeper into what had been happening in Ouya High at the time and it introduces many of the side-characters from The Worst. It's also interspersed with various flashbacks to the movies, all in the vein of "meanwhile in SWORD..." so that you can get a better idea of what's happening when.
Like I said, my favorite part was Murayama. His journey towards outgrowing them all. It was beautifully portrayed not just in scenes with Murayama himself but also through Todoroki who has always craved defeating Murayama - while Murayama never really cared. But here, you could see Todoroki realizing that Murayama was getting farther and farther ahead of him.
One of my favorite moments happened in ep 6, when all the other gang leaders talked in hushed, awed voices about SWORD going against Kuryu - together with Murayama and the part-timers. The moment they realized that this was completely out of their league.
Another great moment was when Murayama actually realized the same thing, that the full-timers were there, in Ouya High, to actually learn something and to graduate and that they could not do that if they meddled in SWORD's affairs. And thus he permanently divided the school into full-timers and part-timers who would, from that moment on, never cross lines. And he banned the full-timers from ever sticking their noses into SWORD's business again.
Not only did that prove that Murayama matured into a real leader, it also meant a clean cut for the future movies and dramas. From here on, even though those stories would be happening in the same universe as High & Low, they would follow their own line of storytelling.
Overall, a good series that became great whenever Yamada Yuki entered the screen. Goodness gracious, he's awesome!
This drama is set during the 2nd and 3rd High & Low movies. And before High & Low: The Worst. It goes deeper into what had been happening in Ouya High at the time and it introduces many of the side-characters from The Worst. It's also interspersed with various flashbacks to the movies, all in the vein of "meanwhile in SWORD..." so that you can get a better idea of what's happening when.
Like I said, my favorite part was Murayama. His journey towards outgrowing them all. It was beautifully portrayed not just in scenes with Murayama himself but also through Todoroki who has always craved defeating Murayama - while Murayama never really cared. But here, you could see Todoroki realizing that Murayama was getting farther and farther ahead of him.
One of my favorite moments happened in ep 6, when all the other gang leaders talked in hushed, awed voices about SWORD going against Kuryu - together with Murayama and the part-timers. The moment they realized that this was completely out of their league.
Another great moment was when Murayama actually realized the same thing, that the full-timers were there, in Ouya High, to actually learn something and to graduate and that they could not do that if they meddled in SWORD's affairs. And thus he permanently divided the school into full-timers and part-timers who would, from that moment on, never cross lines. And he banned the full-timers from ever sticking their noses into SWORD's business again.
Not only did that prove that Murayama matured into a real leader, it also meant a clean cut for the future movies and dramas. From here on, even though those stories would be happening in the same universe as High & Low, they would follow their own line of storytelling.
Overall, a good series that became great whenever Yamada Yuki entered the screen. Goodness gracious, he's awesome!
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