This review may contain spoilers
The Madhouse Just Moved to the Big Screen
(WARNING: Potential Spoilers — I’m Not Saving You from Any Emotional Damage)
Alright, so I finished the Story of S.W.O.R.D. and now I'm onto the movies, and one thing that surprised me was how little of a detour this actually feels like.
It doesn't.
It just continues everything right along.
And honestly, I really like that.
The movie doesn't feel like I'm watching something separate from the series. It's part of the same ongoing story, with the same factions, the same characters, the same grudges, and the same general level of insanity.
The factions all have their own reasons for getting involved in the fight, but more or less, each one is threatened by the Kuryu Group in one way or another. And that threat basically forces these factions, who normally spend their time fighting each other, toward forming a temporary alliance.
Which is kind of hilarious when you think about it.
These people have spent all this time fighting over territory, pride, revenge, and whatever else has them throwing punches at each other, and now they're basically like, “Okay, but THAT guy is a problem.”
Fine.
We'll work together.
For now.
And of course, things continue exactly as hectic and chaotic as you'd expect from High&Low. There are fights everywhere, people are getting pulled into conflicts they probably didn't ask for, alliances are forming and shifting, and somehow there are still more people waiting in the wings to make everything even more complicated.
At this point, I've accepted that this is simply how this universe functions.
And I'm good with it.
The soundtrack is once again killer.
Seriously, this franchise has not missed when it comes to the music. The soundtrack helps drive the energy of the movie, especially during the action sequences, and I've reached the point where I hear certain songs and immediately know we're about to get something good.
And, obviously, I always love when the RUDE BOYS show up.
They remain my favorite faction, and I'm still here for every single second of their parkour. Give me those guys flying through the streets and I'm happy.
Then there's Oya High.
And specifically Murayama.
That man is just crazy.
But you just love him for it.
There's something about watching him throw himself into the chaos with absolutely no hesitation that makes him ridiculously entertaining. Oya High already had a strong presence in the series, but Murayama continues to be one of those characters where I'm watching and thinking, What the hell are you doing?
And then five seconds later:
Okay, that was awesome.
The biggest thing I appreciate about the movie is that it doesn't make me feel like I have to reset my brain and learn an entirely new story. I just finished Season 2, hit play, and went, “Okay, what kind of chaos are we getting today?”
Apparently, the answer was:
ALL OF IT.
And that's exactly how I wanted this movie to feel.
It feels like the natural next step after the two seasons rather than some side story that happens to use the same characters. Everything I've already watched actually matters. The factions have history. The characters have grudges. The relationships and rivalries carry forward. And now all of those pieces are being pushed into an even bigger conflict.
Which means I'm sitting here recognizing people as they walk onto the screen, remembering where they've come from, and getting increasingly excited every time another faction gets pulled into the mess.
I may have officially reached the point where I know these idiots.
And apparently that's dangerous.
This is what happens when you click on one random recommendation after finishing Weak Hero.
I've got factions memorized, I know who's fighting who, I'm recognizing characters from earlier appearances, and I'm somehow sitting here excited every time another group walks onto the screen.
At this point, I'm officially committed to this franchise.
Would I rewatch it?
Absolutely.
In the end, I finished feeling like the High&Low madhouse had simply moved from television onto the big screen.
The soundtrack is still killer, the fights are still fantastic, the RUDE BOYS are still my favorites, and Murayama continues to be completely unhinged in the most entertaining way possible.
And somehow…
it worked.
Alright, so I finished the Story of S.W.O.R.D. and now I'm onto the movies, and one thing that surprised me was how little of a detour this actually feels like.
It doesn't.
It just continues everything right along.
And honestly, I really like that.
The movie doesn't feel like I'm watching something separate from the series. It's part of the same ongoing story, with the same factions, the same characters, the same grudges, and the same general level of insanity.
The factions all have their own reasons for getting involved in the fight, but more or less, each one is threatened by the Kuryu Group in one way or another. And that threat basically forces these factions, who normally spend their time fighting each other, toward forming a temporary alliance.
Which is kind of hilarious when you think about it.
These people have spent all this time fighting over territory, pride, revenge, and whatever else has them throwing punches at each other, and now they're basically like, “Okay, but THAT guy is a problem.”
Fine.
We'll work together.
For now.
And of course, things continue exactly as hectic and chaotic as you'd expect from High&Low. There are fights everywhere, people are getting pulled into conflicts they probably didn't ask for, alliances are forming and shifting, and somehow there are still more people waiting in the wings to make everything even more complicated.
At this point, I've accepted that this is simply how this universe functions.
And I'm good with it.
The soundtrack is once again killer.
Seriously, this franchise has not missed when it comes to the music. The soundtrack helps drive the energy of the movie, especially during the action sequences, and I've reached the point where I hear certain songs and immediately know we're about to get something good.
And, obviously, I always love when the RUDE BOYS show up.
They remain my favorite faction, and I'm still here for every single second of their parkour. Give me those guys flying through the streets and I'm happy.
Then there's Oya High.
And specifically Murayama.
That man is just crazy.
But you just love him for it.
There's something about watching him throw himself into the chaos with absolutely no hesitation that makes him ridiculously entertaining. Oya High already had a strong presence in the series, but Murayama continues to be one of those characters where I'm watching and thinking, What the hell are you doing?
And then five seconds later:
Okay, that was awesome.
The biggest thing I appreciate about the movie is that it doesn't make me feel like I have to reset my brain and learn an entirely new story. I just finished Season 2, hit play, and went, “Okay, what kind of chaos are we getting today?”
Apparently, the answer was:
ALL OF IT.
And that's exactly how I wanted this movie to feel.
It feels like the natural next step after the two seasons rather than some side story that happens to use the same characters. Everything I've already watched actually matters. The factions have history. The characters have grudges. The relationships and rivalries carry forward. And now all of those pieces are being pushed into an even bigger conflict.
Which means I'm sitting here recognizing people as they walk onto the screen, remembering where they've come from, and getting increasingly excited every time another faction gets pulled into the mess.
I may have officially reached the point where I know these idiots.
And apparently that's dangerous.
This is what happens when you click on one random recommendation after finishing Weak Hero.
I've got factions memorized, I know who's fighting who, I'm recognizing characters from earlier appearances, and I'm somehow sitting here excited every time another group walks onto the screen.
At this point, I'm officially committed to this franchise.
Would I rewatch it?
Absolutely.
In the end, I finished feeling like the High&Low madhouse had simply moved from television onto the big screen.
The soundtrack is still killer, the fights are still fantastic, the RUDE BOYS are still my favorites, and Murayama continues to be completely unhinged in the most entertaining way possible.
And somehow…
it worked.
Was this review helpful to you?
