BingedAndBroken

📝 So... How Did I Feel About This One?

⚠️ WARNING: Potential Spoilers — I’m Not Saving You from Emotional Damage

Officially, we're into The Worst Saga, and this was actually the first one I watched in the entire High&Low franchise.

Which, looking back, probably wasn't the best way to start.

Because I had absolutely no idea what the hell was going on.

The movie itself was really enjoyable. The characters were entertaining, the action was great, and the whole thing was very well done.

But because I hadn't watched any of the predecessors yet, there was a LOT of context that I was missing.

The storyline was definitely confusing the first time around.

Then I went back and watched the previous movies and series.

And when I came back and rewatched The Worst?

Suddenly, everything made a whole lot more sense.

Funny how that works.

It also helped me appreciate what the movie was doing with the transition into a new generation.

We're moving into The Worst Saga, which is centered around Oya High and introduces a new group of characters, but we're not simply throwing away everything that came before.

The previous characters and storylines still matter.

And I really liked that.

It made the transition feel much more natural instead of suddenly feeling like we were watching an entirely different franchise.

💕 Things I Loved

The biggest thing for me was seeing this new generation of miscreants take center stage.

There is always a risk when a franchise starts moving away from characters you've already grown attached to.

You spend all this time getting invested in one group, and then suddenly you're expected to care about a bunch of new people.

Thankfully, The Worst makes that transition work.

The characters are entertaining, the story gives them room to establish themselves, and the connections to the previous storyline help keep everything feeling like one larger world.

I also really enjoyed the action.

Because let's be honest.

We're watching High&Low.

The fighting is basically part of the food pyramid.

And this movie delivers.

But above all else...

THE MUSIC.

This franchise continues to absolutely refuse to give me a bad soundtrack.

The music is easily one of my favorite things about these movies, and The Worst is no exception.

😭 Things That Hurt My Feelings

Murayama.

That's it.

That's the section.

Okay, fine. I'll elaborate.

It made me genuinely sad knowing that this was Murayama Yoshiki's last appearance and that his departure signified that the S.W.O.R.D. saga was officially coming to an end.

We've spent so much time with these characters.

We've watched them fight.

We've watched them grow.

We've watched them turn what should probably be an absolute disaster of a school environment into something resembling a found family.

And now we're moving on.

Sighs.

I knew it was coming.

I still didn't like it.

Apparently emotional attachment was the real final boss of the S.W.O.R.D. saga.

🔥 And Then There Was THIS...

So, after watching this movie, I discovered that High&Low: The Worst also has ties to another set of movies called Crows Zero.

Because apparently one franchise rabbit hole wasn't enough.

Now, in all honesty, while the premises are connected, they aren't really related in the same way the various High&Low installments are.

There are connections between the worlds, but you don't need to have watched Crows Zero to understand what you're watching here.

Still, finding out that there was yet another branch attached to this whole thing was certainly a moment of:

Wait... there's MORE?!

Apparently I had accidentally enrolled in High&Low University.

🫠 Final Mood

This was a really good movie, especially considering that it was the one that accidentally introduced me to the entire High&Low franchise.

Watching it the first time, I was confused.

Watching it again after going through the previous installments, I understood it so much better.

And honestly, I think that made me appreciate it more.

I liked the introduction of the new generation, I liked how the movie connected them to the existing world, and I loved the action and music.

It was also incredibly bittersweet knowing that this marked the end of Murayama's story and officially closed the door on the S.W.O.R.D. saga.

But it did leave me with some questions.

Like...

After Murayama leaves, what happens to the O in S.W.O.R.D.?

Because somebody needs to answer this very important question.

There's still one more movie that comes after this, and I've also heard that another installment is currently in production, supposedly set to be released in 2027.

Apparently, they're claiming that one will be the final movie.

But who knows?

Hopefully not.

Because if I've learned anything from this franchise, it's that there is always another fight, another gang, another school, another movie...

And apparently another rabbit hole waiting for me.

Started: I thought I was watching a random Japanese delinquent movie.

Finished: Somehow deeply invested in an entire cinematic universe and emotionally attached to people who solve problems by punching each other.