🎬 Subtitles and Bad Decisions Presents:
🫰 Because I have feelings, subtitles, and no self-control.
High&Low: The Red Rain (2016)
🌙 Watch Log
Started: “Okay, we're onto The Red Rain, and apparently we're taking a little detour from the main S.W.O.R.D. chaos.”
Finished: “Ohhh. So this wasn't really a detour after all.”
🇯🇵 Japan • 2016
🎬 Feature Film • 1 hr. 50 min.
📺 Available on: Bilibili
✨ Why I Picked This Up
After finishing High&Low: The Movie, I was continuing through the franchise in order, so naturally The Red Rain was next.
I knew going in that this one was going to shift the focus away from the larger S.W.O.R.D. storyline and put the spotlight on the Amamiya Brothers, so I was curious how that was going to fit into everything we'd already watched.
And while it definitely is more of a side story, it turns out that High&Low doesn't really do completely random side stories.
Because of course it doesn't.
Even when it looks like we're wandering off somewhere else, there are still connections back to the main storyline.
🎭 The Premise (Spoiler-Free)
The Red Rain focuses primarily on the three Amamiya brothers: Masaki, Hiroto, and Takeru.
After losing their parents when they were young, the brothers relied on each other, but Takeru eventually disappeared. A year later, Masaki and Hiroto are still searching for him, hoping that he might finally appear on the anniversary of their parents' death.
Instead, they encounter someone who has information about where Takeru has been and what he's been doing.
And that's where the mystery starts.
While the movie is much more focused on the Amamiya family than the larger S.W.O.R.D. conflict, the story eventually connects back to the larger franchise and the forces we've already been dealing with.
So yes, this is technically a detour.
But it's a High&Low detour, which apparently means “we're going somewhere else, but don't worry, we're bringing plot information with us.”
👥 The People Responsible for My Emotional Stability
💫 Amamiya Masaki (TAKAHIRO)
One half of the Amamiya Brothers we're following in the present day. Masaki is determined to find Takeru and get answers about why his older brother disappeared.
💫 Amamiya Hiroto (ØMI)
The other half of the brotherly duo searching for Takeru. Hiroto and Masaki have that bond that comes from having essentially grown up with only each other to rely on, and their relationship is really at the heart of this movie.
💫 Amamiya Takeru (Saitoh Takumi)
The missing older brother.
Naturally, because this is High&Low, “missing” doesn't simply mean somebody wandered off and forgot to call.
There is a whole lot more going on with Takeru, and figuring out exactly what he's been doing is one of the biggest pieces of the story.
💫 Naruse Aika (Yoshimoto Miyu)
Aika becomes connected to Masaki and Hiroto's search for Takeru and helps move the mystery surrounding his disappearance forward.
💫 Kamizono Tatsuomi (Ishiguro Ken)
One of the people connected to the larger conflict surrounding Takeru's actions and the families involved.
👀 And Because Apparently Nobody Is Allowed to Leave This Franchise Alone...
We also get appearances from plenty of familiar faces, including Cobra, Yamato, Noboru, Dan, Tettsu, Chiharu, Naomi, Nika, Iemura Tatsumi, Ryu, Kohaku, Tsukumo, Murayama, Smoky, Ice, Pearl, and Bernie.
Some are bigger parts of the overall story than others, but I absolutely appreciate that the movie doesn't completely abandon the rest of the High&Low universe.
Because let's be honest.
I see Smoky walk onto the screen and I'm immediately happy.
📝 Review
(WARNING: Potential Spoilers — I’m Not Saving You from Any Emotional Damage)
The Red Rain is definitely a little different from the main High&Low storyline, because instead of continuing directly with the S.W.O.R.D. factions and their ongoing war, it pulls us away and puts the Amamiya Brothers front and center. And honestly, I think that's a good thing. After spending so much time following all five factions, the Mighty Warriors, the Kuryu Group, and everybody else who keeps throwing themselves into the chaos, getting a story that focuses more closely on one family gives the franchise a chance to breathe a little.
The main story here is Masaki and Hiroto searching for their older brother Takeru, who disappeared a year earlier. And obviously, because this is High&Low, Takeru hasn't just been sitting somewhere drinking tea and waiting for his brothers to find him. He's been working behind the scenes, taking on one of the families connected to the Kuryu Group, which is where this seemingly separate story starts tying itself back into the larger franchise.
And that's probably the biggest thing I appreciated about this movie.
At first, it feels like we're stepping away from the main storyline, but the further the story develops, the more you realize that this actually matters. What happens here, and what Takeru has been doing behind the scenes, connects back to the larger conflict and gives us more information that will become important in taking down the Kuryu Group.
So while I rated the story itself a 9/10, that's not because I disliked it. It's more that, compared to the main High&Low storyline, this one naturally feels a little more contained. We're following the Amamiya family rather than watching all the factions collide, and that changes the overall feel of it.
But as a piece of the franchise?
I still absolutely love it.
The Amamiya Brothers have always had this larger-than-life presence hanging over the story, especially after everything we've already learned about them, Mugen, and their history, so finally getting to spend more time with them and understand more of their family story was worth the detour.
And then there are the connections back to the main storyline, which I really appreciated because it means this isn't just some completely disconnected side quest that we're expected to watch and then forget about. There are details here that matter.
Which, considering how much information High&Low throws at you, is probably a good thing because Lord knows I'm already keeping track of enough gangs.
The movie also doesn't completely abandon the rest of the franchise, which I loved. We get familiar faces popping up throughout the story, and even when they're not the focus, their appearances remind you that we're still firmly inside the same universe.
And yes, that includes the RUDE BOYS.
You already know I'm going to be happy when Smoky shows up.
The music is also once again fantastic. At this point, I don't even know why I bother mentioning it because High&Low has repeatedly proven that they know exactly what they're doing with their soundtrack. 10/10. The music is practically another character in this franchise.
And the cast?
Also a 10/10.
There is something about this franchise's casting that just works. Whether they're playing the main characters or popping up for a smaller appearance, everybody fits into this ridiculous, beautifully chaotic world.
What I especially liked about The Red Rain, though, is that underneath all the gang wars and larger franchise machinery, this is ultimately a story about three brothers who lost their parents young and built their lives around each other.
That family connection gives the movie a different emotional weight than the main storyline, and it makes the search for Takeru more personal. Masaki and Hiroto aren't just trying to track down some missing guy because they need another piece of information for the next gang war.
That's their brother.
And they want to know why he left.
So while I wouldn't rank this above the main storyline when it comes to pure High&Low chaos, I still think it was a worthwhile addition to the franchise, especially because of how much it eventually feeds back into the larger story.
Basically, The Red Rain showed up looking like a side quest and then quietly handed me plot information I actually needed.
Sneaky little bastard.
📊 Damage Report
🎭 Story: 9/10 — A more contained story focused on the Amamiya Brothers, but the connections to the larger Kuryu storyline make the detour worthwhile.
💫 Acting & Cast: 10/10 — The Amamiya Brothers get the spotlight, while familiar faces throughout the franchise help keep this connected to the larger universe.
🎧 Music: 10/10 — Because apparently High&Low doesn't know how to make a bad soundtrack.
🔁 Rewatch Value: 10/10 — Especially once you've watched more of the franchise and understand how the details here connect to the larger storyline.
🏆 Overall: 10/10 — Not quite the same experience as the main S.W.O.R.D. storyline, but still an excellent piece of the franchise.
💭 Final Mood
The Red Rain definitely feels different from the main High&Low storyline, but I don't think that's a bad thing. It's more focused, more personal, and gives us a much closer look at the Amamiya Brothers and the history that shaped them.
And while I gave the actual story a 9/10, I still gave the movie an overall 10/10 because as part of the High&Low franchise, I loved it. It adds information, fills in pieces of the larger story, and gives us details that will matter when the fight against the Kuryu Group continues.
So yes, technically a detour.
But one that actually knows where it's going.
In the end, I finished feeling like The Red Rain was a side story that turned out to be much more important than it initially looked.
And somehow… it worked.
