🎬 Subtitles and Bad Decisions Presents:
🫰 Because I have feelings, subtitles, and no self-control.
🎬 High&Low: The Worst (2019)
Format: Feature Film
Country: Japan
Release Date: October 4, 2019
Duration: 2 hr. 5 min.
Watched on: Netflix
🍿 Okay, So What’s Going On Here?
While S.W.O.R.D. is at war with Doubt and the yakuza, the full-time students of Oya High are dealing with their own inner-school faction warfare, the ongoing conflict with Housen Academy, and an attempt to take down Kidra, a gang of drug dealers trying to infiltrate the local schools.
Murayama, the leader of Oya High, finds his position challenged by a bunch of ambitious newcomers, most notably the transfer student Hanaoka Fujio.
And because this is High&Low, apparently school politics must be settled with fists.
Naturally.
📺 Where Did I Find This One?
I watched this one on Netflix.
And this is where things get funny.
This was actually the first High&Low movie I watched.
At the time, I had absolutely no idea that High&Low: The Worst was part of a much, much larger franchise.
I just watched it.
Then I got curious.
Then I discovered there were multiple movies and series.
Then I proceeded to fall headfirst down the rabbit hole known as High&Low.
So, technically, this movie is responsible for all of this.
I blame it.
🎭 Okay, But Who Are These People?
Hanaoka Fujio – Kazuma Kawamura
The new face we're following into The Worst Saga, and honestly, Fujio is an entertaining character to introduce us to this new generation.
He's ambitious, energetic, stubborn, and more than willing to throw himself into whatever ridiculous situation comes his way.
Basically, he fits right into the High&Low universe.
Ueda Sachio – Jun Shison
One of the major figures surrounding Housen Academy and another important part of the conflict between the schools.
Housen brings a whole different energy to the story, and Sachio definitely makes his presence known.
Murayama Yoshiki – Yuki Yamada
Because obviously we're not talking about Oya High without talking about Murayama.
He's still the Murayama we've come to know, and his presence gives this movie that important connection to everything that came before it.
Unfortunately, this is also where we have to start preparing ourselves for the fact that we're saying goodbye to him.
And I am not okay with that.
Todoroki Yosuke – Goki Maeda
Still one of the major forces at Oya High, and one of the familiar faces helping bridge the gap between the S.W.O.R.D. saga and this new generation.
Tsukasa Takajo – Hokuto Yoshino
Another important member of the new generation at Oya High.
Tsukasa and Fujio make for an interesting contrast, and their presence helps establish where The Worst saga is going from here.
And, of course, there are plenty of other familiar faces scattered throughout the movie.
Because apparently High&Low doesn't believe in letting us move on from anyone cleanly.
⭐ The Damage Report
Story: ⭐ 8/10
Acting/Cast: ⭐ 9/10
Music: ⭐ 10/10
Rewatch Value: ⭐ 10/10
Overall: ⭐ 9.5/10
📝 So... How Did I Feel About This One?
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.
🏷️ The Hashtag Damage
#HighAndLowTheWorst
#HighAndLow
#TheWorstSaga
#SWORD
#OyaHigh
#CrowsZero
#emotionaldamageapproved
#subtitlesandbaddecisions
