HiGH & LOW: The Story of S.W.O.R.D Review

Title: High & Low: The Story of S.W.O.R.D

AKA: High & Low Season 1

Genre: Action, Mystery, Drama, Delinquents

Episodes: 10

Broadcast period: 2015-Oct to 2015-Dec

Cast: Iwata Takanori, Suzuki Nobuyuki, Yamashita Kenjiro, Sato Kanta, Sato Taiki, Keiji, Yamada Yuki, Kubota Masataka and Hayashi Kento... and many many others..

“Long ago, the legendary team ‘MUGEN’ had controlled this land. Due to their overwhelming power, the whole district ended up being controlled by them. Under the rule of MUGEN, there were a pair of brothers who were the only ones that didn’t submit and fought equally, with just the two of them: The Amamiya Brothers. They couldn’t form an agreement and after an unexpected event, MUGEN suddenly broke up, and The Amamiya Brothers hid themselves. Then, from that district, 5 organizations/teams rose to the top: Oya High, White Rascals, Rude Boys, Daruma Hooligans and Sannoh Association. The first letter of each name was used to name the district ‘S.W.O.R.D’.” (Intro of drama)

Chiharu (Sato Taiki) is the newest member of the organization/team “Sannoh Associations”, that consists of: the leader Cobra (Iwata Takanori), Yamato (Suzuki Nobuyuki), Dan (Yamashita Kenjiro), and Tetz (Sato Kanta). The team famously protects the Sannoh district and keeps unwanted gangs away.

A month prior, Chiharu had been a transfer student at Oya High, infamously known as the school for delinquents and students repeating the last year over and over again. Disagreeing with the No. 2, Chiharu gets himself in trouble, but is saved by Yamato, who didn’t know it was Oya High. This leads so disturbance amongst the 5 teams. At the same time another group, the yakuza, try to overtake the 5 districts…

I’m sorry for lengthy and partly confusing summary, but so many things happen, at the same time, making it very hard for me to sum up. Continuing from dramas like Gokusen or movies like CROWS ZERO, this one had the same type of mentality, except that it involves entire districts, instead of schools. This would be the equivalent of gangs (in America or Europe) minus murdering and shooting, which makes it a great watch. They fight, but with style and stamina, and it is enjoyable to watch, not just mindless hitting. Also: bromance.

I enjoyed it a lot, and I liked every minute of it - which is why my heart rating is high. But for other views it might be a bit different. If you aren’t into this thing, it might not be as interesting, though there is decent amount of emotional moments as well.

So, all in all, a great drama that the average can enjoy, but also might not.

☆☆☆☆ / 4 out of 5 stars

♥♥♥♥♥ / 5 out of 5 hearts