A Star of Hope
In a world in which movies and series have come to revolve around sex and toxic relationships, there still are precious gems glistening in the dirt for you to pick up. One such gem is 6 from High&Low The Worst – a beautiful, thought-provoking story of friendship and love, and their power to heal and uplift even the most desolate of us.If I could give this series eleven stars, I would have done so because it deserves way more recognition than it has got. Most importantly, it deserves to be watched not only by fans of the action-packed High&Low franchize. Taking a step away from the fighting that the franchize is famous for, it explores the human nature and the transformative effect that the kindness of others has on it.
If you are a newcomer to the world of High&Low, you can enjoy this story as a stand-alone, although my advice is to skim through the movie High&Low The Worst first to learn helpful background information about the characters, especially about Arata. This will give you insight into their personalities and make you like and understand them more. You might also stop reading my review because it contains spoilers from the previous instalments.
For established fans of the franchize, this series will be a joy to watch.
High&Low The Worst left me craving for more information about the six childhood friends. Their tight-knit group endeared itself to me immediately, and their readiness to go through hell and back for each other made me admire them even more by the end of the movie. This series traces their lives in the aftermath of the Hope Hill massacre that brought Arata back home and fleshes them out as characters while again testing their love and loyalty for each other. Individually and together, they are good-hearted people with relatable dreams and struggles, and it is almost impossible not to root for them.
A tasty omelette leads Arata, who works as a welder and is slowly but steadily getting his life back on track, to a surprising discovery about his family that inspires him to pursue his childhood dream and maybe even help another youngster gone astray find a purpose in life.
Seiji, "a star of hope for a desperate community," still excels at his studies and is on his way toward a bright future – or at least he was on his way. Amidst the joy of reuniting with his closest friends, tragedy strikes, threatening to take away the life that he has known until now from him.
Strong girl Madoka is preparing for a clarinet competition that means more to her than her friends know, while cheerful Masaya and quiet Shinya deal with the challenges that love throws their way.
Finally, good-natured but hot-headed Fujio, the narrator of this story and the heart of the group, who brings everyone together, fights against the waves of life with both fists and heart, learning and maturing in the process.
If the principled delinquents of Oya High are the ones who have charmed you, do not worry: cool Tsukasa, jittery Jamuo, and their friends Shibaman and Tsuji are also here, and although they do not have much screen time, their story is memorable. As an old friend suffering from loneliness and poverty returns to town, it is up to them to open their hearts to forgiveness and save him.
There are so many things that 6 from High&Low The Worst deserves praise for that it will be difficult for me to mention all of them, so I will underscore those that left the biggest impression on me.
The representation of women in this series is laudable. Madoka with her fearlessness and kindness is not the only one who shines. Maho, Zumi, and Fujio's mother, while being physically weaker than the guys, are more than a match for them in spirit. As a girl who grew up with boys for friends and lost her father, I relate to their struggles and feel inspired by their inner strength way more than by the "strong, independent woman" archetype that Hollywood has been promoting in its movies.
The two budding romances are cute and healthy. Tough guys Masaya and Shinya's becoming shy and mumbling in front of their crushes is funny and delivers an important message: a real man is not someone who abuses the weak or refuses to show vulnerability, but someone who is reliable, gentle, and strong when the situation requires it.
As is typical for this franchize, the bromance is both subtle and obvious.
Tsukasa and Fujio are going strong despite their limited screen time together. The more cool-headed Tsukasa steps in as a voice of reason when quick-tempered Fujio is about to do something stupid without thinking it through. They are a great duo, whose respect for and devotion to each other is admirable.
The sweet bromance between Seiji and Arata, which was hinted at in High&Low The Worst, was suggested in this series too. I hope that it will be developed more in the subsequent installments because they have great chemistry.
Overall, I think that this series is more than worth the watch. Heart-breaking, healing, and uplifting, it teaches that friendship, love, and forgiveness are the greatest force for good in life.
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