aquilaaqua

[aquilaaqua]

What I really enjoy about the Expo is that you can see how relaxed everyone is. They are just having fun dancing and singing with their seniors and juniors and enjoying themselves. That fun is passed to the audience, no matter if it’s live or on DVD.

LDH Expo 2024 is everything I’ve ever wanted from a company concert! Too bad I couldn’t watch it live but I finally got my hands on it, and it’s amazing!

Mixing up the groups was a brilliant idea, I loved all the performances. BBZ’s Animals is a particular favourite. Victory was eargasmic too. And Fanta’s Overdrive, I could cry. My Prayer was beautiful, Riku looked very proud and encouraging. So many great songs!

Naoto performing Existence with Kidpheno was really sweet, and Akira coming out to dance to Jettin’ felt really special. Seeing all of Neo exile on one stage, performing their songs together was amazing.

Many of Jr. Exile members have such a long history with LDH, I loved them showing the photos from their kid days. Must feel quite special for Exile members to perform together with the kids whom they watched grow up to be such incredible artists, now performing their songs not as support members but as equal artists.

Incredible concert.

[aquilaaqua]

Watching Exile Tribe live videos is like being a cartoon character in a mine cart. You keep going around like a rollercoaster (but in a mine cart)���until you hit a roadblock and get sent flying higher and higher…until the video ends and you faceplant back to Earth. 

[aquilaaqua]

I agree that what they went through in their early days was saddening. But in a way, their journey in dealing with the struggles of pressure and insecurities made them very relatable to their fans and shaped them into the people they are today. 

I really respect and admire them for overcoming their struggles and their bravery in opening up about their vulnerability at that time. It’s why The Rampage is my favourite group in all of LDH. 

And in a way, though their 2021 Dome performance was not as they’ve hoped it to be, it gave them a goal to make their 2024 performance the best it can be. I really regret not being able to see it, but I will continue to support them however I can as their fan. 

Review

Here’s my review of the Rising Sun documentary. Watching it made me feel really, deeply sad. This sentiment isn’t directed solely at The Rampage but extends to other groups I’ve seen featured in documentaries. There's often a recurring theme of placing adult expectations on young individuals, expecting them to handle responsibilities and demonstrate a maturity far beyond their years. I feel this pressure was particularly intense for the younger members, like those born in '97 and '98.

While I understand that being an idol is their chosen profession, I genuinely believe a different approach would have been better. Seeing them feel as though their spot could easily be taken by someone else was especially heartbreaking. Their anxiety must have been through the roof, and the stress they endured is almost unimaginable.

One member I felt especially bad for was Hokuto. I’ve always had a soft spot for those who come in without any background in music or dance, and for him, having no prior experience, to be suddenly thrown into such an intense training camp—it's hard to imagine the pressure. He even mentioned it was one of the most stressful times of his life. While it may look like a positive experience in hindsight, I can only imagine he must have been on the verge of a mental breakdown.

Furthermore, having them compete against each other didn’t feel right to me. They all shared the same goal of becoming idols, and it’s important to remember that, at that point, they were still kids. Imagine being a young teenager watching your best friend succeed while you don’t—that must be such a painful experience. They must have questioned their worth, thinking, "I’m not good enough," or "They’re better than me," or "I’m useless and never going to make it." That kind of pressure feels far too intense for such young people. I’m sure this doesn’t only apply to members of The Rampage, but from what I’ve seen, it was just too extreme for them. It’s clear that this experience has had a lasting impact—even now, if they aren’t giving 100%, they might feel as if they’ve failed or didn’t do well enough.

Reflecting on their feelings about the 2021 Tokyo Dome concert, I feel they’re being too hard on themselves. Despite the challenging circumstances, I believe they did an amazing job. Due to COVID, they couldn’t perform at full capacity, and their fans weren’t able to cheer, but I hope they understand that this was beyond their control and doesn’t reflect poorly on their performance. In hindsight, it might have been better to move the concert to 2022, but we can’t change the past; we can only look forward. Unfortunately, it seems this experience has stayed with them, making them feel like they missed a big opportunity. But at that time, there was nothing more they could have done. I truly hope they can appreciate that people showed up for them, and regardless of the numbers, if their fans were happy and satisfied, that’s what truly matters.

Lastly, I’m incredibly glad that from 2021 until now, all the members have worked hard to improve themselves, addressing what they once saw as flaws and celebrating the progress they’ve made. Although I couldn’t attend their 2024 Tokyo Dome concert, from what I’ve heard, they did an amazing job. Based on the documentary, it seems they felt delighted with their performance during the Tokyo Dome tour, and as a fan, I couldn’t be prouder. I’m so happy that they feel content with themselves and satisfied with this concert and all the hard work they’ve put in. I hope they continue as a group for many more years, as I feel they still have so much to offer to the world. I also hope they come to America soon—I’d love the chance to see them live. Cheers!

[aquilaaqua]

I totally understand it. I feel bummed out for not being able to see the Expo too despite guessing why they can’t livestream it

It’s so incredibly frustrating that there’s no livestream for the LDH Live Expo 2024. My frustration with LDH is growing and I just don’t understand some of their decisions. There have been so many shows this year, and I’ve only been able to see one (Fanta’s tour final) on ABEMA, and it’s beyond annoying. Just take my money, LDH, jesus christ.

[aquilaaqua]

Disclaimer: This is purely my own speculation and not to be taken seriously. 

I think the decision to not livestream the concert comes down to economics and piracy. 

Livestreaming the concert would have the concert pirated and uploaded online no matter which site they choose to livestream it. CL is harder to record but it is a smaller platform than Abema. But Abema’s videos are easiest to pirate. So they settled on live viewing from cinema, the least efficient method but least likely to be pirated. And very likely high in demand considering this is a concert that sold out even before hitting general sales. 

Sure, it’s a bummer international fans that we cannot watch it, but it will drive up the demand for the live DVD. From an economic point of view, DVD is more profitable than livestreaming because of the delayed piracy. If the livestream of the concert was pirated online, it would have reduced the demand of the DVD and therefore LDH would have lost out on revenue. 

Again, this is purely my speculation. And it is not definitively why LDH chose not to livestream the concert. But considering the large scale of the concert, they cannot afford to lose out on revenue.

It’s so incredibly frustrating that there’s no livestream for the LDH Live Expo 2024. My frustration with LDH is growing and I just don’t understand some of their decisions. There have been so many shows this year, and I’ve only been able to see one (Fanta’s tour final) on ABEMA, and it’s beyond annoying. Just take my money, LDH, jesus christ.

[aquilaaqua]

I’m tearing up as I’m watching Kazuma’s segment. You never realise just how much artists like them struggle behind the scene because of the put together image they always portray themselves. But at their core. They are human. They are humans who have their own struggles. My respect and admiration for Kazuma has grown deeper with this episode.

Ep 2 & 3 of documentary are done

The last 6 minutes of ep 3 messed up, so instead of having a full ep 3 it’s split into two parts

Also since it’s a documentary I thought if the mc is saying their full names, I’ll keep it the same.

I can now understand why they said they didn’t like their first dome tour. The fans weren’t able to cheer and it felt kinda of a letdown for them. I do think they should have moved it to the following year, but it’s in the past and I’m hoping this one is a life changing experience for them. In a good way.

Everyone had their hardships but I will say Riku, being nervous because the trend was always two vocalists is pretty valid. Hokuto feeling miserable because he didn’t know how to dance and was having a hard time. I like that he was honest that he did not enjoy those times at all and he has no good memories of it.

I think it was their dance instructor, but I would like to think that if she were in their shoes, she would not like someone saying that to her. They were stressed and majority of them were kids. Whatever professionalism they wanted wasn’t going to happen especially since they were young.

[aquilaaqua]

Thank you so much!!!

Ep 2 & 3 of documentary are done

The last 6 minutes of ep 3 messed up, so instead of having a full ep 3 it’s split into two parts

Also since it’s a documentary I thought if the mc is saying their full names, I’ll keep it the same.

I can now understand why they said they didn’t like their first dome tour. The fans weren’t able to cheer and it felt kinda of a letdown for them. I do think they should have moved it to the following year, but it’s in the past and I’m hoping this one is a life changing experience for them. In a good way.

Everyone had their hardships but I will say Riku, being nervous because the trend was always two vocalists is pretty valid. Hokuto feeling miserable because he didn’t know how to dance and was having a hard time. I like that he was honest that he did not enjoy those times at all and he has no good memories of it.

I think it was their dance instructor, but I would like to think that if she were in their shoes, she would not like someone saying that to her. They were stressed and majority of them were kids. Whatever professionalism they wanted wasn’t going to happen especially since they were young.

[aquilaaqua]

Sorry, but I couldn’t find the folder you uploaded the documentary. Could you provide the link?

Ep 2 & 3 of documentary are done

The last 6 minutes of ep 3 messed up, so instead of having a full ep 3 it’s split into two parts

Also since it’s a documentary I thought if the mc is saying their full names, I’ll keep it the same.

I can now understand why they said they didn’t like their first dome tour. The fans weren’t able to cheer and it felt kinda of a letdown for them. I do think they should have moved it to the following year, but it’s in the past and I’m hoping this one is a life changing experience for them. In a good way.

Everyone had their hardships but I will say Riku, being nervous because the trend was always two vocalists is pretty valid. Hokuto feeling miserable because he didn’t know how to dance and was having a hard time. I like that he was honest that he did not enjoy those times at all and he has no good memories of it.

I think it was their dance instructor, but I would like to think that if she were in their shoes, she would not like someone saying that to her. They were stressed and majority of them were kids. Whatever professionalism they wanted wasn’t going to happen especially since they were young.

[aquilaaqua]

Thanks for subing Itsuki and I hope you' do the other members as well.

I know that Rampage went through a difficult time before their debute, but it's another thing to hear it first hand from the members.

If there is one word that best describes all the members, it's 'fortitude'. Even when they were going through a very tough period to the point where they seriously debated on quiting, they choose to perservere. And to this day, they are still striving to perservere, which made them the awesome group they are today.

Truthfully watching the members talk about their past made me cry a lot. So I decided to do the ones where I think I can by without bawling my eyes out.

It must have been tough for them, but I’m glad they saw the light at the end of the tunnel

Part 2 of Itsuki’s video will be uploaded soon

[aquilaaqua]

Thank you so much for translating it. I frankly feel that Shohei's more suited to be the lovable, goofy friend than a boyfriend. Makoto and Kazuma were great though.

THE RAMPAGE - Azatokute Nani ga Waruino SP, Pt.2 (23.09.17)

Me, the devil on my left, and the angel on my right:

THE RAMPAGE - Azatokute Nani ga Waruino SP, Pt.2 (23.09.17) THE RAMPAGE from EXILE TRIBE

Stream/Download

Synopsis: Kazuma, Shohei & Makoto continue their education on flirting in part 2 of this not-so-TELASA-exclusive Special of Azatokute Nani ga Waruino! Will they pass this class with flying colours?

Translator Notes: - Azatokute Nani ga Waruino (officially known in English as What's Wrong with Being Wily?, but we've chosen to go with the more commonly used What's Wrong With Azatoi?) is a romance-themed variety show discussing the ways in which women (and men) flirt! It is currently hosted by Mukai Satoshi and Suzuki Airi, though was previously also hosted by Tanaka Minami and Hironaka Ayaka (as in this special). - The cast for this episode's VTRs includes Higuchi Yuzu, Kobayashi Kidai, Arata Momoko and Takahashi Kensuke.

[aquilaaqua]

THE RAMPAGE AND COLOURS PT. 1✨🎨

what is my account but a collection of my thought dumps that makes sense but also doesn't make sense? anyways! i made a list of colours of the rampage in my notes app and its been sitting there for... 7 months...

but! i really like rambling and i want to ramble bout this to you lovely people (or anyone interested enough to read this), i'll try to keep this short and simple❤️ disclaimers, these are all in good fun and are just my opinions. i also don't have access to a ton of exile tribe content, so im basing this of stuff i have watched (pls bear with me🥲)

feel free to share your thoughts. i would love to know what you think :DDD

i'm gonna have to break these up into 2 posts (16 members ahaaaaa) don't know if i'm diligent enough to maintain this one but i'll try my best!!!

likiya - gold (#fdd017)

of course likiya was going to get gold. for me, it's suitable for him because he's the leader. he carries the rampage from exile tribe. plus, he gives me very lion-esque vibes. his presence is strong, powerful. i also debated of a royal blue, but a warmer colour suits likiya. he's like the sun, makes me feel warm inside.

zin - silvery blue (#7f8e99)

several reasons for this one. i wanted the leaders colours to be opposites, so if likiya is the sun, zin is the moon. straight grey/silver didn't suit zin - it's too dull for him, so i opted for a bluer silver that reflects how he makes me feel (also kinda matches his h&l character but we won't look into that). his presence is cooler, but not cold. somehow, his vibe is closer to what i think mountains would feel like.

riku - coral orange (#f2946b)

when i think riku, i think about his beautiful smile and his bright personality. ngl i wanted to give him a yellow adjacent colour too, but i feel like a softer colour closer to orange suits him. it's warm and vibrant but not too summer. i also thought about golden retriever colours but riku, for me at least, has this natural aura that reflects a coral reef on a bright sunny afternoon.

kenta - cool tone black (#121417)

several options were going into kenta's colour choice like white to reflect his invaderz look or a red. but i knew i wanted to stick to a cooler tone colour. kenta has a very black cat energy in my opinion. though he's a ball of chaos and goofs, there are also occasions where he is quite a loner. so, after some thought, i went "well, black is pretty suiting". to me, black has so much potential. it's versatile, it's mysterious, it's kenta.

rui - lilac purple (#b666d2)

well. if you don't think of purple when you think of yonamine rui, i don't even know what to say (joking teehee). the real challenge was deciding which purple suited rui. i thought about inching the colour picker closer to white to give him a less saturated colour to match his softer side, but i realise that rui is vibrant. his dancing, his smile, his everything.

yamasho - pink (#ed93db)

now, if i was going to do this before, yamasho would've been more green for me, or blue. but, i've been really interested in his current venture with new looks and makeup. i really admire yamasho for experimenting with his style, because not only does it suit him, but it's so refreshing to see. his creativity, his boldness. they shine in my mind when i think about yamasho. i thought about a more salmon pink, but this one. it's light but bold, just like he is to me.

kazuma - blood red (#8b0000)

red was my immediate thought when choosing a colour for kazuma. it's the colour for his prince of legend character of course, but it's also the colour of blood, which also makes me associate him with vampires. yes, i know he has been attributed with wolves a lot. however, he has sharper, intimidating features, which immediately makes me attribute him to things like knives, fangs, rubies. kazuma always gave off this overwhelmingly strong red vibe for me. passionate and elegant, but dangerous and intense.

hokuto - pastel yellow (#ebe7a2)

i thought about giving him a pastel pink. the more i think about it, the more i find myself giving hokuto a pastel yellow. maybe it's because a majority of his styles had always given him soft blonde hair. but hokuto reminds me of sun, but more like the sun on a cloudier day, or the way petting a cat feels. his vibes are soft and sunny. sweeter and gentler.

[aquilaaqua]

THE RAMPAGE AND COLOURS PT. 2✨🎨

turns out i am diligent enough to complete the series! thanks again for reading my rambles!! it's been really fun writing like this, using my thinker to delve deep into stuff. again, i'll try to keep it simple and short.

i'd love to here other's thoughts on what colour they think the rmpg member's are, and maybe i'll do another for other groups too :DDD

if you hadn't read part 1 yet, go here. there i covered likiya, zin, riku, kenta, rui, yamasho, kazuma and hokuto. now, i'm gonna finish it off with the last 8 members. note, these were harder to think about than the first post (and when i say hard, i mean fucking HARD). so buckle up yall.

shogo - celeste (#95bfbc)

initially, i wanted to give shogo a warm colour. maybe a yellow or orange, but it didn't feel like it suited shogo for me. i knew i wanted to choose a colour with very vintage vibes. then, celeste caught my eye. it's a bright blue that looks well on its own, but when paired with warmer colours, it shines brighter. shogo might not be one of my favourite members, but he is his own work of art. calmer, but still with a bright presence.

shohei - pale chartreuse (#cde37f)

it was either yellow or green for him. bouncing between two, i had a difficult choice to make. then, i went "why not the middle?" chartreuse is very striking and is mostly a colour that looks amazing on its own. however, it's also strong with other colours, being able to stand out amongst them. shohei is not just his goofiness, or his more hard-working side. for me, chartreuse is a colour that combines both of his strong aspects into a vibrant person that is shohei.

itsuki - ginger (#f0a748)

ok, i'm gonna be honest. i chose ginger because of mars. i couldn't help it! i also thought about giving him a white colour, but it didn’t really fit as well as orange did. i think that he also has very orange cat energy. he very much does his own thing and has a tiny bit of a chaotic side too, though his initial vibe is cool, calm and collected. like itsuki is a cat trapped in a human body.

kaisei - sea green (#43a36d)

when i think about kaisei, i think of strong. not just physically (gaddamn that man is CUT), but also how mentally strong he is. pairing that with how his soft and friendly his character is, i just knew i wanted to give him a nice natural colour. something that matches his growth and resilience while also maintaining a nice calmer shade to match his softer side. i think something like sea green that was rich and vibrant was perfect for kaisei.

makoto - royal blue (#3238b3)

i know, ruby red is probably a better choice, but here me out. makoto always gave me a very regal vibe, with his strong features and the way he carries himself. considering his h&l character having a blue theme, the cooler aura he tends to have and the regality he was giving me, i think royal blue suits him well. the deeper, richer blue tone that sticks out elegantly matches what i think of makoto.

ryu - wine red (#521e1c)

ryu was always going to be wine red for me. it’s a colour that’s not too obvious, but also not something that’s going to disappear into the background. along with the fact that ryu looks fucking great with darker reds, i specifically chose wine red because it’s a colour that isn’t bold but still manages to have a strong impact. it matches his less outspokenness, but his beautiful aura of both maturity and softness.

takuma - peach orange (#f0654d)

i think i default creativity as a shade closer to pink/peach. i initially wanted to go for salmon red, but i settled on something closer to orange because 1) his hair and 2) it’s closer to a spring colour that suits him. i admire his creativity and his interests in art and fashion. for me, takuma has a refreshing aura that’s both sweet and soft without being too subtle. which kind of made me think of peach flavoured konjac jelly.

takahide - light green (#83bd68)

oof. takahide… he was like the final boss. i cycled through several options before settling on this one. there was yellow, orange, light pink, red, even pastel purple. i started to look through his older looks, tsuji looks etc. i thought about giving the whole ass rainbow but that would be a cop out.

then, i thought about his relationship with ryu. where ryu is shyer and reserved, takahide is the opposite. making them mirror each other would be perfect! giving him a light green was a choice i never saw myself making. but somehow, it worked. maybe it’s because of how naturally charismatic takahide is (i always tend to associate charisma with green), maybe it’s because he does quite a few green hair looks, or maybe it’s because his emoji is a goddamn frog.

but it works!

[aquilaaqua]

The thing about plot holes in series that we love is that it gives fanfiction writers so much material and lore to work on. So that can be an upside of it.

I'll agree with some of your assessments though that the writers make it very confusing to understand unless you watch all the material and start with Story of SWORD season 1&2, not Road to SWORD. I started from The Worst only because I was not sure of the order of the movies and I didn't want to look it up and accidentally spoil the plot. So I had to work backwards from there 😅😅😅

Regarding Todoroki's connection with Ebara, I saw a post on Tumblr a while back pointing out that during Todoroki's introduction in Story of SWORD S2, he had a flashback of beating up bullies wearing Ebara's uniform pants. So there's the theory that he attended Ebara before and beat up Fujin and Raijin then.

Plot Holes in High and Low We Need to Discuss

@tiredlittlewriter always gassing me up 🤭🫶🏼 @cheshirecatuniverse @mrskenpachizaraki @books-n-guns

Thank you so much everyone tagged for staying up and talking about the movies with me last night😂❤

Trigger warnings before you start reading, this ramble posts contains spoilers for the movies, cuss words, mentions of character d3aths, mention of SA that happens to a character, and other violence and cr!me associated with the H&L franchise. Please don't read if you do not want to see any of these.

Anywaysssas as you can tell by the title of this post and this screenshot, we are talking about plot holes in the High and Low franchise that we need to talk about because they BUG THE SHIT OUT OF ME.

I would like to start by saying that I do love this franchise, it is my everything. It's not like I have anything bad to say about it, I love it as it is, but some of the stuff within the franchise definitely could've been more thought out. It could've been worse! So I am thankful it wasn't bad but there are some things I wish the writing team did a little differently.

Also, I do attribute a lot of the plot holes to 1) the creators not being entirely sure whether or not they would get a green light on more movies, 2) trying to make sure the movies made money (it's a business unfortunately and not just art), and 3) High and Low is a multi-media franchise so some stuff is probably explained in the mangas, TV shows, games, etc. I will contradict myself and discuss this more in detail as we keep going.

These are in no particular order, just what comes to mind first

S.W.O.R.D Era

1)Noboru and Miho's story

I have beef with whoever on the H&L writing team thought that condensing the 2 seasons of Story of S.W.O.R.D into Road to High & Low was a good idea. "It's both seasons condensed into one movie" THAT'S A FUCKIN LIE. So much of what is in the shows is cut out from the movie.

Tell me why I learned here on Tumblr that Noboru actually spent a while in a coma in the hospital after getting body slammed by a Kuryu car? And then Cobra and Yamato had to do the "IF YOU DIE I'M GONNA BE SO MAD AT YOU" speech you always see in Asian dramas to get Noboru to wake up?!

And tell me why I learned from a fanfic on Wattpad that Miho isn't dead?! She literally comes to visit Noboru while he's in the hospital. Road to High & Low frames the situation to make it look like Noboru goes to beat up Miho's SA perpetrators after he finds he d3ad in her apartment. Then when I brought this up a couple weeks ago the Discord besties told me she broke up with him through a letter😭 A LETTER GIRL?! HE WENT THROUGH ALL THAT FOR YOU! IF I WAS YOU I WOULD'VE KEPT HIM. NOBORU. GIVE ME YOUR HAND IN MARRIAGE PLEASE GOOD SIR💍 (I'm completely joking I don't think anyone is entitled to another person's feelings, love, affection, etc. I'm just delusional because I love Noboru and Keita Machida)

Then I learned last night from Discord that Miho needs serious therapy because she was working for Doubt and it was addressed in season 2 of the show. Like HUUUH?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN?!

I do think the storyline between them as a couple and their stories individually definitely could've been explored and explained more. It was probably explained better in the show than RTH&L but I don't have access to the show so idk... which brings me to my first contradiction!

LDH AND EXILE TRIBE PLEASE MAKE YOUR MEDIA MORE ACCESIBLE GOSH. IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SUB IT THAT'S FINE AT LEAST MAKE IT EASIER TO FIND SO THAT WE CAN GET FAN SUBS OR I CAN JUST WATCH THE RAW FOOTAGE AND PRETEND I KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING. There's so many films like the 2 DTC films, the Mighty Warriors film, the shows, even the manga that a lot of us don't have access to😭 Yes this franchise is multi-media but at least make the media accessible😭

2) Mighty Warriors working with Doubt

In the first and second High & Low movie MW and Doubt work together... AND THAT LITERALLY DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE. Last I checked Mighty Warriors don't fuck with tr@ffickers in general so I don't even know why this happened.

And last I checked, MW rescued Sarah from Doubt so why would they work with Doubt when one of their members was literally a Doubt victim? That just doesn't make sense to me. Like yes the MW tend to just take up whatever whack-ass jobs for money they can get considering they fought with literal children (Oya and Rude Boys. I'm like 99.9% sure the Rude Boys members were all 16-19 and that is the age of children. Smoky might've been 20-22 which is not exactly a child but he's still young compared to the MW who were all mercenaries and in the military before they were musical bandits alluding to the fact they are older) but you would think that people who claim to have a club that is a utopia with music that is supposed to impact people positively and save their lives just like music saved the MW members' lives, they would have more moral and standards than to work with Doubt.... but I digress.

3) The alliance with a foreign mafia

This one I can kind of understand but also can't.

I understand that MW take up whatever job they can to make money. It's said directly multiple times in the movies by a MW member that there is no use doing a job for someone without getting paid so they do a lot of stuff just for the money. I also understand Doubt take whatever job pays them but also benefits their tr@fficking business. Hence why they took this job because not only were they getting paid by Lee who runs the Korean mafia but they could kidnap women in the S.W.O.R.D district which worked in their favor.

What I can't understand though is how this alliance even came to be. Hear me out. MW and Doubt will probably do whatever to get money, but where did the trust come from? Like how did they trust that a foreign mafia of all people would uphold their deal and pay them? Was it because Kohaku was made the front-man/face of the plan? Like did they believe that it would be fine because Kohaku was the one "leading" even though it seemed like Lee was pulling a lot of the strings? DOES KOHAKU EVEN HAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO BE PAYING EVERYONE?! I SWEAR EVERY TIME WE SEE HIM THAT MAN IS JUST LAYING ON A SOFA IN A JUNKYARD! WDYM DOUBT AND MIGHTY WARRIORS BELIEVED THIS MAN WAS THE ONE WHO WAS GONNA GIVE THEM MONEY?!

4) Who the fuck are Bulge? And what happened to Kuryu?

In End of Sky, we learn that Bulge are interested in the fight between Doubt, Prison Gang, and White Rascals and would sponsor Prison Gang. That's why the scene where we see Jesse fighting with another prisoner, after he kicks him down the guards tell Jesse that Bulge wants to see him to. This is why Jesse and Prison Gang are released early. When Jesse goes back to Funk Jungle he's asking if Mighty want to join but Ice says that they are gonna focus on promoting Funk Jungle, but like he's a liar they show up at the fight anyways lol.

A the end of Final Mission, the movie closes off with a dramatic shot of Mighty Warriors and a typed out message stating "Hello, everyone. This is Bulge. The takeover plan has begun." We never get an explanation of who they are, what they do, etc. I did learn from Ryu's Wiki Fandom page however that "It is presumed that he and Bulge orchestrated the fall of Kuryu Group. In the music video of the MIghty Warriors' new song "Warriors Anthem", it is revealed that he took over Kuryu as the leader after the events of Final Mission, and having Mighty Warriors occupy the remaining 8 heads of Kuryu."

So who exactly are Bulge? How are they powerful enough to be able to take down all of the original Kuryu members who have been seen as indestructible the whole franchise? Why did they allow Ryu to be the new leader?

After Final Mission, the next media pieces that were released were the DTC show and DTC movie, and then we moved into The Worst era with High&Low: The Worst Episode 0 along with the two Worst movies that followed.

I had made the assumption that around the start of the Worst era the creators probably wanted to integrate more of Jr.Exile into the franchise because of their 1) popularity and 2) new stories. The popularity of Exile members like Hokuto and Kazuma would probably bring in more viewership which does good on the numbers and money side because as I said above, unfortunately this is also a business not just art. The H&L creators probably also needed new stories to follow because they can't keep adding to S.W.O.R.D

Vis said that they think the Mighty Warriors were probably dropped because we haven't seen anything from them since the third movie, but Taiga also brought up how the new Mighty Warriors music video was also dropped right around the time the most recent movie Worst X was released. This probably means they are trying to figure out the story within S.W.O.R.D behind the scenes and it's just taking a while to do the world building. Tired also brought up a good point that considering most of the actors in H&L are also Exile members, they have to also continue their jobs as artists so tours, making music, schedules, etc. are probably also clashing with filming and working on High and Low.

Hopefully that is the case and we see more because I have too many questions and no answers.

5) Wtf happened to Rude Boys, Nameless City, and Nikaido?

If you read my fics, you know that when I write about Nameless City after Smoky's passing, I write about how the Rude Boys, Lala, and Eri go and visit Smoky's grave all the time. About a month ago the besties in the Discord made it known to me that Smoky's gravesite and like 3/4 of Nameless City was completely blown up. I was like 😧when I read those messages because it wasn't even like a head-canon thing I genuinely thought that only a small section of Nameless City was blown up so we were fine BUT APPARENTLY WE AREN'T FINE. So what does this mean for the Nameless City residents?

Did they get government housing to stay in while they got tested for the disease from the pollution? Did the residents get released back into Nameless City after the whole casino project exposure? If they were released back into Nameless City, are they all just cramming into that little 1/4 of Nameless City that wasn't blown up?

What happened to Rude Boys afterwards? Are they all back in Nameless City? Or did they move to a different area? Where would they go though? Little Asia? Did Eri get adopted afterwards? Are they finding ways to make money like how they mined the crystal to get money to rebuild Nameless City? Do they even want to return to Nameless City considering the pollution from the toxic waste was causing the disease that killed their leader?

Wtf happened to Nikaido/Cain? Is he finally happy now that he purged his past? Was purging his past and killing his brother worth it? If Kuryu was overthrown and taken over by Mighty Warriors, what does that mean for Nikaido? Is he working for them? Was purging his past worth anything if he didn't even gain anything from it because MW took over Kuryu? Again, so many questions and no answers😭

6) Give us a more clear timeline

This isn't a plot hole, just something I wish the creators would do is give us a clearer timeline. We're never given any clear timeline of how much time has past between each movie or even how much time is between the S.W.O.R.D and Worst era. I'm always trying to calculate the timeline or everyone's ages based off of the only two characters we get ages for and Noboru's school timeline.

The only two characters in the whole franchise that we get ages for are Chiharu and Seki. At the start of the series we know that Chiharu is 20 because when he joins Sannoh, in the scene at the bar Cobra offers him a drink but takes it back and says "wait but aren't you underaged?" to which Chiharu replies that he is 20 (which is the legal adult age in Japan) and Tettsu makes fun of him for still being in high school as an adult (in good fun of course not in a mean way).

When we first are introduced to Oya, the narrator tells us that Seki is the oldest part-timer student there at age 25.

Noboru, Yamato, and Cobra were high schoolers while Mugen was still active. This is deduced by the scene where Yamato drops Noboru off in front of the school for the day he takes his exam, then when he opens up his college acceptance letter with them. I'm assuming Yamato and Cobra dropped out to be apart of Mugen and take care of their parents' shops. Then, we see when Noboru starts college but doesn't make it super far into his bachelors degree after getting sent to jail. We don't get to see how long he was in jail for, just that he was released early because Kuryu paid to get him out early.

I always use these ages and Noboru's vague school timeline to try and figure out the character's ages and shit but they are just estimates because we never get clear timelines from the creators. Like why couldn't they at least tell us how much time passed between the end of Final Mission and the start of The Worst?!😭anyways.... onto the next thing

The Worst Era (mainly X)

Like I said in the screenshot, The Worst isn't my favorite movie out of the franchise but I think it was the best executed in terms of plot out of all the movies. The plot was clear, very concise, and relatively had no plot holes. (I haven't seen The Worst Episode 0 so if there is something that is missing plot wise please let me know)

It was fun to see the cross with Housen and the themes and messages we got from not only the plot but also from each character were all really good too. It was a solid movie, no complaints.

The Worst X however... I have questions. It's not to say it wasn't good, I still liked it and obviously it was good considering I watched it with no context and it got me into the whole H&L universe, but I feel like it fell a bit short. There was more the writers could've done for not only plot development but character development.

1)How did that 3 school alliance actually even start?

From the movies, it seems like Kohei Amagai is well known as "the annoying son of the Amagai group". Like EVERYONE knows him and knows he throws around money to get people to work for him. And like yeah, we see when he is able to take control of the school with the beige uniforms because Senomon, Kamasaka, and Ebara are quite literally beating the shit out of them, but how did Senomon get Kamasaka and Ebara to cooperate?

I refuse to believe that Amagai was able to get Kamasaka who fight with weapons like brass knuckles and metal rods and Ebara who are all literal gym bros to join his stupid ass plan with just money. As dumb as I think boys are I don't think Reiji, Ghandi, Shoji, Raijin, or Fujin are actually dumb enough to join an alliance for money. Even if this alliance did win and take over Oya, what would they have done with each other afterwards? Those dudes have so much pride we all know that there is NO WAY they would all continue working under Amagai. Amagai is also stupid as hell if he thought he could be at the top without someone from Kamasaka or Ebara trying to overthrow him if he had taken down Oya like Kohei.... be fuckin for real bitch.

I need more of an explanation to this like someone from the H&L writing room please sit down with me and answer my questions so I can publish it in an interview for all of us we need answers.

2) What the fuck is the story behind Todoroki and the dudes from Ebara?

The whole time Fujin and Raijin are running around screaming about how they're gonna crush Todoroki and I literally sit there like

👁️👄👁️Why? No matter how many times I watch the movies because we never get an explanation! Idk was this in the show? Someone please tell me.

And like the scene after Todoroki beats up Fujin and Raijin, Shoji goes "you're different now" and I'm always like "Different? DIFFERENT HOW?! DON'T BE SHY SHARE WITH THE CLASS PLEASE"

Todoroki responds with something along the lines of "now I have friends to protect" which is so wholesome I love that, but what is the detailed history of him and the guys from Ebara? We never get that explained to us. I remember reading somewhere that Todoroki trained hard to beat his bullies and because he got so strong that's why he always tried to fight for the leader position because he believed he could beat Murayama. I also saw a clip on Youtube where when Murayama is fighting with Todoroki, he sees his old self in Todoroki who is being reckless which probably adds to Todoroki's character development.

Did the guys from Ebara bully Todoroki? Were they old friends who fell apart? Did they just have a bad run in when Todoroki was being a little shit and fought but now hold a grudge because they are teenagers with a lot of pride and anger issues and it's not that deep? Idk🤷‍♀️The thing that bugs me is the fact that their feud was added a solid amount to the plot and why Ebara joined then dropped the alliance so I don't know why we didn't get at least a vague explanation of who these characters are to each other.

3) Questions and what I want to see next movie

This obviously isn't plot holes but just some questions I have and what I want to see in the next installments of the franchise.

Why were these high schoolers doing THE FUCKIN MOST to see who was stronger?! The first time I watched I was so confused because why was this movie serious but also so unserious?! They did not need to be doing all that.

Why didn't Amagai get in any trouble for anything?! Is it because he has money?! Like how did this man commit literal crime and everyone was like okei. He literally kidnapped Tsukasa and tortured him for like half a day and 1 night...

How did Tsukasa not die?! The was literally beat over the head with a metal pipe, kidnapped, tied up, tortured, and then dropped from a balcony. I digress, he probably has plot armor as Sun calls it because how did he not die or at least end up in the hospital for a long time.

I want to see the movies circle back to the S.W.O.R.D plotline so it would be really cool if Amagai's little plan was part of a larger plan to break down the peace in S.W.O.R.D. It wouldn't be the first time the adults used kids to push their agenda. Kuryu originally wanted to use Murayama to tear down the peace in S.W.O.R.D because he used to look up to the man who was the head of Iemura but because he chose not to do it, they went after Noboru.

Maybe MW are thriving as the new heads of Kuryu so someone on the outside is trying to take over and Amagai's family is apart of that. Or maybe his family is trying to gain favor from Mighty and are working for them. Idk but it would be cool if we circle back to S.W.O.R.D and see the new Oya characters have to integrate into the S.W.O.R.D world also.

I also want to see a segment of how Rude Boys and Oya adjust to their new leaders.

I want to see what happened to the rest of S.W.O.R.D after the third movie. We saw Oya in The Worst era but what happened to everyone else? Which I also know these are probably kind of far fetched considering the Exile Tribe member who played Rocky is retired from the entertainment industry now... but a girl can dream I guess.

You made it to the end! Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to read this big rant. This wasn't proof read and is kind of everywhere but thank you for reading it anyways! ❤️

[aquilaaqua]

I went out for late night coffee a few days ago. This cafe makes you take a number and order on the app. I automatically grabbed the number 16. Guess where my brain is at.

[aquilaaqua]

I really love this analysis as I thought the same.

Cobra and Fujio are basically the same person

A rant post on why I personally think these two characters are basically the same person in different bodies

Random background on me as a person: I’ve always been a strong believer that the media we consume can affect/leave an impact on us and how we act, go about life, perceive the world, etc. I’ve done this my whole life, on top of being a fangirl I OVERTHINK about the plot, the characters, the ships, everything. Adding to that, when I hyper fixate on a piece of media I get so invested I pay attention to all the tiny details and micro-analyze characters and their backstories and tie it back to how they act in the story.

Last semester I got to do this in class because I enrolled in a storytelling course and basically the whole time my professor gave us stories to read or movies to watch and then we had to relate it back to real life and analyze the characters behaviors, how they interacted with others, the story themes, etc. Hopefully my professor is proud I continue to use what I learned in their class to apply to my hyper fixation on other fictional characters outside of the course😂

If you look at Cobra and Fujio’s characters on the surface, they might not seem similar. Fujio has a very golden retriever like energy to himself. He’s very extroverted, loud, friendly, bright, and overall very playful and doesn’t take anything too seriously unless the situation calls for it. In contrast, Cobra is more somber and serious. Cobra is more quiet, reserved, very serious, and had a relatively calm demeanor. Well, S.W.O.R.D. Era Cobra is super serious, whereas Mugen Era Cobra isn’t.

Personality wise, Mugen Era Cobra and Fujio are the same. They’re a little bit closer in age, and Cobra is definitely more upbeat during this time period. Maybe even a little less mature in a sense.

Obviously when we meet Cobra we see that he’s gone through a lot to become the person we know him as. Noboru got arrested and couldn’t continue school, Tatsuya was killed, Kohaku disappeared. Eventually Cobra has to take charge and be Sannoh’s leader, deal with Kuryu’s stinky asses, hits a rough patch with some Sannoh members leaving, losing Smoky, you get the point. All this loss and grief causes him to lose his playful demeanor and it’s understandable. Honestly if H&L The Worst X was as serious as any of the first three movies where characters died and Tsukasa died instead of only ending up in the hospital after Amagai dropped his ass from the gym balcony, that shit would’ve sent Fujio into his depresso espresso era also 100%

But yeah, it might not seem like Fujio and Cobra are alike at first until you dive in a little deeper. Let’s start with something small first.

1) Cobra and Fujio’s styling

Something small I noticed was that both characters are styled with a black bandanna in their right pocket. We see this when Cobra interrupts Ranmaru and Rocky’s fight in the second movie and hands Rocky the bandanna after telling him he looked a mess😂 This might also just be Cobra’s way of remembering or holding onto his memories of Mugen because I’m pretty sure all the Mugen members had bandannas on their person but once we enter S.W.O.R.D. Era no one else not even Yamato have a bandanna on them anymore so I think my point stands.

Fujio is the only character I see during The Worst era who has a bandanna tucked into the right pocket of his pants.

2) Both are leaders/have leader mentality

This one is kind of obvious also but let me explain.

Cobra goes on to establish Sannoh and is the leader as well. I admire the way Cobra leads his members. He’s very understanding even if the opinions are different. We see this showcased with Noboru during Road to High&Low when Cobra acknowledges that he knows Noboru is trying to act in the best interest of his friends he’s just going about it in the wrong way. We also see this when Dan, Tettsu, Chiharu, and a few other members walk out of the fight with Doubt. Cobra acknowledges that friends sometimes are not on the same side and that it’s okay when that happens.

Fujio right off the bat has a goal in mind to unite all of Oya, this plays into his leadership style we see throughout both Worst movies. Fujio is a very charismatic person. Right as he enters Oya, he’s able to get many followers without asserting strength or dominance over all of Oya (something Todoroki has been trying to do but can’t achieve. Fight me if you want on this but I don’t think Todoroki would be a good leader lol. That’s a post for another time). We see this when Nakagoshi and Nakaoka agree to follow Fujio in the gym. Yes, Fujio fought with YasuKiyo faction but other than that he doesn’t get into another fight with the other factions. When Yasushi is hospitalized, Fujio at this point isn’t officially Oya’s leader yet but everyone looks to him to see what happens from here. With the mentality of bringing everyone together, Fujio makes it clear that what happened to Yasushi isn’t just a YasuKiyo problem but an Oya problem which prompts the Oya boys to work together to fight with Housen.

So how does this tie the two together?

Both characters have strong leadership skills. Granted they differ slightly but the overall style and tone they take on is that no one gets left behind and that even when the crisis doesn’t directly impact them in anyway, both characters are still willing to jump in to help others.

3) Both see the importance of friendship and the strength of a true alliance

I really do think that friendship kept Cobra going in life. Sometimes it felt like that man was one more crisis away from completely swirling into self destructive behavior but his friendships pulled him out of that. An example of this is how he holds onto Kohaku’s words and teachings to help in certain situations such as the one involving Noboru and Kohaku himself when they are begging him to leave Kuryu and come back to himself.

Fujio being a school aged character we’re obviously gonna see more of his friendships because at that age that’s one of the bigger focuses in life. We see how friendship kept him from being sad and lonely as a kid because his mother was working a lot that’s why he spent time with Seiji, Madoka, and all of them. As a teenager now, his friendship with them is still strong considering this boy literally jumps into a crack farm to pull Arata out of the shit he got himself into. During The Worst X this boy literally becomes friends with the strongest person canonically in the series and then spends the second half of the movie fighting to get his best friend back from being captured.

Both characters directly state the alliance part in their movies.

While Cobra fights Jesse, he tells him something along the lines of “you guys are just a bunch of strays, are you prepared as he is?” Referring to how he knows Rocky has been prepared for this fight from the get go. On top of that, Cobra was the S.W.O.R.D. Leader who suggested the alliance in the first place knowing that they would be stronger together against Kuryu. End of Sky doesn’t focus as much on Kuryu as it does Doubt but it leads into Kuryu so I think this is fitting. Cobra knows that the Prison Gang, Mighty, and Doubt working together would never actually work because they don’t have a bond to fight together they’re just getting a job done. Hyuga even points out that he can’t trust Ranmaru because he throws his men away like they’re trash.

I think this applies to the first movie as well. Cobra knows that Kuryu, Jansung, Mighty Warriors, and Kohaku would not work because it wasn’t a true alliance it was simply made to get a job done. This leads him to suggesting the alliance in the second film.

When H&L The Worst X comes around, we know that Fujio is seen as the leader of Oya and he values his friends a lot. He doesn’t usually refer to the Oya students as troops or comrades unless the situation warrants it, he refers to everyone as friends and also mentions how everyone became friends through fighting. On the rooftop when Todoroki asks if Fujio going against what he thinks is best means that Fujio no longer needs him, but Fujio is quick to tell him that’s not what is going on at all; rather that he has a solution and is willing to set his pride aside for his friends. He then proceeds to tell the remaining Oya guys that the other schools created an alliance but “let’s show them what a real alliance looks like”. This is because Fujio’s thoughts are the same as Cobra’s. Senomon, Kamasaka, and Ebara may have created an alliance but there is no friendship or bond in it, therefore this alliance wouldn’t work or last long. We even see this when Ebara drop out of the alliance. Had Shoji, Fujin, or Raijin been friends with any of the guys from the other schools they probably wouldn’t agree to the rules Todoroki set for their fight. But it’s the fact that they are friends and care for each other that Shoji agrees to Todoroki’s terms. Shoji knows that the other schools are shady so he’s gonna take the opportunity to get the people he actually cares about out of that alliance.

Fujio’s monologue at the end of his fight with Suzaki even highlights the importance of friendship. We see in the first Worst movie that Fujio wants to become the best and be at the top. In The Worst X cross after he reads Sachio’s letter, Jamuo catches him staring at the clouds and tells him he won’t be able to do much with his head in the clouds. To which Fujio proceeds to tell him “being born a man I always felt I needed to be the greatest, but maybe being at the top doesn’t make me a great man.” When Suzaki loses the fight and says that from now on Senomon would be tools for Oya to use, Fujio is quick to shut that mentality down; telling Suzaki that it’s just one fight he lost, and that it doesn’t mean anything. His monologue goes into how it doesn’t matter who’s at the top and who isn’t because look at all the friends around you who are willing to fight for and with you (granted Suzaki and Akamai have no real friends besides each other but I digress pop off inspirational Fujio).

You’ve made it to the end! I know this is just a long rant post and the thoughts aren’t super organized and might not be well explained but it made sense to me so here we are😂

Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments or on a reblog as well! If you want to disagree with me that’s cool but please do it nicely I’m scared of people on the internet 😂

I have a 3 part H&L series based off the song Hate You by Jungkook in the works, it’s just taking a while to write because there are so many characters to write for.

I also have a story for Hiroto and one for Ice in the works. I genuinely didn’t think I would be writing anything for Mighty because I have a love hate relationship with those characters but I have a plot I consistently think about and think that Ice works best with it so that story will be out eventually also.

[aquilaaqua]

I want to double check something. Was the category listed as 'English Subtitles' or just 'Subtitles'?

I noticed that recently CL has been releasing non English subs on some videos and some don't even have English but other language Subs.

This is just my theory but maybe they don't want an English Subtitle category only if they are starting to expand on the subtitle language base. Maybe they might set up a new category for all language subtitles.

(But again, this is only a theory and I'm not 100% sure if I remember correctly that it was only English subtitles in the old category.)

There is no longer a Subtitled Programs category on CL Live, which - thanks, guys, very useful decision there.

But it also means I'm less likely to watch videos from, let's be real, non Rampage groups. If the only way to find subtitled videos is to pick an artist and scroll through their listings until I find the magic Subtitles button, I'm gonna pick artists I already care about because I'm more willing to watch an unsubtitled video from them if I can't find any new subtitled videos

[aquilaaqua]

By the way, I did want to let you know I did get your question about RMPG closeness relative to some of the other groups and I am thinking on it 😅 I'm, like, trying to make my answer coherent, sorry for the delay!

Take your time. I only realized my question was pretty strange after I sent it. But I qas really curious if I'm just bias for The Rampage or not.