#chiharu high & low

[pixaho]

Sannoh Rengokai With Girlfriends

♥ Pairing | Sannoh Hoodlum and Girlfriends obvs ♥ AU? No |

♥ Warnings | Mentions of sex, cursing, and violence. Plus alcohol (in the form of drinking).

M.LIST H&L LIST

C☺BRA

♦ FIRST MEET

You met him shortly after MUGEN disbanded, although he was closed off and didn't give you a single tick of interest it was a surprise when he asked you to go on a date. You had only known him for a couple of months and were already fascinated with him so you agreed.

♦ DATES

Your dates are sweet and romantic. Although romance for him is kind of hard to do, he tries his best. He isn't a great cook which leads to most of the dates being take out or at a restaurant (ITOKAN Diner majority) all of the time. But if he does try to cook, he usually has you to help him because who doesn't love a cute little cooking date?

♦ FIRST TIME

He would be super nervous trying to think of what to do for your guys' first time as a couple. But he'd settle to make the bedroom cozy so you would be comfortable. His 1 mistake that Cobra would never do again and wished he didn't was silk sheets. During your first time together, the silk sheets were too slippery to the point he headbutted you by accident. Never again. Poor boy.

♦ ARGUING

Arguing between you and Cobra is actually common, but it always ends with you comforting each other. When an argument leaves either of you upset (most likely you crying unless you are like me... I laugh when a grown man makes me upset) usually Cobra is the one to make things right. He doesn't like having you mad at him.

♦ JEALOUS

Cobra isn't the type to get really jealous. But if he does get jealous then he shows it by wrapping his arms around your waist and leaning his head on your shoulder.

If you have hip dips, he'll place his hands on those and rub circles on them. (I know for a FACT that some of y'all got these cutie patootie things and I love 'em!)

♦ HOW YOU SLEEP TOGETHER

♦ HOW YOU KISS

YAMAT☺

♦ FIRST MEET

You met Yamato in school where he was arguing with another person much older than him. You realized this was his mother right as she told him to get his butt over "there" and apologize to the poor boy. You didn't know that the poor boy was your next door neighbor which is when he met you.

♦ DATES

Usually, he takes you to ITOKAN Diner and spends his time there with you instead of the rest of Sannoh Hoodlum because he wants to make sure your date is good. When he doesn't, it's usually a movie place or to his place where you can cuddle all day (and fuck.)

♦ FIRST TIME

Believe me, this boy was cocky as fuck for your first time. His mistake? Flavored Lube. He didn't know he was allergic to grape and well.. you spent half of that night in the ER. He regrets it. It was worse for your, as he likes to call it, first first time because he put on a grape flavored condom. When you actually got to do your first time, he had "fancy" shit placed everywhere. Incense, roses, rose petals (you can swap these out for your favorite flowers) and a new bedding. No silk.

♦ ARGUING

Believe me, you guys argue a lot. This stubborn asshole will not be the first to apologize unless he realizes he actually fucked up. If you're really upset by it, he's an asshole who doesn't realize you are.

♦ JEALOUS

This boy is jealous. He will threaten people (knowing Yamato, this is true) and berate them. This ends with him being injured and a fight ensuing.

♦ HOW YOU SLEEP TOGETHER

♦ HOW YOU KISS

♦ FIRST MEET

You met Noboru at a coffee shop. He was studying for class on his laptop when you asked to join him. He said sure and you guys spent the whole day chatting and studying together.

♦ DATES

Noboru is the type of man to take you to slightly fancy and or comfortable places such as a coffee shop date or a restaurant (which wouldn't be ITOKAN). These are usually his choices but he'll allow you to pick a place once or twice.

♦ FIRST TIME

Your first time with Noboru is actually really sweet as he tries to make everything feel comfortable and right for you. His mistake however was getting scammed when buying an incense scent.. the smell lasted for a week and it was horrible. Lavender. (I'm allergic to lavender.)

♦ ARGUING

Arguments between you and Noboru are rare as he's a lot more calm and clear than the others. But when they do happen, he's usually the one to apologize first as he grew up without having his parents around and doesn't want you to hate him. :)

♦ JEALOUS

Oh boy does he get jealous. A little less than Yamato but not like Cobra. He'll grab your hand and turn your head to look at him before literally kissing you in front of the woman / man you're talking to.

♦ HOW YOU SLEEP TOGETHER

♦ HOW YOU KISS

DAN

♦ FIRST MEET

You actually ended up working for Dan so that is how you guys met for the first time. He didn't hit on you until a year after you started working for him.

♦ DATES

The worse man at dates. He can't do them for the life of him so he leaves them to you.

♦ FIRST TIME

Your first time was actually on his couch, you guys had been making out in the parking lot where his bike was before deciding to take things further by going to his place. His mistake... he didn't clean his bedroom and refused to let you see it (WITH THE ONE SOCK ON THE GROUND).

♦ ARGUING

This little shit will say you are wrong and he is right and WON'T apologize until he's told he's wrong. He will literally keep arguing that he is right and he'll end up sleeping on the fuckin' couch. :)

♦ JEALOUS

Oh believe me, he's walking up and taking you away from whoever it is that he's jealous of only to have the hottest and yet weirdest make out session. Dan will have his hands up your shirt, and lips on yours or on your neck. FULL DISPLAY. INFRONT OF EVERYONE.

♦ HOW YOU SLEEP TOGETHER

♦ HOW YOU KISS

TETTSU

(Off topic but personally I thought Tettsu with dreads looked hot... its bad ik)

♦ FIRST MEET

Your parental figure introduced you to Tettsu's dad, while making a business proposal, in which you were then introduced to Tettsu. Boy does he not let anyone forget thats how you met.

♦ DATES

Unlike Dan and Cobra, Tettsu can actually cook and knows, partially, how to create a nice date. He learned how to cook from his mom and dad for when he left the little home. So majority of your dates are actually spent with Tettsu cooking because money is tight.

♦ FIRST TIME

Your guy's first time was actually in his bed. He tried to make sure everything was up to standards. His mistake? Getting into a fight with other Sannoh Hoodlum members. He came home with a busted lip, which you had to patch up. Despite the burning sensation of his cut lip, he still made love to you.

♦ ARGUING

Surprisingly, the only arguments you have with Tettsu revolve around where his loyalty lies and fighting. Tettsu mainly is loyal to everyone around him, including you, but he gets too loyal. This ends with him admitting that you may be right and that he'll try harder.

♦ JEALOUS

Does get jealous but doesn't do what Dan or Yamato does. Tettsu is more calm and tends to just wrap his arm around you. If he's really jealous, he's kissing your cheek and asking you if you want to leave or want something to eat.

♦ HOW YOU SLEEP TOGETHER

♦ HOW YOU KISS

CHIHARU

♦ HOW YOU MEET

You accidentally bump into Chiharu whilst running from a group of doubt members, coincidentally he's with Sannoh Hoodlum as it happens. You watch in slight amusement but also slight disgust as the group of people fight, Chiharu's group winning. He's the first one to make sure you're alright.

♦ DATES

The poor boy doesn't know much about romance but he asks Naomi how. So he usually takes you to a general store to get a drink together and then spends the rest of the day at a park or at a festival / club with you.

♦ FIRST TIME

Oh wee mama. You guys are intoxicated for your first time. You ended up fucking in the living room of your place. His mistake? Biting your lip by accident. You paid him back with scratches all across his back though.

♦ ARGUING

Arguments between you and Chiharu are rare but when they do happen, it's typically about him being hurt or you seeing through a lie. He tries not to lie but its difficult to talk about his past life considering what happened. He's too soft to actually be upset with you so he always makes it up.

♦ JEALOUS

Stay silent jealous type of guy. He doesn't do anything unless you are really uncomfortable, then he walks over and takes you by the hand to walk about of the place. Chiharu isn't very into letting his lover be uncomfortable with others.

♦ HOW YOU SLEEP TOGETHER

♦ HOW YOU KISS

I know that there is 3 other characters (Ken, Kabuto and Hikaru) but they aren't really given much screentime and you don't actually get to know them. I would have loved to write about them but the wiki I use has nothing about Ken and Hikaru, plus I haven't watched the series so I don't know Kabuto. I hope you guys enjoyed this, and I know that the last gif for Chiharu is of two women, but let's be honest this man has a BABY FACE!

♥ Mutuals; @talusional

[insideliascrazyhead]

High and Low as Florida men 2

[tiredlittlewriter]

Sword people as things I think they'd get at buccees as someone who rarely goes to buccees

Cobra: Icees. Like blows his paycheck on them

Naomi: One of the sandwiches

Chiharu: pajamas for all of dtc

Rocky: Pralines

Kizzy: stupid matching shirts for her and Kaito

Koo: Also pralines, he's old

Murayama: also one of the sandwiches but only so he can hear the workers dejectedly say what is on the grill next (yes, they yell this every time)

Shibaman: roasted nuts

Yasushi: like 4 pounds of fudge

Smoky: as much food as possible to bring back with him so the RB can try it all

Lala: cowgirl boots

Yu: Bumper sticker for the jeep

Hyuga: Fudge. Any of them

Ukyo: a hat

Kato: Fishing bait (its bad bait)

[hamliet]

It's A Boys' Love Story, Your Honor: Be Gay, Do Crimes

This review is often satirical and sometimes facetious. Or is it?

Anyways I got dragged into watching HIGH&LOW, a Japanese action show full of pretty boys punching each other. Aside from me wondering how all of them don't have CTE and screaming CHEST COMPRESSIONS when one character codes and the nurse like... walks away (he's ok the power of friendship is stronger than any defibrillator), it turned out to be a surprisingly excellent, enjoyable, and even poignant watch.

The plot is vibes at best and the narrative ideas are less formed than, say, those of Kinnporsche. But, what it does have down pat is characters. Pretty much every character is compelling from their introductory scene (except for the Mighty Warriors who exist purely to suck). The characters may not necessarily be the most complex or psychologically challenging, but they come across as intriguing enough, flawed enough, to carry series on their own. Like, I would honestly watch a full series based on any one of them.

To be honest, this show does more to establish who a character is, what they want, and make them interesting within a character's first 30 seconds than some high-brow directors do with three hours of film. I would honestly recommend it to anyone trying to understand how to characterize.

Also, it's basically a yaoi but with fighting instead of f*cking. It's just dripping in homoeroticism that they infuse with just enough plausible deniability that insecure straight guys can watch it too!

Although, being straight in this 'verse is pretty much a misery sentence for everyone except Kizzy and Kaito. I haven't seen such flagrant use of bury/break up your straights since Togashi.

But:

It's not a yaoi! you say.

To which I shall respond with numerous examples of what the f*ck is this then? The power of (b)romance?

Doubt. (Heh ifkyk.)

Cobra + Murayama

The same episode we get a girl having a crush on Murayama he's shown as completely disinterested because he's too hung up on Cobra. This leads to him seeking Cobra out. And also to him having realizations about himself. He's then kind to the girl, but not romantically interested. The framing of this Cobra-Murayama realization about himself with the episodes opening with a girl pining and ending with his kindness to her is clearly to get the audience thinking about romance and the other interactions in light of that.

Murayama embarrassingly asks to join Cobra in front of all the other gangs.

Murayama calls him Cobra-chan and sides with Cobra when all the other leaders of SWORD refuse. All three others have left but Murayama still tells Cobra he has his vote, even though it's not going to do anything, just so Cobra knows Murayama's on his side.

In End of Sky Murayama literally going behind Cobra's back to get Hyuga to agree to join Cobra's alliance to protect him, at personal risk to Murayama, even though Cobra will never know what he did for him, when even those most loyal to Cobra have abandoned him, is literally a romance trope as old as time. And it's literally set to inspirational music.

Murayama calls him Cobra-chan and sides with Cobra when all the other leaders of SWORD refuse. All three others have left but Murayama still tells Cobra he has his vote, even though it's not going to do anything, just so Cobra knows Murayama's on his side.

At the end of the movies, Murayama gets a motorcycle and is implied to join Sannoh eventually with clever color symbolism as @eatprayworm points out.

As if we didn't get it, The Worst literally shows us Murayama calling Cobra-chan on his phone and tells us that he frequently drunk calls Cobra by having him say that he's not calling about bikes... this time. This phone call shows 0 narrative purpose besides reminding us that Murayama's endgame is with Cobra.

Chiharu + Yamato

Yamato saves his life and then is told he has to "take responsibility for" Chiharu, which is totally not a reference to the common idea of a guy taking responsibility for knocking a girl up--

except it is explicitly because even Yamato's mom directly asks if he knocked someone up when she hears that he has to "take responsibility" for someone.

When they finally reconcile after Chiharu confesses to drugs Tetsu tells them "you look good together."

Chiharu then takes a bullet for Yamato. I mean, not actually, because it was a blank, but no one, not even the person firing the gun, knew it was a blank.

Tetsu + Dan

Whenever Dan expresses interest in a girl Tetsu gets mad at him and when Tetsu cuts off his dreads to be more appealing to girls Dan gets mad at him. They're in love your honor.

They'll leave a gang for one another.

They exist only in proximity with each other.

Tatsuya/Kohaku/Tsukumo

These old men are so gay. They started the fall. And by old I mean they're supposed to be like 26 but they are clearly played by actors in their mid-40s and so I'll just pack off and head to the Villages then.

Smok(e)y + Hiroto

Ah yes when you're wandering around Nameless Street looking for your older brother and he's not there so you and your other brother decide to leave but then! then! a sickly man wasting away everywhere but his hair (which remains luscious) walks in front of you, barely glances at you, and you instantaneously walk away from your brother and your life to go follow the twink. Much straight.

Rocky + Koo

Here.

They also use "anata" for one another. Which means "you," but also is frequently translated as "dear" because it's what married couples often refer to each other as.

The manga also implies they live together.

Yasushi + Kiyoshi

Everyone in canon refers to them as "Yasukiyo." They exist in a state of symbiosis with weird hair and insanity.

If anyone implies Yasushi was involved with drugs Kiyoshi will fight to defend his honor.

"He sacrificed himself for me!" ?????? That's a love trope, Your Honor. Don't worry, though. They're gay, so Kiyoshi survives his sacrifice.

Odajima + Todoroki

Fellas is it gay to spot a man across a battlefield and be so in awe you run over to him right away?

Is it gay if you then ask said man "you're different from the others. Want to play with me?"

Tsukasa + Fujio

Tsukasa mopes around like Bella after Edward left after Fujio moves away for like a week.

Tsukasa takes a bus ride across the country for the chance to fight his BFF again in the rain (wet, what is symbolism) and then tells him "I'll be waiting for you." And also "I should move here because it's boring without you."

Tsukasa might be held as a hostage but he knows Fujio will come for him. In fact his relationship with Fujio is explicitly paralleled with Amagai and Suzaki's.

Amagai + Suzaki

The redemptive power of love, as beautifully written by @eatprayworm here.

I mean Suzaki literally can barely stand and limps over to protect Amagai when Amagai is experiencing the consequences of his actions and then saves Amagai from himself.

At the end of the day all he wants is to be boyfriends with Amagai.

Probably my favorite ship because it's everything I love, meaning one of them is too good for this world and one is a bastard.

Nakagoshi + Nakaoka

Nakagoshi sacrifices himself for Nakaoka even in a parallel to Yasushi and Kiyoshi (don't worry, they're gay, so they live too).

Tsuji + Shibaaan

Do I even need to comment here?

And I didn't even get into Sachio's sunset conversation with Fujio, in which you visibly see the twink fall and then they, not knowing who the other is, subsequently meet and recognized each other on the battlefield like Mr and Mrs Smith.

Themes Too!

High&Low isn't exactly an uber-deep thematic exploration of what it means to be gay and do crimes, but the themes it does do it does pretty well.

One of those is indeed the redemptive power of love, which involves being seen and known. Y'know, that mortifying ordeal. Because love itself leads to freedom. It's true for Chiharu, it's true for Noboru, it's true for Arata.

Rocky and Kizzy/Kaito's story is kind of one of the best examples of the redeeming power of (platonic) love leading to freedom, and it takes like... 3 minutes? of the story. And it's not left unexplored; it's just succinct. Kizzy and Kaito are trafficking women and Rocky comes to stop them, and when fighting, notices that Kizzy is actually a transwoman. He stops the fight and says that he doesn't fight women. That's enough for Kizzy and Kaito to follow Rocky, giving up their life of cruel crime and atoning--truly atoning--by spending the rest of their lives doing exactly the opposite of their crimes: fighting to free women from traffickers and protect them.

The significance of that moment is that by seeing Kizzy as she really was, Rocky pointed out to Kizzy that she was engaging in self-harm, keeping herself trapped (symbolically) and never able to live as she could. But for Kizzy, to be truly free to be herself means helping other women also be free. It's also, even if unintentional, a good twist on the transphobic trope and conservative talking point of a transwoman trying to harm women (cough, she who shall not be named).

Kizzy also never styles herself super feminine even after gender confirmation surgery (as implied by Rocky that she received), but she still is a woman, and her being herself leads to redemption and freedom for everyone around her. We stan Kizzy and her loyal boyfriend (husband?) Kaito in this house.

Another theme, and connected to the idea of self-discovery and freedom and love and all that, is how to handle the past, a question everyone is always asking because as long as we're alive, we're evolving. Obviously we see that with the Amamiya brothers and the Mugen backstory, and we also see that in the present with Murayama and Todoroki. But we also see this most sharply highlighted in the conflict between Cain and Smokey.

Cain is not subtly named after the first murderer in the Bible, who kills his brother. Cain, of course, kills Smokey in cold blood, with Smokey asking him "did you come here to kill me?" and Cain affirming that he did indeed because if he doesn't, he won't be able to completely erase his past.

But the thing is, you can't kill your past without killing yourself. You have to embrace it and let it live. And something as precious as a life won't be so easily destroyed. To live, you have to live with all of yourself, the past and the present and the hope of a future. It's a struggle, it's a fight--but with people beside you, it's worth it. Almost like the fights in the series are a metaphor for struggling through life or something.

And then we have gentrification. Let's just say the horrors of it are not exaggerated. Smokey's death--and life--offer poignant social commentary on what happens when people treat others like they don't deserve to live, like they are forgotten, like they don't exist. Because they do exist, because they love.

When Cain kills Smokey, Smokey tells him--in all sincerity, despite being abandoned by his parents, living in a homeless slum, and being terminally ill his entire life because the rich poisoned the people in the slum--that he lived "the best life." Why? Because the scenes flash back to him meeting his adopted sister Lala, caring for Eri, meeting his gang. He had a family, and he loved them, and they loved him. When he dies, he's buried in that same slum and Takeshi comments that "to Smokey, this [place] is heaven." And it is, because heaven is love.

(Also, the "rich poisoning people by being careless because these people don't matter" is hardly unrealistic. Bhopal would like a word with you, Dow Inc, you sh*theads.)

In Conclusion

Things you'll have to endure: multiple Mighty Warrior music videos.

Things you get to enjoy: Hyuga being a Barbie girl in a Barbie world who shows up to fights with all the Durama Ikka and planned choreography and bespoke songs.

Things you get to enjoy: multiple twinks needing rescue from being dragged into the drug trade to save their loved ones only to get whumped in true hurt/comfort fanfic fashion before sobbing in the arms of their friends who welcome them home.

Things you have to endure: Noboru trying to convince Cobra et al to join the Mojo Dojo Casa House Kuryu Group.

Things you get to enjoy: The power of friendship saving Noboru from himself, Rocky from dying alone, Smokey from having no meaning to his life, Amagai from himself, Murayama from himself, Todoroki from himself, Arata from himself, setting captives free, and rich bastards who trod all over the poor getting what they deserve.

Things you have to just not think too hard about: gangs seeing drugs as the biggest taboo which I'm pretty sure is not usually the case but hey, hoodlums have standards, and also the evil guys keeping their secrets in a folder literally stamped with the label TOP SECRET.

Things you have to endure: Smokey dying. I'm not over it. Someone fight me to bring him back. But also it's one of the most beautiful death scenes in fiction.

Things you get to enjoy: Generally no one, unless you're Smokey, straight (Takeru), or yakuza (no one cares).

Things you have to ignore: why no one ever studies at these high schools and why they all look like they're in their 30s-40s.

Things you get to enjoy: pretty great rep of a trans woman that directly counters some of the most harmful tropes.

Things you have to endure: Noboru being resurrected by the power of True Love's Handholding, because the nurse literally RAN AWAY from a coding patient to "get the doctor" but it's okay, his friends beg him to live and he does.

Things you get to enjoy: a series that founds its premise in action and violence that offers a surprisingly wholesome, kind message on relationships, humanity, redemption, and love... whether that love is platonic or romantic.

But, I mean, Final Mission literally ends with the gangs defeating the evil corporation with a rainbow-colored smoke that takes over the sky of the city. So it's gay.

[eatprayworm]

thinking about murayama & chiharu tonight. murayama loses to cobra, and thus essentially loses chiharu to him. i don't think murayama cared about that aspect all too much. he didn't know the kid, and he lost in a fair fight.

but watching the scene where chiharu returns the badge or w/e to murayama? with sannoh - with cobra - watching on the other side, i wonder if murayama felt upset about how readily sannoh accepted and cared for chiharu. they could provide something he couldn't. chiharu received the love and acceptance of cobra, which murayama couldn't achieve either.

chiharu leaves murayama and crosses the fence, returning to sannoh; murayama remains on the other side, staring at cobra, who looks back. murayama wants to cross too.

then, at the end of the first movie, murayama asks in front of all sword if he can join sannoh after he graduates. he wants to be on the other side, with cobra - but cobra defers to chiharu, who rejects him. murayama is clearly hurt. not only has chiharu succeeded where murayama could not, but chiharu is now directly blocking murayama from his goal. embarrassed and dejected, he goes home.

at the end of the third movie, however, cobra has come around a little - and so has chiharu. he doesn't reject murayama when he asks about wanting to buy a bike - clearly a lead-in for him joining sannoh, or at least associating with them on a more personal level. chiharu then bridges the two worlds, the two men, together by offering to ride with murayama when he gets his license.

cobra and murayama's story started with chiharu, the boy who fled from murayama to find refuge and family in sannoh. it only makes sense that their story ends with chiharu extending friendship to murayama; the roles have switched, the outcast welcomes the leader, and only now can relations flourish with cobra and sannoh.

and just in case we had any doubts about murayama's future with sannoh/cobra? when chiharu makes the offer, murayama's surrounded by orange-yellow scenery.

sannoh's color on the sword map? you guessed it. orange.

[gojou-violin]

High & Low Announcement

Hi, everyone! I know that I have been MIA for a hot second (tbh, will prob continue to be until my interest in anime is back), but I wanted to announce that I will be accepting requests for characters in the "High & Low" series! I know that this fandom is lowkey dead, and it was small to begin with, but for anyone who is still around and interested, I am writing for it! I'm currently in the process of writing a Ryo Suzaki x OC short story (about 10 chapters), which I'll be posting on here and AO3 inevitably, but in the meantime, I'd love to talk about the series and write some drabbles, so please send some asks my way! <3 <3

Characters I'd love to specifically write for (not limited to them ofc): SUZAKI, TSUKASA, COBRA, Yamoto, Todoroki, Amagai, SMOKEY, Chiharu, Noboru, Murayama, Fujio, TAKESHI, Sachio, Rao.

[murayamasbandana]

"think this'll get Cobra to forget that we took off on a road trip without telling him?"

"not at all but worth a shot"

[moonsvillain]

something or other about both cobra and yamato projecting noboru onto chiharu but with yamato that manifests as him wanting to protect chiharu vs cobra avoiding him and not wanting to get involved (only for his real feelings to come out when he's drunk) (slapping chiharu for good luck the way he used to do noboru and hugging him after deciding he's fit for sannoh)

[emeraldbabygirl]

Nuuuu Dan Tetz and Chiharu saw a cute lady on the side of the road get picked up by a dude on a moterbike and then they decide to ride theirs and it’s so funny cause Tetz screams and breaks his piggy bank and Bepping sound plays sksksks AND YAMATO FIXES UP THEIR BIKES ITS SO CUTE WE LOVE AND DTC SHOULD JUST BE CBT CAUSE THEY GET SO HORNKNEE LMAO LIL SLUTS. Dan is the biggest slut I can’t believe they showed that jesus but it was cute when they just ride around and eat ice cream and bust a nut over everything and the gay panic Tetz has over the bartender sksksksks

[insideliascrazyhead]

Sannoh´s Hoodlum Squad in a horror house

Cobra:doesn´t fear anything,dead inside,doesn´t even startle.Exept once.He knocked the scare actor clean out breaking their nose on reflex.

Yamato:will scream and either push someone foreward as human sacrifice or jump on Cobra with enough force that he collapses under the weight.

Noboru:jumps a little and casually laughs about it,enjoying the whole thing

Dan:nervous laughter,screaming high pitched enough to break glas

Tetsu:probably faints dramatically

Chiharu:grabs what he thinks are Dan and Tetsu and run off.Will later see that he actually grabbed the scare actors and ran off with them.He tries to run again,this time against a wall

Naomi:in tears from laughing,filming the dumbasses.After all it was her idea in the first place.

[tiredlittlewriter]

2024 will be the year I show off my h&l ocs (I put much thought into them) but until then here are some Sannoh new years thoughts

- Yamato takes it very seriously

- Cobra did in Mugen but now he wants to sleep through it

- Noboru is down to do whatever Yamato is doing which means Cobra always ends up awake and hammered

- Tetsu is in charge of taking the photos

- Naomi forces them to pay their tabs by 11:59 or she will not feed them next year

- Cobra and Yamato totally kissed at midnight one year. Both said they were drunk and don't remember it (or do they?)

- Chiharu makes wishes every new year

- Naomi sticks the best to her resolutions

- Dan breaks his by Jan 2nd

- Noboru ends up in the back of every photo somehow it's not even on purpose

[hamliet]

Musings on Free Will: Cobra vs Smokey

Thoughts (not organized enough to be a meta, more like a tumble of ideas) brought to you by this post about High&Low. Soz to all who follow me for serious literature; this silly yet compelling story has me in its vice grip.

Cobra always wants to save his friends no matter what. Smokey says they can't always save people, and his first scene is him refusing to save someone (granted, someone who was like, human trafficking, so). On the surface that seems like it's different, but actually their underlying philosophies are more similar than they are different.

Shion vs Chiharu

Smokey and Cobra's philosophies appear to contrast. This is driven home when, in the same episode, both Shion and Chiharu are caught making drugs for the Iemura group. Cobra forgives Chiharu. Smokey exiles Shion. On the surface, it looks like they have opposite responses.

However, that's not actually the case. The underlying principle of what both Smokey and Cobra are acting on is the same--free will and a desire to save the people they love. Smokey is saving Shion's life by exiling him, and Shion still refuses to abandon Smokey, as we see him slipping Takeshi money for Smokey's medical treatment in season 2. If Smokey told Shion to stay, he would, but he'd certainly be hunted down.

When Cobra forgives Chiharu, he does so in response to Chiharu essentially exiling himself. He tells him that Chiharu is free to leave if he wants to, but that they are his friends and will help him decide; he doesn't have to leave just because he thinks others want him to leave.

Shion, Takeru, & Kohaku

While Shion vanishes for a bit, he does show up again in the first movie, where he helps save Smokey after he gets his back slashed, and then fights on his behalf alongside the Rude Boys at the final battle. Shion showing up there puts him as a parallel to Kohaku, who also joins Kuryu, and a foil as well (Shion originally worked for Iemura to save someone, while Kohaku wanted to destroy someone). It also shows us that there isn't just one way to save someone.

Kohaku has to be beaten into agreeing to come back (thanks to guilt and self-destructive tendencies). What ultimately gets through to him is Tsukumo reminding him that Tatsuya's wish is for them "to ride freely." He has a choice. Tatsuya wanted him to be free, not bound to a revenge quest.

(It's not a coincidence this is also the film that introduces Hiroto and Masaki's search for Takeru, who has, surprise, also joined Iemura with the self-destructive aim of revenge.)

Noboru vs Kain

Kain and Noboru are introduced practically together, when Kain urging Noboru to destroy his past. Whenever Noboru hesitates and tries to give Sannoh another chance, Kain lashes out at him--violently so.

Why? Because Kain is self-destructive and lashing out at himself in Noboru. He wants to erase his past and justify himself in doing so. This is made especially clear when he gives Noboru a gun and his "last meal." Although Noboru takes that gun to Sannoh, and it was never loaded, it's also implied Kain is telling Noboru to either kill Sannoh or kill himself. Kill your past, or kill your fugure.

Noboru has a choice to make. Free will. He chooses at first to try to kill his past, only to realize it's pointless (shooting blanks) and the person he almost killed wasn't even someone from his past (since Chiharu jumps in front of Yamato).

In contrast to Noboru, Kain makes the wrong choices throughout the series. At the end, Smokey asks him about his choice:

Are you here to kill me?

And Kain responds with a lie. He tells Smokey that it's not personal, that he's following orders. He refuses to admit that he has a choice, in other words, while Smokey, Cobra, et al have always affirmed personal choice.

Smokey then brings up Shion, who hasn't appeared in two movies. In some of his last words, he affirms Shion's goodness to Kain and reminds Kain of what he could have if he chose differently.

Shion looked up to you like a brother... you did not deserve that.

Then Smokey turns to face the horde and says that he had truly lived "the best life" (I don't like how netflix translates this as "a good life;" he's saying "best"). Basically Smokey's emphasizing that it’s not just a good life for him in spite of his circumstances, but the best life anyone could have lived. The quality of Smokey's life was determined by Smokey's choices, not by the horrid circumstances of it, not by the poison, not by its end.

I also kinda like how Kain disappears from the narrative after Smokey's death. Yeah, dropped plot point, but it’s kinda fitting bc we don’t know if Smokey killed him (unlikely), if the others did, if he’s sent to jail, if he's on the down and outs again. The thematic implication here fits whether it was intentional or not: it doesn’t matter what happened to Kain, because his life was made irrelevant once he killed Smokey. He wanted to wipe out his past to become someone great, and in doing so he wiped out himself, but made Smokey's influence linger.

It also contrasts him with the choice he offered Noboru of killing his past or his future. By killing his past, Kain ensured he had no future.

He's honestly very tragic.

Smokey and Rocky as Jesus

Through living, Smokey ensures his legacy lives on. He is buried under a cross in a place that Takeshi points out Smokey truly believes is "heaven" to him. Smokey's death brings life to everyone around them and ensures that no one else will die how he has.

(Smokey's also the second Christ allusion in the narrative. Rocky is the first and most obvious one--owner of Club Heaven, a friend to women, refers to himself as "the carpenter," gets stabbed through the palm crucifix style, and invites people like Kizzy and Kaito to leave their life of sin and follow him.)

[rinwhore]

im with SWORD. simple.

Personally a Housen/Oya babe myself but am curious to see the dynamic

[pixaho]

Elixirol0gy's Kinktober List

Welcome to...

ELIXIROL0GY'S 2024 KINKTOBER LIST!!

Distracted Sex - Cobra (Hino Junpei)

Roleplay - Noboru

Aftercare - Izaki Shun

Dirty Talk - Furuya

Mutual Masturbation - Narumi Taiga

Stripper - Ranmaru

Biting - Sugihara Makoto

Sharing - Shibaman & Tsuji

Teacher/Student - Takeru Amamiya

Name-Calling - Murayama

Licking - Mercy (Takehiko Mashii)

Lingerie - Bitou Tatsuya

Degradation - Hiromi Kirishima

Masks - Tettsuo

Blow Jobs - Pearl

Bondage - Kizzy

Deepthroat - Urushibara Ryo

Orgasm Denial - Yamato

Somnophilia - P

Face Sitting - Tsukasa Takajo

Hate Fucking - Kumakiri Rikiya

Mirror Sex - Chiharu

Tattoos - Serizawa Tamao

Overstimulation - Bandou Hideto

Size Difference - Hayashida Megumi | Rindaman

Reward - Tatsuhito Ryu

Honeymoon - Tatsukawa Tokio

Being Forced to Beg - Iwatsugi Kazushi | Gandhi

Sex in Public - Takiya Genji

Shower Sex - Koo

Sex Toys - Tsutsumoto Shouji

Some specials; TO NOT BE REVEALED UNTIL AFTER THE KINKTOBER IS DONE!

Colors;

red is Crows Zero

Whereas blue is High and low.

(For those who are asking; "Why isn't AIB on this list?" ... High and low on its own has 76 characters that I included for this.. not to mention the 12 / 13 characters of Crows Zero that I'd actually bother writing smut for so uhm yeah.)

m.list

[enhashoutout]

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 Amagai 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.