I was told that I would love this drama. But I didn't realize just how much I would love it. It truly feels like a manga come alive and it's so mesmerizing. The fights, the cinematography, the bonds among the characters - and especially Cobra, Yamato and Noboru.

And to the surprise of exactly no one, Iwata Takanori's Cobra is my favorite. There are so many characters, so many gangs and gang members, but he's certainly the lead even though he doesn't have more on-screen time than the others and even though Yamato is undoubtedly H&L's heart, Cobra is the centerpiece. The founder of Mugen first, then the leader of the Hoodlums, when he enters the scene you sit up and notice. When Cobra enters a fight, everyone starts paying attention because he doesn't do it often so when he does, it means something. And when it's then revealed at the end that he has done all this for Noboru... wah!

Also, I love the parent figures of the Hoodlum gang. Both women, Yamato's mother and the bar owner, love the boys - and especially Cobra and Yamato - so much and I love that they are not all "don't fight" or whatever but simply "do the right thing". I think that the Hoodlum gang is the one closest to living a normal life in SWORD.

Yeah, I have much, much, much love for this drama. It hit the right spot at the right time for me!