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For myself, the hardest reviews are the creative works that have given me a mixed reaction. If I feel something's bad, it's easy to pick out the numerous flaws, and if I feel something's good, it's easy to pick out the numerous strengths. Mixed bag shows, however, gravitate somewhere in the middle of these two opposites. As much as they do wrong, they also do right.

Rainbow, unfortunately, falls in this mixed bag category. I say unfortunately because the show had a crazy amount of potential from the get-go. A historical drama set in a reformatory school during post-war Japan? That sounds great already. And ... you know what? There were actually moments of brilliance in this anime. That's why it makes this all the more disappointing that Rainbow never truly lived up to its potential.

If I break down Rainbow's negatives, I'm left with three major problems. First, this anime has a tendency to needlessly force drama onto the characters and plot. For example, there were several times that characters, who were good and at some point underwent character development, suddenly had face-heel turns without an ounce of foreshadowing. This, along with the variety of small-time assholes that are attracted to the main cast like Winny the Pooh is to honey, gives the impression that their sole existence in this show is to create drama for the plot. I get that post-war Japan was not the best place, but there's only so much of the same drama you can create before it gets predictable.

Second, every time that goddamn narrator pops in when the show's art goes all pastel. If you ever wanted to know what the anime equivalent of when video games beat unnecessary tutorials over their players' heads was, then here you go. Seriously, every time this happens, it's so damn distracting. It stops whatever is happening in the story, usually a dramatic moment, so the writers can tell the viewers what is going. Is it REALLY that necessary to tell me what Mario is thinking? Think back, have you ever had a teacher tell you that, in your writing, you should "show" not "tell"? Can't the studio just show me what he's thinking through his actions, or do they have to explain to me everything like we're all morons. There were countless times when I was trying to interpret out a character's actions or words, when suddenly, the narrator chimes in to tell you the exactly how to interpret the current scene. If I'm not allowed to think about what I'm watching, and draw my own conclusions, why in the hell am I bothering to watch it in the first place? In a different context, it would be borderline propaganda.

Third, Rainbow has a lot of build up, and it can be great, but the payoff doesn't usually live up to it. Around halfway through the show, there is a potentially series defining scene, but is ruined because the whole situation surrounding the scene seemed easily avoidable. With a few exceptions, this reoccurs in every arc of Rainbow.

What makes this all the more painful is that Rainbow really isn't a bad show. It does have standout moments that are suspenseful, tragic, and heartfelt. That's what surprising about this anime. Just when you're about to write off, it does something really cool. And then the narrator speaks up and ruins everything.