One of the things that never fail to leave an impression on one’s heart is the term “friends” and how they are connected together. There will always be people in one’s life who are part of that person’s existence, and their very will to live. Rainbow, as an anime expresses this basic human relation in one of the most beautiful, yet realistic ways possible.
Immediately after World War II, Japan was in chaos and no order existed whatsoever. In a country as badly affected as Japan, which was still a developing country around that time, it was quite difficult on certain populations, those being mainly children, teenagers, young adults, women and the old – and it is not that difficult to understand why; with schools, many private enterprises and so many other things shut down, the population was in chaos. And to keep the teenagers and young adults from going rowdy and initiating hooliganism, many “disciplinary schools” where established, who on the surface “re-educated” the children while really brutalizing, exploiting, and molesting them.
Rainbow walks us into the lives of seven young boys who were in one of such schools. What sets this anime apart from many of your run-of-the-mill slice-of-life anime is the unique way the story unfolds, the emotions laid bare, the unbreakable ties, and the pain these boys have to suffer. Once again a superb work from MadHouse, this anime is considered a masterpiece by most. One has only to watch the first minute to get hooked. “The things that supported them were courage, guts and their bond. They placed their hopes on the seven colored rainbow, and swore to survive. And you know there’s no stopping this anime’s completion. A must-watch for anyone, be he an anime-enthusiast on not. This anime scores a full 10/10 in my books.
Not only is the story exceedingly compelling, but other factors, like sounds, dialogues, animation are truly moving. Enough with the incessant praise; Even if it’s not a recent release, the anime has a unique artwork. It is lucid. It almost feels like watercolor work. When you look at the animation, you can’t help but feel a certain aesthetic pleasure. Being an aesthetic myself, I find the animation overwhelmingly good, and one of this anime’s may fortes.
The sounds are another forte. Simply because the music is done with a guitar and it is enticing, going smoothly with the anime and complementing it in every step; something that steps up the anime’s quality up a notch.
You can’t make out the words anymore.
Seven prison inmates who try to survive by depending on each other. A story about friendship. One of the key things it will need is character development. Rainbow does it beautifully; you can feel the frustration from Mario, the pain from Aniki, the desperation from the others everything etched out and laid bare. The only thing frustrating was one of the things that Sakuragi does. It is however made up for appropriately.
Not really another forte, but the dialogue really gets you through. There isn’t much to say about the dialogue. Just that they are decent.
This anime reigns 5th in my top 10 list. The enjoyment of watching it was profound. If there is any story that portrays friendship, hope, humanity and trust, few do it as beautifully as Rainbow. I recommend it highly. Watch it. Enjoy it. Love it.
But the dreams they held were undoubtedly carved on this tree.
