And it turned out to be quite true: Rainbow is pretty ruthless when it comes to addressing issues you almost never see in anime and very rarely even see in mainstream media. Police brutality, prison guards running amuck, corruption within the penitentiary system, and, of course, the consequences of WWII for Japan itself.
The story is told from the point of view of the primary characters and swings back and forth between all of them, not to an equal degree, but all of them get decent screen time. Each episode has a story to it that is horrifically relatable. The suspense was definitely very well executed, and the honesty of the story - without embellishments, realistic endings – was what made it amazingly good.
The art is very well done, it is the type of art that I personally enjoy in anime, and certain highlights of the scenes that mattered were executed very well. The character designs were memorable and ever-evolving.
The soundtrack is amazing – though some people dislike the opening, I find it incredibly good and very summarizing to the rest of the series.
I enjoyed every moment of the characters' journey and I really wish there were more of such bare, honest stories in anime today.
