“Rainbow Days” follows the day-to-day highs and lows of four high school students; Natsuki Hashiba, a lovesick dreamer; Tomoya Matsunaga, a playboy who juggles multiple girlfriends; Keiichi Katakura, a sadist with a sharp wit; and Tsuyoshi Naoe, an otaku who loves cosplay. Together, they act to both bolster each other as well as take jabs at their lack of luck when it comes to romance. The first volume centers around love lost over the Christmas holiday.
Previously adapted as an anime back in 2016, the “Rainbow Days” manga is only now seeing a release here in the West. As such, it is a title that anime fans may be familiar with, but uncertain as to what sort of fanfare the manga would see after being far removed from the single-season run several years prior. Thankfully, the “Rainbow Days” manga has plenty to offer and the inaugural volume reflects the upbeat tone and comedic stylings conveyed in the adaptation.
This is the kind of read that exudes youthful energy and silliness with confidence; it is self-aware and focused on crafting memorable charachters. Furthermore, there is a sincerity in them that keeps them grounded and relatable despite their tendency to overreact in certain scenarios. Notably, Natsuki falls out with a woman due to expectations that he lives a life where he can afford to spoil her. Instead of being denigrated by his friends, they take the approach of playful ribbing in a way to help build the heartbroken teen back up. To a degree, this feels atypical wherein men are unable to represent their feelings without hiding them behind platitudes, yet this will do little to hinder the reader's fondness for each character.
However, this is not to state that the comedic elements and sincerity expressed by the characters are going to have a universal appeal. Notably, the humor can be rather childish in the quips the boys give each other–when it comes to overt sexual humor the manga can feel awkward. For example, masochist Keiichi relates to his friends that he has a woman who is essentially sitting and doing nothing, waiting on his word for any sort of instruction (total domination experience). These kinds of relationships do happen among consenting adults, yet to bring this type of fetishization to a high school comedy is rather offputting. Thankfully, these kinds of instances are few and far between and are more call for the occasional eye-roll as opposed to an indictment against Minami Mizuno's writing.
The visual style suits the work and is, arguably, better realized and effective than in the short-lived anime series. The characters, for example, feel more alive and expressive in the manga than they did in the anime. The art is as quirky as its subjects, and the ability to land a joke or outburst from one of the boys is consistently well executed. However, throughout the first volume, the visuals are more serviceable than impressive and there is a lack of strong defining moments. Thankfully, the comedy/slice-of-life genre is seldom as dependent on stunning art to be considered ‘successful' as the key to enticing readers lies in the ability to craft visuals that compliment the story.
“Rainbow Days” is an idyllic comedy series that flows effortlessly between absurd humor and heartfelt bonding moments between friends. At the same time, there is a degree of immaturity throughout the series and a lack of meaningful depth to the characters that its charms are surface level at best. As it is slightly shallow in execution, this is a series that is easier to recommend to a younger readership or those that actively seek light comedies that poke fun at ‘high school days' with a few adult jokes thrown in the mix. Chances are, readers who approach “Rainbow Days” with certain expectations will find the series perfectly lives up to them, while readers who only casually dabble in the comedy genre may find it lacking greater value. Still, the series is certainly worth checking out for a quick, fun, and casual read to see if it resonates with the reader and if you enjoyed the anime, grabbing the manga is a no-brainer.
