When I first mentioned The answer is: Nisha Rokubou no Shichinin To my editor, I described it as showing me an itch I could never scratch again. I added that I wasn't sure I wanted to scratch it. Rainbow is a brutal and exhausting film, but also one of the most beautiful films I've ever seen. Set in the chaotic, uncertain atmosphere of post-World War II Japan, Rainbow centers on six boys who are sent to a labor camp along with Rokurouta Sakuragi, their experienced cellmate who is only slightly older than them. The series is a brutal and beautiful chronicle of their lives in and after the Shōnan Special Labor Camp.
Art is notoriously indefinable. What we call art is art. Rainbow is not an experiment, nor does it have a grand message. Rainbow is simply a story: a story about stories, all of which loop back to each other. Its simple narrative acts like a pendulum, each moment of crushing giving way to a moment of inspiration. This swing is the rhythm by which Rainbow creates a myriad of unbearable emotions. Like a trapdoor, The rainbow hides its depth with deceptive simplicity.
Rainbow Adaptive Art Expression
Rainbow's adaptation is perfect
Rainbow is a product of Madhouse's Golden Age. In the early 2000s, Madhouse produced a number of legendary works, including the genre-defining Death Note, the brooding shojo Nana, and the creepy psychological thriller Monster. Madhouse's adaptations from this period tended to be largely faithful to the source material and They are distinguished from contemporary anime by their sharper soundtrack, oppressive atmosphere, and desaturated colors..
With so many incredible anime under their belt, Madhouse is the perfect studio to adapt Rainbow. The color palette and animation bring Masasumi Kakizaki's art to life beautifully. Meanwhile, Madhouse's previous experience with long-running emotional rollercoasters means George Abe's breathtaking story is in more than capable hands. From the get-go, everything comes together easilydelivering a truly unique aesthetic experience.
George Abe, the original manga author of Rainbow, is also an author and former member of the Yakuza.
Adapting manga into anime is not an easy task, but Rainbow's adaptation captures the transition optimally. The soundtrack, voice acting, colors, and pacing transform a great manga into an animated series that completely immerses the viewer. Like the characters themselves, moving from the reformatory environment back to the city streets while making the most of continuity and transition, Rainbow becomes a unique adaptation.
Rainbow Artistic Expression Punishment
The punishment is deeper than the moment of impact
The camp is brutal, after all. One major villain is the warden, Ishihara, who brutally beats, taunts, and traps the seven boys. The adaptation makes these scenes incredibly powerful: every blow to their bodies resonated with me. A large number of anime have their heroes take bullets without flinching and fall three stories without breaking a bone.
There's nothing wrong with that. It's part of the fun. But rainbows are not like that.
The cruelty is meant to break their spirit. The reform camp is one of many disciplinary structures that exist to guide Rainbow citizens back to normal while “correcting” the abnormal. Others include orphanages, schools, and asylums. But the reform camp’s discipline runs deeper: yes, Ishihara is cruel, but the indifference and support of the other leaders of the reform camp perpetuates the cruelty. Re-education camps are cruel. Through strict scheduling and physical punishment, the reform camp aimed to “cure” boys of their delinquency.
In some ways, they accepted this normalization themselves. Part of Sakuragi's mentoring included quiet, peaceful resistance, but it also included a tacit acceptance of the reeducation activities. The boys' bodies and behaviors conformed to the camp's schedule, regardless of their background or crimes. The complexity of Rainbow stems in part from the fact that it demonstrates the general nature of “crime.”
The criminals go to prison; if all goes according to plan, the upstanding citizens get out. This essential continuity is how Rainbow demonstrates its complex web of power. The boys are “delinquent” because of their situational behavior; the warden is “upright” because of his restraint in using violence only against those whom society deems necessary. The warden, however, exists beyond prison, and he seeks revenge for the challenge to his authority. This leads to a heartbreaking death followedafter all the characters have left the re-education camp.
Rainbow Represents the Art of Power
Despite its dark theme, Rainbow still shows the other side of power.
Rainbow's characters are not “good guys,” but they are not “bad guys” either. Just like Rainbow is just a story, Its characters are simply human.. They are people who try to survive despite horrific circumstances, but are caught in the friction of social norms, socioeconomic realities, and personal tragedies. Never taking it for granted, Rainbow shows a different kind of power that acts as a motivator, turning its cruelty into inspiration.
An unlikely comparison can be found in the romantic comedy Kaguya-Sama! Love Is War (which is actually more than a romantic comedy). Kaguya-Sama! shows that the way people behave is actually a kind of power, both over themselves and others. This power is not destructive or oppressive, but creative: It creates new behaviors, relationships, and situations. That is the true face of a power that anyone can use, even when they feel most powerless.
Sakuragi teaches the other boys how to resist the power of the camp. What's more, he uses his power to turn them into people, not into the docile bees the camp wants to train, who can use their stories to thrive in the harsh atmosphere of war-torn Japan. In doing so, they use their power over themselves and those around them to strengthen themselves— by definition of the power they generate.
Rainbow Artistic Expression of Life
Rainbow reveals the beautiful truth behind anime's most clichéd lines
Ultimately, Rainbow is not a survival series. Rainbow is a series about the art of living and how to see your life as a work of art. The devastating portrayal of postwar Japanese life is unabashed. The stresses of the American occupation, the economic and familial consequences of war, and the rift in the social fabric following the war's crushing blow to Japan's imperial norms form the backdrop against which seven prisoners become artists of their own lives.
They do this together. Just mentioning “the power of friendship” or “indomitable will” is enough to make any long-time anime fan groan in disappointment. Rainbow shows the emotional reality behind these ideas: they are not media metaphors but an essential part of “real life.” Moreover, when the world is against you, they are all you have to survive.
The bonds the boys form, the power Sakuragi wields to teach them about their own inner strength, and the undercurrent of oppressive social control regardless of individual circumstances: these are the things that allow Rainbow's characters to thrive. One boy is half-American, known for his beauty, with a backstory that would make most viewers want to vomit. Despite this, he tried to become a singer—for a dire reason—with the help of other boys.
Another, Mario, was taught boxing by Sakuragi. He tries to become a boxer despite racism and cheating by American organizers. This is the story behind Rainbow being hailed as one of the best boxing anime. All of these characters, through nauseating twists and turns, attempt to turn their lives into a work of art that they find beautiful. They work with found objects and the stains of their tireless will, fixing them into the canvas with the support of each other. As a result, Rainbow proves the realism and necessity behind anime's most lamented stereotypes.
Rainbow is one of the few series that makes my arms stand out just by talking about it.
It's hard to talk about how Rainbow consistently pulls off this art because that would mean giving away the twists and turns that make the show so compelling. However, trust me when I say that Rainbow is one of the few series that gives me goosebumps just thinking about it. This post marks the first time in years that I have attempted to recall the most painful and beautiful scenes, and it has made me realize. I really want to revisit it, but I don't know if I'm ready. For me, that's what makes The answer is: Nisha Rokubou no Shichinin art.