「Freedom」

It’s not every day you see such a strong depiction of self-sacrifice to help friends, but RAINBOW is taking tops in that regard with Mario and the others’ attempt to escape prison and save An-chan’s life. They don’t all make it though, so I fear the worst for those who were left behind. After Baremoto’s well thought out plan started off on the right foot, it was looking like they were going to pull off the great escape without too much difficulty. Using Sasaki’s infatuation with Joe against him to steal a set of the cell keys, their only mistake was not telling Joe to kill the sick bastard outright when he had the chance. I figured if they’re going to be runaway convicts anyway, they might as well do the entire world a favor by killing him off. If not that, Joe probably should have either drugged him up of just knocked him out so that there wasn’t any chance the other jailers would discovery his tied-up naked ass prematurely. Regardless, it was extremely satisfying to see Sasaki get what he deserves if even for a moment, much like Ishihara did from Mario’s deadly left hook.

It’s been a long time coming to see those brought to within an inch of their worthless lives, but once the complex-wide alarm was triggered and Baremoto saw how everyone was relying on him the next course of action, I was really taken back by the sheer amount of panic in his eyes. I have no idea what I would’ve done in his situation, but I can’t say I would’ve manned up like he did and acted as a diversion for the others to escape. Knowing well in advance that his plan wouldn’t succeed without some sacrifices, he took a one-way trip into the power room to knock out the main breaker and shut down all the searchlights. After getting caught and beaten up for his efforts, his subsequent cry out to the others telling them to run was so incredibly intense that it was almost deafening to hear.

As for the finer details of their escape plan, it’s hard to say if Mario’s earlier insistence that they leave by the front gate so that An-chan gets a proper release like he was supposed to worked out for the best in end. Seeing as Sasaki suspected they would try to escape from the rear gate, I would assume so, but the added suspense that resulted from one of the jailers blowing his whistle even while pinned down sure made for a dramatic finish. First Baremoto and now Kyabetsu (Cabbage) sacrificing himself to buy time for the others to get the front gate open. To top it off, Heitai voluntarily stayed behind to break the key in the slot and ensure that they wouldn’t have any immediate pursuers, making that three of the seven who didn’t make it out. I can’t even imagine what kind of punishment they’re in store for if Ishihara and Sasaki have any say in it, but I’m just grateful that Joe was one of the guys that made it out because he probably would have been in store for an absurd amount of sexual abuse.

Even after all the sacrifices that were made, Ishihara still had to appear out of nowhere and try to kill Sakuragi one last time. With An-chan fading in and out of consciousness this entire time, it was pretty amazing to see him block the knife with his bare hand. I couldn’t help but wince a bit at the sight of that, while Sakuragi’s words about how he won’t let Baremoto, Kyabetsu, and Heitai’s sacrifices go in vain resounded clearly through the night. Mario jumping in to beat the crap out of Ishihara right after was the perfect follow-up to that, though I wish he killed the sadistic bastard right there and then. For now, I’m just hoping Sakuragi will get word out about Ishihara and Sasaki’s crimes once he recovers, saving the guys who were left behind from any excessively cruel punishment.

Judging from the preview, it looks like Sakuragi will be receiving treatment from Setsuko, whereas Mario’s taken up boxing out of guilt to try and earn some money — likely to pay for the bail of the three guys who were left behind. The struggles continue both inside and outside the juveniles corrections facility, so things are far from being smooth sailing from here on in. It’s been one hell of a ride the entire way though, and I imagine it will continue to be.

 

Preview

15 Comments

      1. Well, we should be thankful that there actually IS someone subbing this show. It’s way too unknown *sighs*
        I’m so glad Joe got out of there >_< I absolutely adore that guy <3

        SummelBaerli
  1. Wow, what a great episode! I liked how Baremoto explained the meaning of his name. Too bad Joe didn’t strangle that hentai doctor to death and Mario finish off Ishihara because they’ll receive the worst treatment from them if they are captured again =_=;

  2. Is RAINBOW a 1-cour series? I’m just wondering how much of the manga that this series is going to cover. Given that the manga is complete, it will be cruel for Madhouse to leave us with a cliffhanger.

    But then again, it’s just my wishful thinking for Madhouse to animate this series until the end…

    Lil' Lilly
  3. Could you post the pic of joe winking? like right before he winks and when he winks?
    coz…i just about died. and i need that pic hahaha
    joe is such a cutie
    and i just adore this series
    thanks so much for screenshots and your opinions
    im always saving the pics >.<
    idk i just have this feeling that anchan and the guys aren't quite free yet

    Tsuzuri

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