Rainbow Days – For The Hopeless Romantic In Us All

Not as spoilerific as you think.

Four girls. Four guys. Just kiss already! Now date. I need my d’aaawws.

Rainbow Days is a romance story. There’s comedy, and there’s . . . just romance and comedy, but it all comes down to the romance, for which everything else serves. Which means this is a story only for those who want to see how four different high school romances pan out. It’s not trying to serve everyone, it’s only trying to serve those people. Is it groundbreaking? No. But it pushes those romantic buttons well enough.

My favorite couple is definitely Tsuyoponnu and Yukirin. It’s nice to have a couple start out together, and not show any signs of friction other than a minor spat over Yukirin coloring her hair (get over it, boy). That they’re both unrepentant nerds—and this is both not a problem plus they get to be nerds together—is definitely wish fulfillment, but shut up I like having nice things sometimes! And the way Yukirin is open about her feelings while Tsuyoponnu is a kuudere is so hng~. They’re kind of like Natsuki and Anna in that, save for gender flipped.

Speaking of, let’s talk about Natsuki and Anna. I’ve heard several say they’re their least favored couple, what with how slow their relationship moves for how much time is spent on it, and fair enough. They certainly do take their time. That doesn’t bother me though, as long as everyone is making progress by the end, and progress was definitely made—they became friends, the forgotten kiss, and Anna has even come to love Natsuki, even if she hasn’t told him yet (or he, her). I will say that it doesn’t do anything in particular to suggest itself; it’s more the middle-of-the-road relationship, enjoyable but not liable to earn itself favored status from most. I still want them to end up together, though.

Keiichi and Nozomi are probably my least favorite couple, though that’s probably not fair. A sadist seems a high-level character type next to a kuudere, energetic guy, and playboy (for the males), though it’s true that he’s allowed to like what he likes. They’re also the couple that got the least amount of screen time. I’m always a Kayanon fan, and her going all pervy and masochistic was fun to watch for sure. For a weakest link (for me), they’re not so much weak as not to my taste. Probably there are others who love them.

Finally we have Mari-chan and Mattsun. I enjoy this relationship, even if it can be problematic—no means no, you baka playboy. Mattsun is pushy, and there’s a fine line between persistence and harassment, and damn if that isn’t hard to see in real life sometimes. Certainly the seeming difficulty of this ending—Mari as a violent tsundere who claims to love and might be a former brocon makes for an advanced challenge—though there’s also the “reformed playboy” and wanting-to-see-Mari happy angles. It’s a complex one, and they’re the first to kiss outside of the set couple (Yukirin and Tsuyoponnu), and I’m a sucker for a good kiss. (Ladies *winks*) They’re the couple who I most wish had more development, even though they had a lot.

I really like what the Rainbow Days anime did with its weekly run-time. Aside from one or two killer cliffhangers, the 12-minute episodes were nice for a quick snack of romance without overstaying their welcome. Sure, the content is still equal to a standard 12-episode series, but I like that—they chose the length that best suited their story, and we weren’t cheaped out on the airtime. I wish more fluffy shows would do this, to be honest. I often end up pausing slice-of-life shows partway through anyway. Small bites can be best.

Admittedly, I’m a hopeless romantic, so if Rainbow Days did that single element well, they were bound to push my buttons. They did. Mission accomplished. I think. It ain’t groundbreaking, but there ain’t no shame in that.

My first novel, Wage Slave Rebellion, is available now. (More info—now in paperback!) Sign up for my email list for a FREE sequel novella. Over at stephenwgee.com, the last four posts: I love sales jobs, Good realism is character realism, Dying idols, and Frictionless routines.