Rainbow - Nisha Rokubō no Shichinin

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Around 10 years after World War II, a group of delinquents are sent to the Shounan Special Reform School to learn how to cope with the atrocities and unfairness they encounter there. A student who has already been residing there when the teens arrived acts as a mentor, teaching them about friendship and guiding them through difficulties.

(Based on Abe George and Kakizaki Masasumi's Rainbow: Nisha Rokubou no Shichinin manga.)

Links: AnimeNewsNetwork AniDB

First Episode by FroZen (Frostii & Saizen)



First episode really impressed me, looks like one of the three new series which I'll be anticipating each week (Other being Senko no Night Raid and Hakuouki) - though I reckon this series is probably best new one this season.

Quite dark, and interesting themes, though first episode went relatively slow (little happened, very much introduction to the characters, and how they got to be in the situation they're in).
I like the artwork, wasn't surprised to see Madhouse in the end credits, fairly typical of their work.
The voicecast is also impressive, immediately recognised a few voices, and when went searching surprised to see so many well known names.

I love these dark, grimey, visceral, yet very real types of anime.

So far, this is by far my favorite series this season. And I'm very much looking forward to the rest of the series.

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Originally Posted by animus

So far, this is by far my favorite series this season. And I'm very much looking forward to the rest of the series.

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Same, and that was unexpected too.

The realism in this show starkly contrasts with almost everything else out there at the moment, and just leaves you with the message: "This is dead serious".

The doctor was seemingly nice, but the way he says "don't harm the children" only make it sound like they're his guinea pigs. I wouldn't be at all surprised if that turned out to be the case.

A 350MB re-encoded version of the original 680MG file:

Commie - Episode 02 re-encode

If someone knows of why the original was so bloated, please enlighten me.






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Ugly people are ugly. You just take one look at them and you know you will hate them for life, be it the warden, orphanage director or "Dad". I love this show.

Episode 02 (FroZen)

Episode centred on Jo[ue]'s background.
Good episode overall, get the feeling the series will concentrate on one character per episode early on to develop the characters.
Very curious to see where the story will eventually lead.

The fact that the police officers watched Joe getting pot smashed on the head by that bitch really pissed me off. I was hoping Jou's younger sister would stab that bitch in the end but I guess that won't be the case :(

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Originally Posted by kenren

The fact that the police officers watched Joe getting pot smashed on the head by that bitch really pissed me off. I was hoping Jou's younger sister would stab that bitch in the end but I guess that won't be the case :(

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If anything, Joe's sister's the one getting stabbed.

Frozen - Episode 03




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I couldn't quite get into this one like I could the previous episode,mainly because I can't sympathise with Baremoto. From an objective point of view I can see his actions as being influenced by his past "betrayals", but subjectively I just think of him as dumb for being manipulated like that.

The eyes were great. There's eyes for "I want to kill you", eyes for "There's no key, see!", and eyes for "what....how did it turn out like this".

The same "Why would you go so far" contrasted the warden and An-chan really well. It tells you exactly what sort of person they are.

And to finish off - stupid cliffhanger. :(

Episode 4 - FroZen

If the warden wanted to kill them all so badly, it makes me wonder why he only tried beating the shit out of Baremoto without wrestling for the key. You can't honestly get tired from hitting someone (with a batten no less) before they're tired from being hit by you right?

It's good to know that you at least have a cute and kind nurse in a shithole place like that. I would seriously consider injuring myself on a regular basis to spend some time in that ward :D.

The doctor would probably creep me out though. He's not "out there" -bad, but you know he's no An-chan.

-talking about An-chan, I doubt there was a way for law enforcers to go about prosecuting him into prison unless he insisted he killed his dad. While his guilt may have made him own up to it, how well does the idea of leaving him mum alone sit with him?

I think if you are tough enough and the person beating you is not especially strong or in shape it would be possible to simply outlast their beating as long as you protect vitals like your head and have a strong enough tolerance for pain. The guard doesn't seem to have displayed the strength to break bones with his swings so the damage he's inflicting, while likely quite painful in the short term, wouldn't necessarily be debilitating once he got tired of swinging and gave up.

It was good to see Baremoto realizing he was a part of the crew as well but I can only wonder what the next trial the gang will be put through will be.

i've been anticipating this show for some time. wanted to have a few episodes on hand to watch

unfortunately, i downloaded Commie's version. full of typos, poor timing, several omitted or gleefully mistranslated lines.

i could not even finish the first episode, which i was quite enjoying (and jesus biian, it's so clear that the doctor is sexually abusing the prisoners...), because Commie's version was so awful.

i'll be sticking to Frostii / Zen

I was sure he thought shoving rods up people's asses was more than just his "job", but beyond that I had trouble figuring out what's going on in that head of his. He's not nearly as open about his desires as the warden.

And yeah, FroZen's good. (I liked how they translated Undercoverd's name so we actually know what it means, but I still like calling him Baremoto because it sounds kind of cool. Hypocritically, I prefer Soldier over "Heitai")

and oh my god. this thing has a great seiyuu cast.

Romi Paku and Keiji Fujiwara (Turtle and Uncovered. Romi Paku seems to keep getting these kinds of characters, but it's nice to see Fujiwara on the good guy's side for a change) Koyama Rikiya always does a good "benevolent leader" (he was Hakuoro)

and, good god in heaven, speaking of Ishihara (the guard with the big lips). When I heard his voice it seemed to ring a bell, but when he starts shouting and going all high-pitched psycho. Where did they dig that guy up from? I haven't heard him in any anime in the past five years or more... (he played one of my favorite bad guys of all time in Now and Then, Here and There)

Episode 05 - FroZen

In recent memory, no other anime has gotten me this pumped. Sakuragi snapping at the end was just one brilliant surge of rage. Seriously, that guy's been building a giant dam to hold everything back, and those guys just put a crack in it.

Don't expect to live.

The guitar soundtrack complimented it perfectly.

If only An-chan could foresee all this and stayed in hospital instead.

Frozen - 06

What a bad ass series this is. Those guys in Sakuragi's cell should have known when he meant business that they weren't going to win a fight with him, but to get their asses handed to them so bad that they would tell Ishihara that Sakuragi wasn't responsible must have been pretty embarrassing.

Why was Turtle hurt so bad when he sneaked the food to Sakuragi? I imagine that's what he was going to look like after the guards found him, but if they had beat him before, he probably wouldn't have been able to fool them and run off.

So Sakuragi has two weeks left. Ishihara is never going to let him out alive. Up until this episode it has been all about humiliating Sakuragi to the point that he kills himself like Hinagi. It's now that we see Ishihara's starting to lose it because Sakuragi won't break. However the prison doesn't appear to have any problems covering up "accidents" so unless Kumagai intervenes I really don't see our beloved An-chan getting out of that place with his life.

Kumagai is gonna be the guy to make this work out somehow.

but, no, Sakuragi isn't making it out. i've never been surer of anything in a very long time of watching anime. King Hamdo does not back down when he wants somebody dead. (i also love that he's doing this strictly for money, no nonsensical bad guy motivation, just cash). The pedo doctor is being way too relaxed about this whole thing.

i love that this show is fairly brutal. it was getting a little annoying with the "We'll stick by each other to the end dattebayo!" cheer earlier on. i enjoyed the last two episodes quite a bit.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by The Heretic Azazel

Frozen - 06

What a bad ass series this is. Those guys in Sakuragi's cell should have known when he meant business that they weren't going to win a fight with him, but to get their asses handed to them so bad that they would tell Ishihara that Sakuragi wasn't responsible must have been pretty embarrassing.

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I was guessing An-chan let them survive on the basis that they don't say anything. I really can't say if he was seriously going to kill them, but to the mob, they must have thought every breath would be their last, the way they were getting smashed. I can just imagine them yelling "Don't kill me. I won't tell anyone. Just don't kill me!!"

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Why was Turtle hurt so bad when he sneaked the food to Sakuragi? I imagine that's what he was going to look like after the guards found him, but if they had beat him before, he probably wouldn't have been able to fool them and run off.

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That part perplexed me as well. I'm guessing it was all necessary to get the food to An-chan. It can't be that easy to maneuver in a compound undetected, and from memory An-chan's held in a separate compound to them all together (Compound 1-8 vs 2-6). Compound 1 might have been a place where they deal out all the punishment, so the only way Turtle was going to get there was break some rules, get escorted and escape somehow.

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So Sakuragi has two weeks left. Ishihara is never going to let him out alive. Up until this episode it has been all about humiliating Sakuragi to the point that he kills himself like Hinagi. It's now that we see Ishihara's starting to lose it because Sakuragi won't break. However the prison doesn't appear to have any problems covering up "accidents" so unless Kumagai intervenes I really don't see our beloved An-chan getting out of that place with his life.

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I never expected An-chan to make it out alive. Watching the OP every week, I only see the six near the tree, and the scenes with An-chan had a very "memory" feel to them like he's no longer around (in the future). So with that thinking in mind, this episode actually gave me some hope that he might actually make it out alive.

edit: Frozen - Episode 06 (mkv version)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by masamuneehs

(i also love that he's doing this strictly for money, no nonsensical bad guy motivation, just cash). The pedo doctor is being way too relaxed about this whole thing.

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Not just cash. I suppose we could go pretty in depth when it comes to Ishihara's motivations, his overwhelming lust for violence, and his craving to humiliate (as stated above, when the six first arrived, it wasn't exactly necessary to jam rods up their asses).

By what we've seen so far the doctor and Ishihara seem to have that place locked down pretty tight, and back in those days prisons, mental institutions and similar facilities ran largely unregulated, evident by their deplorable conditions. It looks like whoever is really in charge of the place is either in collusion with the bad guys or rarely visits the prison.

Frozen - 07

Man, and I thought Ishihara was scary...

He actually looks pretty pathetic with his haircut.

Sasaki's the real mastermind, but honestly I wouldn't know who I'd cross if I got to choose. The good doctor may know how to kill you better without getting the blame (if he needs to kill you), but Ishihara might just end you in a fit of rage.

I can't help but shake this feeling the nurse might be next..... to die. Because the doctor only likes young boys.

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Originally Posted by Idealistic

I can't help but shake this feeling the nurse might be next..... to die. Because the doctor only likes young boys.

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Hopefully not, since I reasoned that she's only standing there because the doctor wants to cause as least trouble as possible, especially trouble that raises suspicion at him and Ishihara (only because it'll link back to him).

I'll take his word for "not going to take any direct action" and hope it comes true. The only (cute) recurring female character in this show needs to survive!

Sasaki is damn scary.

It feels like so much has happened in 7 episodes. I thought it would be a stretch to drag it out to 12, but in fact there will be 26. I wonder if Sakuragi will actually get out in four days.

I'm still betting that he's going to die. That nurse will be waiting for no-one on the day of his release.

Or perhaps he'll make it, but die soon after anyway for whatever reason only Sasaki-sensei could cook up.

The raws for upto episode 10 are out and I'm still stuck on episode 7. Someone has release episode 9 though lol. Did something happen to FroZen?

I noticed that too. It feels like forever since the last release.

Frostii's well known for their erratic (and often slow) release rates. It's unfortunate that no "accredited" speedsub's taken up this show.

FroZen have released episode 8, it's like they read these forums or something!

*demands episode 9 and 10* ;)

FroZen - Episode 08

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Haha, so Sasaki likes it from behind? His lust for Joe really did him in. What the hell was Joe doing though? He tried strangling him, but ultimately turned out to be trying Sasaki up. I've got no experience strangling someone to that extent, so how long does it take to recover from near-death via suffocation? I would imagine it to be fairly quick, and to my knowledge one can't get "knocked out" by suffocation - it's a one-way trip.

The preview shows the trapped guys to be let off a lot more easily than I would have thought, so either a lot of time has passed up till then, or word got out that Ishihara and Sasaki are abusing people and were replaced with nicer guards instead.

We need a good look at Mario's hand. Exactly how bad is it?

You can get knocked out by getting strangled. All one has to do is cut off blood circulation to the brain for about 15 seconds and the person goes unconscious. Sometimes they stop breathing, but if you don't overdo it they will simply fall asleep.

Recovery is relatively fast after you wake up. You will still be choking and coughing right after, not to mention dizzy, but it won't last.

Haha how did Joe know Sasaki would be a bottom bitch?

By the way Dongs episode 9 is a raw.

Up to episode 10 is on Hulu, for the shallow American viewers like myself who hate suspense.

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Originally Posted by Oniken

FroZen have released episode 8, it's like they read these forums or something!

*demands episode 9 and 10* ;)

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It seems CrunchySubs and Anon have released episodes 09 and 10. The file sizes are no bigger than 62MB though, so let's just say I'm raising eyebrows.

[CrunchySubs] RAINBOW - 11 [400p].mkv

For those who can't wait for a decent release...

FroZen - Episode 09

I hope you're keeping up on Hulu, Bill. I want to discuss episode 12.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by The Heretic Azazel

I hope you're keeping up on Hulu, Bill. I want to discuss episode 12.

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Haha, I'm not. :o (but I'm thinking about it)

But feel free to discuss away. I'm sure somebody here may be watching it there.

Edit: I haven't personally tried these, but from the file size one should hope the video quality isn't atrocious.

Shani-san - Episodes 10 | 11 | 12

Just do it!!

It's worth it I promise. I don't think anyone is even watching it but us. What is their fucking problem?

I'm watching the raws, so I can keep up with such a discussion. The only reason I haven't said anything is to prevent spoiling.

If you haven't watched episode 12, there are spoilers ahead.




















I always had an overwhelming feeling Sakuragi would meet his end, though at least he got to be free one more time. I can't believe Ishihara went so far off the deep end, I have never seen a portrayal of a more pathetic character in my life as he tried over and over to get the better of Sakuragi in episode 11. That was almost hard to watch, and for the life of me I cannot understand Saku giving the suicide note back.

I get it, Saku's an extremely gracious person, but after almost being run over with a motorcycle and stabbed, grace needs to go out the window. He should have known that Ishihara, especially in his drugged, desperate state, would not be as willing to let his hate go.

Ishihara, on the other hand, could have taken that note, walked away and maybe picked up the broken pieces of his life. But he was so consumed he didn't figure he had a life if he couldn't kill Sakuragi (though given countless opportunities to do so).

I was afraid of everyone going emo after learning of Sakuragi's death, considering how hard they ride his dick. I was seriously dreading an entire episode devoted to it but I'm happy that Mario was able to keep a straight face about it at least for a little while, for Setsuko, and we kept the emotions to a minimum. It was very tastefully done.

It was really retarded of Sakuragi to march towards his death like that. I just thought that the decisions he made were very stupid, and while they seemed "cool", I can't get over how pointless it all was.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by shinta|hikari

It was really retarded of Sakuragi to march towards his death like that. I just thought that the decisions he made were very stupid, and while they seemed "cool", I can't get over how pointless it all was.

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Totally.

The knife and march were totally pointless. When you factor in how the M.Ps shot him (outside their base, on no superior officer's command), the only explanation was that the author's as desperate as Ishihara in trying to kill An-chan off before the series concludes.

Nearly as stupid was Mario's decision to use fuck his right hand up for good. You can/could have always fought the dude in a month or two.

From the way things were going before the boxing match, I was sure Setsuko was going to get raped, given the situation and the series' history of sexual abuse scenarios.

I also think she looks cuter with short hair (I never thought I'd say this about an anime character - but perhaps this series is just that real).

(Hulu doesn't work in Australia, so I watched eps 10-12 done by a variety of subbers/rippers - none of which had both good video and subtitle/font quality)

Edit2: Added episodes 10-12 links a few posts up.

I absolutely agree with you about Setsuko's hair. It is also quite rare for me to favor short haired girls in anime (favorites are C.C., Hitagi, Holo, Lamhirh, Saber), but in this case, the long hair just looks awkward.

The MPs could have caught Sakuragi holding the knife beside Ishihara, and shot him thinking he was attacking the guard. This death march thing just doesn't make sense.

Shani-san - Episode 13



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Bah. Recap ep.

Looking back, there has definitely been some weird moments in this anime - like when Sakuragi decided to beat those guys up. He could see that they had some steam that needed letting out? Who knows.

Looking back at "I refuse to die", and "I won't let you take this life that those guys sacrificed for", An-chan's demise makes even less sense.

Setsuko's gorgeous with short hair.

Shani-san - Episode 14. 15





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lol.

And here I was wondering what they could do in this anime with everyone out of confinement, and the answer was.. you go back in there. :D

Suppon talking about busting him out with a tank was a pretty good laugh too.

Setsuko + long hair + makeup + casual clothing was a pretty odd mix. You got a sense of maturity, but not really in a good way. Minus the casual stuff and slip on a kimono, however, and you've got my thumbs up.

The long hair overall is growing on me, and seems rather fitting for what's going on right now. Mario's got a way to go before he can match up to Sakuragi in cool manliness, and it really shows in his less-deep voice and bigger, more innocent/young eyes. Setsuko's hairstyle augments this overall feel, having her shorter, more youthful hair highlighting Sakuragi's reliability, while her older, long-haired counterpart still needs to "mother" the developing Mario.

Sasaki's demise was pretty sweet. I hope we don't get to see him or Ishihara again.

The prosecutor's a pretty interesting character, and I hope we get to hear him expand on what he thinks exactly is thinking that has made Japan come to a standstill.

Shani-san - Episode 16


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Heitai's the man yo.

I had a good laugh when he said he'd use a carbine if his body wasn't enough. It begs the question as to whether he secretly had a firearm in case blackmailing turned sour. :D

I don't think Cabage X Junko would be a bad match. The latter could really do with a simple, sincere guy like him to reassure her that her deflowering doesn't matter.

Shani-san - Episode 17 | 18

Nice to see we aren't lacking in brutality. That asshole in the white suit with the Lemons is like Ishihara's twin brother... man do I ever miss that guy.

Not much to say, I like how things are developing with Joe's situation, and I loved how Setsuko and Mario's relationship played out. Sad stuff.

Shani-san - Episode 19

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Yeah, they've really hit home the fact that this anime won't be just sweetness after the initial bitter experiences. I got a tad emotional in those past few eps. The suspense wasn't quite to the level where I thought something truly bad would happen thing, since I was expecting that everyone would make it out somehow.

Shigeo's race against time to find Mario was pretty close though. It had me pumping during ep 18's cliffhanger.

And Cabbage, of all things, will end up as a Yakuza? That'd be both unexpected and rather interesting. At least you know he'd be a loyal one without the pseudo-comradeship. He'd really need a capable right-hand man to look out for him though, as there'd be plenty of people taking advantage of his softness.

[Buff] Rainbow - Nisha Rokubō no Shichinin OP Album - Nothing lasts forever [coldrain].zip

[Buff] Rainbow - Nisha Rokubō no Shichinin ED Album - Resurrection [Galneryus].zip

:p

After streaming episodes 20-22, I think the group just needs to get rid of Scam. He has so many fatal character flaws, first he pretty much lets his friends die in the reformatory fire and now he casts them aside for a whore.

Not great friend material.

AFFTW - Episode 20 | 21 | 22

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Yeah, Scam's the least reliable of the bunch, but that's also part of why I like him there (like those villians you love to hate) - you simply have friends who are chickens at heart. He's those shrewd, cowardly ones who don't really have much experience in terms of real life, so I found the actions he took were rather natural given his character. (Of course, that simply puts the blame on his flaws - as you've said).

I thought Eri's image seemed pretty clean for a prostitute.

I'm looking forward to the next arc though. Turtle turned out to be Joe and Scam's best friend in the last two, so it's about time to see who's the one to pick him out of the slump this time. I was beginning to miss Lily too. She really gave a "grown up" perspective to the boys, but not in an "old timer's" way.

AFFTW - Episode 23

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Turtle is like Scam minus all his shitty points. He's probably more crafty and less smart, but his guts make up for everything else. I can't remember exactly how old he is, and whether his current stature indicates youth or a growth stunt, but either way it's hard to see Lilly treating him as a lover unfortunately. Maybe a brother or something.

AFFTW - Episode 24






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ROFL

Those scars are visually impressive. Even more impressive is that he survived a chopped vertebrae.

1% lending is nothing when you're immortal. :D

AFFTW - Episode 25



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LOL. So Turtle bit off his Achilles tendon? These wounds are unrealistically awesome :D

AFFTW - Episode 26

Rainbow Nisharokubo no Shichinin Original Soundtrack [Takayashiki Hideo]

Track 3, "Dear Night Rainbow" is the song Joe sings on stage. It's my favourite from this OST.