We open in 1955, post-war Japan. This isn’t the Tokyo of bright lights and recovery. This is the underbelly. Our setting: The Special Reformatory School, a juvenile detention center that feels less like a school and more like a military prison run by sadists.
Rainbow is not light reading. The first chapter is heavy on despair, bullying, and the stench of hopelessness. If you dislike graphic depictions of abuse or strong language, this is your warning.
Beyond the Bars: Diving into Rainbow: Nisha Rokubou no Shichinin Chapter 1 Posted by: [Your Name] Date: October 26, 2023 Category: Manga Review / First Impressions rainbow nisha rokubou no shichinin chapter 1
Stay strong. Stay united.
We are introduced to our seven protagonists—teenage boys who have been “corrected” (read: tortured) into submission. There’s no shonen hero here. Just broken kids. But Chapter 1 doesn’t waste time on backstories yet. Instead, it focuses on one thing: We open in 1955, post-war Japan
The immediate antagonist is Ishihara, a sadistic older inmate who acts as the warden’s muscle. He runs the cell with a mixture of terror and brute force. The scene where he forces the new arrivals to kneel and kiss his feet is nauseatingly effective. It establishes the law of the jungle immediately: eat or be eaten.
The chapter ends with Ishihara backing down (for now), the seven boys sharing a silent look of solidarity. The rainbow isn’t a symbol of joy here; it’s a promise. A promise that even in the darkest pit, seven different colors can unite to form something unbreakable. Our setting: The Special Reformatory School, a juvenile
However, if you love stories about the resilience of the human spirit—stories like Oldboy (the manga) or Berserk (specifically the Golden Age arc)—this is essential reading.
If Mario is the quiet heart, Sakuragi is the thunder. A tall, muscular figure who has been sleeping silently in the corner, Sakuragi finally speaks. He challenges Ishihara not with volume, but with sheer presence. The panel where Sakuragi stands up—towering over the tyrant—is iconic. He declares that Cell No. 6 will not be ruled by rats.