Hidden beneath the vivid pastel pinks and greens of Rainbow! Volume 1, there lurks a dark and confronting story of independence, identity, and parental pressures. The creator duo, Gloom and Sunny, have partnered together to create a narrative that’s every bit as impactful as contemporary YA webtoons-turned-books like Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper or Suzanne Walker and Wendy Xu’s Mooncakes.
Join us today on Anime Corner as we review Rainbow!, Volume 1, by Gloom and Sunny, on sale March 5th, 2024.
Our reviewer would like to note trigger warnings for alcoholism, addiction, and childhood neglect.
Into the Pastel-verse
Rainbow! has an artistic brilliance to it that immediately captures your attention. With a restrained palette mostly comprising pastel pinks and vivid greens, Rainbow! introduces us to our pink-haired high-schooler, Boo Meadows. Prone to diving into daydreams where she becomes a magical girl, Boo tries to distance herself from her crippling social anxiety and the difficulties of her home life. Stuck with an alcoholic mother who only plays the parental card when it benefits her most, Boo has become accustomed to lying about her health and her life, putting walls up between her colleagues at the local cafe.
When Boo meets the green-haired transfer student, Mimi, she begins seeing Mimi everywhere—and is captivated by Mimi’s self-assured nature. They might appear like total opposites on the outside, but as Boo gradually learns more about the extroverted Mimi, it becomes apparent that they have more in common than first expected, especially when it comes to their home lives.
Under the Neon Lights
It’s through this seemingly cheerful lens of bright pinks and greens that the darkness of Rainbow! bleeds into the true story. Make no mistake, although there’s clearly a romantic angle brewing between Boo and Mimi, this first and foremost is a contemporary drama that lends itself to a confronting discussion about child neglect. Boo’s mother is an alcoholic, barely functioning, and largely a source of shame for Boo, while simultaneously being abusive and overbearing when she’s sober. It’s no wonder that Boo has sought an imaginary world to escape into—but Mimi offers a lifeline into the real world, one that’s painful to confront but undeniably the path she must walk.
Summary
Rainbow!, Volume 1 is a masterpiece of visual design and narrative, using a vivid palette of unusual colors to contrast the darkness of its character’s backstories, many elements of which will undoubtedly hit close to the mark for some readers. The conversion from webcomic format to printed layout has been handled brilliantly and definitely earns our recommendation for anyone looking for a dramatic story of identity, childhood struggles, and youthful self-determination. Rainbow!, Volume 1 is published under Scholastic’s Graphix imprint and you can pre-order a physical copy here.
Thanks to Scholastic for providing a review copy of Rainbow! Volume 1.
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