MANGA REVIEW | "Rainbows After Storms" - Volume Two
Note to Luka Kobachi: you don’t have to keep telling us readers that the two leads in Rainbows After Storms are dating. A couple of times in the beginning is fine, but having to constantly remind us that they’re a couple is very grating. After all, with the plethora of yuri and girls-love stories out there, it’s not like Chidori and Nanoha are anything special. In fact, after reading the second volume, it’s very hard for me to find something about these two that makes them unique.
The stories showcased this time around tend to tread the same roads as other romance-based manga. Chidori tries to muster the courage to cheer for Nanoha at a sports event, while a rainy day allows the couple to walk together under the same umbrella. Nanoha and Chidori also deal with their fair share of school shenanigans, such as study time trouble and a day of portrait drawing. Then there is the lightning chapter, which I’ve counted how many times I’ve seen one-half of a couple being terrified by the flashiness of Mother Nature.
A big issue with Rainbows After Storms is that it doesn’t add anything new to the romance formula. Chidori and Nanoha simply go through the motions in their lives, as they keep their relationship secret from their friends. Even that aspect tends to make me raise my eyebrows. Even if the LGBTQ+ community doesn’t have the same rights as straight couples here in Japan, I seriously doubt any of their pals would judge them for their love and companionship. It’s honestly baffling seeing how much they make a fuss about something that should be a non-issue.
I’ll admit that the two-part flashback story that occurs before Nanoha and Chidori started dating had a lot of sweetness in it. It also proves that both of their feelings for one another grew naturally, and didn’t decide to just date on a whim. The amount of heart that Nanoha placed into her friendship with Chidori feels genuine, even if it still lacks a realism that you’ve come to see in other yuri stories like How Do We Relationship? or Bloom Into You. Even as Chidori struggles to figure out if her love is the same as Nanoha’s, you can tell how much she was hoping that they shared the exact same kind of feelings.
Unfortunately, that two-parter is the only place in this volume of Rainbows After Storms where something special occurs. The rest is pretty much cute fluff. That’s normally not a bad thing, but I can’t help but feel like this manga is playing it too safe. There’s barely any conflict, and the stories occur without anything for readers to grab hold of after they wrap up.
I really do hope Rainbows After Storms finds what it needs to be a better series. Volume One was a good start, but Volume Two feels like the yuri well has already gone and dried up. Here’s hoping Kobachi took some advice from her more famous husband when it comes to making unique and interesting stories and characters. Otherwise, Rainbows After Storms will find itself lost in the fog and treading off-course.
FINAL GRADE:
Promotional consideration provided by Chantelle Sturt of VIZ Media.
