MANGA REVIEW | "Rainbows After Storms" - Volume Eight
I can’t imagine how much of a pain it would be to hide a romantic relationship. But after reading the eighth volume of Rainbows After Storms, I can’t help but sympathize with Chidori and Nanoha. While the reason for hiding their relationship is understandable, it feels like more work to not tell anyone that they’re dating rather than just spit it out! This is because Chidori and Nanoha’s romantic moments are ruined not once, but twice here in this volume!
College is on the minds of just about every student, especially Chidori and Nanoha. And when the former is aiming for Tokyo, it makes the latter worry that a long-distance relationship would be disastrous. So the two decide to take a trip to Tokyo to visit a college, thereby giving them a chance to date without any classmates around to see them all lovey-dovey. But their plan goes up in smoke when a teacher forcibly adds a third wheel to the mix: Abe.
Here’s the thing about Abe: she’s also a lesbian, who is in a relationship with volleyball player Yoshida. So wouldn’t she be the perfect person for Chidori and Nanoha to tell about their coupling? This is one part in Rainbows After Storms that just doesn’t make sense. Not only do the classmates know of them dating, they have zero problems with it! So why the hell are Chidori and Nanoha hiding their relationship like it’d be a huge scandal?! Because, hey, if the students are cool with Abe and Yoshida, then they’d obviously be all right with our main couple!
Okay, rant over. Their trip to Tokyo goes fairly all right, with their college tour making the three students excited about the possibility of going there. They then go down to Takeshita Street in Harajuku, which author Luka Kobachi goes the realistic approach to show just how crowded and chaotic it is. (Hell, I went there the day I wrote this review, and man, is it a tight squeeze!) While the trek to Tokyo is all right, one can’t help but feel bad for Chidori and Nanoha, who could’ve had some sort of date if Abe wasn’t there.
Then, Christmas time arrives. After some clothes shopping (which involves Chidori buying an interesting dress), our couple decides to make plans for Christmas. And then, their friend Kumako worries about being lonely this holiday, which once again takes a date and turns it into another friendship gathering. The look on our couple’s faces says it all, and one can’t help but feel bad that another romantic day is ruined because of a guilt trip!
Will Chidori and Nanoha ever get a chance to spend a romantic holiday or trip? New Year’s could be an option, but I can’t help but feel like the powers that be (i.e. Luka Kobachi) won’t let that happen. Volume Eight of Rainbows After Storms is an entertaining read, but it’s also frustrating as hell to watch unfold. So please, for the sake of our lovebirds, let them have a moment to themselves soon!
FINAL GRADE:
Promotional consideration provided by Chantelle Sturt of VIZ Media.
