MANGA REVIEW | "Rainbows After Storms" - Volume Seven
I wasn’t exactly sure how Rainbows After Storms would handle the addition of Mai. After all, when it comes to romance manga, adding another character that’s crushing over one of the leads can often lead to trouble. So color me surprised when the seventh volume not only brought her conundrum front-and-center, but also handled it in a mature way. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that I wish more manga went the route of Rainbows After Storms!
Before it gets to that pivotal moment, there’s the aftermath of the Nagasaki field trip. Things are better between Nanoha and Chidori, as they and their friends head to a hot spring for the final part of the trip. As usual, Chidori is self-conscious about her body, a situation that seems baffling considering how pretty she is! (I mean, even Nanoha seems to think so.)
Thankfully, Chidori musters up the courage, strips down, and enjoys the hot baths with her friends. But then, after a bit of a bump, Nanoha feels something. And after the trip finishes, it’s all that she can think of. Even after Chidori gives her a call and tells her it’s no big deal, it doesn’t change the fact that Nanoha grazed her girlfriend’s dual Mt. Fujis. (Not even watching her family eating mochi can get her mind out of the gutter!)
It’s after all of this where Rainbows After Storms deals with the current situation: Mai’s feeling for Nanoha. Her leaving the basketball team may have been due to an injury, but it was never the same playing without Nanoha by her side. And when she hears about Nanoha and Chidori’s spat on the school trip, a part of her feels bad that she’d be happy if they broke up.
However, unlike the leads in How Do We Relationship?, there are no signs at all of Chidori and Nanoha splitting up. In fact, their partnership seems to grow stronger by the day. With that in mind, Mai makes the decision to go back to playing basketball, and keeping her emotions locked away. That’s when she’s given advice about her feelings from the last person imaginable: Chidori.
Rainbows After Storms deserves some applause for this moment. Luka Kobachi could’ve easily gone the route of friendships breaking up and rifts placed between people. Instead, Chidori and Mai do the most sensible thing: talk about it. Yes, they’re still high schoolers, but even teens can take serious situations and handle them in a mature manner. And when Mai is able to share these feelings with Nanoha, it goes exactly as you’d think, albeit with no regrets from Mai.
With that being said, there’s a tiny bit of me that feels disappointed by the aftermath. With Mai revealing that she saw the main couple kissing, Chidori and Nanoha make the decision to tone down their relationship. Again, I get this is Japan, and it’s still very conservative when it comes to LGBTQ+ matters, but this is a work of fiction. Let their love flow for all to see, I say! (I will admit that Nanoha secretly flirting with Chidori during a fire drill was pretty cute though.)
Nevertheless, this was a stellar volume of Rainbows After Storms. Chidori and Nanoha’s partnership keeps getting stronger, and Mai is still able to be friends with the two despite her feelings for one of them. And honestly, it’s a solid lesson to learn. You may have moments of unrequited love, but that doesn’t mean your friendship has to end. Move on, pick yourself up, and get back on that dang horse! Be like Mai, and you’ll certainly rekindle your happiness in some way or form.
FINAL GRADE:
Promotional consideration provided by Chantelle Sturt of VIZ Media.
