Lately I've been unconsciously drawn to reading and watching stuff with dark themes and romance, and I noticed that it somehow affected my mood. I'm really the type of reader who usually gets affected by the stuff I'm immersed in. So to break this melancholic cycle of mine, I decided to search for some lighthearted anime that will make me believe again in the goodness of life, but I'm a really picky viewer, so I basically ended up wasting a few hours of browsing for recommendations that didn't really match my preference. After browsing and idling, I just decided to stop and just do first my household chores. I washed, cleaned, and arranged my stuff, and that's when I came across a certain box full of anime pictures I printed way back during my high school years! And that's where I found the anime that I'm going to watch!
Enough with the sentiments; now I'll share with you a lighthearted high school romance that I just finished recently. So be with me as I share with you a brief peek of the ever-colorful romantic journey of the four high school boys in Nijiro Days.
About the Anime
Nijiro Days (Rainbow Days) is a shoujo anime that premiered in the winter of 2016. It aired from January 10, 2016 to June 26, 2016, and it was animated by Production Reed. Its genres are comedy and romance. Since the main characters are high schoolers, the main theme mostly revolves around school. In total, it has 24 episodes plus a special episode, and it's an adaptation of a manga written and illustrated by Minami Mizuno.
So it started with our main lead getting dumped on Christmas Eve. Natsuki sat under the big Christmas tree moping and sniffling over his recent break-up experience when a girl dressed up in Santa offered him a package of tissue. Enthralled by that encounter, he immediately concluded that he's in love again. When the Christmas break ended, Natsuki returned to school, and there he found that Anna Kobayakawa, the girl that he's in love with, was his schoolmate! After seeing her and the muffler he gave her, Natsuki was convinced that it was fate that somehow brought them together, and with that, he would do anything to get closer to Anna.
However, things will not go the way he expected them to because of his supportive friends who constantly meddle in his romantic advancements—but those meddlesome friends are also bound to face romantic endeavors of their own. From the overconfident playboy Tomoya Matsunaga, weird sadist Keiichi Katakura, aloof otaku Tsuyoshi Naoe, up to our very own delusional, hopeless romantic boy Natsuki Hashiba—all of them will experience different romantic journeys. Together, these high school boys will navigate their way towards their daily struggles as students as well as their struggles in their romantic relationships.
After watching the last episode, the ending didn't sink into me immediately—I mean, I can't just believe that it ended that way. The start was quite promising, but for me, its ending wasn't that satisfying. Even though I'm not fond of romance, I was really expecting somewhat a more resolved denouement for those romances, but it turns out that it's just really the start of something new type of ending. I wanted to rant on how dissatisfied I am because I'm definitely expecting an improvement in their relationships. Yeah, there's a slight improvement, but I'm really expecting a much more definite one!
As for the character improvements, I like how some of them really improved. The episodes were brief (it's just 13 minutes per episode!), but I'm glad that the story line was able to gradually show some improvements in the characters that needed it. The plot was, I guess, the pretty generic romance story where a guy gets a girl—and thank God it's like that because I'm really not into harem now. Further, for me, there isn't that much conflict in the story line, and since there isn't that much conflict, then there's definitely not much drama. This somehow was refreshing for me because it's been ages since I watched an anime without a dark plot or heavy drama. It was really a lighthearted romance with cute and wholesome interactions—which I somehow enjoyed watching.
Its artstyle may not be that unique, but it's definitely cute, and it matches well with its easygoing vibes. The main characters were really drawn in an attractive manner that would really attract shoujo fangirls who were into boy group tropes. Seeing the four of them really reminds me of the four main boys in Hana Yori Dango because both of these boy groups were known to girls in their school (but the F4 of Hana Yori Dango was definitely more charismatic for me—and definitely toxic XD). They're more like the mellow versions of the old F4. Further, I noticed that the anime uses a soft warm and light color palette, which suits well with its lighthearted theme. The animation was pretty decent, and although not that smooth, I like how they portrayed those romantic scenes in a way that would really make the viewers feel how it is to be young and in love again.
The soundtrack did also complement the anime because it isn't heavy or too upbeat; it's just enough to make you feel collywobbles. The voice actors did a good job in portraying the characters' voices. I really felt various emotions: the happiness, the thrill, the longing, and the jauntiness of the characters. It's nice to feel those light emotions again. Overall, my personal rating for this anime is 7/10. Like I said, I'm not really that satisfied with how it ended, but I guess they ended it the way because they were anticipating a second season (?). If there's a second season, I'm really looking forward to the relationship improvements (especially Mattsun and secret!).
The ending wasn't rushed, but it certainly was made to stir a sense of longing for season two in the viewers. It wasn't exactly a bad ending, but for me it was quite anticlimactic because I'm really expecting something more memorable and moving season-end episode. The manga is already finished, and I'm really curious on what happened to my OTP. I really wanted to give myself a peace of mind, so I'll definitely check its manga later. So if you're up for a lighthearted, good-humored, and wholesome romance anime, then you really need to try watching Nijiro Days.
Before I end this review, I gladly share with you its second opening, so—
Have you already seen this anime before? Or is this the first time you encounter this anime? Feel free to write your comments below! That's all for now, Hivers. I hope you enjoyed reading my anime review. See you around!
Arigatou and tanoshinde ne minna-san~
The pictures that didn't have source were either screenshots from anime or taken by yours truly, ridgette, while the last picture was edited in Canva.