The Fall 2020 Manga Guide

Rainbow and Black

What's It About? 

College student Shirahoshi Kuroe feels like she's living in black and white, and she longs for more excitement...until a small, rainbow, incredibly weird bird-thing brings color to her life. Now they live together. Is this creature just a pet, or is it more like a roommate?

Rainbow and Black is illustrated and scripted by Eri Takenashi. Seven Seas will publish the first large trim edition volume of the manga on November 10 for $13.99.

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Is It Worth Reading?

Rebecca Silverman

Rating:

If there's one thing I'm a sucker for, it's a heartwarming story about how a pet enriched someone's life. That's certainly because my own pets do the same for me, but it's also because there tends to be a disarming honesty about manga with that as the subject, and Rainbow and Black's first volume absolutely fits with the theme. It may star a fictional animal, but the way that Niji enhances Kuroe's life would work no matter what kind of animal he was – that he's a “happy mouse” just adds a bit of whimsey to the proceedings.

There's also a certain amount of on-the-nose symbolism present, which isn't quite as charming. Niji's official species name has the word “rainbow” right in it (and “niji” is Japanese for “rainbow”), while Kuroe's name has the word for “black” and she frequently states that she's most comfortable seeing the world strictly in black-and-white terms. For her it's simply more comfortable to know there's a set right and wrong answer for everything, so while it's not unusual for her to pick up the abandoned Niji when she finds him outside in a cage – it's the obvious right thing to do – it is out of her character and comfort zone when she ends up falling hard for the fluffy little guy, because there's nothing black-and-white about living with another creature who has distinct ideas and habits of its own.

Making Niji an exotic animal forces Kuroe even further outside what feels safe for her. A dog or a cat, or even a bearded dragon, will still act in a way that she's somewhat familiar with from simply living in the world and consuming media, but an exotic animal is by its very definition something not often seen. And even if Niji wasn't from a platypus-adjacent species he doesn't act like a mouse or a bird or anything else remotely familiar, which means that Kuroe has a minor meltdown every time he does something new or she does something that wouldn't be acceptable in the care of a different type of animal. Throughout the volume, we watch as Kuroe takes baby steps towards coming out of her shell, whether that's braving social media, making a new friend (or realizing that she's not really “friends” with the old ones), and even letting Niji take a bath with her, something that freaked her out the first time. Niji opens up the world for Kuroe, and because of him she also allows herself to engage with that world in a way she never would have been able to before. It's lovely to see and very relatable to daily interactions with any kind of pet, or the way that they can help us interact with the outside world, like how walking a dog makes people more comfortable or the weird ways our pets show us they care. It's not on the level of something like Yuzu the Pet Vet or A Man and His Cat, but if you like the genre, it won't matter that Niji isn't a real animal except for the fact that you can't bring one home for yourself.

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Caitlin Moore

Rating:

Even though I now live in a pet-free apartment, I grew up in a house full of cats, dogs, and various other small animals. The unconditional love of my pets got me through some really hard times, and nothing can compare to cuddling up to something warm and fuzzy that adores you. Despite its somewhat fantastical premise, Rainbow and Black is at its heart a story about the bond between pet and owner, and the way the relationship benefits both sides.

I have mixed feelings about the Heavenly Rainbow Parrot that the heroine Kuroe finds in the trash, takes home, and names Niji. I'm glad it's not a real animal that could potentially encourage readers to go out and find their own to adopt; the exotic pet trade is by and large deplorable. I'll never forget the time I wandered into a sketchy pet shop in an Osaka shopping district and was greeted with small, dirty cages holding a variety of wild creatures, including a lone fennec fox that was pacing the cage. On the other hand, Niji is incredibly creepy-looking, with his face like a human toddler on a little round body with a halo of feathers.

But regardless of how creepy the pet in question is, the story and emotions behind Kuroe's relationship with him are authentic. She pours energy into learning about his species and how to properly care for him, and he rewards her with affection, comfort when she's sad, and companionship when she's lonely. He helps her connect with other pet owners and form a community. It's very sweet.

Still, the plot is a bit thin. Kuroe's relationship with Niji has a lot of authenticity, but everything else is a little shaky. I don't know if it's a cultural difference or a translation issue, but the “black and white” Kuroe claims to long for doesn't mesh with what I would consider black and white in the situations where it comes up. Characters are prone to monologuing in a way that stretches credibility, but I suppose the humans aren't exactly the draw here.

Rainbow and Black is a story with attractive art that pet lovers are sure to find relatable. Just… keep that thing out of my house, okay?