Rainbow Nisha Rokubou No Shichinin Chapter 1
The chapter opens in Shio, Japan, in 1955. The country is still rebuilding from the ashes of World War II. Poverty is rampant, and the social safety net is weak. We are introduced to the Sukoya Reform School—a hellish institution masquerading as a place of correction.
The protagonist is Mario Minakami, a 17-year-old former boxer. He is escorted into Cell Six (Rokubou) alongside six other boys: Noboru “An-chan” Yamaguchi, Tetsuya “Tetsuji” Hirono, Ryouichi “Joe” Ishimatsu, Intetsu “Sakigake” Komuro, Saburou “Heitai” Koyama, and Soukichi “Barefoot” Banba. They are all there for various crimes born of desperation.
Immediately, Chapter 1 establishes the prison’s sadistic hierarchy. The guards are not rehabilitators; they are tyrants. The chief antagonist, Ishihara (a corrupt doctor), and the brutal guard, Sasaki (nicknamed "The Devil"), rule through fear, starvation, and torture. rainbow nisha rokubou no shichinin chapter 1
The new boys are stripped, beaten, and thrown into their cell. That night, something unexpected happens. An-chan, the oldest and most enigmatic of the group, begins to hum a melody. He asks Mario if he knows the song. Mario recognizes it as “Tsubasa o Kudasai” (Give Me Wings)—a popular post-war folk song about freedom and flying away from sorrow.
One by one, the other boys join in. In the darkness of Cell Six, bleeding, hungry, and terrified, seven strangers harmonize. The guards pound on the walls, but they don’t stop. This moment—the first chapter’s climax—is pure magic. It is a declaration of defiance. They are not animals. They are still human. They will not have their spirits broken. The chapter opens in Shio, Japan, in 1955
The chapter ends with An-chan declaring, “From now on, we are brothers.”
Many fans first encountered Rainbow through the acclaimed 2010 anime adaptation by Madhouse Studios. Episode 1 follows Chapter 1 almost panel-for-panel. However, the manga chapter has a rawer edge. The anime adds a beautiful soundtrack (fittingly, a choir singing “Tsubasa o Kudasai”), but the manga’s silent panels—the long pauses between dialogue—create a heavier, more claustrophobic atmosphere. We are introduced to the Sukoya Reform School
If you’ve only seen the anime, reading Chapter 1 of the manga is essential. Kakizaki’s original art captures a grittiness that animation smooths over.
While George Abe’s story is brutal, Masasumi Kakizaki’s art elevates it to a nightmare masterpiece. In Chapter 1, pay attention to:
