Niji no megami (2006) User Reviews

A romance that's more than decent but underrated

[hhnd_2002 · 8/10 · 28 May 2010]

"Rainbow Song" is a romance that has no new motif, but it manages to move me just the same. The pace of the movie is slow without much plot, so for impatient viewers, this might not be the best choice. I've noticed that with Japanese romances, most people opt for the junai genre, with two protagonists falling in love, then one of them dies, leaving one person behind sad but optimistic nevertheless, and the story ends up being very "touching" (but of course, cliché and lacking in cinematic creativity). "Rainbow Song" is definitely not that kind of a movie, though it might appear so deceivingly. Here, what's usually the ending in other romances is told first right in the beginning, so there's no surprise in the plot. You should not watch this movie expecting a surprising ending that will make you go "Wow!"; that's not the point of the movie. The point is to take viewers through the relationship of two young people who, like most of us, have their strong and weak points. Through the movie, we watch their relationship develop (or fail to develop for that matter) through carefully constructed details of their time spent together and also apart. The filming is absolutely beautiful - melancholy but very realistic. All of the young actors here did their job very well, particularly Ueno Juri and Aoi Yuu.

Bottom line: a subtle movie that will be very touching if you pay attention to the details, the filming, the changes in each character, and not necessarily plot development.

Simple as it is

[nabelle · 8/10 · 25 October 2010]

Don't expect it's going to be another superb love story. For me, this movie is just simple. A girl fall in love with boy, the boy also fall in love with the girl, just that they don't have the guts to tell their feeling.

Simple as it is, it was brilliantly portrayed by the cast and also by the director. The story divide into chapters, each chapters shows us how the character developed. At the end, I found myself crying with Kishida (Hayato Ichihara) when he read the letter wrote by Aoi Sato(Juri Euno), as Aoi sister, Kana Sato (Yu Aoi)apt his back and said "you're both Baka (Idiot)".

From this movie, you'll learn that you need to do what you need to do before it was too late.

A more mature teen romance movie

[mister_bateman · 7/10 · 7 September 2020]

Most japanese teen romance movies are geared towards maximum cute, so they are quite childish, clichéd and exaggeratedly cheesy, clearly aiming at a teen audience. Those have their place too but this one is much more realistic and mature. I liked it.

A realistic romance not a "fairy taled" one.

[o4-II · 10/10 · 9 January 2009]

When watching a Comedy/Romance movie, most of the times, you expect it to be witty, sometimes funny about a love story between two hot protagonists. Or when it is Drama/Romance typed, you expect some complications, involving family problems, or the likes.. . But this one is neither of these, it's more like an everyday realistic "romance" that most people must already know.

I prefer not saying much more about the film, because i perfectly enjoyed it without having any idea about it, so you better not read any reviews containing spoilers or the likes, if you want to enjoy it to the fullest.

The acting was perfect, a little different Aoi Yu and a completely different Juri Ueno. I don't know much about the director's style or other films, but one day i may become his/her fan.

a nearly 2 hours film, with a beautiful slow pace that let you be more and more closer to the characters, and feeling like you're one of them. Highly recommended , preferably in a rainy or a snowy day.

Wow - What a Tear-Jerker Final Scene!!!

[vlsech · 10/10 · 2 February 2020]

Most love stories have the traditional boy meets girl, some kind of drama, fall in love and end up together in the end - not this one! Loved the angle which I don't want to spoil and the final scene. Should make everyone appreciate life more..

Not a fan of Romantic films, but this film won me over

[scheevers-50200 · 9/10 · 12 July 2018]

As the heading say's, not a fan of these type of films. But the fact I was coming of after watching Swing Girls (2004) with the beautiful Juri Ueno. If you haven't seen Swing Girls, do yourself a favour and go find a copy of the film, It's one of the most joyous coming of age musical comedies you'll see. Ueno is the standout in that film, and the actresses has the comedy chops to back it up. So Rainbow Song was next on the list.

As a few have said this is more realistic take on romance, then the stereotypical Hollywood or even Asian fluff you get with Romantic films. Sure I won't say it doesn't have it's moment of cheesiness but this film, a bit like The Notebook, gets away with it cause of it's tight script and fantastic performances.

This is Juri Ueno's film all the way, she isn't in the film that long surprisingly (she's not in the first 20 minutes or good portion of the third act) but she makes sure Aoi's is a memorable and loveable character, and I do think the film is at it's strongest when Juri's is front and centre. The scene at the speed dating and the following scene on the bridge, if that doesn't have the eyes a bit watery then I don't know what will.

Hayato Ichihara as Tomoyo more then holds his own, and delivers a fantastic performance. At times you want to slap him cause he can't see how much Aoi loves him, but you can't help but feel for the guy by the end. The ending for me is a gut punch, Tomoyo forever haunted by the girl he let go. It's a true tearjerker moment that isn't overdone.

Also great to see Yu Aoi on a small role as Aoi's younger blind Sister (even though in real life Yu is only two months younger then Juri) and she leaves her mark, I was slightly worried they were going to have her as the new love interest but they didn't go that route. Also a shout out for Shoko Aida as Tomoyo's older girlfriend. maybe it's just me I actually felt for her even though she lied.

It's not perfect, It's shot a bit like a TV Movie, I think the film drags a little by the end and I'm not a big fan of the ending, I think Tomoko deserves a better ending. But watch this for Juri's Ueno's fantastic performance, aided by a great support cast.

Beautifully Tragic

[camcat2002 · 10/10 · 25 July 2018]

This was a very touching movie. The acting wasn't the best, but the emotions felt from the characters were very strong. This movie should have won awards, it takes a normal realistic story and makes it beautiful. The female lead had s talent of making one feel just as she is. The male lead portrayed the character perfectly. Their relationship was so real and could be felt through the screen.This movie was beautifully sad and a most watch for anyone.

Boring

[RuriGokou · 4/10 · 15 March 2017]

Most of the Japanese romance movies I've seen have been pretty good, but this one I just couldn't get into. It's very slow and the characters aren't very good either.

I hated the main male lead. He's such a simp, and doesn't seem to think through his actions. He let's people just walk all over him. He's always getting hit and verbally abused by his coworkers.

He loses the girl he really liked. Man this guy really ticked me off to watch. Just could not enjoy this movie because of it.

Quirky but a touching romance

[info-5918 · 8/10 · 10 January 2021]

This an unusual movie, in terms of structure, but interesting, mainly for the character of kishida. Its certainly not your average teen romance film, but very touching. the non linear storytelling is great and in particualr Aoi's sister is a a pwoerful character. If you like emotive Japanese movies, this would be good for you.