What Is The Recommended Reading Order For Rainbow Manga?

If by 'rainbow manga' you meant manga that fall under queer or LGBTQ+ themes—the kind of shelf I gravitate toward—then I’d order my reading by emotional accessibility: start gentle, get curious, then dive deeper. Begin with approachable, lighter slice-of-life and coming-of-age titles like 'My Brother’s Husband' or 'What Did You Eat Yesterday?' to get used to everyday queer storytelling and different family/relationship dynamics.

Next, try character-driven romances and youth dramas—'Given' and 'Blue Flag' are great bridges into stories where feelings are messy but readable. After that, move into works that explore identity, gender, and history more directly—'Wandering Son' and 'Our Dreams at Dusk' (if you find it) will broaden your perspective. Finish by sampling classics and experimental works or older BL/GL that shaped the genres; these can be more raw or melodramatic but are important for context.

I mention this because my own reading path felt like peeling layers: starting with lighter stuff made me more open to difficult or unconventional narratives later. If you want concrete recs tailored to BL, GL, or non-binary/genderqueer themes, tell me which direction you’d like and I’ll sketch a compact list to match.

If you're aiming for the straightforward route, the cleanest and most respectful way to read 'Rainbow: Nisha Rokubō no Shichinin' is exactly as it was published: volume 1 through volume 22 in order. The story is tightly serialized and character arcs, flashbacks, and reveals are carefully paced by the authors, so jumping around or trying to read by theme will blunt the emotional punches and spoil the way the tension is built. I first picked up the first volume on a slow Sunday and ended up reading the first third of the series in one sitting—there’s a momentum that's best preserved by following the release order.

If you want a slightly more nuanced plan, try this: read volumes 1–8 to get fully invested in the characters and the setting, take a pause (there are some heavy scenes—this helped me), then finish 9–22 in a couple of stretches. After you finish the manga, I like to follow up by watching the 26-episode anime adaptation of 'Rainbow'. The anime compresses and interprets some arcs differently; watching it after reading feels like visiting a familiar, slightly altered retelling. Personally, I wouldn’t start with the anime unless you prefer to sample the tone first—seeing the manga after you’ve watched the anime enriches details that were glossed over.

A few practical tips from my own reading habit: seek out an official translation if you can, because the nuances in dialogue and the color pages/extra sketches in collected editions are worth it. Be prepared for graphic content and adult themes—this series is unflinching about violence and institutional brutality. If you’re reading digitally, pause between major turning points and read author notes or chapter comments; those small interludes helped me process characters’ decisions and made the tougher chapters easier to handle. I also recommend discussing with a friend or online group after finishing—it’s one of those series that opens up more when you talk about it rather than just finishing alone.