Gift: Eternal Rainbow

Amaumi Haruhiko is a high school student who attends Shimano Academy in a town called Narasakicho. Narasakicho contains an unknown rainbow which constantly overlooks the town and is related to granting a magical wish called "Gift." Gift is a once-in-a-lifetime present between two people.

As a child, Haruhiko has been close with his childhood friend, Kirino, until he obtains a new non-blood sister by the name of Riko. Haruhiko develops a strong relationship with Riko until they sadly depart due to the fact Haruhiko's father could no longer support the two of them.

After some times passes by, Riko finally returns to the town of Narasakicho, and along with Kirino, starts to attend Shimano Academy with Haruhiko. The series revolves around the relationship among these main protagonists and slowly reveals the story behind both Gift and the rainbow.

Fukamine, Riko Main

Shimizu, Ai Japanese

Konosaka, Kirino Main

Miyazaki, Ui Japanese

Amami, Haruhiko Main

Tai, Yuuki Japanese

Kamishiro, Yukari Supporting

Koshimizu, Ami Japanese

Fujimiya, Chisa Supporting

Shintani, Ryouko Japanese

Hokazono, Rinka Supporting

Kawaragi, Shiho Japanese

Asakawa, Sena Supporting

Enomoto, Atsuko Japanese

Edo, Masaki Supporting

Hatano, Kazutoshi Japanese

Himekura, Nene Supporting

Matsui, Naoko Japanese

Kasai Supporting

Yamazaki, Takumi Japanese

Iwasa, Gaku Producer

Saitou, Shigeru Producer

Itou, Yoshiyuki Producer

Kawakami, Ryuutarou Producer

Reviews

Jan 30, 2008

Hyeonnie

Recommended

To tell you the truth, I did not expect much from these series..
but then, it seems I was wrong xD.

Story: the story is the usuall love triangle that I have seen so many times.
A childhood friend and a male protagonist getting along when another old friend that the male character had a crush on( usually) comes back and there goes the triangle. However, the story was, nonetheless, good. It wasn't boring, although there wasn'nt anything that stood out that much.

Art: the art overall was pretty good, and the figures didn't seem out of place. The characters were drawn nicely. The art did ... certainly bring the rating of this series up.

Sound: the sound was also very nicely fit into the scenes. It really helped set the right atmosphere to each of the scenes that it was put in.

Character: The characters were nothing new, as this type of genre is common, and their actions were almost always predictable. It would have been much better if there was somehting more unique about the characters... but then that may as well have affected the story as a whole.
But this does in no way mean that the characters were shallow. They were well, thought out and each character has his or her own development in the story.

Enjoyment: I really enjoyed these series, it was one of the series were i could lay back and enjoy the whole series, without troubling myself on trying too hard to think in depth on in.

Overall: Overall, I think these serie is really worth watching if you like romance stories and have got the time. I wouldn't say that its a Must-See, but still it is worth the time.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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Apr 1, 2009

ZetaAspect

Mixed Feelings

"Gift ~eternal rainbow~" is yet another show based on an H-Game. Really, what isn't based on an H-Game nowadays? In any case, I decided to watch it simply on the basis that it had no reviews on AnimeNfo. As such, I did not have high expectations. However, it turned out to be a decent show. By no means was it anything special, but it was somewhat enjoyable.


STORY: 5/10

The story of "Gift" isn't a particularly great one, and it doesn’t always make a whole lot of sense. Not to mention that the gimmick of this series, the Gifts themselves, are ... really kind of unimportant in the grand scheme of things. “Gift” is a romance, complicated by the sibling-esque relationship between Haruhiko and Riko and by the obligatory H-Game diversions. The show spends too much time on side characters. I assume their stories are nods to the source material, but they are simply unnecessary. As regards the relationship between Haruhiko and Riko, its effects don't feel well-considered in the long run, although it eventually doesn't matter. Once their relationship issues are "resolved," the story accelerates rapidly into a love triangle full of drama and betrayal for the final third of the series, with Gifts and the mysteries behind them playing a more central role. Although these elements are interesting, they feel like a bit of an afterthought. I did like the love triangle, though. It was well-motivated, although it was certainly melodramatic. The double-childhood-friend angle was a bit original.

Overall: 5/10 – What is essentially generic drivel is redeemed slightly by…I don’t know…the cuteness of the first arc and the intensity and understandable motivation of the last arc? “Please Twins” did a better job handling character responses in a siblings-but-not plot. “KgNE” and “True Tears” had more compelling triangles. Still, though, “Gift” wasn’t terrible. It just wasn’t particularly great.


ART: 4/10

Character Designs: Enormous eyes, almost completely filled by the irises. It took a while to get used to it. While this eye design seems to be increasingly common in bishoujo characters, it was odd (in a bad way) to see such large irises in the male lead. Also, the character designs, especially that of the male lead, are very inconsistent. This was most noticeable in facial design and hair, although it occasionally extended to female body proportions. The male lead fluctuated between being cool and attractive (ep 11) and being goofy-looking (ep 1). However, the female leads were consistently decent-looking, and occasionally very pretty. Riko looks a bit too much like Lucy/Nyu from "Elfen Lied" at times, though, which was...peculiar. The color palette is bright, just the way I usually like it.

Background Art: Nothing particularly amazing, but it was pleasant and consistent. Pretty much standard in recent years, it seems.

Animation: Nothing impressive, but nothing noticeably bad. Seemed fluid enough for its purposes.

Cinematography: I didn't notice anything particularly noteworthy. Pretty standard shots.

Overall: 4/10 - The inexcusable lack of consistency drags a decent visual production down to a bad one. It still has its rare moments of beauty, though.


SOUND: 6/10

OP: A pleasant but non-compelling piece. Guitars (acoustic and bass), strings, and vocals are layered on top of an uptempo rock/break beat. I've encountered quite a few of these lately.
BGM: Pleasant, appropriate, and yet forgettable.
ED: Actually kind of interesting due to the visual sync with Riko playing the guitar (with actual chords). Otherwise, it's pleasant but nothing memorable.
Voice Acting: As someone who is not a native Japanese speaker, I cannot hope to catch the subtleties of delivery. However, for what it's worth, I thought that all the seiyuu were appropriate and matched their characters and their emotions. Also, the occasional non-verbal noises caught my attention and were appreciated.
Sound FX: Gift effects sounded cheesy. It was kinda inevitable, though. Not a big deal.

Overall: 6/10 - Enjoyable all-around, but forgettable.


CHARACTER: 6/10

The characters, in general, were pretty flat or caricature-ish. Background stories were limited to the three leads, primarily to Haruhiko. However, Kirino and Riko acquired a little depth by the end. In addition, Riko and Haruhiko had good rapport as siblings...which was kind of wasted by the romance.

Haruhiko: A pretty generic harem-type lead at first, but perhaps a bit more empathetic and open with his feelings. Over time, he seems to become a better person, although I get the sense that this was due only slightly to character development and mostly to inconsistent writing.

Kirino: A shy, pleasant girl who likes Haruhiko. She has a more complex relationship with Riko than initially meets the eye. I don’t want to spoil much, so I’ll just say that I liked her motivation in the final arc, although that’s primarily because she simply HAD an understandable motive.

Riko: Basically Haruhiko’s adopted sister, who had to leave him years ago. They were great and lively friends, something maintained in their playful treatment of each other. She’s feisty and cheerful, but has a sensitive side and a selfish side that overwhelm her on occasion. She also has a fear of being/becoming alone. If you pay attention, you might notice that she uses slight regression under severe stress. Nice Freudian touch. Also, I was surprised by how kawaii she occasionally managed to be (kawaii enough for me to use fangirl Japanese to describe it). As an afterthought, I remember that I appreciated that she insisted on carrying her own suitcase instead of letting the male lead do it for her.

Maki: A supporting character and friend of Haruhiko, although he is more a caricature than a true character. He is the smart, controlling, cold-hard-rational-science-obsessed guy, although he’s really not scientific in his methods. He’s calm and collected, and he also considers the feelings of his friends, which is nice.

Then, in addition to these, there are all the girls who probably have their own routes in the game, like Rinka, Chisa, Yukari, and possibly someone on the student council. None of these characters seemed important in any way, really, and I think they detract from the overall experience, making it less focused than it could have been.

In terms of interpersonal relationships, we are often left with such ambiguous descriptions as declarations of “love.” However, Kirino eventually describes something a little bit more specific, and it isn’t too hard to figure out what drives Riko’s relationship with Haruhiko (he cares about her, pays attention to her, and is simply there for her, almost as family). Additionally, the relationship between Riko and Haruhiko is supported by a bit of casual banter near the beginning of the series, which actually seems to go a long way in showing their mutual compatibility in the long run. Still, I feel that the relationships in “Gift” are sketchy, primarily because what Haruhiko sees in the girls and/or wants from a relationship with the girls remains a mystery to the audience.

Overall: 6/10 – There are a lot of cardboard cutouts, especially at the beginning, when only Riko seems to have any depth, and that’s only because of the way she interacts with her foster brother. On top of that, many are completely unnecessary to the story. However, the added depth to the characters of Riko and Kirino, by the end of the series, manage to pull “Gift” out of the realm of mediocrity and into the realm of decency.


ENJOYMENT: 7/10

The odd thing about “Gift ~eternal rainbow~” is that, despite its flaws and rather unremarkable basic essence, I really enjoyed it. Well, I didn’t enjoy it THAT much, but it was a pleasant surprise. It’s probably because I didn’t expect much, as that tends to increase my overall impression. So, really, “Gift” is an unremarkable but generally pleasant romantic drama, with occasional points of noticeable enjoyment, usually provided by Riko in some manner. As such, I have rated my enjoyment as a 7/10.

I guess enjoyment would also depend on one’s tolerance for H-Game fare and harem fare: the stuff of male wish-fulfillment. My patience for such content has yet to be depleted, since I usually avoid the genres. “Gift” is far from being the worst of this kind of stuff, but it certainly cannot hold its own against the best shows these genres have to offer, which are often respectable titles within the whole of anime, across genres.


SIMPLIFIED RECOMMENDATION: Watch it if you’re in the mood for or have run out of other pleasant romances. Don’t watch it if you’re sick of somewhat shoddy character and plot constructions.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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Nov 5, 2023

MavisLH

Not Recommended

Spoiler

Gift: Eternal Rainbow is definitely one of the romance anime of all time. Yet another 2000s harem anime that's absolutely not harem and is instead a love triangle.

The people tagging these anime have no idea what they're doing and honestly its infuriating seeing most love triangle shows labeled as harem.

Anyways, onto the anime in question. Its an absolute snoozefest. The entire gift gimmick with the powers quickly runs dry. The Eternal Rainbow isn't nearly as impactful or deeply integrated into the plot as is the everlasting sakura in Da Capo. Which this anime rips off in some sense.

Besides that, the love triangle itself is ... decent. Its the same old troupe that's plagued 2000s romance anime for the longest time. A show that builds chemistry with seemingly obvious love interest, only to pull a fast one and pair up unlikely people. Atleast it concludes fairly well with some decent closure. But they could've handled the dynamics between the protagonist and the two girls a little better.

Especially considering the protagonist can easily be one of the biggest turn offs of the entire show. Where the writers can't decide on whether he's a kind hearted and caring individual or an ignorant oblivious cuck bumbling his way through interactions. This dichotomy in his character gets tiring, when I'd rather the show give me either one of the two characters archetypes instead of this weird amalgation.

The cast is wonderful, for the little screentime they get. The writers are allergic to its supporting cast, and would rather senselessly drag issues between the three leads instead of focusing a little more on its arguably strongest suit.

Speaking on issues, every single story beat or arc feels unnecessarily fabricated or manufactured. The weight in most of these scenes is seemingly fleeting because the love triangle is in a constant limbo. They spend majority of its runtime on the contexts behind the romance, with laughably minimal interactions resulting from this.

Overall, this is bad love triangle anime. Not a harem in the slightest sense. Forgotten side cast that are more interesting than main case. Watch something else. This was pure mid in every since or the word.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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	Poll: Gift ~eternal rainbow~ Episode 2 Discussion cureroyale - Mar 28, 2009	8 replies	by ReaperCreeper »» Dec 10, 3:31 AM
	Poll: Gift ~eternal rainbow~ Episode 12 Discussion cureroyale - Apr 16, 2009	19 replies	by oooo3333 »» Sep 23, 10:58 PM
	Poll: Gift ~eternal rainbow~ Episode 11 Discussion cureroyale - Apr 16, 2009	5 replies	by Byniavo »» Nov 8, 2022 9:04 AM
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	Poll: Gift ~eternal rainbow~ Episode 9 Discussion cureroyale - Apr 5, 2009	8 replies	by Byniavo »» Nov 8, 2022 5:15 AM