Bokura no Ame-iro Protocol

After an accident that killed his father and left his sister with a disability, Shun Tokinoya's mental duress has led to him refraining from online gaming. Now a model high school student who feels remorse over his past lifestyle, Shun works part-time in the cybercafe owned by his childhood friend Nozomi Inatsuki in order to support his family.

Despite this, an incident pushes Shun back into the world of online gaming. Following the sudden retirement of all players of FOX ONE—Nozomi's father’s esports team—Shun learns that the Inatsuki family is in severe debt. In order to repay the money they owe, Shun reluctantly agrees to participate in an online game tournament: Xaxerion Championship.

Joined by their classmate Akito Sendou, the three of them scout for talented players to rebuild the team. Although they are lucky to find two promising additions to FOX ONE, it is too soon to celebrate: if Shun does not let go of his guilty conscience, the makeshift team stands no chance at winning the tournament.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Saegusa, Yuu Main

Amamiya, Sora Japanese

Inatsuki, Nozomi Main

Minase, Inori Japanese

Tokinoya, Shun Main

Ono, Kensho Japanese

Tokinoya, Mio Main

Asakura, Momo Japanese

Sendou, Akito Main

Kimura, Ryouhei Japanese

Inatsuki, Souta Supporting

Shingaki, Tarusuke Japanese

Naito, Mutsuki Supporting

Matsuoka, Yoshitsugu Japanese

Nagamine, Ryuusei Supporting

Sugita, Tomokazu Japanese

Sakagami, Yoshiko Supporting

Tomatsu, Haruka Japanese

KAIZO Supporting

Matsui, Yuuko Producer

Sotokawa, Akihiro Producer

Endou, Kazuki Producer

Ozawa, Fumihiro Producer

Reviews

Feb 27, 2025

Verdigris6

Recommended

I like this show, and I'm writing this because I think there's a perspective a lot of the negative reviews are missing.

To start with the obvious: the esports game they play. I'm not a big gamer so maybe that's why this didn't bother me. There's no denying the 3D game graphics looked bad, I personally had no problem with that. But if you're looking for a show because you want the esports version of sports anime like Blue Lock or Haikyuu then this show isn't for you. They don't go in depth on any game details or strategy and the game scenes aren't visually appealing. ... That said, I still think the game scenes are interesting enough to do their job in the plot if you go in with the right expectations.

With that out of the way, I think this is a decent show if you watch for the characters. I won't spoil, but the main character is easy to root for and I think the decisions he is forced to make are what make the show worth watching. The plot isn't earthshattering but there are a couple different character dynamics at play that are interesting. The villain feels a little odd for this genre, but he was still a positive addition to story.

The show has a solid ending imo, but I do understand the complaint that a couple of the storylines never get addressed. They are definitely secondary stories, but it was odd that the show bothered to open a couple threads if they wasn't going to close them. I don't know anything about the development of this show, but it feels like it might have left them open for a possible season 2, though the main plots are resolved so I wouldn't call it incomplete.

Overall, I think this is a solid show if you want a character drama that uses esports as a backdrop to tell its story.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Feb 17, 2025

Kush_Dreams

Mixed Feelings

Protocol Rain is an interesting show, the things it does right, it does decently well.
What it does wrong though it does very, very, poorly.

I will say this opinion is exacerbated by me being a counter strike player, which this anime was seemingly based on as one of the maps is a layout copy of the bomb defusal map dust 2; the tactics, gameplay, and general gamesense felt atrocious to me, while they were able to capture team dynamic, storyline, individual player thought process, associated with E-sports.
It utterly fails to display player skill.

TL:DR Protocol Rain feels like the delusions of grandeur of a silver who thinks ... they know how the game is played.

I was very excited to see where this show would go when I saw that they were actually playing a game I spent thousands of hours on and I was sorely disappointed.

Reviewer’s Rating: 3

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Dec 27, 2024

MidniteAndBeyond

Not Recommended

Um... So this show was kinda whatever. I liked the premise from what I heard of it; a guy who had a gaming addiction in the past gives up gaming entirely to take care of his family after a tragic accident takes place. But surprise surprise, he gets back into gaming in an attempt to become an MLG pro gamer that can support his family with tier 3 subs and Raid Shadow Legends sponsorships! The game in question is a generic MMO FPS, aka a game that I have NO nostalgia for. I'm sure if this is a type of game that you enjoy, you ... might find it fun to see it being represented in an anime like this. But constantly having to look at the mediocre graphics of the gameplay wasn't really interesting for me. I feel like they could've used this setting as an opportunity to show the characters literally within the game world, AS their characters, or something cool like that. Instead of just... people sitting in chairs and reacting to the 3D models on the tiny screen awkwardly shuffling around. The show also just doesn't care about any of its cast. It's really just the "Shun and Yu Show" from beginning to end. And even then, parts of their storyline don't even get resolved in the end. The "villain" if you can call him that is really dumb and makes NO sense whatsoever. I kiiiiinda get what they were going for, but it was just done in a very awkward and nonsensical manner, in my opinion. I get the message they were going for with the main story and I think it had potential to be very dramatic and heartrending. But it just kinda feels very awkward and uncomfortable with a lot of forced drama and conflicts. It also just feels very "Big Bang Theory-esque" in its portrayal of gamers, streamers and their fans. So don't expect much positive representation in that department, other than the obligatory "and then everything worked out with the power of friendship and gaming and they all lived happily ever after!"

5/10

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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