Konnichiwa minna-san! So for today I'm gonna review a movie that just aired last year. I already saw its trailer back then, but I forgot to check it out once it aired. Anyway, I finally watched it yesterday and I was amazed by how it brought a lot of memories—both recent and old ones. One of the main characters has synesthesia—a condition where usual senses get mixed up with other senses, and that brings back my memories of the time I was reading TNOTBIS. The boy there has synesthesia in which when he saw a circle around two dots and curling line, he doesn't see a smiley face rather he smelled baking cookies that's punctuated with two beeps and a low whine.
That's also quite the same with one of the MCs of this movie because she saw colors in other people but that's not the only thing that's odd because rather than seeing them, she felt them more—in short, she feels colors. It was an interesting concept because it wasn't entirely a fictional condition. So much for that, as for newer memories, recently in our music class, there's that instrument that was introduced and I'm not really familiar with it, but upon hearing what it sounds like, I already heard it before. It was theremin and I was really fascinated with how it sounded like. Enough with my memory trip, let's now immerse in the journey of three individuals whose fate got intertwined with colors and music in The Colors Within.
About the Anime
The Colors Within (Kimi no Iro) is an anime movie that aired last August 30, 2024. This one-hour and forty-minute movie was animated by Science SARU and was an original one that was directed by Naoko Yamada. Like his previous works, Silent Voice and Liz and the Blue Bird, the theme of this movie is similar to theirs. Also, there's of 'course drama and a lot of music which made the movie emotionally gripping and entertaining.
So it all started with the story of the girl—Totsuko—who feels colors. Ever since then she already has that strange ability, but to avoid the possible discrimination, she hid that one. However, when Totsuko saw the color of her schoolmate Kimi, she could barely hide her fascination and excitement upon feeling her color. But just when she's getting immersed in Kimi's color, Kimi just stopped coming to school, and thus that starts the days of her attempt to find her. Her only lead was that Kimi was said to work now in a library—but which library?
After days of visiting various libraries, she met a mysterious white cat who led her to a secluded library, and that's where she finally found her. Eventhough she doesn't have any previous experience in playing an instrument, she finds herself forming a band with Kimi and Rui—a cute musician that she also met the day she found Kimi. They agreed to practice at the abandoned church on Rui's hometown island, and as their practices went on, their bonds slowly deepened and the music they made started to sound richer. But those carefree moments don't last forever because later on they again have to face the harsh reality—reality that they need to move on and face the life of being an adult.
I don't know what I exactly felt after I finished watching it. It's like the feeling I felt after I watched Silent Voice, though this movie is a lot more, for me, nicer to watch because it doesn't evoke a lot of negative feelings. The way that it delivered an emotionally provoking plot without giving me major emotional damage was admirable. The pacing may be slow at first but you will not really mind it if you're immersed with its cozy theme. I was lowkey expecting for dramatic turn of events, but anyway, there's no such thing as that in this movie. It does have a climax, but not the one that will devastate you emotionally. Rather it's a nice kind of peak of the plot because in that part it really showed the characters' improvements.
It was heartwarming and inspiring because it portrayed some issues that resonated well with me. I'm already in my adulting period so I kinda understand how it feels to be like them and honestly, it's terrifying to be an adult. Personal dilemmas and various responsibilities do really converge once you're on this stage, and they will leave no room for slacking off, and this movie portrayed what it is to be in that situation without making it highly dramatic and emotionally devastating. Even though it's delivered in a lighthearted manner, the conflict still feels genuine and affecting. However, if you're not into an anime with no major twists and tear-jerking moments, then better steer clear because its lighthearted and cozy drama isn't for you.
As for its visuals, for me, it's easily the greatest part of this anime. Not that I don't like its plot, it's just its animation and art style were amazing. The level of detail in the animation was astonishing and also it's enthralling to watch how smooth and delicate their movements are—even the random act of changing clothes was mesmerizing to watch. The color palette that this movie used was vivid but soothing at the same time, and the character designs weren't that complex and unique, but those designs matched well with their personalities. Particularly I like how Totsuko was drawn because, unlike the conventional anime girl's design which was mostly skinny, she was portrayed a little fuller but not heavily drawn.
Her design emanates comfort and charm, and further, if there are parts of their design that stand out, they are their eyes and lashes. They're beautiful and expressive and I can't help myself but focus on them especially when they are in close-up angle. On the other hand, like its vivid art style, the soundtrack of this movie was a blast! From the quirky background instrumentals to the upbeat and jam-worthy songs—they're definitely entertaining! And before I forgot, the theremin part really enchanted me. The sound it produced was so emotional and classy, but at the same time it's playful. It's so cool watching Rui play it, and the part where he played Giselle was my favorite among the soundtrack.
All in all, I rate this anime 9/10 because it had a slow start which at some point made me impatient and almost bored. But the rest after those tranquil moments are beautiful and engaging scenes that really hooked me up. The visuals and music were really the things that I love the most in this movie, so if you're looking for a lighthearted anime with beautiful visuals and animation, relatable characters, and an awesome soundtrack then might as well try watching The Colors Within.
Before I end this review, I'll share with you its trailer, so—
Have watched this movie before? Or you still haven't? Better check it out and see if it's to your liking. That's all for now! I hope you enjoyed reading my review minna-san.
Arigatou and tanoshinde ne~
The pictures that didn't have source were screenshots from the movie while the last picture was edited in Canva.