The Colors Within

A sweet coming of age story with soft colors, radiant music, and a serene atmosphere. A Silent Voice director Naoko Yamada’s Japanese music drama anime film The Colors Within (2024) is really wonderful. This quiet and pensive film comes across as deeply empathetic. Her gorgeous film A Silent Voice blew me away with its raw emotions, meanwhile The Colors Within feels considerate and tranquil by comparison. A trio of new friends coming together to make Christian electronic rock is a neat concept. The music lets these shy characters shine. You can really feel Naoko Yamada’s loving care for her characters and the real people that can feel as isolated and lonely as them. Seeing the world through vivid colors that are unique to each person is an interesting concept like Synthesia. How all these shy characters express themselves through emotional musical melodies is a lovely idea. The Colors Within is all about being kind and making beautiful music that shares your honest feelings. It’s like the only way they can admit their complicated issues at home. I bet most kids, teenagers, young adults, and adults will relate to this kind hearted message. Writer Reiko Yoshida is considering many mature themes in her touching narrative. I thought the lead girl felt like a girl dealing with Catholic repression in a strict religious school, lesbian desires for a female friend, autistic scattered thoughts and hyperfixation, and an inner passion for music that wants to be expressed. The Colors Within is a fantastic and subtle film that will age well for its understanding of those in emotional need. Kylie McNeill’s serious and concerned voice for the quiet guitarist Kimi Sakunaga is wonderful. I could hear her nervousness, but also her warmth around Totsuko was sweet. Her singing voice is incredible in the finale. Libby Rue’s shy and awkward voice fits the nervous keyboardist Totsuko Sakunaga. When the band is all playing together, you get cool vocal harmonies. Eddy Lee’s excitable voice as the encouraging theremin player Rui Kagehira is excellent. I like how kind he is to the girls. Eileen Stevens’ voice for the helpful, curious, and nurturing nun Sister Hiyoshiko is nice too. Editor Kiyoshi Hirose’s gentle cutting just lets us sway and vibe with these characters. It feels steadily paced without ever feeling slow. There is a flowing calmness to The Colors Within due to this editing style. Cinematographer Yoshimitsu Tomita sticks to mostly close-up shots of faces and medium shots of the friendship trio hanging out. The band practices are a fun change of pace visually. Art directors Midori Shimada and Yuna Murooka use softer pastel colors and a watercolor animation style that’s dazzling. Composer Kensuke Ushio’s film score is mostly serene piano melodies like the film’s softer vibe. There’s a main theme that keeps repeating that’s really spellbinding. “Born Slippy” playing during the girls hanging out in Totsuko’s dorm room is hilarious, exhilarating, and gave me nostalgia for Trainspotting. Mr. Children’s songs for the band being based around a theremin, guitar, and piano is very cool and different. The heavenly sound of the music throughout The Colors Within is fabulous. Sound designer Eriko Kimura captures crisp vocals and clean instrumentation. In short, The Colors Within is very beautiful with smooth animation, vibrant colors, delightful music, and a tender heart.

The Colors Within is a visually tender anime that floats through adolescent emotions with grace but little dramatic weight. Centered on a teenage girl who sees the colors of people’s souls, the film opts for soft introspection over narrative tension. Director Naoko Yamada crafts a watercolor world of quiet gestures and subtle connections, yet the story feels emotionally static. While the animation is delicate and poetic, and the music gently atmospheric, the lack of conflict or progression makes the experience feel more like a dreamy interlude than a compelling drama. It's a beautiful film—but beauty alone doesn’t always linger.

Beautiful movie with beautiful music. The animation is really pretty and crisp. Nothing about the movie I didn’t enjoy (:

One of the most beautiful anime film I've ever seen. There are no major stakes in the story which I found refreshing--just pure vibes. The more I rewatch this film, the more details I discover. I also appreciate how subtle the dialogue yet it carries a lot of meaning. I recommend this film! If you liked Liz and the Blue Bird then you will enjoy this!

Beautifully animated, wonderful story and music. A must see!!

The animation alone makes this movie worth a watch. The story and characters are interesting enough, and the music show at the end is stunning. I saw the dub and I’m in love with Kylie McNeill’s voice (she killed it in Belle and flourishes here). Story and concept is interesting but the schtick about Kimi is that she can see the colors that people emit, but it barely has any merit on the overarching story.   Overall, a fun experience, visually pleasing and great songs, it’s just that the pacing is slow at times and the story is just ok.  

Loved it! Great music.

Great wholesome movie. Slow paced but the likeable characters and their journey was worth it. The art direction and surprisingly great music really sell this as a unique experience. Good dub too. The main character sounded like my little cousin.

Uplifting storyline, beautiful colors and characters!

naoko yamada is a treasure and must be protected. she is easily one of my favorite directors right now. 3 back to back 5/5s what a legend. we are taken through the journey of a young girl who struggles internally and strives to figure out her true self who sees people a beauty colors. and is a captivating journey. part of this colorful journey is finding a group of friends that acts as support for each other in finding hidden strengths and being able to be vulnerable with each other. truly such beautiful piece of animation.  such a vibrant and alive film. friendship, vulnerability, and embracing your true self. some scenes with beautiful burst of colors that symbolizes acceptance and peace. great storytelling portraying the beauty of empathy, the importance of connection, and the journey of self discovery.  and the scene when the band finally performs i was mesmerized the whole time. not only was the music good but it was a powerful moment of the group finally embracing themselves and sharing music with the world which all created a euphoric feeling from start to finish. i’ll be listening to the soundtrack all year:)