Watching The Colors Within (Kimi no iro) is like reading the diary of a girl in transition from childhood to autonomy. It’s a hazy, softly pastel, watercolor kind of animation. A compilation of everyday events that add up to a time in life that changes what comes after.
Directed by Naoko Yamada and written by Reiko Yoshida, with animation from Science SARU, The Colors Within introduces us to Totsuko (Sayu Suzukawa), a girl who sees auras—the colors in people’s hearts. We watch her grow from a little dancer at the edge of a ballet studio to a student at a Catholic school. We learn that Totsuko is devout in her love of God and in hiding her sixth sense. When she meets a beautifully blue girl, Kimi (Akari Takaishi), and a soothingly green boy, Rui (Taisei Kido), the three teens form a band. But it’s more than an expression of art; their rehearsals for the Super Ice Cream band are a haven where guilt fades and honest expression bubbles up to the surface.
On their way to their first performance, the three bandmates find support from an unexpected mentor. Sister Hiyoko (Yui Aragaki), a young nun. The Sister encourages their creativity. Quietly urging them to bend school rules and reshape their faith—allowing their spirits and the art they make to unfurl rather than be caged. That’s it. There aren’t any loud moments. The story is in harmony with the quiet where discoveries about ourselves are made, but it’s much more. The Colors Within is sweetly dreamy, as soft as the snowfall captured in a snow globe—picture-perfect images of life held close—and the music is sweet, too.
The Colors Within is in theaters now from GKIDS
