Naoko Yamada continues her impressive track record of directing highly acclaimed movies with The Colors Within, joined by frequent collaborator Reiko Yoshida as screenwriter where the pair worked on A Silent Voice, Liz and the Blue Bird, Tamako Market and even going as far back as K-on, Yamada’s directorial debut. Besides having Yoshida as a collaborator, Yamada is also joined by Kensuke Ushio as the composer for the movie.
The concept of synesthesia plays as a recurring theme in The Colors Within, a phenomenon that causes sensory crossovers with examples of individuals being able to taste words or feel sounds where in The Colors Within, the protagonist Totsuko Higurashi (Sayu Suzukawa) is able to perceived the colors of other individuals. Higurashi could never see her own color which serves as a reflection of her inability to find a place where she belongs, often coming across as being in her own bubble.
The Colors Within tells the story of how three different characters bonding over through music while also using it as a means of escape to their own struggle. Fellow student Kimi Sakunaga (Akari Takaishi) who felt trapped in expectations and made a drastic life decision yet couldn’t come to terms in admitting it her loved ones in fear of not living up to the expectations and Rui Kagehira (Taisei Kido), a boy that is trying to accept a future that has been placed onto him by others. The unlikely trio formed a band to express their own bottled up emotions and struggles with their own personality spilling into their music.
Kensuke Ushio contributed heavily to the movie storytelling direction with his soundtracks as Yamada uses music to heavily convey the theme of the movie similarly to how the main trio conveys their emotion with music. Ushio has stated that the band New Order was the main source of inspiration for the music while Yamada stated that she wanted the songs to be played without complex chord progressions without many sounds or being too professional or commercial as it is fitting for teenagers. Despite the necessity to make amateur sounding music, Ushio managed to deliver multiple songs that come across as meaningful and catchy.
The Colors Within is ultimately a beautiful movie packed with emotions and light-hearted comedy encapsulating the genuine happiness of being with good friends while emphasizing the importance of acknowledging one’s true interest.
