'The Colors Within' Review

A future Catholic favorite

Director Naoko Yamada, best known for the heart wrenching anime film A Silent Voice, is not a Catholic, but her latest and first in five years The Colors Within feels like the work of a deeply faithful one. The film follows Totsuko (Akari Takaishi/Kylie MacNeill), a devout Catholic schoolgirl born with a form of synesthesia where she sees colors in others. Through a chance encounter, Totsuko starts a band with bookstore employee and school dropout Kimi (Sayu Suzukawa/Libby Rue) and sensitive and studious multi-instrumentalist Rui (Taisei Kido/Eddy Lee).

The Colors Within is first a spiritual drama and second a band movie. The narrative switches perspectives between the three band members, but much of the runtime is devoted to Totsuko, who is struggling with accepting her synesthesia. She is often found praying the first part of the serenity prayer: “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change.” That is all until Sister Hiyoshiko (Yui Aragaki/Eileen Stevens), one of the school's younger nuns, inquires about why Totsuko omits the rest. Hiyoshiko soon becomes a secret supporter of the band and Totsuko’s spiritual journey. Kimi and Rui also have their own struggles of acceptance, which come to a head in a musical performance that is simultaneously emotionally sweeping and toe-tapping.

The animation, done by the acclaimed studio Science Saru best known recently for Dan Da Dan, recreates Totsuko’s synesthetic vision through a sunkissed, brightly colored watercolor style. Unlike the hyper-detailed approach of directors like Makoto Shinkai (Your Name), The Colors Within opts for emotive quality. Nevertheless, there is no shortage of interesting angles and compositions throughout.

If there is one major flaw in the film, though, it is unfortunately the story. Thematically, The Colors Within is a powerful meditation on the power of music as prayer and the work of God in our lives. And yet, what is surrounding that is a rather thin story. While there are a few scenes of songwriting and practicing, the band element is more on the backburner than one would expect. The focus is instead on the bonds between the characters. This is not necessarily a problem, but the script lacks clear dramatic thrust, especially in the first act.

I saw the English dub, which was fantastic. It is usually a cardinal sin to watch the dub but the songs are fully voiced in English. Personally, that made it worthwhile. The voice cast is uniformly great, especially Eileen Stevens as Sister Hiyoshiko.

Considering the effort put into the dub and the backing of major international animation distributor GKIDS, I was not expecting a film that was so unapologetically Catholic. Yamada said this to The Asian Cut about her experience researching the faith: “People say it’s strict or there’s these sins you cannot commit, but I think I was able to accept it just as it is.” This comes through in the portrayal of sin, which depicts a more clearer moral sense than is seen in most Christian films. The characters do commit transgressions, but they face just consequences and an understanding of their mistakes.

We also get the sense of divine providence permeating the story. Characters are led to each other by serendipity that ultimately allows all to grow in ways otherwise impossible. The music is also a conduit for a message. Sister Hiyoshiko tells Totsuko that any song that honors “the true, the good, and the beautiful” can be a hymn. The Colors Within is a joyous hymn.

The Colors Within is now playing in theaters.

Dean Robbins was the arts editor of his student newspaper in both high school and college. He is now writing reviews in his spare time while applying to clinical psychology graduate programs. He is based in Pittsburgh, PA.