Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
EleonoraViolet
(Originally written on 2025/07/02, the day I finished watching this title)
(Actual score - 9.5/10)
Overall, it was an amazing experience - with a very strong "makes you feel good" vibe.
ARTSTYLE / DESIGNS
- Stunning, absolutely stunning; everything looked realistic enough, but at the same time it all had a very distinct hand-drawn vibe to it, like colored pages from an illustration book. Every single thing - and I mean everything, from backgrounds, through small details in them, to characters themselves & their outfits - was a pleasure to look at, with how beautiful it was.
- The more "stylized" visuals were also present for several different scenes, mostly to demonstrate how Totsuko (one of the MCs) viewed the world around her, and they were equally amazing & beautiful.
- This movi…
Read at the sourceemberreviews
The Colors Within is probably the most “tone piece” style of film we’ve gotten from Naoko Yamada so far. It certainly does have a plot and set of character arcs, but much more emphasis is put on the raw emotion of a given moment and the blindingly gorgeous art direction. Totsuko’s fantastical extrasensory ability to view the “color” of other people adds visual supplement to the turbulent emotions she and the others around her experience, while also simply being cinematically brilliant as an abstract expression of feeling. Whether it’s Yamada’s penchant for inserting breathtaking flower imagery into as many shots as she can, her nostalgic fixation on retro technology, the older style of rock music whose wall of sound completely engulfs the listener, or a parade of the most beautiful example…
Read at the sourcedoitsushine92
BEAUTIFUL movie about bisexuality and growing up religious and guilt and also friendship and love it has me ugly crying i loved it. felt very seen in ways that most movies can't really convey
the art style is beautiful and makes everything look surreal and dreamlike. the music is full of bangers. minimal angst and very heartfelt. the characters were all distinct from one another, i love totsuko the best!
if you like coming of age stories that leave you feeling like things will be alright, then i definitely recommend this
watched this as one of my recommendations from secret santa 2025/2026!
Read at the sourcejlzap
What the synopsis doesn't tell you is that they attend a Catholic school, and religion is a pretty big part in the film. All of the music has religious lyrics, but I will admit their main song is a banger. There are also some definite LGBTQ+ undertones in it. Undertones being true undertones, they really don't play a role in it; and the most obvious hint of it is the post-credits closing scene. The Catholicism and LGBTQ+ undertones do not clash at all, they are their own distinct parts of the film, which I found to be a good thing.
Some drama happens, but overall nothing of huge consequence. There is no wondering what will happen or being scared for the main character. You might feel some sympathy for certain characters at times, but in general it's not tooooo hard-hitting or anything.
I…
Read at the sourceSoulwarfare
This is a beautifully animated film about self-discovery, connection, and creativity through music. The characters are super expressive, and the animation is colourful and vibrant in all the right ways. The relationships are a joy to watch, especially between our two main girls: Totsuko and Kimi. The music is great too, with a strong score and a fantastic performance at the end.
What keeps it from being truly amazing is that it tries to juggle too many storylines without giving them enough time. Totsuko’s Synesthesia feels like it’s just there rather than something meaningful to her character. Kimi hiding the fact that she dropped out of school from her grandmother never really pays off, even though it builds a lot of tension. Rui, the third member of the trio, is the least developed, he…
Read at the sourcenudelmampf
I really don't know why this isn't higher rated... Yes, there is no real plot. It's just the characters and their relationships, and the time they spent together for a part oft their lives. And yeah, much ist left unresolved, but... that's the essence of slice of life, isn't it? And SoL is certainly not the most unpopular anime genre. but somehow this got overlooked.
I really can't recommend it enough: Great and fitting Animation, colors, heartfelt characters, that feel realistic, dialogue that doesn't insult your intelligence, no unnecessary drama.
And at the same time, it feels unique. Naoko Yamadas previous Movie (Liz and the Blue Bird) is the only thing that comes to mind when thinking about the "vibe" the movie has.
SoL at its finest.
Read at the sourceUbinas
Beautiful-looking and a real 'vibe' movie, and although it's plot is a bit indistinct and meanders around quite a bit (maybe a little bit too much), this really helps to get into the characters headspace. Characters are all very likeable, art style is very appealing and the animation is stellar, although the writing is a little weaker as some of their motivations are somewhat unclear and some of the voice acting can be a little over the top at times.
There is nothing really ground-breaking about this movie, although it's very well made but probably not quite at the level of Yamada's earlier movies, but a great watch and very easily recommended!
Read at the sourcespandy
Forsaking god for glorious New Wave music. Naoko Yamada brings her KyoAni pedigree over to Science Saru, this time going back to a more slice-of-life and music orientated story akin to "K-On!" The story is less thematically dense than her previous films ("A Silent Voice", "Liz and the Bluebird") but I was happy with the narrative mostly running on vibes.
The animation and music are impeccable and the three leads are charming enough that I didn't mind how low the stakes were. I was also expecting Totsuko's synesthesia to play a bigger role in the story (which is what the title is referring to) but it's mostly thematic: her friends feel unseen in their environments, but Totsuko's ability to feel their inner colours helps them express themselves.
The instrumental rendition of "Born Slippy"…
Read at the sourcedograzor
Looks absolutely gorgeous with vibrant visuals and catchy music, and while the plot is very low-stakes and somewhat meandering the characters are all very endearing. The movie has a strangely aimless vibe, although this seems to at least be partially the intention, with the style of introducing and side-lining plot-points that would otherwise be interesting to follow almost being in the 'feature-not-a-bug' category for a Yamada work now...life can be messy, and that's OK!
In summary: A very pleasant movie to watch, and could easily watch it again, although does not scale the heights of Yamada's previous couple of movies. The 'Planets' song is a banger.
Read at the sourceimmosha
Oh, it's an anime about Christian rock.
Kimi no Iro is an amazing entry by Naoko Yamada. It's simply beautiful, ranging from gorgeous use of color (to be expected from the title) to superb character animation we rarely see in movies today. It tells a heartwarming, wholesome story of friendship and coming to terms with escapism. That said, the story itself is sparse and lacks significant conflict - it's more for its main characters to grapple with their teenage problems and growth than anything truly gripping. Thus, most of this video is a visual spectacle carrying you through their lives through vibes alone.
The music is great, both the soundtrack by Ushio and the songs by the characters' band. Catholicism is unsurprisingly not a common presence in anime, and while I was not expecting An…
Read at the sourcebutahime
PREMISE
Yet another band anime this time in the form of an original movie directed by Yamada Naoko. The twist is that the MC has synesthesia and goes to a Catholic school neither of which are portrayed which much weight.
VISUAL
This part is at least okay. The synthesia bits have some nice abstracted water color animation and the production quality of the realist scenes is high – they even manage to have fairly long and detailed dancing and a band performances with no CG but you can’t help but think you are looking at the least imaginative way to portray something so fundamentally based in imagination. Character figures can be expressive but rarely have anything interesting going on so it doesn’t matter. They don’t stand out or look attractive and you have the common Yamada problem of al…
Read at the sourceClannadstan
The Colors within ("Kimi no Iro"), a splendid tale of understanding ourselves.
Kimi no Iro is, without a doubt, THE BEST ANIMATED FILM I’VE EVER SEEN.
The review could end here, but if you want to know more, keep reading. There are slight spoilers of what happens, but I’ll tell you there’s no plot to spoil, it's simply the story of the everyday life of a girl named Totsuko (the blonde one on the poster).
Totsuko suffers from color blindness. But Naoko Yamada’s genius is in not making her disability a limitation or something to pity. Totsuko’s color blindness is used by the director to create a character who "sees the color of people." Because of her condition, the girl associates a color with each person she cares about. Totsuko attends an all-girls Catholic high school, complete with a…
Read at the sourceNagooey
The Colors Within (Kimi no Iro) is cozy, warm, beautiful, and just nice vibes.
The animation feels so delicate and leaves a lingering impression on you, all while showcasing this water'color' aesthetic that beautifully complements the film's themes of self-discovery and emotional expression. Director Naoko Yamada creates a space where the visual and audio direction come together to make a truly emotionally resonant film, where glimpses of her previous works like "A Silent Voice" and "Liz and the Blue Bird" are evident. The tiny nuances of the characters' movements and gestures during interactions, paired with subtle shifts in both non-diegetic and diegetic environmental sounds, along with the incredible atmospheric soundtrack, all build to showcase the masterful direction that makes this…
Read at the sourceWeLoveYouLain
probably surpasses "look back" as anime film of the year. yamada continues to prove that she is the best working anime director. i don't even think it's close. the colors here are gorgeous and so full of life. but it's not just that. the way yamada captures each moment between her characters is unparalleled. there's no artificial drama; it's simply characters enjoying being in one another's orbit. maybe one could argue it's all a bit slow, but i loved the pace. everything feels genuine and develops naturally. i'm also always a sucker for films that deal with finding one's place, and the way each character goes about this and gradually accepts themselves is so genuine. the music also slaps.
Read at the sourceJustMonika2
(Note: I just finished watching the movie in theatres, but if anything changes I'll make an edit at the end).
This movie is really well executed and the VAs did a great job considering (based on MAL) they don't have any other roles as of yet. The story is pretty heartwarming and I found just enough charm in each character to the extent where they were charming but not annoying. I think how it tackles each individual's situation is pretty realistic for anime standards, and really shows how teens struggle caring about family versus themselves. There isn't any big antagonist; the characters instead are battling against their own feelings.
The music is not my cup of tea and it really captures the "we formed a band as high school students and let's see where this goes" (what I mean by this is…
Read at the sourceStellaLuna9182
Serenity, Serendipity, Warm—these are the feelings that linger with me after watching Naoko Yamada's latest film, 'The Colors Within.' Her films have always been a source of comfort, and this one was no exception.
Having been a long-time fan of Naoko Yamada's films—each one leaving me with a sense of warmth—I was curious to see if 'The Colors Within' would continue that tradition. However, as the film began, I found myself concerned that my non-anime-watching friend might not share the same experience.
In the opening scenes, the pacing felt slower than what I was used to, and there was no immediate hook to pull me in. Unlike the flashy or dramatic openings of many films, this one didn’t start with a bang, which initially left me wondering how it would unfold. To illustrate, in modern su…
Read at the sourcejustinharsey
After the 2019 KyoAni arson, director Naoko Yamada left her home studio in search of another place to work. Best known for 'K-On!' and 'A Silent Voice', she was one of the forefront directors there. For her to leave must have been a hard choice, but continuing to work in a place where many of her colleagues died must have been hard.
After leaving Kyoto Animations, Yamada hops around for a bit, but it didn't take long for her to find herself at Science Saru, a more avant garde studio in anime that sounds like a fitting place for her, but it wasn't instant magic.
Her first work there, 'Heiki Monotagri', an 11-episode historical anime, while not terrible, lacks a lot of Yamada's identity. It's an interesting watch, but overall feels more as though she is adapting to a new work environment.…
Read at the sourceMarinate1016
There’s a handful of directors whose names alone are enough to get me in a seat. Christopher Nolan, Martin Scorsese, Robert Eggers and Yamada Naoko are among those names. Yamada’s Koe no Katachi genuinely saved my life and opened me up to a new way of perceiving the world. It’s had such a lasting impact on me and influenced how I look at film and media to this day. It’s a no brainer then when I heard Yamada-sensei was releasing a new film I jumped all over this. I can gladly say this lived up to the hype for me. While it doesn’t have as strong a story as Koe no Katachi, as an anime original coming of age story it works very well.
Tatsuko, Rui and Kimi’s band forming over the course of the film while they open up to one another was such a wholesome and intimate experience. We only had abo…
Read at the sourceMango-tan
I feel like many people who look at the trailer (just like me) just saw the pretty colors and thought "hey I'm gonna check this out, if it has such a nice budget, then it must be worth the while". I went in with no knowledge or expectations, and I feel like maybe that's the best way to jump into this.
The movie starts out with plopping you into the setting and slowly you get to know the environment and the characters. I think thanks to this type of pacing it really helps you get closer to the characters in a natural, slow way.
In the second half of the movie I was really starting to wonder, where are we going with this? What is the goal of the characters? What does this movie want to tell, or show us? I kept trying to find meaning in everything, I kept trying to predict where this is go…
Read at the sourceSCLFI
The Colours Within is in many ways an unconventional approach to a standard and understood subject matter. Director Naoko Yamada’s best known works (A Silent Voice, Liz and the Blue Bird) operate under the Aristotelian currency of pain and catharsis, which marks a clear separation to her work within TV anime, which closer resemble similar moves towards the means of catharsis, but without the pain or dramatic grandeur that other narratives choose to incorporate. In consideration of these two categories, The Colours Within fails to fit into either, it includes base-level resemblances to iyashikei works like K-On, but it is wholly disinterested in providing the same sort of narrative structure as any such example within that genre. It is a remarkable instance of a work that values and emphasi…
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