Colorful (film)

[idiffer]

Originally Posted by orion

Accepting that a person does "x" doesn't make the action "right". It just means that as her friend he has accepted her flaws. Just like he accepted his mother's extra-marital affair and his mother being sorry for it.

Loved this movie.

it doesn't make it wrong either. in this case her actions did noone harm...
but why should we even care? i didn't even make sure i got her relationship with makoto right. (i somehow missed that she was the girl he liked and she was part of the reason he offed himself). that's how little i cared about her in general. forgot her name even.
PS. waiting on roriconfan to review this...
EDIT
PPS. to teh persen who putted bad repyutatien for me gramer and ozer ppl who not like tis - fack yu.
i'm doing it cause im, whoops i'm, whoops, I'm lazy. deal with it

[orion]

Originally Posted by idiffer

it doesn't make it wrong either. in this case her actions did noone harm...

Actually, subsistence/compensated dating can be considered a form of prostitution. link 1, link 2

[idiffer]

um, i think this will become a debate about wether prostitution is wrong or right. and then probably about wether the law is a measure of rightness. those are all super subjective. i don't think we can change each others minds on such serious topics.

[Reckoner]

What the movie is portraying here is most likely enjo kosai.

Not saying if its right or not, but it is a prevalent issue in Japan.

[TinyRedLeaf]

If Haibane Renmei were adapted into a two-hour movie centred instead on a male middle-school senior, it would most probably turn out Colorful like this.

Not impossible. After all, both productions already share the same composer, Kou Otani. And the character designs did vaguely resemble those of a much younger Yoshitoshi ABe, especially the way Makoto looked towards the end of the movie — he reminded me heavily of Lain.

Great movie. Thanks for highlighting an otherwise overlooked gem. It'll take a few more viewings for some of its subtleties to sink in, I suspect, covering as it does a broad range of issues, from bullying to existential angst, family breakdowns and redemption, framed in the context of Buddhist/Japanese society.

[Forsaken_Infinity]

Aah, a great movie that portrays a miser coming to terms with himself. Loved it.

The story was predictable, but very good. While people may call the story corny and naive, it's a story that is still very human. And let's face it, humans, the ones who have not yet turned cynical or have recovered from cynicism, are, by nature, very corny. Accepting the naivete and the simplicity of life is a challenge for misers and I think this movie portrayed that very well. Reconciliation with self and the surrounding is always going to appear cheesy, no helping that. The movie did a great job of keeping it real as far as I am concerned.

The primary message of the movie was clearly one of acceptance. Acceptance of flaws in oneself and in people in general. I don't think the movie condones with flaws at all. It just tells us that we should be constructive when dealing with flaws, whether our own or others. People make mistakes, no matter who they are. And to let it compound by being too fixated on the flaw and its consequences will only result in bigger losses and strained relationships. A little kindness goes a long away in helping someone reform themselves. That's true for yourself too. If you get preoccupied with being flawless, you will end up more flawed and eventually unable to even live on. Accepting your flaws is the right way to go about it. That of course doesn't mean thinking along the lines of "This here is my flaw, let's accept it and keep making it worse since I need to accept it."

Then there was the power of friendship and communication. Saemoto's and Makoto's friendship was very down to Earth and yet, very moving. It was equally as moving to see Makoto reproach Hiroka and eventually help her with her own struggles. His relationship with Sano was kinda awkward to watch but that's understandable because Sano is a very awkward person and Makoto isn't a communicative person either.
It sort of expands into relationships in general I guess. Family, friends, teachers; they all come into play and help Makoto reconcile while simply his being alive helps them reconcile. The character portrayal and interactions was clearly the biggest strength of the movie.

Makoto was a character I could kinda identify with. Cynical, miserable, illogical, somewhat imposing and yet, forgiving and rational. Despite closing his heart, he was still a human at heart. I think that's much better than beasts that put a smile on and have the entire crowd's focus but lack a heart. I am happy for him that he was able to move on.

The most striking relationship for me was between Makoto and his mom. It was so beautifully laid out. Despite never getting to see her point of view, I found it hard not to feel for Makoto's mom. And much like Makoto, despite her flaws, she was a good person. Most people in the world are. Heck she was probably better than most. Her care for Makoto was genuine and if her husband's words are anything to go by, she took equally good care of her mother-in-law who wasn't exactly appreciative of her.

Makoto's relationship with Hiroka was almost as striking.
Given her playgirl demeanor and Makoto's shunning by the rest of the school, it almost feels like she is making fun of him by acting close to him at first. That feeling is probably reinforced by the preconception due to the revelation that she was responsible for Makoto's attempted suicide and how bad her character sounds. But she is clearly more than meets the eye.

Her interest in Makoto is genuine. She visits the art club not just for appearance's sake but to truly appreciate something she finds beautiful. And despite Makoto being ostracized, her interactions with him were not to make fun of him or abuse him in any sense. She didn't mind being close to him. But her obsession with material pleasures and her obsessive compulsive personality, combined with her lack of effort and/or ability to understand his miserable self make her a far cry from the perfect romantic interest. I still liked her a lot though, probably more than any other character. She was strikingly forward with her thoughts. She has some issues, yes, but she is definitely not without hope. I totally expected to hate her when I saw her picture in the cellphone and her interpretation of Makoto's painting didn't help. But she managed to still win my heart. That's saying something. I usually don't change my initial perceptions about characters.

To people complaining that her motivations for her going out with the middle aged man weren't clear enough, well, she also has that side of hers which makes her want to destroy the things she likes. She wants to grow independent, feel like an adult, like she is in control and dating an older guy is part of it. The story wasn't from her point of view so things were bound to be left in the dark there but I do think her reasons weren't that far away from what she told Makoto. She is really a strong character, able to speak her mind clearly, mostly that is.

Also, I just absolutely love the sequence where Makoto drags her along for a run. That was just awesome. And the music was awesome tHer responses after that were quite frank and upfront too. I think by the time the sequence was over and she went back out in the rain, I could no longer despise her. She was just too frank to hate. The revelation about her destructive tendencies felt tacked on for a second but it kind of made sense by the time she was done crying. In retrospective though, the movie could definitely have done a better job of portraying that side of hers so it didn't come that way. Still, Hiroka was awesome. I like her much more than Sano. The movie argues that Sano was the one who really understood Makoto but I don't buy that. At least Hiroka didn't have a preconceived notion of how Makoto was and supported him whichever way he leaned. Sano had a set view of how Makoto was and wishes he would stay that way. "Annoying" is putting it nicely.

That said though, and despite her awkwardness, Sano was a likeable character as well. She imposes on Makoto a bit and is really socially awkward. But she does try to approach him and is pretty upfront and frank herself. I think both her and Hiroko are awesome girls because they speak their mind. They could have probably still kept her character's strengths even if she was a little less awkward though. She just felt a bit unreal. And I didn't quite like how the movie more or less made her into a pure character. She was clearly stuck into a one-sided view of Makoto; she only accepted one color of his, so to speak. As such I didn't quite like how Makoto apologized to her and gave her credit for understanding him most thoroughly. That said though, the sequence where Makoto shows her the porn magazine kind of made up for it . I know I shouldn't have but I couldn't help but laugh when I saw her reaction

Speaking of feeling unreal, Makoto's brother does kinda feel cliche. But given the very little screentime he received, I think they did a good job with him too.

And rounding up the family is Makoto's dad who is like a saint and yet doesn't feel unreal at all o.0 He just sounds mature and wise. I can kind of see why Makoto would despise his dad though. Not only is he just a salaryman, he also lets his wife get away with cheating. To a cynical Makoto, that must have lowered the credibility of the man to more or less nothing. But as he figures out during the course of the movie, his dad is actually just a very nice person. If only my dad was like that -_-

And speaking of nice people, Saemoto has no competition. His friendship with Makoto felt very real and there really was nothing special to it but the movie managed to make two unsuccessful teens sharing chicken wings and meat buns significant. It was a nice touch. Although I did feel that the bromance was getting a bit too strong at times

Lastly, the teacher. He didn't really play much part in the story and I am glad he didn't because he was just annoying. He was pretty cliched too.

The art was wonderful imo. There were some oddities here and there but it didnt detract from my enjoying the movie at all.

The music was awesome in some segments but barely noticeable in others. I am not a music person but I would say they did a good enough job if they made me notice (and love) the music in some segments at least.

I don't think there was any real religious message given that the whole reincarnation and angel deal was more a means to present the story than anything. If anything, the suggestion that a life on Earth is preferable to being removed from the rebirth cycle was amusing. I wouldn't read too much into it though; it just so happens to be the point of the movie to suggest that life is worth it, however rough it gets.

Overall, a very nice movie. It deserves those awards.

[Kanon]

Originally Posted by Forsaken_Infinity

The most striking relationship for me was between Makoto and his mom. It was so beautifully laid out. Despite never getting to see her point of view, I found it hard not to feel for Makoto's mom. And much like Makoto, despite her flaws, she was a good person. Most people in the world are. Heck she was probably better than most. Her care for Makoto was genuine and if her husband's words are anything to go by, she took equally good care of her mother-in-law who wasn't exactly appreciative of her.

That was my favorite part of the movie too. I felt so bad his mother. It was clear she dearly loved her son and tried her utter best to help him, but he kept rejecting her kindness because he couldn't get over the fact she cheated on her husband.

I think the fact the story is only told through Makoto's point of view (even literally at the beginning) is one of the movie's strength. It made it easier to sympathize with him and understand him, though as I said, I got little irritated by the way he treated his mom at some point. However, at the beginning of the movie, my reactions were very much the same as his: "why would he kill himself when he had such a great family?"; "eh, looks like his family isn't as perfect as it seems..."; "screw that, his life sucks"; etc... Thanks to this, I quickly felt myself pulled into the movie.

[idiffer]

Forsaken infinity
i agree with most of what you said. i just wanted to comment on the one thing i forgot in my review earlier in this thread - Makoto. to elaborate - how i liked him as a character, without the technicalities. i couldn't really identify with him because for the majority of the movie he is just someone who gets mentioned once in a while. i mean, most ppl probably didn't know that the MC is makoto. sure, i feel that i have much in common with makoto, but i don't get to SEE the drama in real time, which somewhat dulls the empathy. so for 90% of the movie i'm introduced to a main char who doesn't remember anything and am expected to sympathise with him. how can i do that without knowing anything about him? espeacially when his words and actions either weren't all too original or made sense only after learning that he IS makoto (like when he tells purapura that he doesn't care about his mom much, but still treats her like shit). besides the point, but that example somewhat fortifies my theory about non-changing reactions. makoto doesn't remember that he IS makoto, but the reaction to the fact that his mom is seeing another man, is the same - repulsion. although after being confronted by purapura, makoto said that he doesn't really care, because It's a stranger's mother (or smth along those lines).

[TinyRedLeaf]

Originally Posted by Forsaken_Infinity

I don't think there was any real religious message given that the whole reincarnation and angel deal was more a means to present the story than anything. If anything, the suggestion that a life on Earth is preferable to being removed from the rebirth cycle was amusing. I wouldn't read too much into it though; it just so happens to be the point of the movie to suggest that life is worth it, however rough it gets.

It's not quite a "religious" message as it was an affirmation of a uniquely Japanese life philosophy known as enishi ( 縁 ), derived from Buddhism. Purapura described it towards the end:

Spoiler:

"Please remember that there are many people supporting you. Also, don't forget that you're a support for others as well."

This theme appears frequently in anime, typically expressed through an emphasis on group ethics and community harmony. In Haibane Renmei, a major character also makes the same observation, realising that everyone in her town plays a role supporting one another. The gratitude within the community is implicit; people seldom need to explicitly give thanks but, still, no one is ever taken for granted.

The theme also appears in one of the concluding episodes of Planetes, when another major character realises that every human shares an invisible bond (kizuna), which in turn implies that each person is responsible for the welfare of all other people, because everyone shares the same human fate.

In practice, the philosophy implements the Golden Rule: Don't do to others what you don't want others to do to you.

This was the lesson that Makoto learnt. Not just Makoto, but also his family, as well as friends like Hiroka. Everyone has his or her own demons and imperfections, but by supporting one another, the community as a whole finds the collective strength to survive. This is the same spirit that the world witnessed in the aftermath of the March 11, 2011 disasters, as shattered communities battled on stoically, despite the utter devastation around them.

Colorful explored this theme very well, not flinching away from its painful flaws, even as it shows how it provides people with the strength to carry on.

[idiffer]

well, the idea of enishi is admirable, it's also pretty obvious, at least to me. making the message corny still. i also don't think the story of "colorful" is a good way to deliver such a message. where is it emphasized that makoto contributes to the wellfare of other ppl? sure he probably does. hell, i have a theory that just by being a bum you contribute to the world's balance. but it needs more emphasis for it to feel like a message.
on second thought, the only good thing makoto did was being a friend to another loser. i don't even know if that qualifies as "support for others", following purapura's phrase.
example. if makoto reincarnated into himself and his mother then commited suicide, THEN the message would be clear.

[Forsaken_Infinity]

@idiffer
When I said I could kinda identify with Makoto, the kinda part applies to being a morose cynic with no faith in humanity. Its precisely as his brother described; Makoto hurt people on purpose while thinking they deserved it anyway. He recovered from it to the point where his tears on that dining table were real and heartfelt. I don't know if I ever will or if I even want to. Other than that, I have very little in common with Makoto. I was the top of my class pretty much all the way through and I didn't really live a bad life nor was I ever really bullied. I guess I do also come from a Buddhist background and a middle class Asian family with some domestic conflict but after switching my settings many times, I believe that people hype the influences of such stuff much more than is applicable. People are people; no matter where they are from and most of the times, their reactions to incidents, especially repulsive ones, are very similar. The only thing that differs is just how people seek resolution and that depends more on the individual than anything else. That said though, I did see plenty of drama in real life

I don't think the movie asks the viewers to sympathize with Makoto. It is more an effect of the movie that you end up sympathizing with him than a requirement. It simply tells you a story from his point of view after his accident. To me, it was really obvious from the go that it was Makoto himself. The whole "different soul on a different body" deal was only there to drive the plot in my opinion. For all I care, it could all have been the delusional fantasy of a boy who just tried killing himself and didn't want to face reality right away. I also think, rather, wish, the "guide" he drew in the painting at the end wasn't "Purapura" but Saemoto. But it doesn't matter whatsoever. Whether or not it was Makoto himself didn't really matter when the affection his mom was showering upon him was real. I do think more or less along the lines of what you are suggesting with the non-changing reactions part though. Like I said earlier, people are people and most of the time, their reactions are very much the same.

The movie didn't dwell on the mechanisms much, it concerns itself much more with the growth of Makoto. The viewers are presented with the magnificent recovery of a boy who was struggling with his identity and completely stuck inside his own shell to the point of having committed suicide. It was bound to be cheesy. Such stuff takes years in real life and it still is cheesy. The way to go about with it is to go with the cheese pretending to be a happy hamster. Whether or not that is fair, given that going with the cheese feels like you are ignoring the very questions that drove you to despair is a question that doesn't need an answer. When you have had enough, you will realize the support you wished for has always been around you and you'll just go with it. If you are the really unlucky ones that really don't have any support then you might perish or with luck, you might come across someone who can support you. But in the end, cheesy resolutions are impossible to avoid. And when you condense the whole ordeal in a two hour movie, the cheesy feeling is obviously gonna multiply a hundred times or so.

I disagree that he was treating his mom like shit; it was just repulsion. He didn't deny her outright. I don't know about you but my reaction to my mom in a similar situation would be more or less the same. Heck I gave her attitude over much smaller stuff. Doesn't mean I didn't respect her.

@TinyRedLeaf
I don't think the movie meant to trouble itself with deep philosophical constructs like interdependent origination. But a lot of it is common sense and there are obvious influences in society. It's not uniquely Japanese though; that concept has a stronger hold in Theravada than other schools of Buddhism actually. And it's not even uniquely Buddhist; a lot of it is also found in Hinduism (granted there are far too many forms of this religion but there are some which take the whole "everything is tied together" deal further just as much as xxxholic does if not more), the Chinese 'religions' and even western ideology. The golden rule isn't exactly derived from Enishi but since you mentioned it, well, it is found not only in the Analects of Confucius and the Neeti Sutras of Chanakya but even in the sermon on the mount. But that's all irrelevant as far as the movie goes imho. It was simply what you'd expect from a movie with reconciliation as it's theme. And an admirable message it is.

@idiffer again, yes, a lot of everything is pretty obvious but a lot of it also has deeper meaning that's not so obvious. You would be surprised at just what deep implications are of some of those 'obvious' messages. And if you are calling the Buddhist doctrine corny, you are quite off from the target. It's anything but corny and has a very pragmatic approach to life. Heck, Pope John Paul II once criticized the doctrine as Nihilistic. While I don't agree with that (especially coming from the figurehead of a religion which believes the end of the world as we know it is justice bla bla), it does tell you that things are perhaps not as obvious . But a lot of it is open to interpretation and people tend to talk more than practice the way of life. Debating philosophy is thus only part of it; living the practice is more important. Don't get lost in the wilderness thinking too much is perhaps the wisest thing the Buddha ever said.

Regarding the only good thing Makoto did being a friend to another loser, just how exactly was Sano a loser? The whole point of the movie was that there are no such things as losers. People have flaws, everyone of them does, but there is no such thing as unfathomable evil. It implies that there is no such thing as perfectly good either but that's just fine. And it sounds corny but if you think about it, it's more that that's just how it is. It only feels corny because it feels "obvious" and we don't want to admit that we ignored something that was always there. But hey, obvious as it is, most people in the world suffer. There is suffering, that's the first truth proclaimed by the Buddha. I don't want to imply this movie as Buddhist since I sincerely believe that the message is universal so I will stop. Anyway, the movie establishes that Makoto is a wonderful guy and perhaps a virtuoso as well. And Sano was the only one who could truly interpret his art. She has issues, sure, but she is anything but a loser. And Makoto helped others as well. He was the reason his otherwise dysfunctional family was putting things together instead of completely dispersing. He helped Saemoto get the motivation he needed. He accepted Hiroka with all her indignity. Hiroka is a "winner" for most of their colleagues but it is only Makoto who truly acknowledges her. His mom committing suicide would have been counterproductive. His recovery and reconciliation is precisely what helped a broken woman get back to her life. Yada yada. Whether or not being a bum contributes to the world's balance is out in the gray (you can argue for absolutely anything for argument's sake and it's fairly easy to make at least an argument for most things but whether or not such arguments are worth arguing over is again up for arguments; best thing to do is to get real and argue only when necessary, the precise definition of which is again up for argument ).

@Tinyredleaf
Regarding the "religious" message, like I said in my previous post, the suggestion that reincarnating back to life is better than being free of the cycle of rebirth is mildly amusing because that's antagonistic to the Buddhist goal of achieving Nirvana. Something completely unrelated to Enishi But the movie didn't expound on it enough to really derive anything from it. And destruction of a soul doesn't necessarily sound like Nirvana either. And I am repeating myself again but the movie didn't bother with the mechanisms much at all so while you are free to see and argue for deeper meaning into things, I for one am satisfied with the cheesy slice of life.

[Dawnstorm]

Just watched the film. Thanks for recommending it.

@ soult-to-different-body ploy. I don't think it's merely a plot device. Actually, it's at the very core of the film. We all have our hang-ups and habits, and Makoto retains them, as we see by how he treats his mother. But his conscious attitude is different, because he keeps telling himself, it's just this body, this has nothing to do with me. It's an estrangement technique that helped Makoto bypass nasty blocks like, say, denial. When things would normally get to painful, and he'd get angry at himself, for example, he can now be angry at someone else, which - in turn - helps him see things from a different perspective.

Compare the technique to a simple amnesia, for example: Makoto looks at his paintings. With amnesia, he'd have known the paintings were his, and even before he really saw them, emotions as diverse as modesty or pride (and maybe both at the same time) would interfere. But by thinking someone else painted them, he can actually look at the paintings, and think, hey, that's actually nice, or was he nuts when he painted that? The reaction to the paintings would be more undiluted. (Not entirely undiluted, since there's the why-did-it-have-to-be-him? line that replaces the more self-centred emotions.)

We'd all learn a lot about ourselves, if we managed to pretend that we were someone else looking in. But that's hard without a memory wipe and trickster scheme to back you up.

[Haak]

I just watched this now, I have to admit I really enjoyed it. Funny how Saotome was looking at old train tracks to get off revising for exams, because I was actually watching this film to take my mind off exams (I have an exam tommorrow).

I pretty much agree with everything Kanon's said. It's a great film, but I can't say I enjoyed it as much as other films about self-realisation, like The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya.

Overall: 8/10

[idiffer]

Forsaken Infinity
1) even if the movie doesn't ask us to sympathise with makoto, i still want to be able to. that's a major part
in anime, movies. if i can't, then the movie had better have smth up it's sleeve to make up for it. it does, but it's barely
enough for me.
2) i mean't makoto's guy friend, when saying "loser". Sano didn't register as a character almost.
3) well, makoto ignores his mother and has been very rude to her, all of which made her feel like shit, so...
4) yes, enishi, buddhism is corny ...IN THE CONTEXT OF THIS ANIME. the idea is presented very compact and simplified, thus
becoming corny. e=mc^2 is corny, but explaining what the hell that means - is not. it's corny and obvious, also, because 90% of viewers already knew
about the idea and are tired of it.
5) as for makoto being a great guy...hell, i don't think so. what has he really done for the family, except for being an asshole? and for hiroka? he ran with her so that she would not sleep with some old guy. ok, you say he accepted her. no big feat in my book.
srly, what's so hard
to accept about a girl who sleeps with men for money? and it's not like everyone else was shunning her (i may be mastaken here.
if i am, correct me).

[orion]

Originally Posted by idiffer

Forsaken Infinity

5) as for makoto being a great guy...hell, i don't think so. what has he really done for the family, except for being an asshole? and for hiroka? he ran with her so that she would not sleep with some old guy. ok, you say he accepted her. no big feat in my book.
srly, what's so hard
to accept about a girl who sleeps with men for money? and it's not like everyone else was shunning her (i may be mastaken here.
if i am, correct me).

Actually, in the movie, it was mentioned that she had a rep. The rep was prob for what she was doing.

And...being that age and sleeping with men for money isn't something that guys or girls are accepting of here to put it mildly.

[Guardian Enzo]

I'm late weighing in, but here's a longish review of the movie:

In summation, I absolutely loved it - a classic. There was a time in anime where it was common to do stories about boys and the troubles they face growing up, but it's a real rarity these days - it doesn't make you a hit on 2chan, I guess. But there are some real issues this movie confronts - and the statistics show that boys are 6 times more likely than girls to attempt suicide. And how are boys supposed to deal with their problems? "Man up", that's how. Be tough. No tears. Don't talk about it.

I loved so much about this movie. I'll admit it hits every thematic sweet spot for me - magical realism, coming-of-age, hell - it even feeds my inner railway otaku. But I think I'm objective enough to sing its praises on its own merits. I love the family relationship, especially with the mother. I love the fact that - as so often in the real lives of teenagers - it's ultimately not a romance or even the parents but the best friend that proves the crucial relationship in getting through the hardest times. That's a theme so rarely explored with any intelligence or depth in anime these days. I love the ultimate message - the acceptance of pain as a part of life, and the enishi.

Yes, I pegged the plot twist at the end pretty early in the movie. But so what? To me it just made sense, the only proper way to end the film - so naturally, that would be the twist. Like Shinkai in a sense, I think this was poetry more than prose - the story, animation, art and music creating a collection of emotions that evolves and grows more powerful over the course of the movie. It's a beautiful and powerful work, but even more it sheds light on the very real struggles kids go through in life. That's pretty special.

[Kaioshin Sama]

According to ANN Colorful just picked up 2 awards at France's Annecy festival. They were the special mention and audience pick awards. The movie has won some awards in Tokyo already but I believe this is the first time it's drawn international recognition.

[Guardian Enzo]

Good to hear - immensely well deserved.

[Deconstructor]

Colorful

This movie is seriously messed up. Even coming from a Western perspective, I don't know of anyone who treats their mother with such disrespect. Unfortunately, I couldn't feel any pity for the mother either, because she wouldn't stand up against her own son, or own up to her own love affair (which she probably did as a part-time job to pay for Makoto's future high school). Likewise, the shy, introverted, creepy glasses-wearing girl is utterly dysfunctional. Stutter more, please! I already have no way to understand what you mean. But to say the pretty love-hotel girl is in any better mental state would be just an outright lie. "I like to smash beautiful things every three days." While I'm at character bashing, Makoto's father deserves to be an underpaid, overworked salaryman. Just like his son, Makoto's father chooses to let everyone step all over him. This man deserves to have his son commit suicide. Thank goodness for Mitsuru's lack of screentime. I couldn't have stood another child from this twisted, sickening family.

Makoto Kobayashi. The most screwed-up character in this already screwed-up movie. He saw fit not only to kill himself, but then to make his family's lives more miserable after reincarnating. What an ungrateful bastard.

With the above rant out of my system, I now address the question: Does this movie truly deserve it's praise?

My answer is no.

The most important thing I learned from watching Colorful is the main motif - how people have different shades of color to their personality. Normally, I would have given this a glowing review like everyone else, talk about how the story was compelling, blah blah blah. Deep inside, I was seriously pissed off at Makoto for treating his mother like trash. Honestly, most of the movie made me enraged.

Then I realized everyone else watching is probably feeling the same way - they just keep it in to themselves. Like Hiroka, who goes about defacing beautiful things without telling anyone. Or Mitsuru, who truly cares for his own brother but doesn't want to hurt his feelings. Most triumphant example? Makoto, who has no friends and decides he shouldn't be alive any more. He tells no one of his own suffering; naturally no one visits him when he's takes his own life.

I'm not going to lie. I haven't gotten angry at a movie in a very long time. I would love to find whoever made this movie and beat them up.

And yet, this is why Makoto was given a second chance at life. Underneath his cold, uncaring personality also exists someone who just wants to have friends. That's why it's important to give people another chance, so you can see whether they're purely cold-blooded or if they can actually be nice to people.

Makoto judged Hiroka based on watching her enter a love-hotel with someone way older than her. She has multiple shades to her personality - she enjoys beautiful things and smashing them up, yet isn't at her core a completely cruel person. I admit, I thought Mitsuru to be even worse than his brother. But he's really a nice fellow under those large glasses.

So if you thought I hated watching Colorful based on the opening paragraph alone, you're absolutely incorrect. Sure, I got angry, but at the same time I felt really sad. And I felt truly happy for Makoto's time with his friend Saotome and his acceptance of his own parents. There's more to my personal opinion of this movie than crimson scarlet red. Nope... there's some blue and yellow, too.

Colorful should win every story-related award for the next five years. That's how many feelings I experienced on the emotional spectrum - and they were all of extreme intensity. On the other hand, I'll probably get more negative comments than the current manga chapters of Bleach, but I'll take it. If I've learned anything, it's how diverse everyone's personalities are. I'm going to do as Makoto and put who I really am out for everyone to see - both the beautiful and the ugly.

Heh... I want to give whoever made this movie a hug (after apologizing for beating them up first).

Movie Rating: 9.5/10

[Akito Kinomoto]

You know, I could give a long, boring tl;dr review, but I think I'll just keep my thoughts short and sweet. I'll put them in spoiler tags just to be on the safe side.

Spoiler for Colorful and Haibane Renmei, because I can't talk about this movie without comparing them!:

As much as it is good practice try to judge an anime on its own, the mere fact that it's been compared to Haibane Renmei is really forcing up the need to point out those similarities and where the likeness stops.

In HR, it's hinted that the Haibane had past lives from before the time their cocoon formed, although they couldn't remember anything prior to then. Similarly, the protagonist of Colorful ends up with a new life, but also has no memories of what happened in his past. Both of these works are about self-realization, although HR was rather vague whereas Colorful was pretty blatant. But that's what about where the similarities end.

If the city of Glie and the "real world" of Colorful could be described as the birdcages of their respective narratives, then HR focuses on leaving the birdcage while Colorful is more about finding solace within that space; Reki wanted to leave the city before it was too late, while Colorful's protag (whom I will refer to as "Makoto" from now on) had one last chance at life or deal. And now would be a good time to talk about the movie itself

Supernatural elements aside, this movie is pretty down-to-earth. The cast isn't characterized in a traditional sense, but they don't really need to be. These folks are going to look familiar to a lot of people, whether they've been met or whether they actually took on a role such as theirs. Of particular interest were "Makoto"s three classmates (he himself sits in the back next to the window. Narf!).

The reactions that Shoko had on the interactions between Kuwabara and "Makoto" were hint enough that anything more from them would be impossible if Pura Pura's accounts weren't enough. The running scene was something out of an old romance cliche, but this work isn't a romance, and Hiroka wasn't intent on an "okay I love you let's live happily evar after!1" solution, but selling herself out even more. A rather stupid decision on her part, but not entirely surprising considering the kind of movie this is and how such a conclusion would be too perfect (although I still wonder what happened during the art room scene. Did she just disappear or something?)

Now speaking of Shoko, her finale wasn't expected at all. What is thought to be a crush on "Makoto" turns out to be simple admiration for his strength of character. So they don't get together, but remain as friends. And as an added bonus, Director Keiichi Hara makes a brilliant, brilliant subversion on her character design through dialog: "you still look ugly even without your glasses!" It serves as both a hurtful line as well as a terrific reference. Bravo, Hara-sensei. Bravo.

The darkhorse of this entire narrative would be Saotome; elaborating on his role in the story is pointless, but it is something quite unexpected. As in, one would think a family member or the girl of his dreams would pull "Makoto" out of the crap heap, but instead it's a genuinely cool dude who splits meat buns and doesn't afraid of anything. Simplistic and effective.

Finally, there's "Makoto" himself and the big reveal on the entire situation. Completely unexpected with no foreshadowing whatsoever but makes perfect sense, it's one of the better times this plot device has been used. The final dinner scene was especially well-done, as the grandest aspirations are often the result of something so simple.

I won't be forcing anyone to watch it, of course. But do note that this piece can be enjoyed even if you're not an anime fan, so keep that in mind. And when it's all said and done, how Colorful will you be?

...aaaaaannnddd I typed a tl;dr anyway.

Disclaimer: the above text is an opinion.