The Colors Within is a Japanese animated film released on August 30, 2024, directed by Naoko Yamada with a screenplay by Reiko Yoshida.
The animation is produced by Science SARU and distributed by Toho.
The story revolves around Totsuko Higurashi, a high school senior at a Christian girls’ school who can see people's emotions as colors.
Joined by the unique Kimi Sakunaga and Rui Kagehira, they form a band while each grapples with personal dilemmas, friendship, and self-discovery.
The film has visually rich depictions of youth, music, and the ambiguity of emotions, and features a star-studded voice cast including Sayu Suzukawa, Akari Takaishi, Daisei Kido, and Yui Aragaki.
Mr.Children performs the theme song "in the pocket."
Naoko Yamada conceived the core of the story, wanting to visually represent intangible feelings using “color.”
Screenwriter Reiko Yoshida took Yamada’s initial notes and ideas about girls who perceive the world in color, weaving them into the script.
The film reunites Yamada with Yoshida and composer Kensuke Ushio, the same creative team behind "A Silent Voice" and "Liz and the Blue Bird."
Yamada chose Nagasaki as the inspiration for the setting due to its serene seaside churches and Christian school vibe; the team scouted real locations across the region for authenticity.
The main campus building was modeled after Kobe College’s Okadayama Campus in Hyogo.
The story is set in a quiet coastal town featuring a Christian girls’ high school with an attached dormitory.
Key locations include vintage bookstores, a mysterious abandoned church on an island, and charming retro backstreets inspired by Nagasaki and Goto Islands.
Several churches, old naval buildings, and iconic slopes from Nagasaki city are visually referenced.
The school environment is strict, with nuns overseeing the students and regular choir practices.
Totsuko Higurashi, a senior who has synesthesia—the ability to see people's emotions as vivid colors—often feels out of place.
She becomes intrigued by the beautiful hue she senses in her classmate, Kimi Sakunaga, but Kimi abruptly leaves school.
Driven by curiosity, Totsuko searches the town and finds Kimi working at a used bookstore.
At the same time, they meet Rui Kagehira, a boy from a local island with his own hidden dreams and burdens.
A misunderstanding leads them to form a band together, seeking members and writing original songs.
They bond during music practice at a derelict church on Rui’s island.
Each character faces personal struggles: Kimi can’t tell her grandmother she quit school; Rui hides his love of music from his doctor mother, who expects him to follow in her footsteps; and Totsuko wrestles with isolation due to her special gift.
Their friendship deepens through shared secrets, a makeshift Christmas camp, and band composition sessions.
When discovered, their mentor, Sister Hiyoshiko, creatively spins their punishment into performing their original song at the school’s Valentine’s festival.
In the end, each finds courage—Kimi comes clean to her grandmother, Rui opens up to his mother, and Totsuko learns to embrace her own color.
The trio’s performance at the school festival is quietly transformative for themselves and their small audience, culminating in a heartfelt springtime farewell as Rui leaves the island.
“Synesthesia” here refers to Totsuko’s unique ability to perceive emotions visually as colors.
The motif of “color” symbolizes feelings that are too subtle or complex to express in words, allowing the animation to depict emotions dynamically.
- Novelization by Akira Sano, published by Takarajimasha.
- Manga adaptation illustrated by Konami Suzuki, serialized in Comic Newtype and published by Kadokawa.
- An official animation guidebook, "The Colors Within Animation Guide tri-angle," by Kadokawa.
The film was initially set to release in autumn 2023 but was postponed to summer 2024 for quality improvements.
Location scouting in Nagasaki, Sasebo, and Goto Islands brought authenticity and local culture into the setting.
Nagasaki tourism agencies participated by promoting location maps and collaborating with the production.
The theme song, "in the pocket," is performed by Mr.Children and released by Toy’s Factory.
The film also features several original band songs performed by the characters, with lyrics by Yamada and music by Kensuke Ushio.
A notable song, “Suikinchikamokudoten Amen,” even has a special dance PV and choreography by Powerpuff Boys.
The film won the Best Animation Gold Goblet Award at the 26th Shanghai International Film Festival.
Upon its Japanese release, "The Colors Within" debuted at No. 7 in the country's box office rankings.
The movie's connection with real-life locations spurred tourism-related activities in Nagasaki, including digital stamp rallies and themed trams.
Shops in locales featured in the story released special tie-in products, reflecting the film’s cultural resonance.
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