Release Date – 31st January 2025, Cert – U, Run-time – 1 hour 41 minutes, Director – Naoko Yamada
Shy teenager Totsuko (Sayu Suzukawa) can see people’s auras as colours, when drawn by the bright blue aura of fellow student Kimi (Akari Takaishi) the pair, alongside musician Rui (Taisei Kido) form a secret band.
The strand which gives The Colours Within its biggest source of colour and personality involves teenager Totsuko (Sayu Suzukawa) seeing people as colours. These bright bubbles which surround those she sees are how she often gets to know people, being too shy to properly talk to them. That is until she meets fellow student Kimi (Akari Takaishi) and in trying to talk to and get to know her the pair inadvertently end up forming a band, alongside musician Rui (Taisei Kido), after an interaction in a book shop where Totsuko works involving books of sheet music.
The scene is early on, and even before this it feels as if the idea of seeing colourful auras has been dropped in exchange for a conventional and very familiar narrative which while constructing the bulk feels as if it’s from a different film to the one initially built up. The idea of the colours within is subsequently barely brought up or mentioned in exchange for the story of a group of young people, largely strangers to each other, starting up a band. The band is a secret from both their families and the school, fearing that it would be instantly discouraged and consequences would be faced, particularly if the latter were to find out after Kimi no longer attends.
We’ve seen this outline, and indeed a handful of the scenes within it, a number of times before but at least they’re handled well enough by writer Reiko Yoshida and director Naoko Yamada to stop things from becoming a long trudge. Some of the final stages might feel drawn out, and once scene involving a concert feels as if it could get to the main song quicker instead of going through two others beforehand.
While the point that kicks off the relationship between the central trio may be moved aside for much of the run-time, there’s still a likable nature to the characters when on screen together. There’s a spark of creativity to the musical scenes where songs are being worked on and pieced together and while brief there’s an enjoyable nature to them nonetheless. There’s enjoyment to be found in a number of moments, and the film as a whole. It might not feel the most original, and certainly suffers from that fact when it comes to overall engagement throughout, but as films of this nature go this one’s perfectly fine. It may not serve to be the most memorable, but while it’s on it passes by well enough and comes across in just that way as a whole.
While the initial set-up may feel wasted when the film moves on to a very familiar and conventional narrative The Colours Within at least handled well enough for it to move along with little trouble and have moments of enjoyment even if not always being fully engaging.
Just A Little Bit Random 