Colorful

Colorful is an anime movie based on an award-wining first person narrative novel by Mori Eto. The movie itself also won several awards in Japan.

To be given a second chance in life after dying once... how many of us will ever get such a chance? Not many I guess.

The story of Colorful is a boy who is given such a chance.

Story: (9/10) – Very Good
"I" died and was kicked out of the cycle of reincarnation because of the sin "I" committed. An angel told me that "I" won a lottery and he gave me a chance to remember the sin. My spirit possessed the body of a 14 year old boy Makoto, who committed suicide and "I" tried to recollect my memory. "I" felt distressed by the terrible circumstances of Makoto and the fact that "I" was borrowing his body. "I" have started to realize that people are hurting each other because the world is too colorful to distinguish the true color of themselves from others'.

All of us have sinned before, but how many of us have ever paused and pondered over those sins we've committed?

The main character has committed so grave a sin that he could not reincarnate but he was lucky enough to be given a second chance to try to remember his sin. Sometimes, being given a second chance and a different perspective is all it takes to see life in a brand new light.

Characters: (9/10) – Very Good
The characters are very real and you can probably find someone like them around you. The interactions between the different characters are also portrayed very realistically.

Art/Animation: (8/10) – Good
The character designs are kind of boring but I do think that it's realistic.

There were some scenes where they used real photographs of the old trains to tell the viewers more about the history of trains. Though the photographs were obviously real, they managed to blend in very well with the animation.

Music: (9/10) – Very Good
The music was great. Different scores were appropriately introduced at the right scenes. The ending theme "Aozora" by miwa also fits the mood of the movie well.

Enjoyment: (9/10) – Very Good
The first half of the movie was a little slow and I felt a little annoyed watching the self-centered behavior of Makoto. However, as the movie progressed, Makoto also progressed and became more likable. It also became clearer where the story was heading towards and I felt very touched and satisfied after watching the movie.

Overall: (8/10) – Good
If you are looking for a slice of life anime, Colorful is the one you should definitely watch.