Am i the only one who thinks........Average?

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

Considering their target audience, youth issues tend to be a major theme in manga and anime. The animated format moreover tends to give creators rather more freedom to experiment with fantasy elements that can explore deeper underlying issues. Directed by veteran animator, Keiichi Hara, COLORFUL for example manages to touch on an important subject with a message that is perhaps rather more difficult to reach a younger audience through conventional live-action drama. That subject is teenage suicide.Passing through the transit between life and rebirth, a dead soul in danger of obliteration is given another chance to reform and regain the right to rebirth. Brought back into the realm of the living, the soul is reborn into the person of Makoto Kobayashi, an artistically-inclined 14 year-old boy who has just attempted suicide. With the assistance of Purapura, a guide in the afterlife, the 'new' Makoto considers why someone from a seemingly happy family attempted to kill himself and tries to pull the young boy's life back together. COLORFUL is literally a 'finding yourself' film that considers the challenges facing young people who are finding it difficult to cope socially, to fit into the world and deal with the problems of friends, family and relationships.The fantasy element of the film isn't the most convincing, but it does have a powerful pay-off at the end and it undeniably finds a unique way to tap into the mind of a young alienated individual and how he might respond to the world, particularly one who has been driven to attempt suicide. Keiichi Hara uses an animation style that is reminiscent of GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES in how it touches obliquely but incisively on the challenges facing youth. One seemingly irrelevant sequence based around the disused 'Tamada' trolley car, for example, is just beautiful and transformative. Using such techniques COLORFUL manages to cover a wide range of difficult issues and personality types in a realistic fashion and offer some measure of sympathy and understanding for its characters. It manages to do so moreover without ever becoming sentimental or talking down to its audience.

This movie really blew me away. It isn't the typical fantasy or violent anime most of us watch but, it is really powerful. To start i'm going to say that not everybody will rate it a 10/10. The meaning of it will be interpreted in different ways, and depending on how much you can relate to it will impact your rating.The animation is beautiful, with many colors and cool locations to look at. The story can be very dark and unusual but also fun and playful at times. I recommend everyone watch this movie at least once, to get the full meaning out of it. To me I really felt it was trying to teach me to be thankful for what I have, and to value my life even at the worst times.

This is a movie about a person who gets stuck in the body of a young boy who committed suicide and then has to find out the secrets of this boys life and why he made the choices he did. At first glance i thought the movie was going to be a good one, not amazing but really good. I was right! This movie really makes you think about life and why were here. What i liked the most about this movie is it really shows you that anime isn't just about these foreign worlds with magic and awesomeness, they can also be very realistic and as dark and cruel as the world we live in. There are things that happen in the boys life that will have you saying "wow...if i went through that i honestly don't know how i'd react", its a bitter sweet movie. This is a must watch in my book, it has such a deep message and is just done so spectacularly. One thing that really stands out is the character designs, the main characters, almost all of the characters aren't some awesome looking stand out design. They're all very simple and maybe even a bit strange from your "normal anime looks". In my mind its to point out that their just plain normal people with no real specialness about them and thats not a bad thing. Now as for the artwork? Its flawless! One of the most beautiful pieces of art i've ever seen, the music is also amazing. This hole movie is really just such a gem!My score is 4.5/5. Why not 5/5? Honestly i don't know, you get so attached to the characters and this boys life in such a short time it leaves you with an empty feeling when its over. I have no real reasoning to not giving it a perfect score more then i don't give those unless they completely blow me away, this was close but i'm not even sure what it was missing it was amazing. A must watch for any one, anime fan or not it brings you to reality and makes you think about the choices we all make and how they effect everyone around us.

By now, I guess we've all accepted Japan as a No.1 driving force in animation. And just when You start thinking that someone with so much recognition would get lazy and spoiled, that's where the Japanese prove you wrong. "Colorful" is yet another fine example of that greatness.I've always wondered how could an animated film, which by western standards is designed for babies, could get so much dept and touch as many crucial life's questions. Well, the reason lies in the fact that Japanese do not make just baby cartoons like Pokemon, but also have a very fine and distinguished selection of animated films which could easily fit a 50 year old person, just like a teenager at the same time."Colorful" is an anime drama which deals with a very painful and yet very present phenomenon in modern society - suicide. Many people feel they reached the end of the road, and more and more of them are getting younger over the years. A young man decided to take his life away, but against all odds, he gets a second chance - to relive a life of another young man who took his own life. During this period of reincarnation, the main character tries to discover his new persona, surrounding, people around him and the reasons why Makoto, the boy in whose body the spirit has reincarnated, has taken his life. Like this, he also started do discover and understand himself. Until the end, he will succeed. Beside the theme of life and death, "Colorful" illustrates several other important issues in the Japanese society - social relations, traumas, family issues and the value of friendship.The story is tough, often dark and grim, yet it has such a profound depth which will keep you watching "Colorful" until the end. And boy is the end unexpected. Watching this brilliant anime made me feel like reading a novel, and that's pretty much the best thing a motion picture can do."Colorful" is a substance dedicated to the Japanese 14-16 youth, but it can easily be understood and liked by an adult. And when you compare this brilliance to the teenage shows in the US, like Hannah Montana or Jackass, you realize the major difference between cultures. In Japan, cartoons can also be educational, while in the US and the west, it's a form of cheap shallow entertainment for kids, who seem to mature later and later.