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The official list of nominees for the 97thAcademy Awardshas finally gone live, and once again, no anime films have been nominated for Best Animated Feature. As an anime fan, I’m far too used to this, but that doesn’t make it any less annoying, especially when it was just last year thatThe Boy and the Heronsolidified Studio Ghibli’s comeback with its Best Animated Feature win.
Anime continually getting snubbed at the Oscarswill always be annoying, and it’s especially annoying this year. Naturally, it’s terrible that great films likeGhost Cat Anzuand Studio Durian’sLook Backwere snubbed because of their incredible writing and animation, but speaking personally, despite the lack of mainstream recognition,Naoko Yamada’sThe Colors Withingetting snubbed at the 97th Academy Awards is the biggest travesty of the Best Animated Feature category, by far. The film has only just been released in Western theaters, but I’m sure that anyone who sees it would know exactly why I’m so upset.
The Colors Within Is One Of The Most Visually Stunning Films I’ve Ever Seen
Why The Colors Within Looks So Good
The first thing that stands out aboutThe Colors Withinis, of course, the visuals. While it doesn’t have the same abstract and surreal animation thatScience Saru animeare known for, that doesn’t make it any less impressive, asevery scene inThe Colors Withinis animated with an incredible level of fluidity for moments both big and small, with every scene of the main characters playing music especially standing out. Add in how wonderfully every scene is shot to emphasize specific emotions, and it’s a masterclass in animation.
The visuals and art direction also stand out incredibly well. Not only are all the character designs varied and paired wonderfully well with the expressive animation, but befitting the film’s focus on colors,the art direction ofThe Colors Withinalways does a perfect job of filling the film with vibrant visuals to add as much life as possible to the story in every scene. Just from a visual level, it’s one of Science Saru’s strongest projects by far, and getting to watch it in theaters was one of the best experiences I’ve had in a while.
Much of why the film looks so good can be attributed to its director, Naoko Yamada. Yamada is one of the biggest directors to come out of Kyoto Animation, with her being responsible for high-profile productions likeK-On!,Tamako Market, andA Silent Voice, and sure enough,Naoko Yamada’s years of experience in animation helped makeThe Colors Withinone of the best-looking anime films a person can watch. The amount of work she put into it as a director cannot be understated, and that makes it all the more disappointing to see it get snubbed at the Oscars.
The Colors Within’s Soundtrack Is Truly A Sound To Behold
Why The Music In The Colors Within Is So Good
Going right along with the stunning animation is the equally impressive soundtrack. Composed by Kensuke Ushio ofDevilman CrybabyandDandadanfame,the soundtrack toThe Colors Withinalways does a great job of capturing the emotional moments of every scene, both positive and negative, and the specific times it’s executed takes that even further. It’s not Ushio’s most bombastic soundtrack, but with how groundedThe Colors Withinis, that style is more than appropriate.
Naturally, the music is at its best in the scenes of the cast playing in their band. Most of the plot is driven by Totsuko, Kimi, and Rui’s sudden decision to form a band, and sure enough,everything the main characters ofThe Colors Withinplay as a band, whether they’re just riffing or putting on an actual performance, is always amazing to listen to. The unique use of the theremin and Kylie McNeill’s singing as Kimi were two of the biggest contributors to that, and well after seeing the film, I still find myself blown away by it all.
I Fell In Love With The Colors Within’s Writing Because Of How Simple It Is
The Colors Within Proves That Simple Is Often Best
As great as the visuals and music forThe Colors Withinare, what truly makes the film stand out is its writing. For starters, the main trio of Totsuko, Kimi, and Rui are all great characters both as individuals and as a trio, with the three of them excellently playing off each other as they go through personal problems of varying severity. It never gets too deep or depressing, butthe character writing forThe Colors Withinstrikes a perfect balance between thoughtful introspection and lighthearted depth that always keeps things palatable, and that, alone, is great to see.
That sort of balancing act also plays into why the writing for the overall story is so good. While there was plenty of room for drama with Kimi and Rui’s character arcs, the focus was less on what they were doing and more on how they weren’t talking about it with anyone, and that was honestly refreshing. Dropping out of school or pursuing a hobby aren’t always big things, soThe Colors Withinnot making a bigger thing out of Kimi and Rui’s situations than necessary was a big part of why the writing was so strong.
That idea also played into what ended up being the biggest surprise for me:The Colors Within’s use of Christianity. It was one thing to see Christianity be such a major part of the story, but rather than exaggerate or demonize it as a lot of media does, it’s simply used as a vehicle to convey the messages of being honest with others and having confidence in yourself.The Colors Within’s use of Christian themes in its writing was excellently used to enhance the positive themes of the story, and as surprising as that was, it was very welcome, nonetheless.
Everything great aboutThe Colors Within’s writing can be attributed to its head writer, Reiko Yoshida. Yoshida is one of the most experienced script writers in anime with credits for projects likeDigimon,The Cat Returns, andViolet Evergarden, and she’s even collaborated with Naoko Yamada onK-On!,A Silent Voice, andLiz and the Blue Bird, so at the end of the day,The Colors Withinfound the perfect scriptwriter to bring out Naoko Yamada’s vision in Reiko Yoshida. That combination led to a truly phenomenal film, and it needs far more attention than the little it’s been afforded.
Why Was The Colors Within Snubbed At The Academy Awards?
One Of The Biggest Anime Snubs To Date Explained
I’ve talked at length about whyThe Colors Withinis a great film, and that begs the question of why it wasn’t so much as nominated for the Academy Awards. The film not being released in Western theaters until January is one thing, but as popular as anime has become, it’s still in a place where only the most mainstream productions will be recognized by the general public.Any anime film that isn’t made by Studio Ghibli is unlikely to garner enough attention for the Oscars or any other major awards in the West, and unfortunately, that’s unlikely to change.
A film doesn’t need to win awards to be recognized as a good film, however, and even without any sort of mainstream recognition,The Colors Withinis still one of the best anime films in recent years thanks to its gorgeous visuals, stellar soundtrack, and phenomenal story and character writing. Even if it’s not getting the recognition at theAcademy Awardsit so rightfully deserves,The Colors Withinis still one of the best anime films a person can watch right now, and anyone who hasn’t seen it yet should do so as soon as possible.
