The Colors Within, an animated film directed by Naoko Yamada — the renowned filmmaker behind A Silent Voice — portrays the growth and everyday lives of three high school students. Totsuko, a student at an all-girls' Catholic school, possesses an interesting ability: she is able to see people’s emotions as colors. She quickly becomes transfixed with Kimi, a fellow female student, noting that her colors are incredibly beautiful. The two girls grow closer together and form a band with the third main character of the film, a boy named Rui.  As the trio navigate daily life, forming unbreakable bonds, confronting challenges, and creating music, they discover the “serenity to accept what cannot be changed and the courage to change what can”. 

The film portrays the daily life and problems of high school life perfectly. Each character faces a relatable problem that many students experience during their adolescence. For example, Kimi struggles under the expectations of others. At school, Kimi excels both academically and socially; her friends adore and praise her, and her grandmother sees her as a model student. But to Kimi herself, she is none of those things. She feels she is not “enough” and deeply worries about the disparity between her actual self and the model student everybody else sees her as. Meanwhile, Rui faces pressure to pursue a certain future or career path. While Rui loves music, he is pressured to become a doctor by his family. Totsuko faces the insecurity that comes with hobbies. She loves dancing but doesn’t see herself as “good” or skillful enough to dance to her favourite waltz. Just like Kimi, Rui, and Totsuko, many high schoolers face the mounting demand of expectations, career paths, and insecurity.

The relatability of the challenges faced by each character is heightened by the way they are resolved. Most of the problems are not completely solved, and some remain ambiguous in their endings. Kimi never stops feeling the expectation from others; instead, she accepts the feeling and still chooses to bravely live through it. Rui eventually leaves for college to become a doctor; his issue is once again not solved, but endured. Totsuko, however, grows the courage to dance and overcomes her previous fear. Not all personal issues or challenges are resolved—mirroring real life and its unfortunate, sometimes bitter results. The three characters beautifully capture life’s challenges and their realistic outcomes, while also showing the courage and fortitude to accept and continue to live, regardless of the ending.

The message is concise, yet sweet: “accept what cannot be changed and change what can”. Rui, Totsuko, and Kimi face deep personal challenges that are absolved (or even not abosolved completely) in their unique ways. Not every issue in life has a clear-cut solution; sometimes it is the bravery and resilience to live through challenges that carry us through life.