Colorful is a 2010 Japanese animated feature film directed by Keiichi Hara. It is based on the novel of the same name written by Eto Mori, produced by Sunrise and animated by the animation studio Ascension.
Upon reaching the train station to death, a dejected soul known only as "I" is informed that he is 'lucky' and will have another chance at life. He is placed in the body of a 14-year-old boy named Makoto Kobayashi, who has just committed suicide. Watched over by a neutral spirit named Purapura, the soul must figure out what his greatest sin and mistake in his former life was before his time limit in Makoto's body runs out. He also has a number of other lesser duties he must complete, such as understanding what led Makoto to commit suicide in the first place and learning how to enjoy his second chance at life.
Not to be mistaken for the manga and anime series Colorful.
Tropes:
- Accidental Misnaming: Pura Pura does not take it well when "I" calls him the wrong name.
- Aloof Older Brother: Mitsuru, towards Makoto.
- Ambiguously Evil: Pura Pura who has a habit of smiling either at the wrong moment or rather evilly as well as "I" questioning whether or not he is an angel. He's not and is in fact a soul that had also been offered the chance to be redeemed but had failed his task.
- Amnesiac Dissonance: "I" as Makoto is more vocal and forward than Makoto ever was much to the surprise of his classmates, prompting "I" to wonder what kind of person Makoto was. "I" as it turns out is Makoto.
- Big Brother Instinct: Mitsuru, despite being an Aloof Older Brother, also has this in him especially when 'Makoto' goes missing and has been beaten up by a gang. Mitsuru finds him and carries him back home.
- Bumbling Dad: Makoto's father.
- Compensated Dating: Hiroka, Makoto's crush, is into this because the things she wants are expensive.
- Driven to Suicide: Makoto due to finding out his crush is into Compensated Dating and that his mother was cheating on his dad.
- Foreshadowing: There are several hints to "I"'s true identity of being Makoto such as him still having a crush on Hiroka, the fact that he can draw, and Shouko saying that he was back to 'normal'.
- Near-Rape Experience: Though it is unclear how serious Makoto was being, pinning Shouko down and trying to kiss her had some uncomfortable vibes.
- No Antagonist: The most central characters are flawed, but basically decent people, none of whom could be called an antagonist for the main character. His own worst enemy in the story would be himself.
- No Social Skills: Shouko, possibly due to the bullying she has endured.
- Only Friend: Saotome becomes Makoto's first friend. It's the point where he's really seen as beginning to enjoy life instead of going through the motions.
- Parents as People: Makoto's parents have their flaws (the mother cheated for a time while the father is a doormat at work), while still clearly caring about their sons.
- P.O.V. Cam: When "I" is first introduced.
- The Reveal: "I"'s true identity is... Makoto, having been tricked by the spirit world into believing that he was the spirit of someone else, and that he was just taking over Makoto's life while trying to find out what his sin was before he died. His sin was killing himself.
- Redemption Equals Life: "I" A.K.A the spirit of Makoto, gets to keep his life after finding out his sin and redeeming for it.
- Starts with a Suicide: Makoto's to be exact.
- Taking Advantage of Generosity: Makoto's father is stuck at a job where they constantly give him overtime while never giving him a promotion for his work.
- Through His Stomach: Makoto's mother spends most of the film making homemade meals, much of which "I" refuses to eat because of his resentment towards her. Mitsuru yells at him about this, as before "the incident", she bought prepackaged meals, and is now putting in far more effort that he is cruelly refusing.
- Unnamed Parent: Both of Makoto's parents.
