Hipster Hotline: Colorful (anime)

I need a hug.

Colorful is an anime movie released in 2010 about a boy, Makoto Kobayashi, who dies but gets another chance at life inside the body of a boy who committed suicide. With no memories of his previous life, Makoto picks up where the boy left off, seemingly surviving his suicide attempt.

This movie hits close to home. While I never attempted suicide I have thought about it in the past and I certainly been bullied and had an overall lonely school life. It was hard to watch at some points. While not bullied the same way as Makoto, I had my share of bad experiences. But, it wasn’t about the bullying as much as feeling things would never get better. That the normal attitude of most people was constantly set to Uncaring Asshole. Why is the world like this? Why can’t I have a friend? Will things always be this way?

Colorful can’t answer give you solid answers, nothing can. Sometimes things work out, sometimes they don’t, but what the movie does is allow people to see that if you want your life to change, you have to change. A little perspective goes a long way, and if you can focus on being a better you, maybe, something good will happen. It’s not easy, but it is possible.

We learn over the course of the movie about the boy who committed suicide, his family, and why he killed himself. It’s a slow build that keeps you watching, even throwing in some unexpected twists that I won’t even try to touch on. This is a movie best watched knowing the bare minimum. Now, before you dismiss the movie as a bummer fest, there are hopeful moments. You’re rooting for the main character. Yes, the story gets dark, but that means when good things happen it’s that much more meaningful.

Colorful isn’t a movie trying to give advice how to stop bullying. It’s about hope and forgiveness. Life isn’t simple, or maybe it is and we make it complicated, I don’t know. All I know is that this is a great emotional movie deserving of anyone who felt they didn’t belong or just wanted a friend. The highest of recommendations.