Japanese filmmaker Naoko Yamada is best known for directing the acclaimed anime A Silent Voice: The Movie, and her latest film, The Colors Within, debuted at the Annecy Film Festival to great reception. Directed by Yamada from an original screenplay by frequent collaborator Reiko Yoshida, The Colors Within follows a band of high schoolers fronted by a girl who can see colors in people’s hearts.
We at FandomWire got to speak with Naoko Yamada about her new film timed to its North American premiere at the Animation is Film Festival, which took place in Los Angeles, California. Check out the interview below! (Please note: the following interview was conducted with a translator.)
The Colors Within Interview
FandomWire: Obviously, color is like a character in the film in a way. How did you approach the use of color in The Colors Within?
Naoko Yamada: Yes, I think color is able to evoke feelings and emotions without using words. It gives off an impression when you so color. And I wanted to make an anime that is an experience for the audience. So I think the allure of color is, “Oh, it’s beautiful. It makes me cheerful.” It’s not really about meaning; it’s about the feeling. That’s what I strived for in making this film.
FW: The Colors Within is based on an original screenplay, while much of your past work was adapted. As a director, what’s the difference for you in telling original and adapted stories?
Yamada: I think if it’s an adaptation, you can look at it objectively. You can see what makes it interesting; you can just analyze it with staff. But when it comes to an original, I did try to look at my original idea objectively, but I get doubts. I can’t say, “I love this idea!” without feeling uncomfortable. But I did try my best. I love doing both original and adaptations, but I think that was the difference.
FW: One of my favorite things about The Colors Within is how it uses light in a way that’s very different from how you see animated films usually approach light. Could you speak to this?
Yamada: Definitely. This anime is about how I depict light, so it makes me happy that you said that. There’s something called the three primary colors of light, and I applied it to the three characters. Then, as the colors are layered on top of each other, they turn into white, and when they’re getting closer to white, it becomes zero, but it’s also infinite. And that gives you a sense of infinite possibilities and hope. So that was really important in how I depicted light in this film.
I really talked with the staff about how we would show the light on-screen in this animation. So I feel like you understood my intentions, both visually and emotionally, so I’m really happy.
FW: I also love the music in The Colors Within and the use of original songs. Could you speak to the creation of these?
Yamada: Basically, we worked on creating band music that would be created by high school students. It’s not like these characters have been playing their instruments all their life — they picked it up a little bit later in life — so they’re not as technically savvy as someone who would know how to play an instrument from like two years old.
So I wanted to have simple sounds but also enjoyable and believable ones so when the audience would listen to this music, they’re like, ”Oh, that does sound like something a high school student would come up with.”
This whole process of creating the music and discussing what kind of music it would be was really fun. I think music lovers watching the film will see Rui’s taste in music and what kind of music he leans towards. Like you’ll hear a lot of New Wave sounds in his music, and I think music lovers will be able to pick up on that.
FW: What was the challenge for you in telling a story that resonates with today’s youth but feels timeless?
Yamada: I think color and music definitely played a big part in that. In the film, there’s a song called “Born Slippy” by Underworld that plays a little bit, and that’s an old song — something that was created before some people who will see the movie were born — but it’s such a cool song. And I’m hoping that this generation hears that song and thinks, “Oh, that’s a cool song,” but then in the future, a different generation will think, “Oh, that’s a cool song,” and then the next generation, next generation, and it will continue.
And I think that ties into your question — I think that’s what’s really great about music. It just transcends time.
The Colors Within screened at the 2024 Animation Is Film festival. It will be released in the United States in 2025.
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