It’s not every day that Makoto Shinkai, the guy who gave us those great movies such as Your Name, Weathering With You, and Suzume, openly admits he’s a little jealous of another director. But guess what? It did happen! And the movie that made him envious? It’s The Colors Within (Japanese title: Kimi no Iro), the newest masterpiece from A Silent Voice director Naoko Yamada.

So let’s just pause for a minute here: if Makoto Shinkai is getting all worked up over someone else’s talent, you know the movie can’t be just good; it’s next-level amazing. So, if, like many other fans, you are wondering where you can actually watch The Colors Within right now, we have the scoop. But first, let’s talk a little about why this film is making waves and how it pulled off a massive 93% on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Colors Within was launched last year (2024) in Japan, and to be honest, it didn’t take long before it caught people’s attention. And by ‘people,’ we also mean anime legends like Makoto Shinkai. In a rare joint interview with Eiga, Shinkai sat down with Yamada and practically poured his heart out, telling her just how much he respects (and kinda envies!) her work.

He first found her work through K-On!, a show that hit him like a truckload of cuteness, creativity, and emotional depth. Shinkai confessed it hit him so hard that he wished the director were from a totally different generation, so he wouldn’t feel too inferior. Shinkai confessed:

I hope it’s made by someone far away from me, someone with a different career or generation. If it was made my someone with completely different attributes than me, I might be able to tolerate it, but my first impression was that I would be extremely jealous of the talent itself.

Yamada, meanwhile, modestly referred to Shinkai’s works as a ‘wall she has to overcome’. and even teased that his art books are basically required reading for animators. Yamada mentioned:

No matter how far I go, I can’t escape him (Shinkai). When I say, ‘I want to draw a beautiful sky’ or ‘I want to create an image that is conscious of the lens,’ everyone immediately imagines Shinkai’s sky and lens feel.

Seriously, this whole interview was basically two animation legends just totally geeking out and fangirling over each other, and we are SO HERE FOR IT. So what’s The Colors Within actually about? Glad you asked. So, this is an anime movie about three high school students who start a band. But wait, it’s not the typical coming-of-age band story.

The main character, Totsuko Higurashi, has this cool power to see colors around people, and those colors tell her who they really are on the inside. It’s like if Inside Out met K-On!, and then just had an emotional jam session after school.

Moreover, Naoko Yamada is not just any generic anime director, she’s the Studio Ghibli of emotions. Whether she’s handling something as serious as disability and bullying in A Silent Voice, or just the everyday cuteness of school girls in K-On!, she always makes you feel something real.

Okay, now for the real question you came here for: Where can one stream The Colors Within? So, it’s not on Netflix yet (but let’s fingers crossed, folks), but the good news is that you can already stream The Colors Within on Amazon Prime Video.

Moreover, GKIDS, the same distributor that is known for bringing great anime films to the West, such as Belle, The Boy and the Heron, and Promare, has acquired the rights in 2024 for distributing it to Western audiences.

With a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and with massive praise from one of anime’s most prominent names, The Colors Within is more than a hidden gem, it’s a work of art in every sense.

It’s a film about music, identity, and community that’s alive, that’s full of color, and that’s full of heart. It’s directed by a woman who’s not afraid to slow things down and make you feel everything.

Moreover, it left an impression on a director who has inspired a whole generation of anime creators and fans. So yeah, it’s the sort of movie that needs a worldwide release. Ideally on Netflix, but we’ll take Amazon Prime and GKIDS as consolation for now.