Director Naoko Yamada has proven herself in the niche of lower-stakes, slice-of-life anime, with decades of experience in the industry and a reputation from both the international sensation A Silent Voice as well as multiple entries of the Sound Euphonium franchise. Her works are known for their ability to take simple premises and draw from them emotional explorations of youth and friendship. With her newest film The Colors Within, Yamada channels those emotional depths through the visual and pallet sensibilities of one of anime’s most visually bold studios, Science Saru, whose 2021 series The Heike Story she had previously worked on as director. The result is a charming display of music and color, a refreshing celebration of friendship and self-acceptance that ends up being perhaps Yamada’s most poetic project to date.