Totsuko is a high school student with the ability to see the 'colors' of others. Colors of bliss, excitement, and serenity, plus a color she treasures as her favorite. Kimi, a classmate at her school, gives off the most beautiful color of all. Although she doesn't play an instrument, Totsuko forms a band with Kimi and Rui, a quiet music enthusiast they meet at a used bookstore in a far corner of town. As they practice at an old church on a remote island, music brings them together, forming friendships and stirring affections.
Direction
Yamada's framing turns glances into entire love letters.
Sound
Diegetic music that actually sounds like teenagers learning.
Cinematography
Color symbolism so subtle you'll need frame-by-frame.
Director
Naoko Yamada
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Nagasaki's hidden Christian history (kakure kirishitan) subtly informs the church setting—Yamada rarely picks locations randomly.
Totsuko's synesthesia represents the impossible desire to truly know another person—a theme Yamada explored in Liz and the Blue Bird, now with romantic stakes.
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