Last month, the renowned director of “A Silent Voice”, Naoko Yamadapresented his latest animation work entitled “The Inner Colors” (Kimi no Iro)an original project that caught the attention of critics. After its debut in Japan Makoto Shinkaithe famous director behind hits like "Your name" and “Suzume no Tojimari”praised Yamada's talent and expressed his deep admiration for his work.

“The Colors Within” tells the story of three high school students who decide to form a band, a premise that brings back memories of Yamada’s previous work on “K-On!” The film focuses on Totsuko Higurashi, the protagonist, who has a unique ability: she perceives the colors that surround people, which attracts her to those around her.

In a recent joint interview, Shinkai and Yamada discussed the film's release. Yamada commented that he feels Shinkai's cinematic legacy is "a wall he must overcome." In turn, Shinkai admitted that, although he deeply admires his work, he also feels a sense of “jealousy” when seeing Yamada’s works. «My first contact with Yamada's work was through 'K-On!'. The freshness and joy that the animation emanated impacted me so much that I wished it had been made by someone far from me, with a different background.», Shinkai commented. This feeling of jealousy comes from Yamada's enormous talent, which he says is hard to ignore.

One of the highlights “The Inner Colors” for Shinkai it’s the way the characters interact. «There were many moments that I enjoyed, but my favorite was the scene right before the school festival, when Kimi-chan is unsure whether she is ready to perform. Totsuko, in a motivating tone, replies, "What are you talking about? You seem very motivated." The handling of that scene, with Kimi-chan standing up in a completely 'rock' style, was wonderful.», Shinkai pointed out.

Shinkai, who has been an influential figure in the anime industry since the release of “The place promised in our early days” In 2004, he commented on Yamada's impact on his own style. In fact, he revealed that he was inspired by his technique: «I remember seeing a scene where the character's feet were shown instead of their face while they were talking. I was told that this choice allowed me to express a unique emotion and I didn't hesitate to imitate it in my own work.».

One of the characteristics that sets Yamada apart is his focus on treating characters with dignity. In a previous interview, you mentioned the importance of understanding characters without arbitrarily controlling them. This ability to capture the emotional reality of characters is something that Shinkai also admires, confessing that he often feels unsure whether his expression will reach the public, opting to make less risky decisions.

Source: Hi Natalie