Iroduku: The World in Colors Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

Iroduku: The World in Colors Blu-ray Movie Review

Iroduku – The World in Colors is a fantasy-drama series with a slice-of-life element tossed in to the series equation. Created by Natsuka Yashio, Iroduku – The World in Colors has a lot to offer audiences seeking character-driven and high concept stories. Produced by Fumiki Yamazaki (Amnesia, Blue Drop), Hiroyuki Aoi (Domestic Girlfriend, My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!), Jin Kawamura (Emma: A Victorian Romance Second Act, The World of Narue), Mitsuhito Tsuji (Uma Musume Pretty Derby, The Day I Became a God), Mitsutoshi Ogura (Black Lagoon, Tokyo Ravens), Shōta Tanaka (Angels of Death), Toshihiro Maeda (Attack on Titan, Jujutsu Kaisen), Tsuyoshi Aida (Girlish Number, Goblin Slayer), Yuichi Izumi (Arifureta - From Commonplace to World's Strongest, I've Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level), and Yutaka Kashiwagi (Chivalry of a Failed Knight, The Rising of The Shield Hero), Iroduku – The World in Colors features animation produced by P.A. Works (A Lull in the Sea, Tari Tari) that will take audiences breath away.

Hitomi Tsukishiro (Kaori Ishihara) may be living in a magical world full of surprise and wonderment. Yet Hitomi is also incapable of seeing life with all of the colors of the rainbow. Hitomi can only see darker color hues such as black, white, grey, and shades in between. Though Hitomi was able to see colors during her earliest youth, her color sight disappeared – faded away.

Now living a life of gray color, Hitomi finds life inescapably different from her youth. Yet her dear grandmother decides to explore a spell to bring the two of them even closer together – by brining Hitomi to the time when her grandmother was only 17 years old. As the tale unfolds, Iroduku – The World in Colors explore the true meaning of life – and the importance of friendship.

The animation is one of the clear highlights of the production and this is one of the reasons the series works as well as it does. This is a series that had a lot of effort go in to the design elements. With an impressive team of animators involved on the production, Iroduku – The World in Colors has a great aesthetic. The series art style is vibrant, colorful, and engaging. Certainly, a lot to appreciate about the animation and the artistic sensibility it provides audiences. Given the concept of the series, it is nice to see the bold and colorful aesthetic used.

The series would not have been such a wonderful looking anime without the chief animation direction by Yuki Akiyama (The Eccentric Family 2, The aquatope on white sand) and the art direction of Kurumi Suzuki (The aquatope on white sand, The Day I Became a God). It takes a great production team to help assemble something so bold and colorful. As a result of the fantastic team assembled, Iroduku – The World in Colors stands out from a crowded sea of productions and the art makes a more solid and entertaining impression.

The character designs by Yuki Akiyama (The aquatope on white sand) are a standout element of Iroduku – The World in Colors as well. The series has some impressive character designs and this is something which adds a sense of charm to the storytelling. Akiyama managed to craft designs that fit all of the central characters and the supporting cast as well. A solid effort for Iroduku – The World in Colors.

The cinematography by Tomo Namiki (The Eccentric Family, Maquia - When the Promised Flower Blooms) and Yoshimitsu Tomita (Ya Boy Kongming!, Fairy gone) is another compelling element. Cinematographers Namiki and Tomita are both noteworthy for their keen understanding of the cinematographic language required for the series. The cinematographers grasp the concept and the artistic approach. The result of the cinematography is something that capably highlights the splendid animation and gives it a more distinct aesthetic.

The score composed by Yoshiaki Dewa (Call of the Night, Flying Witch) is enjoyable and adds a sense of charm to the production. The score has a element of charisma and provides a solid backdrop to the production – enhancing the storytelling and the character building. A good effort by Dewa.

Written by Yuuko Kakihara (Chihayafuru, Unbreakable Machine-Doll), Iroduku – The World in Colors is a series with a worthwhile concept and the anime does a good job of bringing said tale to life. The series focuses on the core cast of characters and on their journeys. The main emphasis is on the life of Hitomi and her journey (as she loses her ability to see a full scale of colors). Though Hitomi might not be able to see a rainbow in all of its glory anymore, the tale explores her journey to a different time – meeting her grandmother as a 17-year-old.

Directed by Toshiya Shinohara (A Lull in the Sea, Lupin III: Crisis in Tokyo), Iroduku – The World in Colors excels most of all as a visual experience. Shinohara crafted something with a keen visual sensibility in showcasing vibrant colors and imagery. The result is something that feels more artistic, personal, and ambitious in comparison to a typical anime production. Iroduku – The World in Colors certainly found a worthwhile director with Shinohara helping to craft the tale. Fans of A Lull in the Sea (a great series from the filmmaker) should take note.

Iroduku: The World in Colors Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Sentai Filmworks, Iroduku – The World in Colors is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The release has a wonderful quality encoding. The high-definition presentation is worthwhile and the colors look great on the release. The background animation and character designs shine well with the encoding on the release capably preserving the animation style. Fans will be pleased to have the Blu-ray option, with a higher bit-rate encode compared to streaming alternatives.

Iroduku: The World in Colors Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo and Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo (with English subtitles). The lossless audio encoding sounds crisp, engaging, and dynamic. The lossless sound quality certainly adds a lot of value to the release. A lossless audio encode contains much more data with a higher bit-rate compared to streaming audio options on film and anime subscription services. The lossless audio provides a greater sense of depth and detail.

Iroduku: The World in Colors Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release is a bit underwhelming in regards to the supplementals. The Blu-ray release could have certainly used some more extras and it would have been nice to see some added character art and photo galleries. The on-disc extras are as follows:

Clean Opening Animation (HD, 1:32)

Clean Closing Animations (HD, 4:36)

Japanese Promos (HD, 4:50)

The release also includes a selection of trailers promoting other releases available from distributor Sentai Filmworks: Dororo (HD, 1:32), Nana (HD, 1:27), Food Wars! The Fifth Plate (HD, 1:32), and Princess Principal: Crown Handler (Chapter 1) (HD, 00:38).

Iroduku: The World in Colors Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Iroduku – The World in Colors is a colorful and bold anime with a lot of creative elements. The series has a vibrant art style and the animation is impressive looking (with a style that is unique in comparison to many productions). Iroduku – The World in Colors is well directed by Toshiya Shinohara (A Lull in the Sea).

The Blu-ray release includes a quality high definition presentation and a nice lossless audio sound encode available in English and Japanese. The presentation is excellent and worthwhile. Fans who appreciate superior video and audio will be happy to add the release to their collection. A nice set sure to please fans of Iroduku – The World in Colors (despite a somewhat lackluster supplemental package). Recommended.