The official list of nominees for the 97th Academy Awards has finally gone live, and once again, no anime films have been nominated for Best Animated Feature. As an anime fan, I’m far too used to this, but that doesn’t make it any less annoying, especially when it was just last year that The Boy and the Heron solidified Studio Ghibli’s comeback with its Best Animated Feature win.

Anime continually getting snubbed at the Oscars will always be annoying, and it’s especially annoying this year. Naturally, it’s terrible that great films like Ghost Cat Anzu and Studio Durian’s Look Back were snubbed because of their incredible writing and animation, but speaking personally, despite the lack of mainstream recognition, Naoko Yamada’s The Colors Within getting snubbed at the 97th Academy Awards is the biggest travesty of the Best Animated Feature category, by far. The film has only just been released in Western theaters, but I’m sure that anyone who sees it would know exactly why I’m so upset.

The Colors Within Is One Of The Most Visually Stunning Films I’ve Ever Seen

Why The Colors Within Looks So Good

The first thing that stands out about The Colors Within is, of course, the visuals. While it doesn’t have the same abstract and surreal animation that Science Saru anime are known for, that doesn’t make it any less impressive, as every scene in The Colors Within is animated with an incredible level of fluidity for moments both big and small, with every scene of the main characters playing music especially standing out. Add in how wonderfully every scene is sH๏τ to emphasize specific emotions, and it’s a masterclass in animation.

The visuals and art direction also stand out incredibly well. Not only are all the character designs varied and paired wonderfully well with the expressive animation, but befitting the film’s focus on colors, the art direction of The Colors Within always does a perfect job of filling the film with vibrant visuals to add as much life as possible to the story in every scene. Just from a visual level, it’s one of Science Saru’s strongest projects by far, and getting to watch it in theaters was one of the best experiences I’ve had in a while.

Much of why the film looks so good can be attributed to its director, Naoko Yamada. Yamada is one of the biggest directors to come out of Kyoto Animation, with her being responsible for high-profile productions like K-On!, Tamako Market, and A Silent Voice, and sure enough, Naoko Yamada’s years of experience in animation helped make The Colors Within one of the best-looking anime films a person can watch. The amount of work she put into it as a director cannot be understated, and that makes it all the more disappointing to see it get snubbed at the Oscars.

The Colors Within’s Soundtrack Is Truly A Sound To Behold

Why The Music In The Colors Within Is So Good

Going right along with the stunning animation is the equally impressive soundtrack. Composed by Kensuke Ushio of Devilman Crybaby and Dandadan fame, the soundtrack to The Colors Within always does a great job of capturing the emotional moments of every scene, both positive and negative, and the specific times it’s executed takes that even further. It’s not Ushio’s most bombastic soundtrack, but with how grounded The Colors Within is, that style is more than appropriate.

Naturally, the music is at its best in the scenes of the cast playing in their band. Most of the plot is driven by Totsuko, Kimi, and Rui’s sudden decision to form a band, and sure enough, everything the main characters of The Colors Within play as a band, whether they’re just riffing or putting on an actual performance, is always amazing to listen to. The unique use of the theremin and Kylie McNeill’s singing as Kimi were two of the biggest contributors to that, and well after seeing the film, I still find myself blown away by it all.

I Fell In Love With The Colors Within’s Writing Because Of How Simple It Is

The Colors Within Proves That Simple Is Often Best

As great as the visuals and music for The Colors Within are, what truly makes the film stand out is its writing. For starters, the main trio of Totsuko, Kimi, and Rui are all great characters both as individuals and as a trio, with the three of them excellently playing off each other as they go through personal problems of varying severity. It never gets too deep or depressing, but the character writing for The Colors Within strikes a perfect balance between thoughtful introspection and lighthearted depth that always keeps things palatable, and that, alone, is great to see.

That sort of balancing act also plays into why the writing for the overall story is so good. While there was plenty of room for drama with Kimi and Rui’s character arcs, the focus was less on what they were doing and more on how they weren’t talking about it with anyone, and that was honestly refreshing. Dropping out of school or pursuing a hobby aren’t always big things, so The Colors Within not making a bigger thing out of Kimi and Rui’s situations than necessary was a big part of why the writing was so strong.

That idea also played into what ended up being the biggest surprise for me: The Colors Within’s use of Christianity. It was one thing to see Christianity be such a major part of the story, but rather than exaggerate or demonize it as a lot of media does, it’s simply used as a vehicle to convey the messages of being honest with others and having confidence in yourself. The Colors Within’s use of Christian themes in its writing was excellently used to enhance the positive themes of the story, and as surprising as that was, it was very welcome, nonetheless.

Everything great about The Colors Within’s writing can be attributed to its head writer, Reiko Yoshida. Yoshida is one of the most experienced script writers in anime with credits for projects like Digimon, The Cat Returns, and Violet Evergarden, and she’s even collaborated with Naoko Yamada on K-On!, A Silent Voice, and Liz and the Blue Bird, so at the end of the day, The Colors Within found the perfect scriptwriter to bring out Naoko Yamada’s vision in Reiko Yoshida. That combination led to a truly phenomenal film, and it needs far more attention than the little it’s been afforded.

Why Was The Colors Within Snubbed At The Academy Awards?

One Of The Biggest Anime Snubs To Date Explained

I’ve talked at length about why The Colors Within is a great film, and that begs the question of why it wasn’t so much as nominated for the Academy Awards. The film not being released in Western theaters until January is one thing, but as popular as anime has become, it’s still in a place where only the most mainstream productions will be recognized by the general public. Any anime film that isn’t made by Studio Ghibli is unlikely to garner enough attention for the Oscars or any other major awards in the West, and unfortunately, that’s unlikely to change.

A film doesn’t need to win awards to be recognized as a good film, however, and even without any sort of mainstream recognition, The Colors Within is still one of the best anime films in recent years thanks to its gorgeous visuals, stellar soundtrack, and phenomenal story and character writing. Even if it’s not getting the recognition at the Academy Awards it so rightfully deserves, The Colors Within is still one of the best anime films a person can watch right now, and anyone who hasn’t seen it yet should do so as soon as possible.