Irozuku Sekai no Ashita kara

rpehaSp shti si owh eht stryo swa triwten. y?wH eubCse it osed erytvhing ni eht worgn r.edor

*light spoilers follow*

"Kinda" colorblind person living in the present time is in angst and very sad because reasons and magic powers. Therefore, she travels back in time to join a school club in the past, falls in love with a teenager of her age and starts seeing colors again because feelings and happiness (assumably). Unicorns, rainbows and other nice stuff exist in the time where everything was better. Literally rainbows, not the meme. This is pretty much the stupidest reason I have heard for a time traveling story and ... the content surely is not making it any better. It's practically every school club thingie ever done except its selling point are the magic and time traveling stuff that simply exist and nothing more, so basically, there is no selling point.

The mc is simply awful, and has the personality of a suicidal toddler. y tho? Because she stops crying about her angsty side the second someone throws a goddamn magic toy at her. Her very existence is annoying and whenever she does anything or just is there, her whole presence is yelling "I am about to kill myself" but her pathetic personality quietly whispering "I can't do it." I paused the video first time in ep 1 at time stamp 7:30 and spend 5 minutes staring at her face that looked like this =( just to try and understand -- to figure out -- what is the point of her character. Why was this series made with some sort of pseudo-sad and borderline emo manner that is too bland and boring to be edgy and too stupid for me to give a damn about anything that she might or might not be feeling.

The time travelling concept itself is chaotically random to begin with. Grandma gives a hug and sends our mc in the year 2018 with nothing but a talking earring and a map with her. Good thing she happens to end up in just the right place and get instantly surrounded by characters who all seem to love her and not see what an uninteresting and sad person she is. Basically she is just a transfer student but for some reason, the series needed to be seasoned with some extra messy because -- well -- it can be done. Cool. The character development on the other hand makes no sense at all. Why couldn't this grill talk with people in her own timeline and stop being a lil bitch there? -- why this is possible in the current year but not in the original angsty timeline is beyond me.

The side characters and production all are decent, no problems there -- I would even praise the art if I thought it mattered -- but this thing is sucking because of the main lead is... this character and the series' excuse to even exist is beyond lame.

The only way I have been able to enjoy this thing at all is laughing at scenes such as our mc trying to open windows or asking people "what is a band-aid?" I like to imagine that she doesn't know these things not because she is from the future where they don't apparently exist, but because she is so fucking stupid.

I feel that it’s safe to say that all stories in some essence are contrived. I mean these are works of fiction, fake stories concocted by a writer/s imagination. From characters, settings, plot conventions, conveniences, and anything else under the sun, the writer has full control to manipulate them however they wish. Of course this is only looking at a work in a very reductionist point of view. Because even if they are contrived, most don’t give off the air or feel of being one. Due to the fact of the creators embellishing their stories that makes their characters more compelling, the ... settings having a sense of place, and for the plot to come off as more “naturel”. Why is all this important? Well because Irozuku seems to be in conflict with two different elements, with one being the tale of self growth as a character and the other being a magical time travel romantic melodrama.

From the start off it’s easy to see that there was a good amount of effort put into the visuals of the show. With a show with the name color in its name, it does make sure to bring it to the screen with a vibrant color pallet being applied to almost everything. However sometimes the vibrancy doesn’t work in it’s favor when it comes to the characters as they come of as glossy making them at time look a bit plastic like. What also doesn’t help for their characters is their designs, at least their faces. While i’m kind of fine with most shows and their minimalist design of the faces this show takes a it a small step more that ends up being to far. With the nose being far to small, and thanks to the glossy look of the show almost non-existent, and that could also play in part with now the eyes looking a bit far apart from the face that they start to look like fish people.

Anyway the main story is about Hitomi, a girl from the future, where magic is commonplace and not the type where technology is advance that it’s like magic, but actual magic. Due to her very strained relationship with her mother, she has lost the color in her life. I don’t mean in a metaphorically melancholic way, but she has honestly become monochromatic colorblind. Then her grandmother comes and has some inkling of how her granddaughter feels and then she just sends her to the past, after which this series of events happen. Hitomi wakes up in some guys empty room, she “secretly” leaves but forgets her earing, she is seen by some people who happen to be the friends of the guy living in the room, she realizes she lost her earring, she finds the guy who lived in that room with her earing, and finally the guys drawing are the only thing that Hitomi can see in color, and mind you that this is just the first episode. It’s not all the small conveniences that are the problem, but how they constantly stack up on one another that makes them so forced and so contrived. Events like these happen every once in a while in the show, and across multiple episodes that it is easy to be taken out of the experience that it is trying to sell.

Now i’m not going to get into the whole time travel thing since that’s a whole beast i don’t care enough to go into it, other than it’s just kind of dumb. The magic i don’t mind as much and i’m fine having it be somewhat ambiguous. However it’s obvious how these are used as plot devices and probably the main vehicle why so many parts of the story just feel so forced.

It just leaves lingering questions of why the creators of this work would go to such lengths to create such extraneous plot lines for a show about personal growth. Sure this is an anime original and it was trying to be original in its premise from other derivative Japanese high school anime. But that’s just how far they went, only the premise. Since outside of the whole magic and time travel thing all that’s left is a dull school romantic melodrama. None of which are bad elements but the show does nothing to make them work in its favor. There’s not much about the romance that makes it really endearing or compelling. Especially with how all the characters are “coupled up” with the main couple, the childhood friends, and the other two. None of them are in actual relationships with each other but the show still makes a point to make it overtly obvious. Even when there’s romantic conflicts which make up most of the melodrama portion. Most of it is just eye rolling and annoying and makes me internally scream, "get on with it already"! These problems probably had more to do with the characters themselves. There’s not really much to them when it goes to characterization and personality since it’s rather basic and on the surface and the few who do have some character development, it’s also rather basic and isn’t really that well done. There’s not much about them that makes them really compelling. Even the main character and her developing from her angst into a better person in end is still a dull character.

Now the whole show isn’t that bad. The theme of self growth is rather consistent across the show and it does have moments that are rather good and touching. It even hits a really good stride during the last two or three episodes, even if it’s undermined by more plot contrivance. The production value is fine even if there are some poor decisions with the directing of the show like when it the POV of Hitomi but from her perspective she can still see color and then a few seconds later it turns to monochrome to make a point that she’s color blind in case it wasn’t obvious enough times.

In the end there’s not much that is worthwhile about this show. With a cast of just boring 2-dimensional characters. A plot that could have gone down a more simpler road while still maintaining it’s core theme, but opted for a more convoluted yet easily convenient one. There’s not much that hides the intrinsic contrivances of the story. Maybe the show should have upped the plastic look of the characters so the writing could have something to match with.

This anime falls within the slow paced drama genres with some magic to spice things up, if you have watched 5cm per second, just because or your name then you have already essentially experienced all there is to this anime but the other shows did it better. So why bother watching? For the characters naturally and sadly this show fails horribly at it but to make this consistent I will express my views on the characters, story and then finally the art.

Characters(Hitomi *Spoilers*)

The characters in this show are so weak it is sad, our main character Hitomi to be blunt is stale, listless and easily ... forgettable. She has lost her sense of color since she was a child for an unknown reason, doesn't like magic cause reasons and therefore is anti-social and shy cause reasons. She most have had the worst childhood ever for her to be so negative just because she can't see colours, she doesn't talk to anyone at all clearly because in ep 2 she goes on about how no one has ever said they want to see her magic or
how it can make someone happy. This show also loves forcing drama down your throat making any tension painful unnatural or outright stupid. Example: ep2 she finally says she wants to see Shou's art, hooray finally wasn't so hard was it? Why was there even tension for such a simple question? When she sees it nothing happens end of issue. Yup that is it, queue credits lol. I find her genuinely frustrating, she is a character that is portrayed as some victim (Thanks to Shou and grandma) who is innocent but she is very much incompetent and self pitying. However, because I need to say what I like about this show, in terms of Hitomi I like how she is pretty, thanks P.A Works.

Shou is a typical edgy guy who is considered a loner but has a few close friends. Yet he must still be a edgy loner and uptight about everything apparently so he is I'll say mean to the obviously introverted Hitomi. Don't worry though they say opposites attract, he'll probably have some back story as to why he has got to be negative all the time.

Supporting characters are all cliche. Wow that was quick guess the root of this show's issues are the two main characters surprise surprise.

Story

We all know the story, if not read the summary. It is nothing special with only Hitomi's progression driving it which is a shame because I don't call asking a question then getting happy over someone saying something nice to you about the thing you hate progression. Well we are on ep 2 so fingers crossed this show can actually turn out to be good.

Edit: Hello, here from the future at ep 4, nothing has changed. It is so pathetic that I didn't even need to change my review I wrote from ep 2!

Art

Absolutely fantastic. The visuals are great and the show is pure eye candy. The only issue is that Hitomi seems to be permanently blushing for some reason... In-fact make that all the females hmmm.

Verdict: This show is average if you can look past the terrible characters. If you are like me and can't stand them it is simply bad, cringey and even frustrating to watch which is a huge shame because I'm a huge romance fan.

The following lines are not intended to be an objective review. This will be an honest opinion about a mislabeled show following a forceful viewing of almost 8 episodes.

I'd rather watch the horrendous CGI of Black Clover than finish this show. I have no clue as to why I bothered watching this many episodes. This is how I feel about it. It's a joke and an insult of a show.

The only redeeming quality of this anime is it's decent art style. That is all. I can't find anything else.

The story:
A sad female brick does not see colors. It's manufacturer (the grandmother) sends it back into ... time without explanation. Nothing else happens.

Art:
Pleasant.

Sound:
Did not notice so I gave it a 1/10.

Character/s:


Enjoyment:
A solid 10/10. And the best part about it is that it's slow to develop, at least for me. No other show made me write a "review", granted, I haven't seen that many. It started with promise. The first episode was interesting and the first I've seen that tackles color blindness. It then, gradually, made me angrier and angrier. This is as boring as it can get. Nothing happens and I'm sure nothing will happen if I watch it till the end. There is no enjoyment to be had in this. I called the MC a brick but it's an insult to bricks. I'd rather watch the f*cking grass grow.

Now then, on to the mislabeling. There is no drama in the show. There is nothing romantic in the show. The magic is secondary but I don't know to what.
You can probably argue that the romance is budding and that the characters are shy and to that I say go f*ck yourself.

If you have a fetish for stone bricks and for emotionally stale environments this is the show for you. I assure you that nothing will happen in it.

If you still have functioning brain cells and value your time please stay away from this utter garbage.

story 3/10:
Boy if you've seen one romcom anime you've seen em all fireworks at the end tearful goodbyes this show does nothing to differentiate itself from others its tedious in its build-up and lackluster in its delivery.

Art: 9/10
the only reason to watch this show, in my opinion, is its excellent and consistently good glowy shiny art its got some truly enchanting and beautiful scenery that we've come to expect from p.a works

sound: 3.5/10
op was okay had some pretty shots generic op music nothing memorable animation wise it was excellent but it was just like dry crackers the op song that is ... the same story with the ed

characters 2.5/10
the anime does for its credit stay away for the most part from the tropey-ness that a lot of romcoms does but it more they are more comparable to being a lighter version of these tropes which make the story more frustrating than enjoyable to me, there's a reason there are tropes and tropes done well are fun to watch but tropes that only half committed and try to escape that character dynamic without having characters with distinct personalities is this shows weakest points no one sticks out its so bland with the exception of the art its just nothing of substance

enjoyment 2/10
yeah I didn't like it all I feel bad giving such a great work of pure animation such a bad rating but its other aspects make me feel it'd be a better wallpaper collection than a series Hitomi and Kohaku are cutely designed but that's p much the only thing the shows got going for it

Spoilers ahead. I wanted to watch something wholesome since I recently got back into anime. I had this as a recommendation but was left with a complete disappointment.

Let's start with the story. The story is non-existent. It's essentially about some teenagers in a club doing club things. Oh right, there is a mention of time-travel at the start but nothing really happens with the time-travelling aspect.

I mean, you can't really introduce your show by sending the main character back in time and then do nothing of it. What was the point exactly?

I won't call the story as story but rather as a concept ... or an idea, because that's what it is essentially. The idea is that a girl who is traumatized by her past gets sent back in time to find herself. For some unknown reason, the best way to find yourself as a person is to travel back in time and become friends with complete strangers and your grandmother. According to this anime at least.

I was honestly expecting a lot more development on the time-travel aspect. There are issues with time-travelling because it is a very difficult concept to grasp alone but seemingly this anime doesn't care about all the dangers that may arise and true complexity of time-travelling. You might think I missed the point. The point was not to develop the time-travelling aspect but to show the power of true friendship. Well to that I say, there are a lot of better ways to write your story without having the need of including something like time-travelling. Especially, if the story and the world building have a soft magic system.

It honestly baffled me to my core when the show started to randomly start drama between the characters. It was so unnatural and forced. By the time they introduce this forced drama, you already become detached from the show because nothing happens. How are you supposed to care for a set of characters that are bland, boring and uninteresting?

Magic is apparently also something the show wants to focus on. In this show, magic can be literally anything and everything. The magic is so vaguely explained and the characters who are magicians can also do anything. Anything in this case spans from creating a little bright star to creating a magic power to transferring humans into pictures to time-travelling.

I understand that magic and time-travelling are both tools that the author used in order to write his story and develop certain parts of it. But it would be nice to know limitations, caveats and dangers of magic. Instead, whenever some magical problem happens, it just happens and then gets resolved almost immediately. I am talking about when the protagonist messed up time and started disappearing. I honestly thought it was going to be more troublesome and have a lot more serious outcome on the protagonist but no. She started disappearing randomly and then re-appearing like nothing happened. And the biggest spit in your face as a viewer is probably towards the end where she stops disappearing and that thing is forgot about completely until the last episode.

The show is very slow-paced and can drive anyone to insanity. Nothing ever happens in the show except for the last three or so episodes.

The worst offender of this show was the characters. I really don't understand how you can write such characters and then publish a 13 episode long anime. The characters, if you can even call them that are so boring and unrelatable.

Given the high school setting, I was honestly expecting a lot more drama. But alas, everyone in high school is so kind and caring. There is no bullying, no one ever feels bad and everyone wants to help each other out right? What bothered me was the fact that all of these 'characters' never offered anything interesting to the viewer. Instead of being defined by who they are, they were defined by who someone else was. They were defined by the thought that you are who you are because you help other people. The underlying message is that by helping others you become a better human being yourself. In of itself, it's a powerful message. I appreciate the attempt of delivering a very positive and emphatic message. Unfortunately, the delivery of said message is pathetic. It falls short almost immediately. There are a lot of ways you can deliver a message by telling a good and thought out story. In this case, the show just re-iterated the same message in every single episode.

The characters have no real character development, there are no introduced conflicts aside from the forced drama which gets resolved in the same episode. Instead of having character development, the characters of this show have traits. The protagonist is semi-colorblind and wants to see the colors again. Others are not interesting characters at all. One of the characters is of very artistic nature and loves to draw. The others like photography, I guess? They really don't have any reason as to why they like photography or art, or at least that is never explained. They like art and photography because the plot requires them in order to move on.

In a nutshell, all the characters are bland shells. They have no self-interests, no personal values and nothing that would define them who they really are.

Romance? No. This part, where the show not only tried to shove drama down your throat as a viewer but also tried to make the protagonist the love interest of the club president. This doesn't really make any sense, whatsoever. I don't why they felt the need to even put it there. It's also never explained why or how the club president fell in love with the protagonist. All that is explained is that he saw her having a sad frown and wanted to make her happy. He's also very dense and doesn't understand that another character really loves him. It then creates this love triangle which is resolved with a scene of them talking it out in like less than a minute. The show shouldn't even have attempted any sort of romance at all, because the author seems to be foreign to that concept.

The visuals and the graphic design on the other hand is where the show truly shines. I don't have much to add to it but it was definitely more than your generic slice of life anime visuals. Some scenes were truly beautifully crafted and made you feel somewhat entertained and interested. The music was alright too I guess.

One potential development I would have love to seen in this anime was the find yourself part. It is even hinted by another character but is never developed further than a mention. It is difficult to find yourself, to know what defines you and what makes you really you. The dialogue they had was interesting, the girl with the glasses started talking about how she has a hard time finding what she really likes. She figured that photography is her passion and hobby but is jealous of her older sister. Her older sister is a lot more successful than her and she aspires to be like her but is almost always overshadowed by her. This would be a very interesting sort of side-story to the character where her inner conflict gets resolved by her finding what she really likes the most.

In conclusion, this show has absolutely no rewatch value whatsoever. This show isn't very entertaining, doesn't give you any sort of emotions when watching and definitely lacks a proper story. It's honestly sad to see that such graphics go to waste on an anime like this. I gave this anime a 4/10, because of the really good and intriguing start. I also gave it a 4/10 because of the underlying and powerful message. I would have loved to see this anime with a better story and definitely better written characters, but you can't have it all I guess.