Where to start withColorful
2 versions · originally a book, 1998
Themes: Second Chances, Suicide, Identity, Redemption, Finding Meaning in Life.
Start with Colorful (Eto Mori, 2021) — the book. Colorful exists in 2 versions across media, beginning as a book in 1998; each is ranked below by what it does best.
A dead soul receives a second chance at life by inhabiting the body of a deceased fourteen-year-old boy.
✦ Most fans start here
Colorful (2021)
The original novel
✦ Start hereColorful
Eto Mori · Book · 2021
The 2021 novel Colorful delivers Eto Mori's original bestselling story in English translation, tracing a soul's year-long journey inside Makoto Kobayashi alongside the angel Prapura. Ideal for readers seeking the foundational narrative.
2010 film
Colorful
Keiichi Hara · Film · 2010
Keiichi Hara's 2010 film Colorful captures the dejected soul's quest to uncover past sins under the watch of neutral spirit Purapura, offering a compelling visual adaptation of Mori's story.
Common questions
Is Colorful a movie or a book first?
Colorful was originally published as a Japanese novel by Eto Mori in 1998. The animated movie adaptation titled Colorful was released later in 2010, and the English translation of the original book was published on July 20, 2021.
Are there other English books by the author of Colorful?
Colorful is the first novel by Japanese author Eto Mori to be translated into English. While her 1998 bestseller has been translated into several different languages worldwide, the English edition translated by Jocelyne Allen was published in July 2021.
How long does the soul get in Colorful?
In Colorful, the unnamed dead soul is granted a year-long second chance. For the duration of that year, the soul must inhabit the body of Makoto Kobayashi, a 14-year-old boy who died after an intentional overdose.
Who is Prapura in Colorful?
In the novel Colorful, Prapura is an angel who assists the unnamed narrator soul during its second chance. Prapura provides the soul with essential information regarding the family and past life of Makoto Kobayashi, the boy whose body the soul inhabits.