A review by jayisreading
Colorful by Eto Mori

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

3.25

Colorful follows a dead spirit taking over the body of a teenage boy who attempted suicide, the reader is drawn into the world of this boy, Makoto, and learns about what led to his decision to attempt suicide, all of which is explored through his (very messy) relationships with classmates, friends, and family. All things considered, this was an interesting way to explore severe depression, and I thought Mori approached the subject of suicide with relative care, especially as she revealed how difficult it can be to break out of suicidal ideation. I found that there was something very realistic about how Mori depicted the difficulties of communicating one’s struggles to others, and I can see why the familial relationships in particular could frustrate some readers, only because… well, they weren’t always the most pleasant. I found these portrayals effective, though, because it contributed to the protagonist’s personal growth.

I’m admittedly still not sure how to feel about the relatively lighthearted approach to such serious issues, though after reading the afterword, I can somewhat understand Mori’s intent. It’s not to say that she was flippant about issues related to mental health, but maybe it’s just the cynic in me who finds it difficult to take a topic as dark as suicide and approach it with so much hope. I had a few other issues with the novel ranging from the narrative to the technical. I’m not sure how to feel about the English translation, which read a little stilted to me, and I found that I was struggling a bit to get into the flow of the writing. I also felt that more could have been done with this concept of being given a second chance to live, perhaps a little bit of worldbuilding. Finally, perhaps my main issue was of the teenage girl who was essentially characterized as a sex worker, which felt incredibly unnecessary to include. While I understand that this is likely a very real situation, it didn’t really contribute anything to the main storyline. Furthermore, I wasn’t a huge fan of how Makoto perceived her as a result of what she was doing— It was all just really strange and awkward to me.

I can see why this novel would touch some readers and frustrate others; I’m not entirely sure if I fall in either camp and am in some secret third camp, haha.Overall, though, Colorful has an interesting but somewhat underdeveloped concept. It doesn’t do anything particularly groundbreaking, but I can see why a novel about second chances could really help a young reader going through hard times. 
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