In the UK, animation is rarely seen outside of children's TV schedules or comic films. In Japan, animation developed alongside the country's popular "manga" graphic novels and covers a much wider range of subjects, including some adult themes.

Keiichi Hara's Colourful (based on the Eto Mori's 1998 novel of the same name) isn't a simple animation aimed at children. It centres on a recently deceased spirit who is granted another chance at life, in the body of a teenage boy who has committed suicide. It is tough and dark at times and contemplates the Buddhist idea of reincarnation and the problem of teen suicide in Japan.

In this post-screening Q&A, Keiichi Hara, who directed his first animated film in 1984, talks to Kieron Argo, Animation Programme Manager at Encounters Short Film and Animation Festival, about how he came to make the film and his efforts to make everyday life real through animation, showing how enriching our "boring" everyday lives are. This talk is not only an interesting look at the thinking and techniques behind making an animated film, but also an insight into Japanese life and culture.

Colourful was one of seven films brought to the UK by the Japan Foundation annual touring film programme, East Side Stories, which offered an enlightening and expansive introduction to Japanese cinema, exploring the complex lives of young people in Japan.

Please note that Keiichi Hara speaks in Japanese, but a translator is provided.

Posted on Sat 1 Feb 2014.

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