Irozuku Sekai no Ashita kara has been somehow overlooked so far this anime season, and I’m not sure why.
With its superb visuals, promising story and the main character that is facing the uncommon problem of monochromacy, I believe this anime deserves more attention.
Oh and the opening and ending sequences are quite good as well.
Let’s take a closer look at them.
The opening
The song, titled “17 Sai”, is performed by Haruka to Miyuki, a Japanese folk-rock duo.
It’s the first time their song was used in anime. Not a bad debut at all.
The song feels so fresh, and I don’t mean the “uncommon genre or sound” kind of fresh.
Think of an early autumn morning with the sun shining through your window. You can also see dew on the leaves or the grass.
That is the kind of freshness I’m feeling when listening to this song.
Very fitting for the Fall season of anime, isn’t it?
In terms of the visuals, subtle seems to be the keyword.
We start off by seeing a bunch of paint brushes next to sinks. This is a scene from the clubroom shared by the Photography and Arts clubs.
Hitomi is seen going upstairs.
We see more of the school, including the getabako, the shoe cupboard.
What follows is this beautiful transition from monochrome to color. I love the way this Opening is referring to Hitomi’s monochromacy.
I assume these stairs are the same ones Hitomi used in the earlier shot.
She is then seen standing on a bridge.
Back to people on stairs. This is our first shot of Yuito.
Followed by the cute first appearance of Kohaku. A tram is approaching, but she doesn’t seem to care about it.
Instead, she crosses the road and does a 360 turn for good measure. Because why not?
Shou and Asagi are then seen together…
…while Chigusa does a good job of dodging Kurumi’s attempts to hit him with a bag. Way to quickly show their character dynamics.
Nice looking planets.
A shadow of Hitomi.
And then the night sky with her reflection. She seems to be hugging something yellow.
Vials with magical substances. Again with the color transition. So satisfying to watch.
A shot of the school during the setting sun soon follows, until we get the closest shot of Hitomi yet.
A ladybug is on a yellow flower, followed by more color transitions, this time with fireworks.
Shots of characters running never fail to give me this sense of urgency. This opening is no exception.
Put the running shots right when the song reaches its peak, and you get a sequence that just really works well for me.
The first to run is Hitomi.
The star-sand watch used on Hitomi by the grandma Kohaku, a camera len, and a traffic mirror are used for the transition to Yuito’s running…
…and the young Kohaku is seen running near the sea.
After more shots of the school, and a bit of the city, we get these pretty transitions.
They are a reference to what Hitomi was seeing when she looked at Yuito’s drawings…
…and a reference to the end of episode 5.
I’m pretty sure the fish has something to do with Hitomi’s magic.
After another closer shot of Hitomi…
…we get the backshot of all the members of the photography, arts and magic clubs.
And the sequence comes to an end with more shots of the scenery and Hitomi’s bedroom.
The ending
The ending song is titled “Mimei no Kimi to Hakumei no Mahou”. It is performed by Nagi Yanagi.
It’s the same Nagi Yanagi that has performed openings for Just Because and for Oregairu – which I very recently finished.
The ending song for this anime is amazing.
It has a mysterious, dramatic vibe.
I’m almost scared of seeing what kind of drama is about to happen because the feel of this song is suggesting something big.
Visually everything works beautifully, night scenery is exactly what this song needed.
There is not a lot of actual animation in the ending sequence, but I do not feel it is actually needed here.
Conclusion
The opening is one of the most polished ones I’ve seen in recent times.
I love the refreshing feeling I have when I watch the opening.
The transitions from monochrome to full color are a really nice way to present Hitomi’s monochromacy.
The ending has a darker tone than the opening. The song blends perfectly with the visuals.
It makes me feel intrigued for what is about to come.
Check out my first impressions post on this anime!
What do you think about the Irozuku OP and ED? How do you like the anime so far? Let me know in the comments!
