Iroduku: The World in Colors is a 13 episode original anime not based on any existing property. It initially takes place far into the future, following Tsukishiro Hitomi. Unfortunately, due to tragic circumstances, she ended up losing her sense of colors and views the world in gray-scale. The anime takes place in a world with magic. It isn't the flashy destructive kind (but it can be), rather, it's a bit more subtle and not everyone can use magic. In fact, it is fairly rare and Hitomi's family makes their living selling magic in jars for novelty such as fireworks and walking on water.
As Hitomi's grandmother doesn't want to see her suffering anymore, she ends up sending Hitomi back 60 years into the past, back when she was still in high school. As Hitomi travels back in time, with no obvious way back, she ends up attending school and creating new friendships. Through a series of coincidences, her new friends are all from the same school that she attends in the future. Naturally, all of them are part of the same after-school club too, namely, the Photography and Arts Club.
The surprise that Hitomi finds is when she views a drawing drawn by Aoi. Seeing the drawing, it is the only thing that she can see color in and she is drawn in by it. The anime revolves around the interactions between Hitomi and Aoi. There is a hint of romance in there, being disguised with Hitomi's intention of wanting to see colors again. Their reactions can be awkward at times, in a sweet way, but there's also plenty of tension.
The other members of the club can be separated into pairs, and again, each of their relationships are focused upon during various episodes. It helps flesh them out as characters, although Iroduku never really has anything happen that's too dramatic. Despite being one of the rare humans able to use magic, Hitomi doesn't like using it. Thus she struggles to even create the simplest magic but her motivation comes back once she meets he new friends at school.
Even though Hitomi is so unique in that she traveled back into the past and interacts with her grandmother who's now the same age, this fact never gets more than a passing glance. The anime doesn't focus on any sort of time paradox or even the opportunities this type of premise can provide; instead focusing on the relationships which doesn't need the time travel anyway. Hitomi is actually fairly chilled considering she is stuck in the past with no way back. Her worries are "normal" teenager worries such as love and friendship. This anime as a whole is somewhat laid back with no real major conflict. It's more of a teen drama than anything.
Iroduku has beautiful animation, thanks to its vibrant color palette. From time to time, it swaps to gray-scale to show how Hitomi sees the world. These shifts don't quite gel with what's currently going on but it doesn't ruin the scene either. Coupled with the soft and slow music, the atmosphere can get quite serene at times. The romance is immediately obvious but can be a bit weak at times since we never saw the pair get to know each other better. Except for one scene, there was always a noticeable distance and some awkwardness between the two.
Despite that, when the ending arrives and you come to terms at how this time travel thing works (in Hitomi's perspective, it's immediately after, for everyone else, it is 60 years in the future), it can give you a sense of loss. As Hitomi reminiscences over what she has gained and experienced, you can't help but nod along and reminiscence along with her. Overall, Iroduku: The World in Colors may not have the strongest narrative but it does its job. The vibrant animation looks amazing, the characters are likable and it succeeds in pulling the viewer along in Hitomi's journey to find what she has lost and enjoy the benefits of life.
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