It’s pretty great when something life changing lands right in your lap when you weren’t even looking for it. I was on Amazon looking up the film Wolf Children, an anime I’d been wanting to watch, but had always been too expensive for me to buy it. While looking up Wolf Children (temptation to buy it even more fueled by the fact that it was cheaper than when I first saw it), I saw another movie to the side, recommended by Amazon. It’s called Colorful: The Motion Picture. I was merely intrigued by the cover art, but decided to check out the description of the movie, found below.

There is a train station on the other side of death, yet not all who arrive on the platform will be judged ready for passage onwards. For one unready soul, there will be both a test and a second chance. Rather than be reborn, this soul will awake in the body of 14-year-old suicide Makoto Kobayashi where it must not only find a way to fit into Makoto’s existence, but also unravel two mysteries.

That’s not the full description, but that was all I had read for me to become intrigued in more than the cover art. So, I did what I usually do and tried to find the trailer on YouTube. Turns out, I ended up finding the full movie on YouTube.

I don’t know how else to describe this movie other than I ended up watching the movie for free, and now, after having finished it, I am still going to buy it. Not only for myself to watch again, but on the off chance I am able to share the story with someone who might not have found it otherwise. This film moved me so much that I was almost unrecognizable once I realized how I was reacting to it. And now, I’m not afraid to call it one of my favorite films of all time.

So, given the impact this chance encounter had on me, I decided to go ahead and purchase Wolf Children and finally experience it for myself. It’s always scary to take a risk, but on the off chance that it leads to something beautiful…well, then that was a risk worth taking.

Also, if you’d like to see the film for yourself the way I had, you can get to the video on YouTube here. I don’t like drawing attention to something I generally frown upon, but if you do watch this movie and enjoy it, consider spreading the word if you don’t end up buying it like I am. And, of course, if you do end up watching it, let me know what you think!