Overview
A rebellious high school girl defies expectations and transforms her life through determination and hard work.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- witty
- energetic
- sincere
- study break
- family movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film entertaining and emotionally accessible, with its serious educational message carried by likeable lead performances.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Sayaka raises her academic deviation value from 30 to 70 while preparing for the Keio University entrance examination.
Sayaka becomes determined to disprove her father's description of her as an air-head.
Cram-school director Yoshitaka Tsubota makes helping Sayaka enter Keio University his personal achievement.
Sayaka's blonde hair, miniskirts, and gyaru presentation contrast with the academic expectations placed on her.
Films like Flying Colors, and why
The Pursuit of Happyness
inspirational teen academic achievement story with an underdog protagonist and uplifting tone
A Little Princess
Japanese coming-of-age drama centered on education, perseverance, and supportive mentorship
Stand and Deliver
feel-good school drama combining comedy, determined students, and transformative teaching
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
warm, energetic coming-of-age film about academic pressure, family expectations, and self-belief
Movie Details
- Director
- Nobuhiro Doi
- Release Date
- 2015-05-01
- Runtime
- 117 min
- Rating
- 7.5 / 10 (171)
Cast
- Kasumi Arimura
- Atsushi Ito
- Shuhei Nomura
- Yoh Yoshida
- Tetsushi Tanaka
- Ken Yasuda
- Morio Agata
- Airi Matsui
- Yuhei Ouchida
- Kokoro Okuda
Common questions
- What is Flying Colors about?
- A rebellious Japanese high-school student and an invested cram-school mentor turn an apparently impossible university goal into a spirited campaign of persistence.
- What is Flying Colors like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Flying Colors as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Flying Colors violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Flying Colors as mild.
- What did critics think of Flying Colors?
- Critics broadly found the film entertaining and emotionally accessible, with its serious educational message carried by likeable lead performances.
- Which films are like Flying Colors?
- Films with a similar feel include The Pursuit of Happyness, A Little Princess, Stand and Deliver, and The Perks of Being a Wallflower.
- How long is Flying Colors?
- Flying Colors runs 117 minutes.
