Orange: The Complete Collection 1 by Ichigo Takano is a sci-fi and slice-of-life story with a heart-wrenching theme that sweeps you off your feet the moment you pick up the book. Based in the calm setting of a Japanese high school, this manga explores friendship, remorse, and the effects of our choices that doesn’t just tug at your heartstrings but also makes you think.
The story begins when Naho Takamiya, a kind-hearted girl, receives a letter from her future self. The letter tells her to look after a new transfer student, Kakeru Naruse, and gives her instructions on how to stop a disaster she’ll one day regret. What happens throughout the story is a mix between romance and the struggles of someone struggling internally. In the story, Naho works hard to follow the advice in the letter: inviting Kakeru to hang out, encouraging him to join the soccer team, and doing what she can to support him when he has a rough day. Not only do these letters show Naho’s determination but also her struggles of being unsure of doing certain things. She’s not a perfect person, and that’s why she’s so relatable to other people. Her struggles prove this. The more the story progresses, the more characters are introduced. Naho and her friends, Suwa, Azusa, Hagita, and Takako start to become the main plot as they start to realize their friend Kakeru’s emotionless attitude. After finding out the reason why Kakeru behaves the way he does, that piece of news will forever change how Naho will proceed with things, and perhaps everyone else in the friend group knew all along. It’s not only about romance or high school life, it’s also about how small acts of kindness can potentially save a life.
Ichigo Takano’s art is complex, which is perfect for the way the tone is set in the story. The characters we get to meet are definitely set to meet that tone. The relationship within each friend feels genuine and sincere, growing stronger as the story goes on.
One of the biggest points made in Orange is declining mental health. It’s so difficult to ask for help when you’re going through something. This story has cool factors like time-travel, but that shouldn’t be the sole focus. Rather, we should focus on the topic that second chances are given and what we might do differently if we had the chance to change fate. This first volume sets the emotional tone for the rest of the series while asking powerful questions: Can we really change fate? And if we can’t, is it even worth trying?
Get the book! Check out Orange: The Complete Collection 1 by Ichigo Takano at BMCC’s library, the New York Public Library, the Brooklyn Public Library, or the Queens Public Library.
About the author This review is by Alina Anzures Perez.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
