This moment sets in motion where the letter stops being important, instead putting Naho and friends in a position where they have to use their own words and knowledge of Kakeru to make a final difference without guidance. Naho does what her past self was unable to do, and where the majority of her regrets plagues her from 10 years ago. Additionally, in the most important moment for Kakeru is her confronting him on their misunderstanding during their argument while confessing to him. Suwa comforts Naho and confesses at this time, setting in the moment where Naho distances herself from Kakeru. One of the catalysts for this is due to Suwa choosing to not join in the Double Year Shrine Visit, where Kakeru and Naho have an argument. But even before we know this, the changes its characters make have already altered their future, so much so that their letters end up not lining up to what has transpired in the past world. The letters not only give the characters motivations, but heightens the tension with the knowledge of the final letter being the indication of the day of Kakeru’s death. While it’s a very convenient plot device with not much explained other than that, it does its job and incentives the characters’ motivations while they give the plot more weight and emotion. The friends plant their time capsules around the Bermuda triangle to cause a black hole, believing in the possibility that their letters slip through a parallel world to their past selves. Its time travel mechanic is explained very simply with not much expansion on it. When the letters start to derail from the current changes and getting details wrong Naho must steel herself to aid Kakeru with her friends’ support as much as possible to create a future with Kakeru.

On the day of their meeting Naho receives a letter from herself in the future, instructing her to follow each day’s notes she’s left to herself to save Kakeru. The plot follows Naho, a shy and timid school girl who takes an immediate interest in new boy Kakeru, a quiet yet kind boy. Not only is Orange a shoujo but its demographic also consists of readers who fall under the Seinen (adult males) category, understandable as soon as you learn of its delicate material on metal illnesses in males specifically. Ichigo Takano is the mangaka of Orange, whose earliest works date back to 2007 but to this day Orange is her most successful title, and for good reason.

Please be prepared for spoilers and triggering subjects of depression and suicide.

Orange by ichigo takano