An Epic Love Story Across Time
Naho immediately feels a connection to the new boy who has transferred to her class. Kakeru is calm, kind, and seems to like Naho as well. But their relationship gets thrown for a loop when Naho receives a letter from the future. The letter explains that Kakeru will die unless Naho does exactly as the letter says. But changing fate is no easy task. When the letter starts to get things wrong, Naho worries that she will still lose Kakeru forever. Luckily, Naho has her friends to back her up. Not only do they want to see Naho and Kakeru get together, they also have time-traveling letters of their own...
Orange: The Complete Collection 2 also includes a bonus story, Haruiro Astronaut. This five chapter story is about a pair of twins who discover that they can't share everything in life--or at least not an alien that suddenly becomes a part of it.
Because this is a sequel there may be spoilers of Volume One in this review but there are no spoilers for Volume Two! If you're interested in my Volume One thoughts I have the link to that review right below.
Orange Volume One by Ichigo Takano Review
5 STARS
tw: suicide
Wow! What an amazing ending to this story! I know there is an extension future book that is kind of like an add on sequel/epilogue type thing. I do plan on reading this book! I am waiting for it to arrive at my library at my request.
Just like the first volume, the characters in this book steal the show. The group is so focused on saving Kakeru and they're trying their best to make sure his memories are filled with joy and it just breaks & warms my heart. I loved the characters just as much in this volume. I am all about great fictional friendships and I love that each member is so welcoming and sweet. Like I want to be friends with them so badly, and the great part is I feel like anyone would be welcomed in their group. They're so kind and I cannot explain how much I love this group of friends.
I think the story is more frustrating in this volume than the first one. I think because the stakes are getting higher as Kakeru's death date is quickly getting closer so every misstep or mistake feels like a failure and jab to the heart. For both the reader but also for the characters, which makes them panic and make stupid decisions or not think clearly. It is frustrating, but because of how much the characters and reader love Kakeru and want the gang to be successful in saving him. I had such a visceral reaction while reading and was basically a hot mess the entire two-ish hours it took me to read it. I cried a bunch, gasped, and turned the page, accidentally glanced ahead, and had to close the book. Over and over again. I cared too much about the characters and I just wanted them all to be okay. I ugly cried through most of this story, so much so my dog was worried about my well being.
Takano is so talented at creating such a believable friendship between our characters. I love that readers get to know the characters so much more in the second volume but also we get to see their bond grow even tighter and stronger. I also commend on how Takano handled Kakeru's depression. Ii mentioned this in my review of volume one (linked above) but a lot of my depression revolves around guilt which is something Kakeru deals with himself. There is a small chunk of volume two where you see some events in Kakeru's perspective and I was surprised at seeing so many aspects of my depression mirrored back at me. It is a strange but amazing feeling to see parts of yourself where you're at your low mirrored back at you in any way, whether that be through a book, tv show, movie, or real person. I think it helps make people feel less alone and I know it meant the world to me, but the fact that it could mean the world to others is why this manga series is a top favorite of mine.
I love Takano's art style so much. There is a cute short story at the end of this volume titled Haruiro Astronaut which was a really sweet story! I would honestly consume any of Takano's stories and art because it's just perfect for me. I am all about the cute and heartwarming anime/manga stories. I definitely plan on reading other mangas by Takano and keeping an eye out for whatever they put out next. I already have so many sketches and art of the characters of Orange on my phone for wallpapers, I am obsessed with how cute they are.
Overall, I highly enjoyed this manga series. Like I said, I plan on reading the epilogue type manga when it arrives so I will have a review on that shortly. I think if you are someone who deals with depression, this could be an incredible read for you. Of course, please be real with yourself and what you can handle. This story focuses around suicide, depression, how suicide affects the people left behind, and other topics in that general area. I did find it well done and sensitively handled. If you know someone who is going (or has gone) through depression I think Naho and her friends are an amazing example of how to be a great support system for your loved ones going through a hard time.
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