Book Review: Orange: The Complete Collection Volume 1-2 by Ichigo Takano

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BOOK review

Started on: 13 November 2021
Finished on: 14 November 2021

 

Orange: The Complete Collection by Ichigo Takano

 

Title: Orange: The Complete Collection

Author: Ichigo Takano
Publisher: Seven Seas

Pages: Volume 1: 523 pages | Volume 2: 523 pages
Year of Publication: 2016
Price: Rp 230,000 (https://www.periplus.com/)

Rating: 5/5

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"I regret how timid and meek I was back then... always telling myself that I couldn't do anything, never even daring to try. That's definitely something I regret."

On the day that Naho begins 11th grade, she receives a letter from herself ten years in the future. At first, she thought it was a prank; but as the letter's predictions came true one by one, Naho suddenly realizes that the letter might really come from the future. Naho's future self tells her that a new student named Kakeru will be joining her class. The letter begs Naho to watch over him—saying that she's the only person who's able to save Kakeru from a terrible future.

"Maybe it's impossible to live life without any regrets. Even when you know the future... you'll still mess up."

It's been quite some time since I last read a manga series, and this title has certainly caught my attention due to its' popularity and high ratings on Goodreads. So when I was in the mood to read something light, I decided to binge-read the whole series within 1-2 days. One of the reasons why I love this manga is because of the beautiful art—this is the style of illustration that I love and the expressions on each character are portrayed so perfectly by the author. The story itself managed to intrigue me right from the very first page, when the main character, Naho, received a letter from herself ten years in the future. I actually went into this book not knowing much about what it's going to be about, so I really enjoyed how the author unravel the mystery little by little as the story progresses. At first, I thought this was going to be a lighthearted story about friendship and romance—turns out, it also involve dark themes that I did not expect.

The story is written in dual timelines, the present and the future. The present timeline tells the story of Naho who received the letter from the future and tries to do what her future self suggested. While ten years in the future, Naho and her friends are reunited but something is amiss. Thankfully, it's not confusing at all because there are distinct differences between their present and future selves. Going back and forth between timelines actually increased my curiosity and wants to find out more what actually happened that urged them to change the past. At the end, the story suggests the possibility of alternate realities—which leaves some questions unanswered in the end. I actually like this kind of open-ended because it leaves the rest of the story to our imagination and we can freely choose in our minds what kind of ending we actually prefer.

I'm not going to discuss the plot much in this review because I'm afraid it's going to spoil the story for those who haven't read it yet. Instead, I will talk more about the characters in the story. The first one is our main character, Takamiya Naho—the main protagonist who's extremely shy and timid, but also a very sweet person. Her character is perfect for this kind of story because her future self pushes her to be be outspoken and get out of her comfort zone. There are moments when Naho is unable to bring herself to do what the letter tells her, which I can totally sympathize with. Despite knowing that her actions will help her future self to live without regrets, it is truly difficult to do things that are outside of her characters. It's also fascinating to see how her character slowly develops as she gained courage to do the things that she used to be afraid of. I actually feel proud of her for stepping outside her comfort zone because I know it's not easy to do so.

The next character that I'd like to mention is Naruse Kakeru—a new student who ended up joining Naho's circle of friends. He seems to be quiet and reserved most of the time, which makes his character quite unpredictable because we don't truly know what he's thinking about. Kakeru doesn't express his emotions often and tends to hide his true feelings behind his sad smile. As he grow closer to Naho and the rest of the group, Kakeru starts to open up and shared what caused his sadness and guilt. When it was revealed, I immediately understood the reason behind the first letter that Naho received from the future—because it's the key to everything that happen afterwards. Unfortunately, I don't always love Kakeru's character; there are moments when I was quite frustrated with him and his way of thinking. For me, Hiroto Suwa is the best character and also my favorite in this series ❤️. Suwa has an outgoing and friendly personality; and as we get to know him, we realize how selfless he actually is and how he wants the best for other people. My heart breaks when he intentionally sacrificed his own feelings for other people's sake 🥲. I'm just glad that one version of Suwa got the happy ending that he deserves.

"The orange juice was sweet, yet sour. The taste of sorrow."

Besides those three characters, there are 3 supporting characters within this group: Chino Takako, Murasaka Azusa, and Hagita Saku. Even though they don't play a huge role in the story, their presence brings smile to my face and their friendship is just so adorable. I especially love the scene when Takako and Azusa stood of for Naho because Naho can't stand up for herself. I also love it when they tease one another—which shows how close they are. Reading this series reminds me of my high school days and how I also treasure the friendship that I have—even until now. This story also emphasizes the importance of having a good support system that will encourage us, lend us a shoulder to lean on, and make us smile during difficult times.

Once I started reading this manga, I couldn't put it down. As I've said earlier, the story intrigued me right from the start and it continues to make me curious to see how the story is going to end. Even though there are some parts of the plot that are quite cliché, I still find myself enjoying it from start to finish. I personally think the friendship aspect of the story warms my heart more than the romance; and I also really liked seeing the character development—especially in our main protagonist. The art is absolutely beautiful and the dialogues tugged at my heartstrings. I definitely did not regret picking this series up and it reignited my love for manga ❤️.

 

by.stefaniesugia♥ .