After watching this anime I decided that I no longer needed feelings or a heart for that matter. I ripped it out of my chest then I set the pot to a low boil so I could cook it for Elliot to eat. Trust me, serve it with some caramelized onions and you have a delicious meal right there. I like to call it My Will to Live, which is exactly what this anime took away from me. Have no fear, I will now explain why.
Orange is a feel-good anime about a young girl, Naho Takamiya, who receives a series of letters from herself in the future. The letters contain instructions on saving a dear friend and love interest, Kakeru Naruse, from his own despair. As the series goes on, we see how Naho and her group of friends grow stronger together to combat a common cause.
The Good:
Okay, this anime was really amazing. I had some problems with it, but overall it was a really warm-feeling anime. I liked it enough that I watched the whole thing and I honestly don’t regret it. I don’t feel it was as appreciated as it could have been, but that may be because there’s anime out there that has hefty themes and hits home for a lot of people, similar to this one. That being said, I don’t feel it’s an excuse to overlook Orange.
I like to compare Orange to your grandma’s cookies. But like, if your grandmother was already dead. The cookies are warm, freshly baked and still somewhat gooey. You take a bite out of it. You feel everything from love to utter loss within one bite. That’s all it takes. Just one. As you pull away, you look at your ghost-ma and ask, “Why do you still haunt me?” Well, in this very relatable example, Orange brings up a lot of feelings. To get serious for a second, I will have to say for anyone with depression, this anime may cause some triggers to go off. But I advise you to watch it. As someone who’s struggled with some of the themes in this anime, it really did put some things into perspective. I’m really glad to see an anime focus on themes like mental illness.
The Bad:
Orange really was great; everything from art to story really made it enjoyable to watch all the way through. But I did have some serious issues watching it. Firstly, without giving much away, there were some explanations that just didn’t make sense. If you’ve already watched the anime, you probably know what I’m talking about. The ending tried to explain why things were happening and I just felt that it didn’t have very good reasons. The Bermuda Triangle? Hm… Maybe if I throw myself in there I can stop myself from existing by meeting my mom. Stay safe kids!
The other thing I will say is that this anime mixed a lot of romance into a mental health/depression theme which I feel is a bad mix. Now while I liked everything the anime did and I also don’t think that they ever really crossed the line where romance “fixes” mental health, I did feel it was a little too close for comfort. I also was NOT OKAY with Suwa. OH NO. I squeezed Elliot and cried way too many times over that boy. He was my favorite character next to Azusa (whom I deeply ship with Hagita to the point that it’s religion). I guess I just felt that some of these “ships” were a little unhealthy all around. I just felt that certain things were lost in this anime and, to say the least, I had some disappointments.
Kitty Rating:
Overall, we liked it! I just have to give it that “unamused” emoji for that ending and it’s reasoning. Really, I just felt that it didn’t need it. It could have gone on unexplained because, as my mother always said, “If you’re going to explain it, at least make sense. And stop wearing leggings as pants; they’re not pants.” (Note: For the record, I have never stopped wearing leggings as pants, they are way too comfortable). And of course, crying and tears of joy Elliot emojis should explain exactly how I feel towards the entire anime overall. It was by no means bad, but it was definitely a splash zone. So with that, I recommend that if you have the heart and mindset to do it, because I certainly did not, watch this anime.
What anime made you a sobbing mess? Tell me in the comment section below! 
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