Orange (TAKANO Ichigo)

Description

From Seven Seas:
On the day that Naho begins 11th grade, she receives a letter from herself ten years in the future. At first, she writes it off as a prank, but as the letter’s predictions come true one by one Naho realizes that the letter might be the real deal. Her future self tells Naho that a new transfer student, a boy named Kakeru, will soon join her class. The letter begs Naho to watch over him, saying that only Naho can save Kakeru from a terrible future. Who is this mystery boy, and can Naho save him from his destiny?

A short series Haruiro Astronaut added to its volumes.

Web Action releases

Official English Translation

Note: Nominated for the 20th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in 2016 and the Eisner Awards in the Best Graphic Album - Reprint category in 2024.

Type

Manga

Related Series

Orange: Future (Sequel)

Orange x Dreamin' Sun (Side Story)

Associated Names

orange - Lá thư từ tương lai

Orenji (TAKANO Ichigo)

portakal

Апельсин

Орендж

オレンジ (高野苺)

Groups Scanlating

Latest Release(s)

c.22 by Crunchyroll 10 years ago

c.21 by Crunchyroll 10 years ago

c.20 by Crunchyroll 10 years ago

Search for all releases of this series

Status in Country of Origin

5 Volumes (Complete)

Completely Scanlated?

Yes

Anime Start/End Chapter

Starts at Vol 1, Chap 1

Ends at Vol 5, Chap 22

User Reviews

N/A

Forum

10 topics, 60 posts

Click here to view the forum

User Rating

Average: 8.7 / 10.0 (1318 votes)

Bayesian Average: 8.65 / 10.0

42%

22%

18%

Last Updated

April 10th, 2025 6:13pm PDT - 3 weeks ago

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Genre

Drama Mystery Romance School Life Seinen Shoujo Slice of Life Supernatural
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Categories

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Category Recommendations

Liu Yao: The Revitalization of Fuyao Sect (Novel)

Bokura ga Ita

Become a Girl at Night

Usagi Yojimbo

Two Names of Night

Recommendations

Taiyou no Ie

Watashitachi no Shiawase na Jikan

Author(s)

Artist(s)

Year

Original Publisher

Futabasha (2014)

Shueisha (2012)

Serialized In (magazine)

Bessatsu Margaret (Shueisha)

Gekkan Action (Futabasha)

Licensed (in English)

Yes

English Publisher

Crunchyroll (5 Vols - Complete; digital)

Seven Seas (2 Omnibuses - Complete; print | 7 Vols - Complete; digital)

Activity Stats (vs. other series)

Weekly Pos #747

(-4)

Monthly Pos #1581

(-89)

3 Month Pos #2532

(-5)

6 Month Pos #3138

(-69)

Year Pos #3531

(+122)

List Stats

On 2364 reading lists

On 1548 wish lists

On 1945 completed lists

On 98 unfinished lists

On 735 custom lists

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Forum Posts Click to view the forum

Your favorite couple in Orange

6 months ago

Ichigo Takano's Orange Manga Gets Spinoff

8 years ago

Orange Gets Anime Sequel Film Written by Creator

9 years ago

Orange (TAKANO Ichigo) Gets TV Anime This Summer

9 years ago

Orange Will End in August

10 years ago

User Comments [ Order by time added ]

Love it.

by momomilk
13 years ago

Rating: 10.0 / 10.0

Right off the bat, the story pulled me in. It's really interesting and so refreshing. Quite a change from Yumemiru Taiyou (which is also good).

I kind of teared up as the chapter went on because I could feel the tragedy and bitter-sweetness that this story is going to have. I'm so curious how this story will continue on and how it will turn out with the help of her future self telling her past self these things.

Of course, I'd prefer it to be a happy ending but I don't want it being a typical, obvious route of Naho saving Kakeru, but you know, we don't even know how he died and other reasons, so its still a mystery. And yeah, I can sense that Suwa likes her and its interesting they ended up together in the future.

All I can say is, 'damn, I want to read more!' Been a while since a shoujo manga has really sucked me in.

/edit - just read chapter two. and well...

That was a pretty tear-jerking chapter (well for me that is) because when you find out why they shouldn't have invited Kakera that day was just ;___; yeah, made me slam my keys lol. If only future Naho was more specific but even so, the story thus far is reallllllllly good. Just how everything flows and the addition at the end, where they show their future selves

... Last updated 13 years ago

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Bittersweet

by loveiszero
13 years ago

Rating: N/A

This is quite a change from her previous work yumemiru taiyou. Right off the bat, orange already has that bittersweet flavor. The characters are interesting and you can already connect with them. Though i hope the series wont go the obvious route with Naho saving takeru, living happily ever after, as it would seem like the "future Naho" doesnt appreciate the seemingly happy life with Suwa, who seems to have stuck with her through her loss of Takeru.

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An abysmal portrayal of mental health

by Zazie122
2 months ago

Rating: 1.0 / 10.0

I do not understand the love for this series. The female lead is dense to the point of it being extremely frustrating, but more importantly:

It sends the honestly harmful message of saying that if your friend kills themselves, it means you didn't do enough to help them and it's your fault.

Never mind the fact that he had other shit going on in his life and he barely knew these people. He'd known them for what, a month or two? They weren't even that close.

The series also seems to think that major depression (to the point that the character considered suicide!) can be cured by, y'know, having friends. That's absolutely not how that works at all.

Also, I don't know how anyone can take the "letters from the future" thing seriously, especially when it's revealed how they were sent.

I'm sure the author had their heart in the right place and I don't want to assume they're a terrible person but the implications of what this series says are, quite frankly, disgusting.

... Last updated 2 months ago

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Worth reading...though keep a box of tissues handy

by LingFei
7 years ago

Rating: 9.0 / 10.0

This is a wonderful manga! I don't want to repeat what most people have mentioned before so I'll keep my review short and simple
Pros:

This is how you do emotional school-life manga right (no insta smut here....in fact no smut!)
Shows solid friendship, the kind you reminiscence of your school days
Does approach the topic of suicide from a different angle- mainly how OTHERS deal with a loved ones suicide (Although i respectfully disagree with another reviewers comment that this manga did the theme of depression right...my take is that the depression was not the main issue here- it was the unexpected death of a loved one; the "how could we-the closest to him- could have missed the signs of depression and suicidal tendencies)
Best character- Suwa!

Cons:

The explanation to the time traveling was confusing as if the author wanted to make it sound very scientific.
Nao- I get that there are people who are naive and shy etc etc but the number of times she almost asked Kakeru what was troubling him- but didn't ask in the end; as well as her "he loves me-he loves me not" was very irritating -_-
Poor Suwa!
While the author makes the Nao x Kakeru pairing seem like they were meant for each other, I couldn't help feeling sorry for Suwa in the real world. It's one thing to love a girl in school, only to have a friend take her away, but for the adult suwa, I'm not sure if Nao did finally come to love him because I found their marriage just plain convenient. In the whole series, there is only one time the author addresses it and Nao lamely says, "thats not it, I was very happy when you confessed to me" 0_o Ummmmm not enough....
Anyway on the whole- a manga worth reading!

Edit: Apparently Orange:Future will show Nao and Suwa in college and how they fall in love as well as some chapters from Suwa's point of view....

... Last updated 7 years ago

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Beautiful Message

by NoOneSpecial75
8 years ago

Rating: 9.0 / 10.0

This series has really solid art and a great message about the value of life. Sure, it can get a little preachy, and when taken too far the message can be a little counterproductive (yes, absolutely love people and help them, but in the end if they still make bad choices that's on them...) But I think this series gets things just right. I was really on the edge of my seat during the "exciting conclusion" and when things do get resolved it's very fulfilling. I understand there's an anime, movie, and all kinds of spin-offs. I haven't looked into any of those, so this review is just for the manga. I probably won't look into the spin-offs either, since this story is nice and concise on its own and I think extra material would make it too complicated...

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one of the most emotional shoujos i've read.

by noticing
9 years ago

Rating: 9.6 / 10.0

I absolutely love this manga. The theme of this manga is focused on regrets, fate, and hope. Everyone has regrets, sometimes the choices we make aren't the right choices, and it's all process of life. This is one of those 'what if we took the chance we couldn't back then' 'what if we were able to stop that event from happening' actually coming true. Yes, it is not possible that we could actually stop our past selves. But we should be honest with ourselves and prevent the regrets before it's too late. Fate does it's work, but don't be so set on it that it's just the way it's supposed to be and will be, because it isn't. I think that's what this manga is telling us. I also like how it points out

how much losing your loved one and suicide doesn't affect you only but everyone around you as well. Past Kakeru thought the gang would forget about him and are better off without him, but really, they aren't. I'm really glad the gang let him know that the future 'them' missed him terribly and still misses him.

I enjoyed the Parallel Worlds theme, not only because it won't affect the Naho of the present that married Suwa, but because it is a symbol of hope. The hope that you're doing okay in your own way in your own world and that the other you is doing okay too.
I really liked how Kakeru was complex and really mysterious at times, but very fragile and relatable.
One thing I could point out as a flaw, I felt like other than Kakeru and Naho, the gang felt a little forced, were like a typical shoujo background "friend" characters at times, and were not given as much depth as the Kakeru and Naho. Later in the series, I felt like Hagita was given more depth and I loved it. I just wished it was like that throughout and with the rest of them. One of my favorite part is that

Hagita actually broke Kakeru's bike ahead of time. It was so Hagita to do that, since he's the type that would really think hard and analyze the event itself to save Kakeru, not about why or how to prevent it in emotional sense but literally "stop" him from the event. It makes me realize every one of the gang is important and plays a role in stopping Kakeru, not just Naho and Suwa alone. Also nice that he was given depth and tense the plot a little with his analytical personality, but we get to also see the funny goofy side of him throughout.

The plot is not slow nor fast, it's perfectly paced. I do think there are things that could've been added near the end to make it feel more finished, but nothing is rushed to wrap up the story and it's great as it is. I like the nostalgic feeling this gives me, as if I was a part of this world. The plot just sucked me into the story.

... Last updated 9 years ago

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A sweet little story

by fwoom
10 years ago

Rating: N/A

Really loved this one. Refreshing and a pleasure to read as it came out, without too much crazy shoujo "rollercoasters" but rather a deep, thoughtful look into human relationships.

Full review and recommendations of similar works here: http://www.foxymanga.com/manga-review-orange-takano-ichigo/

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Why.

by purfect_kutie64
11 years ago

Rating: 10.0 / 10.0

The repetition of regret really got to me. I was in a pre-crying phase after finishing chapter 9.

26 year old Naho finds out Kakeru liked her the whole time and was given the flowers "from" Kakeru. TEARS! The part where Suwa's letter that said he regrets not supporting Kakeru and Naho and always seeing her cry after the funeral..MORE TEARS . This manga has a really good plot line. Kakeru must not die. I hope the author does not quit being a mangaka and finishes this manga.

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Earnestly Sweet

by ChildofSecrets
12 years ago

Rating: 9.5 / 10.0

The premise that drives the plot is actually pretty sad (really sad once you get to know the characters more) but the story's mostly fluid and focused consistency creates so many sweet emotions. And the theme of leaving behind regrets and changing things for the better (with emotional effort - it's not always easy just because you may have all the answers in front of you) is a nicely done addition.

Also I usually am not a fan of 'time travel' related series because most are frivolously unrealistic and are hardly attempted to be explained. This one however seems to put a little more thought into it ( and hopefully it will be explained more later). And most importantly, it's underlying theme makes it stand above the rest. All of the characters are earnest and charming.

Not much else to say other than try it!

... Last updated 12 years ago

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Very relatable

by zengoats
12 years ago

Rating: 10.0 / 10.0

Orange is all about regrets and young love, and because these are two very universal things, it's really easy to get sucked into the characters' lives. Orange's strength is that it's incredibly relatable and engaging. Naho, the protagonist, is just a normal girl, and while some of her actions may have you pulling your hair out, it's easy to sympathize with her because, under the same circumstances, you'd probably act similarly. The mangaka does a really good job of pumping Orange to the brim with emotion, and because the characters are all so gosh-darned relatable, it makes it very easy to feel the pain and the happiness that they go through.
Orange is a real gem, and I highly recommend it to anyone who's a fan of romance.

... Last updated 12 years ago

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