Orange: Season 1/ Episode 1 "Letter 01" [Series Premiere] – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)

Overview

In what seems like your general slice of life anime, there is a letter. A letter filled with ways to avoid regrets. But while it seems none of the regrets are anything major, there lurks the possibility of something dark on the horizon.

Rating:
Watch It

Main Storyline (with Commentary)

The story focuses on Nahu both when she is 16 and 26. As a 26-year-old woman, she seems happy but has a slew of regrets. Nothing major like not talking to this guy, not saving this person’s life, but little things which sound like the type of regrets we’d read in Year of Yes. Little things which seem not to matter at the time, but as you get older they bug you for you could have made things different.

Which seemingly will be the focus of the show. Naho doing things differently. But with a letter coming from 10 years in the future, aside from the sci-fi element, you have to wonder if just getting rid of minor regrets will be it? Generally, programs with premises like this, see Erased, are about saving someone’s life, if not the lead’s own, and the way Kakeru is spoken of and mentioned, it seems his life maybe the one which needs to be saved. Already we see he is quiet, maybe a bit timid, and likely hiding something. Then, in the future, it seems he may be gone. Now, whether he is gone as in dead or just not in the same vicinity as Naho it is hard to tell. Also, being that he seemingly was her first love but not the most current, there also comes the need to question what ended their relationship? Was it truly till death makes them part or was it something else? A part of me questions if maybe she is trying to keep herself from getting hurt but the letters make it seem that happiness is all that will mostly come.

Either way, the reason for this being labeled as “Watch It” is because it appears cute, has a tad bit of mystery, and while my focus is only on two of the 6 main characters, everyone seems likable. In fact, I can’t wait to see what future pages of the letter reveal and push Naho to either do and avoid – as well as what the consequences will be of either decision.

Thoughts Since Premiere

This was one of the best anime of Summer 2016. I mean, as noted above, it was cute, had an air of mystery, yet there was always this pending feeling of sadness. As if there wasn’t a guaranteed happy ending no matter what everyone did. Leaving the only real problem, as Karandi mentions in her review of the series (she also did an episode by episode review), is that only the two romantic leads, Nahu and Kakeru, get any real type of development and focus. The supporting characters are honestly no more than that. They are there to make sure that relationship happens, even if it costs their future selves the lives they have.

But, if you are a sap like me, while that issue may present a bad after taste, during your original viewing all you will think about is Kakeru’s pain, Nahu and him having such a cute, but very awkward, relationship, and hoping that the fate presented in episode one isn’t final.