Orange

Episode 5

Orange directly addressed part of its own conceit this week, as Naho's chemistry teacher spun an offhand remark about regrets of the past into a discussion on the mechanics of time travel. I honestly hadn't been expecting or seeking anything like this; I feel like Orange's conceit works better the less you think about it, and that the show is far more effective as a character drama guided by clashing goals and thematic necessity than anything approaching science fiction. But if the show is going to explain itself, this episode handled that about as gracefully as you could hope.

It's become clear over time that Naho's letter is addressing a past life that our Naho is no longer experiencing. Receiving the letter has shifted Naho's choices, and through doing so, it's introduced inconsistencies into the letter's premonitions. This episode successfully clarified those issues on both a narrative and character front. As far as the plot goes, Naho's chemistry teacher ended up literally explaining the concept of parallel dimensions and how a “branch theory” of time travel allows for stuff like killing your own grandfather. And on a character front, Naho eventually came to peace with the fact that she can't help her future self, accepting that her future self must eventually come to terms with the past in her own way.

All of that was fair enough exposition, even if it didn't answer the question of how Naho's letter came to be (hey, if we're going to acknowledge the show's conceits, just explaining one half of the issue is likely worse than nothing). But as usual, the conceptual mechanics were far from the point of this episode - instead, this one centered on the upcoming school festival and what Naho's changed decisions have meant for her relationship with Kakeru.

More than anything, it seems like what Naho has successfully changed is herself. The Naho of this episode possessed far more confidence than the Naho we first met. Naho is still a deeply insecure person; for example, in one painful moment, she tells Kakeru that his gift of a hairpin feels wasted on her. But with her past choices revealing to her friends that she's interested in Kakeru, she was still able to shine in the many moments the two of them were given alone together. At one point, she even overtly asked Kakeru to watch the fireworks with her alone, an act of courage that wouldn't have been possible without both the urging of the letter and her own growing confidence. Naho can still be hard to watch at times, but it's rewarding to see her growing into her own desires in small ways here and there.

The rest of Orange's cast also got a variety of nice moments this week. As far as Kakeru goes, I actually appreciated how quickly he transitioned into courting Naho and perhaps too easily accepted her second offer to make his lunches. Kakeru isn't a perfect boyfriend; he's distracted by his own difficult home situation and willing to occasionally take advantage of kindness, not entirely honest about everything he knows. But Kakeru's flaws actually make him feel significantly more human - he's just an ordinary teenage boy who's willing to go out with a girl because she's cute, but he'll also give up on that relationship if the girl he's truly interested in returns his feelings.

By contrast, Suwa came across as self-destructively saintly in his concern for Naho this week. Not only did he save Naho from a group of bullies, but he even handed Kakeru band-aids to give to her afterwards, enabling Kakeru's relationship with the girl he actually likes. There's really no way of knowing if Kakeru would be “better for Naho” than Suwa, and if Suwa were older he'd likely be willing to put all the subtext of this relationship in actual words, but he intentionally plays the “childhood friend” type to his own disadvantage because that's what he's used to doing.

The combination of Orange's imperfect characters, imperfect romantic situations, and counterbalancing adult scenario ultimately work together to fight back against the idea of soulmates or “destined love.” People like each other, sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't. Our feelings will never perfectly align with the things we can control, meaning that we all must eventually deal with adult Naho's troubles, making do with our regrets and the things we have left. Orange clearly conveys this theme purely through its construction and the conflicting personalities of its characters, making for a consistent thematically sharp production.

In the end, this episode left me with two complaints - the almost inescapable dramatic speed bump of time travel exposition and the general choppiness of the episode's editing. Orange's direction and editing have always been pretty idiosyncratic, but this time, I felt moments where the show's choices effectively sold the atmosphere it was seeking (like when the school play was contrasted against a concert outside, emphasizing the disorder of the festival) were outnumbered by moments where scenes simply felt cut short, or dramatic moments weren't given the necessary buildup to land effectively. Neither are dealbreakers, but Orange is a strong show, so it's worth addressing the smaller choices that occasionally hold it down. Overall, Orange continues to offer a distinctive slice of warmth, nostalgia, and regret.

Overall: B+

Orange is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Nick writes about anime, storytelling, and the meaning of life at Wrong Every Time.