First impression:
Despite certain events that happened in this episode, it is overall light-hearted and sweet. The pace is slow for sure but at the point of time I think that it is need to develop their friendship established in the first episode. The subtlety shown in emotions of the characters in this episode is very good and adds layers to the general atmosphere.
Highlights (scenes):
1. Beginning interaction with the gang in the class
Did you notice Suwa's face when Kakeru was lightly knocking on Naho's head? That reaction was brief but there was a sense of envy. From episode 1 we already know Suwa is hiding secrets and he is also good at hiding his emotions. This paralles well with the Suwa in the manga and I'm glad that we get to see Suwa's subtle emotions expressed on his face throughout the episode.
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| Kakeru lightly knocking on Naho's head |
Another time you see emotions flickered across of Suwa as well as Kakeru is when Naho agrees to watch the soccer practice. The blush on their faces are really adorable and sweet!
2. Soccer practice
The scene where Kakeru and Suwa were playing soccer as well as the gang cheering for them is very refreshing. I really enjoyed the scene and this is necessary because it brings the gang closer than ever before. Like I said from my first impression, it helps to develop their friendship so that we get to understand why the gang was really affected by Kakeru's death in the future.
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| Kakeru and Suwa playing soccer |
3. Suwa and Kakeru's conversation
This scene is not only lighthearted but there is a layer of humour added as well. However as fun as the scene was, there is a part I would like to focus on. We don't really know the reason yet at this point of time but Kakeru's hesitation to join the soccer club seems a bit unsettling. When Suwa kept pestering Kakeru to join, immediately you see a shift of hesitation before his face blanks out. Although we know the reason for him not joining the soccer club is because he promised his mom he would not join any club later but this scene can also be a foreshadowing. Also, we get to understand how Kakeru's expression can be hard to read and this episode proves that we still don't really know much about him at all.
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| Kakeru agreeing to Suwa to be on the soccer team on a provisional basis |
4. Dilemma of making Kakeru's lunchbox
This scene, I feel, is cleverly put out. It started as Naho's mother hesitation to pass the nieghbourhood bulletin layered on top of Naho's hesitation to make a lunch for Kakeru. The dialogue of the mother overlaps with Naho's thoughts everytime. This is an interesting and it portrays this part better than the manga had. It adds on to the atmosphere.
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| Naho's hesitation to make a lunchbox for Kakeru |
5. Naho being afraid to pass the lunch box to Kakeru
This is a pivotal part in the episode because we get to understand Naho's character better. She said "A letter can't change a person's personality so easily." There are two interpretations to this. Firstly, she is referring to herself. We have got to understand that Naho is a shy girl who sometimes is not comfortable with opening up to a total stranger hence her reaction when Kakeru got so close. Therefore this is her excuse of why she can't follow the advice of the letter. Another interpretation is that this is a foreshadowing. Since a letter can't change a person's personality so what makes you think that Kakeru will change? Will the accident even be prevented in the future? Then again, I may be over analysing things.
6. Naho and Kakeru
This is another pivotal scene in the episode as well as the SWEETEST! The conversation they have with one another is so damn sweet and the music adds on to the sweet and adorable atmosphere. From this scene we get to learn more about our characters and especially Kakeru. When Naho asked Kakeru what he was absent for school for 2 weeks and why he didn't want to join a club, Kakeru was silent. This is already a hint that he was probably going to spill something important. He eventually revealed that his mom committed suicide. From this, we learn for the first time the consequences of Naho's actions which I certainly feels adds on to her burden and guilt. This helps with Naho's character development. Most importantly we still haven't learn the reason for her suicide. The end still ends of with a beautiful note when Naho follows the advice of the letter and passes the lunchbox to Kakeru thereby hoping negative effects will offset itself.
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| Kakeru and Naho |
7. Flower
The very end we see the future gang where they are probably going to visit Kakeru's grave and give him a gift that each of them prepared. Apparently, Suwa was going to give Kakeru a bouquet of flowers. It may seem normal but there is a reason behind this and I like how the anime knows which direction it is going to go to. Just bear in mind that this bouquet of flowers is important and hopefully the anime will explain in the future coming episodes.
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| Suwa holding a bouquet of flowers |
Overall, this episode shows how promising this anime is and I am looking forward to it for future episodes to come. Let's now summarise the positives and negatives.
+ Naho's expression seem better and more expressive than episode 1 where her expression seems relatively blanked throughout
+The music throughout really adds on to the atmosphere
+ The subtle shifts in character emotions are very good
- The beginning of the episode a letter was revealed but it was shifted to the next scene too quickly and I can't finish reading it. (maybe it's just me?)
- Pacing is a little slow and can be dull at some parts but I don't really mind since it needs to develop their friendship
Hope you all enjoyed this review and bear in mind that it is based on my personal opinions so it may differ for different individuals. Till next time!
Credits: http://www.gogoanime.com/orange-episode-2
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