Orange review Ep1

Hey all. This is GothicJazz31 and here is my review of orange ep 1! So i just finished the whole of the orange episode and here is my first impressions of the anime. After watching this anime I can say that I'm pretty happy with it. The pacing is good, it is following very closely to the manga. Now let's get into the nitty-gritty.

Credits: http://orange-anime.com/

1. Start
So the beginning of the episode we see the future where the gang is digging up their time capsule. I prefer the anime starting over to the manga. The only thing I hope is that they will reveal Kakeru's letter in the future episode because it is one of the more emotional scenes in the manga. For now, the beginning is perfect especially along with the guitar instrumental which provides a bittersweet atmosphere.

2. Opening song
The opening song "Hikari no Hahen" (Fragment of light)  is sang by Yu Takahashi. My interpretation of the song is that every memory is extremely precious and that the singer regrets not saying what he wanted to say to his friend/ lover. This opening fits the whole theme of the anime which is regrets as well as memories. There is this particular part of the opening anime I really like, it is the part where each individual characters are portrayed in sadness. I think it really reflects the theme of regret and it also signifies that each character have a part to play and it's not just Naho, Kakeru and Suwa only. I think that part is nicely done.

Yu Takahashi. Credits: https://twitter.com/amuse_indo/status/742522931952001024

3. Scenes
Overall there is nothing much to talk about the scenes. It is pretty straightforward and really follows closely to the manga. From the alarm scene, classroom to the softball game they are all very good.

4. Naho
Okay my only gribe about this episode would be Naho. Is it just me or does Naho seems a little slow in her expressions? I mean not that she doesn't have any but throughout the first half of the episode I did not feel invested into her character. There was not much shock towards the letter and I keep seeing her blank face and blinking eyes. I feel there could be more depth in her expression because after all it's not everyday you receive a letter from the future. The redeeming part is when she is torn between her decision to be the pitcher or not. The dilemma and her inner conversations were quite well done. It is only then that I become more invested and relatable.

5. Music
I really love the music. The music is really spot on and it helps to add on to the atmosphere. There is this scene in the anime where the gang is wondering where is Kakeru and why he was missing from school. The guitar instrumental in the background was haunting. Furthermore the music extends to when Naho remembers the letter telling her not to invite him after school which she did so anyway. Without the music, I guess the impact of the foreshadow would not be as important. It emphasises that his disappearance is important and crucial to the plot. The only weird part (for me) about the music was when the gang was out having fun after school. The background music resembles like a "cowboy" style of music and I think it's kind of out of place. A light refreshing music would better better suited. The country styled cowboy music made everything hilarious and it really does not relate well to the random scenes of them having fun. Despite this, I still love the music overall.

I won't really go into depth into the other characters for this review because there is not really much to say. Though I must admit that the individual personalities of the characters are perfectly spot on as per the manga. I like how they make different character traits so that each character has their chance to be in the spotlight rather than just blend into the background. So overall I really enjoyed myself in this episode and I can't wait for episode two to come out!

Till then!