MAL Rating: 7.97/10
Art: 8/10
In regards to the art, it was done well. At first, I had only seen a few series that used this art style so it took a bit to get used to. Aside from that, the art was done well, but not in a way that distracted from the story.
Orange seemed to rely on the story itself, while the art aided the setting in subtle ways. For example, warmer colors are used during summer time, and in the wintertime, the colors are much more subdued. Things appear more grey.
It did well, highlighting the characters emotions, though the use of closeups. The facial expressions captured were believable, through the differences in the eyes and the mouth. (I have seen some shows where facial expressions more or less consisted of mouth open or closed.)
Sound: 7/10
I didn't seem to pay too much attention to the sound at first. Or rather, I did not notice anything missing.
The soundtrack was decent. I find myself often skipping the OP and ED of a lot of anime. Orange was one of the shows where I did occasionally watch them all the way through. The OP and ED did give this series a drama feel, which is appropriate. Though I might not add either track to my personal collection, they were correct for the show.
Characters: 6/10
Orange really focused on anywhere from 1 to 3 characters: Naho, Kakeru and Suwa, in that order. There seemed to be a lot of development of Naho, quite a bit of insight into Kakeru and then Suwa.
The other friends in the group supplement the relationship between the main characters. The interaction between Azu and Hagita is comedic at times, and some viewers may find themselves curious about what their future might look like. Takako seems like a girl who carries herself more seriously, and apart from being very supportive towards Naho, does not receive a whole lot of attention nor development. If this series could have been longer, I would have liked to see more development out of these three characters.
Kakeru, though much of the story focuses on him, seems often to be more of an objective rather than a person, as the entire story and the rest of the main/supporting characters revolve around saving him. Kakeru is a likeable character, but is written in a way that mostly reacts to actions around him rather than having his own will. Then again, that is consistent with his character and background.
The two characters that seem the most alive, or realistic are Naho and Suwa. Naho, of course, starts out as a reserved, shy girl that pushes herself to take drastic actions to save Kakeru. The entire progression of the story relies on the pace and boldness (mostly lack thereof) of her actions. I'll get to this later, covering the story, but the middle/later episodes move rather slowly because of this very issue: Naho's hesitation or lack of bold action.
Suwa initially comes off as an Alpha Male, confident, tall, athletic. While many people knock this sort of "cookie-cutter" character, but they do exist in the real world. What I also do like a lot as the story progresses is that it becomes revealed that he is a very supporting character and makes decisions for the greater common goal while sacrificing his own desires. Call it predictable, but it does add a lot of depth to Suwa's character.
Story: 6/10
I might have rated this a bit low, Orange very well might deserve a higher rating.
Having never read the manga, I started watching Orange a bit after it premiered, so I was able to watch a few of the first episodes in one session. The first few episodes I found very enticing. There's the rule that if you should give each anime 3 episodes to prove they're worth your time. While I've seen some that couldn't do this in 10 episodes, Orange got me from episode 1. At times in the first few episodes, I actually spoke out loud towards the screen, saying things like "Just do it already!" I immediately found characters that I liked and wanted to see them succeed.
While Orange was airing, I also watched Boku dake ga Inai Machi (ERASED), based on a similar theme. Perhaps this influenced my view of the later episodes of Orange, as I was able to get more instant gratification from Erased, while I had to wait week by week for Orange, and see minor steps forward. A lot of the achievements or challenges that came up in Orange did not seemed to be given very much weight or importance. (Maybe this is because I am mostly dead inside anyway.)
The main issue with the story reveals itself past the first few episodes. They draw in the audience and place them in sort of a plateau of very slow plot progression. When viewers commit to following any series on a weekly basis, they deserve a bit of a reward from the each episode. But again, the plot does follow Naho's own personality, and after the initial establishment of the story and setting, takes little steps, as Naho makes little breakthroughs.
Then there's the letters. This was not necessarily a bad idea, but at many times, it seemed like the viewer was made too aware of the progression of the plot, either through the letters, or how the story was written. This applies to the characters as well. If you're just starting, you'll know what I mean as you go through a few of the episodes.
Overall, the story did highlight desires and conflicts of some of the characters, but it also lacked passion. Some of the scenes were very appropriate and moving, but there were some that were lacking. This is not to say that the characters try to save Kakeru out of obligation, but I would have liked to see a bit more emotion in certain situations.
Enjoyment: 7/10
With all of the factors contributing, the characters personalities, the supporting sound and art, I did find this series pretty enjoyable.
You start with a very nervous, shy girl who feels like she is desperate, completely alone. You see her close friends pick up on the situation and unconditionally offer their support, even if it means making sacrifices. They put their all in correcting past mistakes, creating a future with no regrets. Though this cannot happen completely in real life, it is good to see people get a second chance, even if they are fictional. This is no doubt, a "feel good" series, which is a refreshing break from the dark, heavy anime that I typically gravitate towards. I liked this series a lot, compared to a handful that I have watched recently that have brought barely any reaction out of me at all.
Overall, I give Orange a 7, and do recommend it. I could give it an 8, but since I have to pick one, it gets a 7. I look forward to watching "Orange: Mirai" when it airs.
