Orange Volume 1 Manga Review: A Christian Perspective on Ichigo Takano’s Time Travel Romance

In our review of Orange Volume 1, we will explore Ichigo Takano’s manga from a Christian perspective. Includes a content and parent guide.

This review is about Orange Volume 1. For our Orange series overview post, click here.

Synopsis of Orange Volume 1 (Manga) by Ichigo Takano

On the day a new student joins 16-year-old Naho Takamiya’s class, she receives a letter predicting his arrival. This isn’t just any letter—it’s from 26-year-old Naho. This letter offers advice on how to avoid the mistakes she made in the past. According to the letter, the new student, Kakeru Naruse, is in danger. It’s up to Naho to help him and prevent her future self from a lifetime of regret.

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Orange Volume 1 Review: A Christian Perspective on Ichigo Takano’s Time Travel Romance Manga

Orange by Ichigo Takano is a high school romance manga with a unique time travel twist. It centers on Naho Takamiya, a 16-year-old high school student, as she tries to change the future for Kakeru Naruse, a depressed student in her class.

Orange dives into themes of friendship, loyalty, regret, and personal growth in a thoughtful, (mostly) clean, and accessible way for teens and adults alike.

I’m always on the hunt for manga and anime series that are appropriate for Christians, and the wholesome Orange is one of my personal favorites.

In my review, I’ll share a Christian perspective & analysis that is mostly centered on the first volume.

Background on the Omnibus Edition

My initial reading was from the omnibus version, so my review mostly reflects the content as it appears in the omnibus. I sometimes reference other versions, such as the Kindle version (which is not an omnibus).

Depending on where I get my quotes (online, from the book directly, or from the Kindle version) there may be some variance, but the content should still be the same even if there are some translation differences. The first omnibus collects volumes 1-3 of the Orange manga, and the second collects volumes 4-5 of Orange and contains a bonus story.

There are five volumes of Orange in Ichigo Takano’s main story, and an additional two sequels. This review will focus on the first volume.

Welcoming Kakeru into the Group

In a world where cliques keep others out, Naho’s friend group is the opposite. Instead of avoiding or ignoring Kakeru, they immediately welcome him. Their kindness establishes Orange as a high school friendship manga.

This reflects verses like Hebrews 13:1-2 (NIV):

Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.

Their willingness to include Kakeru reminds me of another high school romance series, Horimiya, in which an established friend group welcomes an outsider in need of a friend.

Respecting Choices & Consequences

This section contains a spoiler: Naho’s letter from the future says that on Kakeru’s first day, they should not invite him to walk home with them. However, the group still invites Kakeru, and Naho doesn’t do anything about it. Kakeru initially says no, but after group pressure, he says yes.

Their kindness isn’t the issue; it’s that they welcomed him despite the letter’s warning. *Spoiler for Vol 2* Even waiting just one more day would have been wise.

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Orange Volume 1 Review: Can the Future Be Changed?

Predicting the Future

Spoiler alert for future volumes:

The letter “predicts” the future and tells Naho how to act. From a biblical discernment standpoint, this might make some Christians uneasy. However, the letter is not tied to a spiritual entity; it’s actually all about time travel.

Naho’s letter comes from herself 10 years in the future. Using time travel theories learned in high school, Naho sends her letter back via a black hole found in the Bermuda Triangle. While unrealistic, the letter doesn’t have connections to occultism or psychics.

Personally, I view it as a plot device within the context of a specific story, so I wouldn’t call it “spiritually dangerous.” However, if you feel uneasy, it’s important to test everything against Scripture and listen to The Holy Spirit.

Naho’s Reliance on the Letter

One of my favorite quotes from Orange Volume 1 is “Maybe it’s impossible to live life without any regrets. Even when you know the future…you’ll still mess up.”

It’s a great reminder that perfection isn’t possible for us. However, we have hope because of our perfect Savior, Jesus Christ.

Romans 3:23 (NIV) reminds us “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” We should always strive to become like Christ, but until we receive our glorified bodies, we cannot fully stop sinning or regretting things because we are imperfect humans in need of a Savior. However, Christ promises that “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9 NIV).

Naho is far from perfect. However, she recognizes her mistakes and strives to make things right.

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Naho’s Growth in Orange Volume 1

At the start of Orange, Naho is very timid. She doesn’t like to inconvenience others and doesn’t stand up for herself or express her opinion strongly.

Putting others first is a beautiful, biblical trait (Philippians 2:3-4 NIV):

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

Naho is great at this but sometimes she lets her timidness and fear of inconveniencing others hold her back.

One day, her school has a ball game and her friends beg her to be their hitter. Naho is gifted in softball, but she is nervous about losing, so even though her future self’s letter encourages her to play, Naho initially declines.

Eventually, she agrees to play because she knows she will regret it if she doesn’t. She doesn’t let her timidity hold her back, and she wins the game. This is one of the first signs of growth we get in Naho.

The Bible has so many stories of people who go outside their comfort zone for God and end up being used by God for amazing things. Esther and Gideon are just a couple of examples.

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Romance and Regret in Orange

Shortly after meeting Kakeru, Naho starts to develop feelings for him. However, she tries to keep them hidden, and even when Kakeru asks Naho if she likes anyone, she says no, even though she likes him. Kakeru also says he doesn’t have a crush, and after Naho asks him about a girl, Ueda-Senpai, who’s shown interest in him, Kakeru replies, “I like her face.” This comment makes Naho feel insecure about her appearance to the point where she even considers plastic surgery.

He isn’t sure that he wants to date Ueda, so he asks Naho (by note) what she thinks. She says no, but she wonders if she is being selfish even though the letter warns her not to let Kakeru date Ueda.

However, Naho doesn’t get a note back to him in time.

Naho’s Struggle to Speak Up in Orange Volume 1

Kakeru starts spending his time with Ueda, causing his friends to feel neglected. All of this could have been avoided if Naho had spoken up sooner about her feelings for Kakeru, but of course, in Naho fashion, she hides her feelings and chooses not to speak up.

Naho also starts neglecting Kakeru. She believes that it would be unfair to Ueda for her to talk to Kakeru, so she stops.

Naho also stops making him lunches and stops waking him up in the mornings so he could go to soccer practice. She doesn’t tell him she’s going to stop; she just does. Considering her goal is to save Kakeru, her actions make no sense—they harm, not help, him.

When she finally talks with Kakeru about why she stopped making him lunches and waking him up, she explains it’s because she thought Ueda would want to do it for him. But again, she made this judgment without asking Kakeru first. While she wanted to respect Ueda, she ended up hurting Kakeru in the process.

Kakeru seems sad that Naho has stopped the lunches and he thanks her for everything she’s done, acknowledges how much Naho’s lunches meant to him, and then says “sorry for being such a pain.”

This comment shows that Kakeru feels like a burden.

To be fair, Naho doesn’t have all the information regarding why she needs to save him, but this moment continues to stress how, even though Naho is trying to be respectful of others, her over-timidity tends to harm, not help.

In the end, Naho finally apologizes to Kakeru, who decides to break up with Ueda. He admits he was only interested in her looks, and he realizes that looks are not the most important thing.

To make matters more interesting, he also tells Naho that he has a crush on someone else and that he missed talking with her while he was dating Ueda.

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A Christian Perspective on Regret in Orange Volume 1

While we can’t rewrite our past, God helps us move forward. Christ died on the cross for our sins, which covers all the mistakes we made in the past, and will make in the future. We have the opportunity to choose Christ, who forgives us and made the ultimate sacrifice so we can live in freedom.

1 Peter 5:7 (ESV) reminds us that we should be “casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”

Though Orange isn’t a theological guide, it illustrates the weight of regret and encourages reflection on how our choices affect others, which can resonate with Christian readers.

To read our Orange Volume 2 review, click here.

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FAQs for Orange Volume 1

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Conclusion: Should Christians Read Orange Volume 1 by Ichigo Takano?

Orange Volume 1 by Ichigo Takano is fairly clean for teens and adults, and sets the stage for deeper, more mature themes in future volumes (*spoiler alert: suicide*).

Do I recommend Orange for Christians? Volume 1, with discernment, can be an entertaining and impactful story that explores friendship, the weight of regret, personal growth, and kindness.

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Content and Parent Guide for Orange Volume 1

Sex, Nudity, and Romance in Orange Volume 1

• Uniforms have short skirts.
• Characters discuss crushes and have romantic feelings towards each other.
• Naho likes it when Kakeru touches her head.
• Romantic language used such as: babe, “She’s hot,” and cutie.
• Such a player (joke).
• A character says another character will be “Getting busy with your girlfriend.”
• Girls go shopping and buy matching short flowered shorts.
• A couple holds hands.

Language in Orange Volume 1

• Oh my (blasphemy)
• D*mn
• P*ssed
• B*tch
• Shut up x4
• Sucks x2
• “You’re a pig.” / “Don’t be such a pig.”
• “She’s kind of cute, in a country bumpkin sort of way.”
• “That stupid redneck.”
• “You idiot.” / “I’m such an idiot.”

Violence, Gore, Frightening and Intense Scenes in Orange Volume 1

• The group bickers playfully.
• Naho’s shoes are too small, so her feet hurt. Kakeru makes Naho let him do first aid on her.
• *Spoiler* Naho finds out that Kakeru isn’t alive in the future. 
• Kakeru gently bonks Naho’s head
• Kakeru notices Naho’s bag is big and heavy and tries to help her. She slaps him away.
• *Spoiler* When Naho and her friends realize that Kakeru probably didn’t expect to have a future, they all cry and get emotional; even lashing out a bit.
• Ueda pushes Naho. Kakeru gets mad at her and tells her to apologize to Naho.
  

Spiritual Content in Orange Volume 1

• A character wonders if the letter is a freaky coincidence.
• A character believes that there is a wish only she can grant.
• Naho wonders if Kakeru can read her thoughts because he gives her the bread she wanted without her asking for it.
• Characters say, “Save us Naho, you’re our only hope.”
• Hiding in the shadows like a vampire.
• Sometimes, a character mentally asks for someone to help her.

Cover Photo Credit: Volume 1 of Orange by Ichigo Takano. Photo from Amazon.com used under fair use for review/commentary/criticism/education. All rights belong to their respective owners.