Orange

While Orange is a romance manga (and it most certainly is), it is also much more. Consider this a spoiler alert: Orange deals with some heavy topics, such as mental health and suicide. Orange crosses many genres, including romance, slice-of-life, and even the supernatural. It's also a short manga that comes in two oversized volumes that you can devour in a weekend. Orange is thus a satisfyingly complete and focused manga experience.

Orange follows a group of friends, the main character of whom is high schooler Naho Takamiya. Naho receives a letter from someone claiming to be her future self at the start of a new school year. Future Naho expresses her deepest regret for failing to save the life of a young boy named Kakeru Naruse.

The letter arrived on this particular day because it coincides with Kakeru's return to Matsumoto from his previous life in Tokyo. Kakeru quickly integrates into Naho's circle of friends, becoming the group's sixth member. The letter Naho received contains a detailed list of instructions on how to save Kakeru's life. Every day, Naho must decide whether or not to trust and follow these instructions. Meanwhile, Naho is married to Hiroto in the future, and you are occasionally transported into their lives as they reminisce about their high school days ten years ago, and about their now-deceased friend Kakeru.

Author: Ichigo Takano

Original run: March 13, 2012 – April 12, 2022
Volumes: 7

Status: Completed

Buy here: https://www.amazon.com/orange-manga/s?k=orange+manga