Orange vol 2 by Ichigo Takano

The friends continue to get letters from their future selves that warn them of choices and events that might lead to a tragedy. In the future, we see some speculation about how they can send letters to their former selves. The friends in the present and in the future worry about Suwa, whose future might completely change if they are successful in helping their past selves. The sports festival is coming up, and the letters warn how this event shaped their futures, and offer suggestions on how to stop the bad future from coming to pass. Later, the friends go to a shrine for New Years, and Naho is extremely worried. This outing is where everything can change in the battle make everything right, and one little misstep could ruin all of their hard work.

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This second volume was just as engrossing as the first. Takano leaves readers on the hook until the very end to see if all their efforts are successful. The ending leaves a lot of questions open, so some readers might be dissatisfied. There is another volume, Orange: Future, which might answer some of these, so I'm definitely going to get my hands on that one. There is something to be said though about some of that uncertainty. The group has been doing things based on the recommendations of their letters, and all of that suddenly stops. They have to go back to living their lives and hoping they're doing everything "right." This is another one of those series that ends right at the climax, so that definitely contributes to the lack of closure I felt after reading.

Also included in this volume is a one-off Takano did called Haruiro Astronaut​, a love story about twin girls navigating crushes. This was extremely sweet, and while some readers might need it after the heavy events of Orange, I would have much rather seen the "Complete Collection" include Orange: Future instead of this unrelated story.

Sara's Rating: 9/10
Suitability Level: Grades 8-12

Reviews of previous volumes in this series: vol 1

Publisher: Seven Seas
Publication Date: May 31, 2016
ISBN: 9781626922716 (Paperback)

Tags: Rating: 9/10, Suitability: Middle School, Suitability: High School, Manga, Romance, School Life, Friendship, Seven Seas