In Orange, a tight-knit group loses their friend Kakeru to suicide. They send letters back to their past selves with advice on how to prevent this tragedy.
At the start of the story, Kakeru's mother commits suicide after Kakeru refused to accompany her to a doctor's appointment. He wanted to spend time with his new friends, and felt stifled by her emotional needs. Kakeru blamed himself for his mother's death, and the guilt drove him to suicidal despair. The circumstances that led to his mother's death also made it difficult for him to turn to his friends for help. The advice in the letters focuses on not allowing Kakeru to isolate himself, and also making sure that the budding romance between Kakeru and the protagonist, Naho, actually blooms.
Romantic relationships somehow solving a person's depression is a well-worn and terribly inaccurate trope, but Orange manages to subvert it. Although Kakeru and Naho do end up together, it doesn't cure his depression. It's one of many subtle changes in his life that ultimately help him avoid death. He comes close to suicide, but his friends pull him out of that moment.
Orange doesn't conclude that because Kakeru falls in love, he will never be sad again. Rather, it concludes that being honest about one's feelings, and opening up to others, helps make happiness possible.
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