J-Movie: Orange (2015)

In a Nutshell: This is a manga adaptation film which depicts friendship in a form of a parallel universe, where a message to her own self was transmitted through a letter by Naho’s future endeavor.

On her way to school, Naho received a letter from the future telling her of the sequence of events that will take place in school. She then shrugged the idea of it however she met a new transferee in her class, Kakeru. Later on, her curiosity arises as the letter gives her the decision to make in an event that she has to make one for herself.

Comments: Japanese films are generally about uplifting the human spirit and fighting your own evil. This film has a gloomy side which was portrayed through the character of Kakeru. However, evil can be altered through the presence of the people significant to Kakeru, his friends. Basically, it presents well the idea that when you took a matter seriously and urgently, you can make a difference to someone. This is what this film is all about – friendship over romance and friendship above everything else.

I am rather convinced that it was made for the purpose of generally helping others in coping up with whatever difficulty that one is going through and by whatever means, we must help ourselves as well. Having seen a convincing amount of movies in Japan shows of what kind of culture that they have and I think that they want optimism to prevail in their course but then it also tells the kind of trouble they go through in order to achieve that kind of goal. In a film like this, I can’t help but acknowledge the importance of the people in our lives when we go through our problems.

I didn’t feel the romance much between Naho and Kakeru because the friendship especially the one that was portrayed by Hiroto was massive and it was really a game changer in the story. I am particularly pleased by the selfless act and a giving heart kind of character that he has and I think that we need more people like him to make this world a better place to live. Of course, I couldn’t leave out the trust ans support that the rest of the gang has showed to the three main leads because they are also vital in the process of healing by Kakeru.

Overall, I think that the film is a must-watch as this is my favorite Kento Yamazaki film of the two I’ve seen this year so far. I will recommend it to you if you want to know the craze about this guy who also took the role of L in the Death Note series. But regardless of the fact that he’s pretty hot right now, this film totally overshadowed the popularity he has. The message was very meaningful and it is everything that it takes for the film to be above average.