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I'm writing this review because I'm concerned about the messages and themes this anime has. If interpreted incorrectly, it'd be an unhealthy way to cope with mental illnesses, and possibly harmful. I'll try to avoid spoilers and focus on concepts.

I started watching this series because I saw something about a character attempting suicide. Motivated on seeing how the character, Kakeru, can survive his suicidal thoughts, I got pretty captivated and emotionally invested. I find his behaviour and thought process realistic as symptoms mental illness, which is most likely major depressive disorder (although I wonder if he has something else along WITH it). However, the ... anime kind of concludes with the message of, "love can save you from depression," which is pretty disappointing. Because it won't.

Another theme they pushed really hard was having supportive friends and family. This is indispensable when it comes to treating a mental illness, and I strongly agree with it. It's sweet for a group of friends to work so hard to make their friend happy, and I probably have a soft spot for that, BUT that's not going to cure your depression. No one can save you from any kind of mental illness, except for you.

The type of negative thoughts Kakeru had, needed to be worked through in therapy, specifically cognitive behavioural therapy. He kept blaming himself without anyone opposing his thoughts with reason. Instead, it was just "YOUR FRIENDS MAKE YOU HAPPY," kind of shit. No, he will start thinking them again until he is able to correct his negative thoughts into more reasonable ones.

He might even need medication, considering how his mom likely had some sort of mental illness (I got borderline PD vibes) that she passed on to him. Sometimes it's a chemical imbalance, and it just can't be helped in another way.

It is probably important to keep in mind that in Asian countries, mental illnesses more or less "don't exist," and you just have to suck it up. Maybe support from friends and family is all they have available.

Although well-intentioned, I think the core message (lol) of Orange can be harmful. I am probably being very generous with the scores because I do think they portrayed mental illness accurately. Also, personally I was just really rooting hard, and emotionally invested, for suicide prevention.

Do I recommend Orange? I guess if you want to see how friends try (or fail, I didn't spoil the outcome okay?) to prevent a suicide. I think it could be educational and thought-provoking to understand mental health issues better. Don't care for all that? Don't watch.

I can't understand why this anime has such a low rating, it's honestly pretty good. The art is a bit old fashioned, but that's not necessarily a bad thing that deserves a lower score. The story's atmosphere varies from arc to arc, some more light-hearted, some with pretty heavy material and somewhat dark themes. Overall the themes are pretty cheesy, with some discussions on fate. However, at times they do acknowledge the harsher truths about being human and life in general.

Personally, I love the characters and their designs. Particularly Fool (I like to call him bird DIO in my head). The youkai and yurei are ... really cute too, with solid backstories. I guess since all the males are ikemen, along with the story's yaoi undertones, maybe it turns off some of the audience? Still, I think there would be more people who like than dislike.

The MC is pretty decent, in my opinion, since he doesn't follow too many tropes. He seems to have a pretty realistic character, rather than the stereotypical shounen protag or weak boy turns strong thing (both generally irritate me).

There is a lot of food porn in this show, and it may feel like a waste of time. If you like Isekai Shokudou, that should be fine for you though.

TL, DR; just give this anime a chance. It doesn't deserve such a low rating.