Happyend

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1:53

Happyend

Released Aug 15

1h 53m

Drama

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Popcornmeter

95%

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21 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Set in a near-future Tokyo where the threat of a catastrophic earthquake pervades daily life, two rabble-rousing best friends are about to graduate high school. One night, they pull a consequential prank on their Principal, which leads to a surveillance system being installed in their school. Stuck between the oppressive security system and a darkening national political situation, the two respond in contrasting ways, leading them to confront differences they never had to face before.

David Ehrlich

IndieWire

Even in its most uncertain moments, Happyend is carried by the sincerity of its characters and their affection for each other.

Rated: B+

Sep 27, 2024

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Marshall Shaffer

Slant Magazine

Sora Neo struggles to balance the immediacy of adolescent angst with the long-range outlook of using the students’ experience as a canary in the coal mine for society at large.

Rated: 2/4

Sep 24, 2024

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Jessica Kiang

Variety

Japanese director Neo Sora is no catastrophist: the vision of dystopia he puts forth in his coolly compelling first fiction feature Happyend is chilling precisely because it won’t take some thunderous armageddon to bring it about.

Sep 23, 2024

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Ben Gibbons

Screen Rant

Happyend may be a dystopian sci-fi story by definition, but the emotional core of the film is the students who take it beyond a simple sci-fi movie.

Rated: 8/10

Aug 15, 2025

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Cameron Ritter

Geek Vibes Nation

The genius of Happyend is how these themes are incorporated into one of the funniest films of the year.

Rated: 8.5/10

Jul 20, 2025

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Clotilde Chinnici

FILMHOUNDS Magazine

The various themes it explores are still fascinating to see in the context of Japan, which a mainstream audience is not used to seeing portrayed culturally quite as much, and the anxieties and apprehensions specific to the country.

Rated: 3/5

Jul 19, 2025

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Stephen C

Success in 1 hour and 53 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/15/25

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Chris Z

Japanese film that’s written Hongkong all over. I’m amazed by how accurate it is capturing the subtle apocalyptic era for youths in Asia.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

11/23/24

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Neo Sora

Director

Hayato Kurihara

Yuta

Yukito Hidaka

Ko

Yuta Hayashi

Actor

Ayumu Nakajima

Actor

Masaru Yahagi

Actor

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Happyend: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Set in a near-future Tokyo where the threat of a catastrophic earthquake pervades daily life, two rabble-rousing best friends are about to graduate high school. One night, they pull a consequential prank on their Principal, which leads to a surveillance system being installed in their school. Stuck between the oppressive security system and a darkening national political situation, the two respond in contrasting ways, leading them to confront differences they never had to face before.

Director: Neo Sora
Producer: Aiko Masubuchi, Albert Tholen, Eric Nyari, Alex C. Lo, Anthony Chen
Screenwriter: Neo Sora
Distributor: Metrograph Pictures
Production Co: Zakkubalan, Cineric Creative, Cinema Inutile
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 15, 2025, Limited
Runtime: 1h 53m