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Happyend

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1:53

Happyend

2024

1h 53m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

94%

Tomatometer

17 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

Full Review

Whang Yee Ling

The Straits Times (Singapore)

Here is a bittersweet coming-of-age experience, unassuming but emotionally textured.

Rated: 3/5

May 8, 2025

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Sean Burns

WBUR’s Arts & Culture

Remarkable. It's like if 'Superbad' took place during the end of the world.

Apr 19, 2025

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Will Bjarnar

InSession Film

If the film sounds as though it’s light on plot, that’s not a reflection of its activity level, instead a sign of its ostensible simplicity. As it continues, Happyend becomes a film primarily about the dilemma between youth and adulthood

Rated: B+

Feb 26, 2025

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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

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Happyend: Trailer 1

1:53

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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
Production Co: Zakkubalan, Cineric Creative, Cinema Inutile
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Japanese
Runtime: 1h 53m