Orange (2015 film)

Plot

In 2015, Naho Takamiya (Tao Tsuchiya), a 16-year-old girl about to attend her second year of high school in Matsumoto, abruptly receives letters while on her way to school. The letters are from Naho herself, but ten years into the future, who asks her younger self to prevent her "biggest regret" from happening. Though initially skeptical, Naho eventually begins to read the letters as they predict some of the events that would happen in her time, the foremost being the enrollment of Kakeru Naruse (Kento Yamazaki), a transfer student from Tokyo, to her class. Kakeru is quickly befriended by Naho and her friends: Hiroto Suwa (Ryo Ryusei), Takako Chino (Hirona Yamazaki), Saku Hagita (Dori Sakurada), and Azusa Murasaka (Kurumi Shimizu).

Through the letters, Naho learns that something bad will happen to Kakeru. She decides to do the opposite of the events detailed in the letters in hopes of averting it, such as encouraging Kakeru to join the soccer team, objecting him into pursuing a relationship with an upperclassman, Rio Ueda (Erina Mano) which ultimately leads to Kakeru's breakup with her, and then insisting that the two watch the school fireworks together. At the same time, in 2025, the now 26-year-old Naho, who is now married and has a baby with Hiroto, visits Kakeru's former home together with her friends, where it is revealed that they are attending a memorial for the long-dead Kakeru. What surprises them, however, is the revelation that Kakeru died not because of an accident, but suicide.

Back in 2015, Naho and Kakeru pay a visit to a shrine during Bon Festival where, through Naho's insistence, Kakeru tearfully reveals about his mother's suicide on the day of the school entrance, which he was not there with because of a conflict they had beforehand. Several days afterward, Hiroto arrives to Naho's house to tell her that he in fact has also received the letters from his 2025 self, who directs him to do as Naho's does. He states that though they cannot undo what has happened in their sender selves, they may create a new parallel universe where Kakeru can end up living. To achieve this goal, Naho and Hiroto inform Chino, Hagita, and Azu about the letters and ask them to help presenting gifts for Kakeru's 17th birthday, in which Kakeru gives the flowers requested from Hiroto to Naho. Next, all five sign up to back Kakeru for the upcoming relay race, where he serves as the anchor. Before the race, a murky Kakeru reveals the truth about his mother to the five; with their support, he regains his spirit and ends up winning the race. After the race, as a "reward" for his success in the relay race, Kakeru kisses Naho.

Several weeks before New Year, the time when Kakeru would commit suicide according to her future self, Naho gets into a conflict with Kakeru about his grandmother's health, and the two become distant. A day before December 31, though, Naho confesses her feelings for Kakeru, wherein the latter reveals his plans for suicide. At home, Kakeru finds a pre-recorded video of his mother and learns that she committed suicide because she did not want to burden him any further and wished that he would find happiness elsewhere. At New Year's Eve, realizing that Kakeru does not come on time, the five friends frantically search for him through the streets of Minamoto. They finally find him almost getting hit by a truck, being saved at the last second by the thoughts of his friends. He subsequently apologizes for his suicide attempt and confesses that he does not want to die knowing that he cannot be with them again.

The film closes with the 2025 Naho, Hiroto, Chino, Hagita, and Azu watching the sunset from a hill nearby, while in the parallel 2015, the same event happens, except that Kakeru is with them.

Cast

Reception

The film was number-one on its opening weekend in Japan with US$2.58 million.