Orange

Orange

Year: 2015

Runtime: 139 mins

Language: Japanese

Director: Kojiro Hashimoto

Drama

A young woman begins receiving cryptic advice from her future self, leading her and her friends to confront difficult choices and unexpected consequences. As they navigate evolving relationships and a troubled new student’s arrival, they discover the importance of empathy, understanding, and the power of second chances to build a stronger community.

Bittersweet
Bittersweet ending
Emotionally heavy
High intensity
Steady pacing
Moderate complexity

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline & Setting – Orange (2015)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Orange (2015). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

2015–2025

The narrative moves between 2015, when Naho is a first or second-year high school student, and 2025, the future that reveals the consequences of their actions. Letters from the future guide decisions in the 2015 timeline, creating a time-travel premise. The story uses these parallel timelines to explore how hope, friendship, and regret shape a ten-year arc.

Location

Matsumoto, Nagano, Japan

The story unfolds in Matsumoto, following Naho's high school life and the daily surroundings of her classmates. Key locations include the school grounds, a shrine visited during the Bon Festival, and hillside moments where the group reflects on their year. These settings ground a coming-of-age tale that blends ordinary days with extraordinary choices.

🏙️ Urban setting 🗺️ Japan

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 12:06

Main Characters – Orange (2015)

Meet the key characters of Orange (2015), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Naho Takamiya (Tao Tsuchiya) slug: tao-tsuchiya

A compassionate, introspective 16-year-old who receives letters from her future self. She efforts to avert Kakeru's tragedy lead her to act decisively, testing friendships and her own comfort with taking responsibility. Her growth hinges on balancing empathy with choices that affect others.

🌸 Coming-of-age 📝 Letters 👥 Responsibility

Kakeru Naruse (Kento Yamazaki) slug: kento-yamazaki

A transfer student who quickly forms bonds with Naho and friends while concealing a heavy emotional burden. He is introspective and fragile, haunted by the memory of his mother's suicide. The letters and the group’s support offer him hope, which culminates in a moment of renewed resolve during a school relay.

💔 Trauma ⚽ Athlete 🧭 Hope

Hiroto Suwa (Ryo Ryusei) slug: ryo-ryusei

Naho's loyal friend who acts as a steady confidant and organizer of the group’s efforts to help Kakeru. He assists with planning and shares in the emotional weight of the situation. His presence anchors the theme of supportive friendship.

🤝 Friendship 🧭 Guidance

Takako Chino (Hirona Yamazaki) slug: hirona-yamazaki

A member of Naho's friend group who participates in the plan to back Kakeru and care for him. She contributes to the collective effort and helps maintain the emotional morale of the group. Her role underlines the importance of peer support.

🌼 Friendship 🤗 Support

Saku Hagita (Dori Sakurada) slug: dori-sakurada

An upbeat member of the friend circle who brings humor and practicality to their efforts. He helps keep the group's plan grounded in everyday acts of kindness. His perspective adds balance to the emotional stakes.

🧩 Teamwork 🎭 Teenage life

Azusa Murasaka (Kurumi Shimizu) slug: kurumi-shimizu

Another close friend who joins the effort to support Kakeru. She contributes to the group’s gifts and plans, reinforcing the message that friendship is a shared responsibility. Her role highlights the collective nature of their quest to change a life.

🎒 School life 🎯 Focus

Rio Ueda (Erina Mano) slug: erina-mano

An upperclassman who is part of Kakeru's social world and a potential romantic interest within the group dynamic. Her interactions with Kakeru and the others reflect the complexities of teen relationships. She participates in the events that help shape Kakeru's outlook.

💘 Romance 🎓 School crush

Hatsuno Naruse (Reiko Kusamura) slug: reiko-kusamura

Kakeru's mother, whose past suicide casts a long shadow over Kakeru's present. Her memory and the reasons behind her actions shape the emotional landscape of the story. The narrative revisits her impact through family history and Kakeru's inner conflict.

👩‍👦 Mother 🕊️ Loss

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 12:06

Major Themes – Orange (2015)

Explore the central themes of Orange (2015), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🔮 Time & Fate

The plot centers on letters from a future self that hint at a fated outcome for Kakeru. Naho and her friends must decide whether to follow or defy the foreseen events. The premise asks how small acts of care can alter a life and its trajectory, suggesting that choices matter even when time seems fixed.

🤝 Friendship

Naho's plan relies on the support of her close circle: Hiroto, Chino, Hagita, and Azusa. They rally around Kakeru, share insights, and contribute thoughtful gifts for his birthday, turning a private struggle into a shared effort. The film emphasizes teamwork, trust, and emotional honesty as catalysts for positive change.

💔 Trauma & Loss

Kakeru carries deep pain from his mother's suicide, a burden that shapes his wary, sensitive nature. The letters and friends' presence push him to confront this trauma rather than retreat from it. The story treats grief with nuance, showing how support and understanding can influence decisions, even in the face of despair.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 12:06

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Explore Movie Threads

Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Movies about Changing Fate like Orange

Characters use foreknowledge to prevent tragedy, bearing the emotional cost of altering fate.For viewers seeking movies like Orange, this collection features emotional dramas where characters receive foreknowledge of a tragic event. These stories explore the heavy responsibility of intervention, the fragility of time, and the bittersweet outcomes of trying to rewrite destiny through empathy and connection.

anxioushopefulmelancholicurgentreflectiveintimate

Narrative Summary

The narrative pattern involves a catalyst—like a letter from the future—that reveals an impending personal tragedy. The protagonists then race against a seemingly fixed fate, navigating complex relationships and moral choices. The journey is defined by emotional strain, with endings that acknowledge both the success of their efforts and the irrevocable changes it caused.

Why These Movies?

Movies are grouped here by their shared core premise: the ethical and emotional weight of acting on foreknowledge to prevent loss. They blend high emotional intensity with a steady, character-driven pace, resulting in a profoundly bittersweet tone that balances hope against the scars of intervention.

Intimate Friend Group Dramas like Orange

Close-knit groups confront grief and trauma, finding strength through empathy and understanding.If you liked Orange for its focus on friendship and trauma, this list highlights movies about tight-knit groups facing a member's severe emotional crisis. These dramas are heavy, reflective, and intimate, showing how empathy and second chances can forge a path through grief and loss.

intimatemelancholicreflectivehopefulgrievingnostalgic

Narrative Summary

Stories in this thread typically begin with a circle of friends whose dynamics are shattered by the arrival of a troubled individual or the re-emergence of a traumatic event. The plot unfolds through quiet, character-driven moments as the group learns to support each other, confronting their own vulnerabilities while trying to save someone from themselves. The journey is raw and emotionally demanding.

Why These Movies?

These films share a core focus on the intimate dynamics of a friend group under the strain of healing. They are defined by a heavy emotional weight, a steady, reflective pacing that allows for deep character exploration, and a mood that masterfully blends melancholy with pockets of genuine hope.

Unlock the Full Story of Orange

Don't stop at just watching — explore Orange in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Orange is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

Orange Summary

Read a complete plot summary of Orange, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

Orange Summary

Orange Timeline

Track the full timeline of Orange with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

Orange Timeline

Orange Spoiler-Free Summary

Get a quick, spoiler-free overview of Orange that covers the main plot points and key details without revealing any major twists or spoilers. Perfect for those who want to know what to expect before diving in.

Orange Spoiler-Free Summary

More About Orange

Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about Orange: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.

More About Orange

Explore More About Movie Orange

Orange (2015) Plot Summary & Movie Recap

Orange (2015) Scene-by-Scene Movie Timeline

Orange (2015) Spoiler-Free Summary & Key Flow