
Toxic but immersing
Japanese BLs are very good at showing more serious or raw emotions. Actors surely did a good job with showing their characters and progression of their relationship and struggles was well executed. I wished they would be more story aside from showing only characters and a little bit of their background but for the limited time it was great watch.Was this review helpful to you?

A masterpiece
This series is soooo fucking goooood. That ex aint shit omw why is the rating so low. People missing out on a masterpiece. Just finished episode 4😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 i got nooooothing. You ever watched a series and it just had you all up in your feelings this is it. That episode 4 break me yes. This is why i love Japanese bl . It plays with your emotions. I really hope at the end they get a happily ever after because wow. These adults omw . They wasnt shit all of them deserved to DIE and i hope that pimp eventually get his that MF. Just finished episode 8 and i would say one of my favorite BL of 2024. Episode 8 literally had me crying. Glad maya got his even though he went out to fucking easy. He supposed to suffer a slow death . Loved how the met in the endingWas this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
its so simple. its so fragile. its so hazardous.
this show was an artform, in and of itself. the way it showed these scenes of deep meaning and dark nature with such simplicity- from Haoren's repeated assaults as a part of a prostitute agency to Maya's suicide- not a single scene was shown to be exaggerated nor normalised. it was shown as the characters' perceived it- horrifying but with no luxury to linger.i have such deep respect for both the actors of Chihiro and Haoren. their performance was, hands down, one of the best acting performances there have ever existed. the amount of grace, light heartedness, breeze, depth, angst, longing, confusion and brutality they display in the span of 8 very short episodes is exemplary to say the least.
2 more things that i loved about this show are the color coding and the music.
the color coding is done with such care for the characters- chihiro's transition from brights to neutrals to semi darks and then brights again shows how he is never lost at hope. how he may not know anything except that there is still hope. on the other hand, haoren's dark normalcy taking a break after he returns from jail- a sign that for the first time in his life, he can hope for a better sunrise tomorrow, such such beauty. he returns to his dark colors when he revists what he thinks is his past- chihiro. a past that only had one light, a light that only chihiro could be. i believe that in their life from beyond where we saw is them existing bright and each others'.
now coming to the music- it is eery, it is indie, it is slightly up-beat, it bleeds from normalcy to brutality with ease and no wonder. it doesn't intensify to add value to the scene because this is their life, this is their horrifying reality and they dont get to change their music. it is so painful, it is so beautiful. thank you to the creatives behind this show- you have made a masterpiece of a lifetime.
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The ending is masterpiece.
After going through such a mess together... Being parted....and an unexpected meeting.... That first happy look on Haoren's face to see chihuri..... Its like butter..... Cant have more good ending of this show........ Of course i also want to see their happy life together.... But we can request for special episode.... But i can't question about the ending...... Its great one..... And yeah i want to hugg them for their suffering.... It was really a heart attack for me..... Great one... Keep it up. 🙂Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
JUST WATCH IT ( if you can stomach it READ TRIGGER WARNINGS)
okay...idk what to say exactly
this drama has made me feel a lot of stuff alot of different emotions
it made be feel disgusted,sad, happy, disturbed, grateful, ashamed everything
this drama has a lot of heavy topics and as I said please read the trigger warnings as some scenes were a bit triggering to me and I usually don't read trigger warnings...
this is definitely not a fluffy romance where two people who have a little trauma but alot of love and friendship coming together and dating ... this story is about two broken people finding a way to overcome their trauma and finnally living life atleast a little
episode 4 and 6 were a bit triggering for me ....
the villian should have had more consequences than what he got he should have regretted everything but they tried to make us feel sad and sympathetic towards him and yes I guarantee you won't feel that .....
there is alot of TRAUMA, homophobic people,CA,CSA,and abuse,manipulation and a whole lot more but
this drama has my heart it's deep dark yet it's beautiful.....
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Deep, dark and emotional
This drama was truly heartbreaking and powerful at the same time. I would definitely give a trigger warning to it but if you can watch dark and deep BL dramas like this one, I definitely recommend it. Everything that Chihiro and Haoren went through, especially Haoren made me just want to scoop them up and give them such a big hug. This drama was so powerful and the feelings I felt whilst watching it. Two people who have been through so much, find each other and realise there’s a possibility they can be happy in the end, but it’s going to be a long and tough journey to get there first. All the emotions in the drama, it definitely hit me at the end. The actors did an amazing job of portraying their characters. Would I have liked to see more of their happiness at the end? Probably. But was I satisfied by the ending? Yes. This drama will definitely be one I’ll remember for sure.Was this review helpful to you?

Dark, Disturbing, Pain, Sorrow, Healing, Brilliant!
Fluffy this is not. Talk about a roller-coaster of emotions! I have to say I didn't think I would like this one much, just by what I thought it would turn out to be I wasn't thinking much, wasn't sure if I wanted to watch it, but I am so glad I did.Both had a disturbing and traumatic past yet they as the story unfolds more and more, both of them start to fall in love with one another and by doing so each of them start to heal the other in the process.
No, it wasn't an easy love that they each gave and got, it only started that way, it got better through out the series. Even though it wasn't sweet love like most shows do, it was one of a kind love for them, and in the end it turned sweet enough for them both.
I o have to say that everyone did a really great job acting, I didn't see any faults in this wholes series, and at times there are some, but all of them did a great job.
Even though I wanted to beat the shit out of Maya every time I saw him
Asari Yosuke did an excellent job with acting this character!
All in all, job series, even being a Disturbing one where I was wanting to climb in there and kick some ass! LOL! Haven't seen this yet, well why not start it now?
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Realistic Portrayal of the Darkness Lurking in Kabukicho
Happy of the End is a dark romance that deals with the dark side of Kabukicho. Haoran and Chihiro's relationship can be seen as toxic, but it's actually a very beautiful romance. Haoran, who's never been allowed to show his true self or show his pain, learns to open up and be himself around Chihiro. Yes the relationship starts off toxic, but it does turn into true love by the end.•❅✧❅✦ Story ✦❅✧❅•
Both Haoran and Chihiro have turbulent backstories, with Haoran having the most traumatic. However, while they started off as toxic to each other, they both end up healing each other and making each other better people by the end of the series.
Unfortunately, physical and sexual abuse are realities in this day and age, and with this drama wanting to portray the realities of someone living in Kabukichou, this drama does a great job in portraying the real day-to-day lives of those in Kabukichou and those who are dealt the shitty hand in life. This drama doesn’t pretend that once you manage to escape it, it’s all sunshine and rainbows. Haoran is constantly haunted by his past, physically and mentally. Even Chihiro can’t escape being lonely and looking for an escape from the real world. They find solace in each other, but nothing magically goes away, they are still stuck, trying to escape their reality.
Happy of the End is a very dark drama. It deals with child abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, prostitution, animal abuse, and homophobia; and none of the themes are sugar coated or watered down. Yes, there is romance, but it’s not the fairy tale dream we’d all like. It’s a very dark and toxic romance.
•❅✧❅✦ Manga vs Film ✦❅✧❅•
The manga and drama follow the same storyline, however, the manga does expand on their relationship a little more. The manga also goes into more details about Haoran’s thoughts on Chihiro. For example, while Chihiro is in the hospital, he and Kaji talk about how Haoran was holding up and he was not doing well. Similarly, after Haoran is released from jail, more time is spent on him fighting his inner turmoil about wanting to see Chihiro when he knows he shouldn’t.
There are a few changes in the drama. One is after Haoran and Chihiro’s first fight as a couple. In the drama, Haoran chases after him, but in the manga after Chihiro leaves, slamming the door in Haoran’s face, Haoran stays frozen by the door until Chihiro returns a few hours later. Another is the reveal of Haoran’s scars. In the drama, he reveals his scars after meeting Maya and explaining about his past. In the manga, he reveals his scars to Chihiro just because Chihiro wanted to have sex with him shirtless.
The manga is good, but I like the drama better. While I think Haoran’s actor should have been more androgynous and beautiful like in the manga, his looks doesn’t impact the series because the drama focused and made changes to the storyline that improved the story. For example, more time is spent on Haoran’s past. His abuse is shown in more detail, so we can understand his trauma. Also, the drama made the reveal of Haoran’s scars more significant. The drama made it seem like Haoran was ashamed or scared of his scars. He didn’t want to reveal it to Chihiro until he had to. These changes really made Haoran more human and less robotic.
If there is one thing I would like added to the drama, it’s the ending showing Haoran fighting against wanting to see Chihiro, and the epilogue of them actually becoming a normal couple after they reunite.
•❅✧❅✦ Acting ✦❅✧❅•
The acting was amazing for two actors who are will getting their foot in the industry. Both actors have very good chemistry and everything feels natural. All the actors really had me glued to the screen, especially Haoran's actor. I would love to see him in more dramas after this.
•❅✧❅✦ Overall ✦❅✧❅•
Happy of the End is a very good dark romance drama. If you’re not a fan of dark romance, I wouldn’t recommend it, but if you are, you will love it. The relationship between Haoran and Chihiro is that of mutual understanding and respect. It may seem toxic at times, but it’s actually quite the opposite if you start looking and reading into each character.
Overall, I highly recommend this drama. There is so many layers to this story that you will need to watch it more than once to completely understand it. And you will love it more each time you watch it. Best drama of the year!
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The one that got me to make an account
Because I do not agree with the rating I'm currently seeing.And boy, have I been on the verge of creating an account just to review or comment. I've disagreed manier time before but...This is the one.
People say it's dark, but maybe I'm from that dark place and I'm sure I've seen lots worse.
If anything the series keeps it less explicit and a little impersonal when it comes to sex scenes and that honestly fits the mood and makes it, strangely, a bit easier to digest for me.
But yea.
This was a proper queer series. The ending was satisfying enough but did keep me wanting much more, and isn't that a sign of it being a good drama. The music added and didn't distract me at all.
Sometimes we need to get over our own discomfort and see things for what they are, and this one really deserves a watch and people not able to see it have either a very good reason not to... or have been sitting in a comfy easy romance bubble for too long.
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This review may contain spoilers
I’m Obsessed with this Show
I originally wanted to watch Happy of the End because of Rei who plays Haoren since he’s in the jpop group called One N Only and he’s my favorite member. I will say I didn’t expect me to be obsessed with this drama as much as I am at this moment and this made me even more obsessed with Rei. They had the chemistry and emotions throughout this series and I loved it. I will warn you that there might be spoilers so be aware.I loved this plot because I felt it didn’t have a direct storyline, but the plot just flowed and it felt right even though there wasn’t an exact theme or storyline. So the story starts with us seeing Chihiro in a pile of trash on the street and Haoren is seen on top of him checking to see if he’s alive and then it goes back to show what happened. It showed that Chihiro was in a bar and was checking Haoren out and they went to a hotel together, but Haoren knocked him out and then it showed him being on the pile of trash. Then Haoren took Chihiro with him and Kaji into the apartment that Haoren bought for the time being and Chihiro found a disposable camera and took care of it and once him and Haoren went on a walk he snapped a picture of Haoren while talking about him mom because Chihiro liked the look on his face, but the picture came out wrong and he got his hands instead of his face. When they printed the pictures out it was just a bunch of pictures of frogs and it triggered Haoren because someone he used to work with was obsessed with frogs, but the place he worked at was a very toxic place that Haoren was beaten up badly that he was in a full body cast in the hospital and that’s when he ran away. During this time Chihiro and Haoren would only be using each other for their own self pleasure until one day they started dating and it was honestly so adorable seeing them date. Also during this time Haoren’s “mother” had passed away and that made him be in a mood where he didn’t want to eat nor be bothered and Chihiro still stayed by his side. Then the guy who was in charge of Haoren’s toxic workplace named Maya found where they were living so they moved to another place, but Maya found Chihiro and even made him do inappropriate things that Chihiro didn’t want, but it was so Maya could have power over Haoren again and this made Haoren so upset that he stabbed Maya and went back to Chihiro so Chihiro felt they needed to run away, but once they got to the train to fully escape Haoren said he was tired of running and said he’s gonna turn himself in and Chihiro was okay with it until Haoren told him to forget about him and the train already departed once he said that and Chihiro would’ve jumped out of the train if he could. Then fast forward to 3 years later and Chihiro got his dream of becoming a successful photographer and Haoren was released from jail, but they had no contact with each other until Haoren found Chihiro’s instagram page where he saw a picture of him smiling and it made Haoren cry and I honestly felt so bad for him, then he saw that Chihiro had an exhibition for his pictures and decided to go to see what he took pictures of. Then the last picture Haoren saw was the picture that Chihiro took of him when they first met and that made Haoren go to the exact same place that the picture was token and Chihiro was there was took a normal picture of him and that was the end. I will say Chihiro was adorable when he started to admire the toy necklace Haoren bought for him and when he lost it he was so upset until they found it and Chihiro was happy again. Overall, this is a show that I definitely recommend and it’s a must watch because this show didn’t feel like a drama, but it was something that felt real. Also Haoren is the most adorable human being ever and him with Chihiro was even more amazing. Plus the whole story was honestly amazing.
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This review may contain spoilers
It does not have to be perfect but it can be what you both need it to be.
Gosh, there are so many things that I want to say about this show but this is truly an emotional journey for me. I think Happy of the End will not be the typical BL series that we are accustomed to because this is taking a much darker route and doing this, they will need more of your patience to give that really satisfying ending. This is that good and I really recommend it to those that would want to watch something unique or different. The story follows something that is a complete opposite of a meet cute. Chihiro wakes up on top of a pile of garbage and remembers why he is in that situation. He is there because of Keito who is working for someone he stole money from and this is the beginning of a romantic love story that will make you feel differently about love. I think the relationship started as a very toxic kind of love story to say the least and that is interesting. I feel like we are seeing a BL story that is taking things on a much darker path but what I like about this story like is that they are taking these two deeply wounded characters into a healing journey which is something that I applaud. These characters are toxic and they know that. There are a lot of challenging scenes at the beginning of the relationship but we are seeing them peel these layers one by one and we are learning where these deep wounds are coming from until the story becomes more of a healing journey for both characters. Chihiro’s storyline mainly involves him being gay in a society that does not accept him and he is disowned by his own family which is a common thing still in today’s time but the storyline of Keito or Haoren took a much darker turn which broke my heart while learning his story. He is a kid who suffered from child abuse both from his mother who left him and the people around him who wanted him for sexual favors. We got to see a rough patch for this kid and we now understand why he is such in this wounded state. He is forced to be a man even from a very young age and he had to take so much shit from people that he was even forced into a dark world of BDSM where he is exploited for money and sex. This storyline was hard to watch but a reality that is still true. They really went on to dark places and it reminded us on the importance of finding someone who can be another part of us that would make us fall in love with them and make is feel at home. This is what they both represented to each other and I think that is such a beautiful thing to have. I think we can say that they both found love in a hopeless place. It was not an idealistic way to begin a relationship but they worked their way towards being a good partner to each other without making it all too confusing that at the end of the day. It is just a really wonderful love story with all its imperfections.Was this review helpful to you?

Il massimo degrado in un drama che vuole essere crudo e difficile da guardare, pur valido e sensato
Forse il drama più pesante che io abbia visto ad oggi. Non è una serie d'intrattenimento e, anche per chi cerca altro, non è comunque un prodotto per tutti.Regna la violenza, fisica e psicologica, dove le scene NC18 sono crude ma disturbano meno degli accenni agli abusi, da giovani o in età adulta. Non le vedo però come scelte provocatorie o insensate, bensì come l'obiettivo che il drama si pone, ovvero quello di mostrare un preciso spaccato reale - per quanto difficile da guardare, al mondo c'è anche questo - e portare avanti un tema inserendolo in un contesto che rappresenta il massimo disagio sociale possibile.
Senza nulla togliere ai drama che propongono e sviluppano storie che si muovono, pur con i loro alti e bassi, all'interno della comfort zone dell'accettabilità, dove certi limiti non vengono mai superati, qui semplicemente viene fatta una scelta diversa ma altrettanto lecita: proporre e sviluppare un tema - e di conseguenza una storia, o viceversa - in una situazione di massimo degrado. Va da sè che gli alti e bassi acquisiscano una nuova concezione, in particolar modo per quanto riguarda i "bassi". E sorprendentemente, gli "alti" ci sono comunque (e quest'ultimo credo sia un po' il punto fondamentale, perchè per quanto nero sia il nero, non può mai essere tutto completamente nero).
Sarò sincera, sono abbastanza certa che non la riguarderò. Non è una serie fatta per il rewatch, non credo possa nemmeno rientrare nel "genere preferito" della maggior parte degli utenti ma, messa in conto la possibilità di rimanere disturbati da alcuni passaggi, è una serie che - con il giusto metro di valutazione, che non è quello della storiella da intrattenimento - risulta valida e capace di raggiungere lo scopo prefissato.
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