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Happy of the End

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Happy of the End
Cover of vol. 1 of the Japanese version, released on June 16, 2021 (2021-06-16)
ハッピー・オブ・ジ・エンド
(Happī Obu Ji Endo)
GenreRomance,[1] thriller,[2] boys' love[1]
Manga
Written byOgeretsu Tanaka
Published byTakeshobo
English publisher
ImprintBamboo Comics Qpa Collection
MagazineQpa
DemographicJosei
Original runJanuary 24, 2020 (2020-01-24) – August 24, 2023 (2023-08-24)
Volumes3
Television drama
Directed by
Written by
Music byKōji Endō [ja]
StudioNBCUniversal Entertainment Japan
Original network
Original run September 3, 2024 (2024-09-03) – present
Episodes8 (scheduled)
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Happy of the End (Japanese: ハッピー・オブ・ジ・エンド, Hepburn: Happī Obu Ji Endo) is a Japanese manga series by Ogeretsu Tanaka. It was serialized in the monthly boys' love digital manga magazine Qpa from January 24, 2020, to October 24, 2023. A live-action television drama adaptation premiered on Fuji TV on September 3, 2024.

Plot

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Disowned by his family for being gay and rejected by his recently married ex-boyfriend, Chihiro Kashiwagi meets Keito, a beautiful and mysterious man, at a bar, and suggests they have a one-night stand.[1] However, at the hotel, Keito beats Chihiro unconscious. The next morning, Keito reveals that he was sent by Matsuki, Chihiro's former patron, to take back his cards after Chihiro had stolen them upon being evicted for sleeping with other men. With no place to live, Chihiro ends up staying with Keito.[1]

While living with each other as friends with benefits, Chihiro and Keito grow closer to each other and open up about their pasts: Chihiro tells Keito about his family and his failed aspirations of becoming a photographer. Meanwhile, Keito reveals that his real name is Haoran and that his drug-addicted mother is a prostitute who came from China; in addition, when he was 15, he worked as a prostitute with violent clients. Later, when Chihiro's ex-boyfriend tries to convince Chihiro to start dating again, Chihiro realizes he treasures his relationship with Haoran more, and that his ex-boyfriend never loved him. Haoran goes into his slump after his mother dies and contemplates, but he realizes he wants to live because Chihiro is with him. After finding closure with their pasts, Chihiro and Haoran decide to live together happily as a couple.

Chihiro and Haoran's happiness is short-lived when Maya, an abusive pimp who Haoran previously worked for, begins stalking them. Haoran fears Maya is targeting him after the former had previously gotten the latter arrested. The two begin moving houses until one day, Maya kidnaps Chihiro and has him brutally beaten. Haoran avenges him by stabbing Maya, but he becomes shaken up upon realizing his intent to kill him. Chihiro offers to run away with him, and they escape to Enoshima. At the end of their date, Haoran announces to Chihiro that he will turn himself into the police, and the two go their separate ways.

Years later, Chihiro has become a successful photographer, while Haoran becomes a construction worker after being released from prison. Maya dies by suicide in a train crossing accident. With encouragement from Kaji, Chihiro uploads his photography work to Instagram, to which Haoran finds one day. Realizing how much he misses him, Haoran attends Chihiro's photography exhibit, where he finds a photo of himself at the venue, and reunites with Chihiro.

Characters

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Chihiro Kashiwagi (柏木 千紘, Kashiwagi Chihiro)
Voiced by: Takuya Eguchi (audio drama),[3] Portrayed by: Yurai Beppu [ja] (TV drama)[1]
Chihiro is a gay man who was disowned by his family.[1] Tanaka described Chihiro as looking "cool" and "tough" but also "lonely" and "gullible."[2]
Keito (ケイト) / Haoran (浩然, Haoren)
Voiced by: Shinnosuke Tachibana,[3] Kanon Fujimura (young)[4] (audio drama), Portrayed by: Rei Sawamura [ja] (TV drama)[1]
Keito is a mysterious and beautiful man who Chihiro meets at a bar. He later reveals that his real name is Haoran. When he used to work as a prostitute, he went under the name Hayato (ハヤト). Tanaka described Keito as "beautiful", "mysterious", and has a "strong sense of obsession."[2] As Keito was the seme in the relationship, Tanaka stated that it was rare of her to draw a seme that was more androgynous than the uke.[2]
Ryohei Kaji (加治亮平, Kaji Ryōhei)
Voiced by: Kenichirou Matsuda (audio drama),[3] Portrayed by: Yuki Kubota (TV drama)[5]
Kaji is an older brother figure for Chihiro and Haoran.[5] Tanaka stated that while he was "quick to get angry", he was a "good guy at heart."[2]
Maya (マヤ)
Voiced by: Hiroyuki Yoshino (audio drama),[4] Portrayed by: Yosuke Asari (TV drama)[5]
Maya is a man connected to Keito's past.[5] He becomes acquainted with Keito through Kaji, who had helped Keito find work with him.[5]
Shunichi Maeda (前田駿一, Maeda Shun'ichi)
Voiced by: Soma Saito (audio drama)[3]
Shunichi is Chihiro's high school classmate and ex-boyfriend. Their relationship ended after Shunichi decided to marry a woman. When Shunichi asks to get back together with Chihiro, Chihiro realizes that Shunichi never loved him and rejects him.
Matsuki (マツキ)
Voiced by: Kentarō Itō (audio drama),[3] Portrayed by: Sō Yamanaka [ja] (TV drama)[5]
Matsuki is a former patron of Chihiro who had invited him to live with him as a "pet."[5] He evicts Chihiro after he discovers that the latter had been engaging in sexual relations with other men. He is a long-time acquaintance of Keito and had been one of Keito's clients when Keito was still working as an underage prostitute.[5]
Keito's mother
Voiced by: Seira Ryū (audio drama),[3] Portrayed by: Miako Tadano [ja] (TV drama)[5]
Keito's mother is a Chinese woman who works as a prostitute. Her drug addiction has affected her so much that she no longer recognizes Keito.
Chihiro's brother
Voiced by: Yūsuke Tonozaki [ja] (audio drama),[4] Portrayed by: Shu Watanabe (TV drama)[5]
Chihiro's older brother; like the rest of their family, he has disowned Chihiro.[5]

Media

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Manga

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Happy of the End was written and illustrated by Ogeretsu Tanaka. It was serialized in the monthly boys' love digital manga magazine Qpa from vol. 98 released on January 24, 2020,[6] to vol. 141 released on August 24, 2023.[7] The chapters were later released in three bound volumes by Takeshobo under the Bamboo Comics Qpa Collection imprint.[2] Kuma publishes the series in English for North American distribution.[8]

Happy of the End was Tanaka's first comic published with Takeshobo. In 2021, Tanaka stated through an interview with Chil Chil [ja] that she came up with the story when she was walking around in Shinjuku one morning and wanted to write a story featuring its scenery.[2] Tanaka often walked around places in Shinjuku to get reference material for her illustrations, and for the cover illustrations, she walked around back alleys at night.[2]

No. Original release date Original ISBN English release date English ISBN
1 June 16, 2021 (2021-06-16)[9]978-4801973404January 24, 2023 (2023-01-24)[10]978-1634423410
2 April 15, 2022 (2022-04-15)[11]978-4801976160August 1, 2023 (2023-08-01)[12]978-1634423915
3 October 17, 2023 (2023-10-17)[13]978-4801981843March 25, 2025 (2025-03-25)[14]978-1634424899

Audio drama

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An audio drama adaptation produced by Crown Works was released on CD. The first CD, adapting volume 1, was released on October 29, 2021.[3][15] The second CD, adapting volume 2, was released on July 15, 2022.[4][16]

Takuya Eguchi, who provides the voice to Chihiro, described Chihiro as "pure" while also expressing concern about his carelessness.[17] He focused on portraying that part of him while recording.[17] Shinnosuke Tachibana, who provides the voice to Keito, described him as "inhuman" at first, only regaining his humanity after meeting Chihiro.[17] Tachibana also expressed interest in an anime adaptation being developed for the series.[17] For the second drama CD, Eguchi, Tachibana, and Matsuda recorded their lines together apart from the rest of the cast members.[18]

Television drama

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A live-action television drama adaptation of Happy of the End was announced on August 5, 2024.[1][8] The series was produced by NBCUniversal Entertainment Japan and premiered on September 3, 2024,[a] on Fuji TV with a total of 8 episodes.[1] Fuji TV On Demand, the channel's online streaming service, also broadcasts two episodes every week.[1]

The series stars Yurai Beppu [ja] as Chihiro and One N' Only [ja] member Rei Sawamura [ja] as Keito/Haoran.[1] The supporting cast includes Yuki Kubota as Kaji, Miako Tadano [ja] as Keito's mother, Yosuke Asari as Maya, and Sō Yamanaka [ja] as Matsuki.[5] Additional cast members include Shu Watanabe as Chihiro's older brother.[5]

The television drama adaptation was directed by Tomoyuki Furumaya (episodes 1–5, 7, and 8) and Takahiro Komura (episode 6).[1] The screenplay was written by Furumaya and Miako Tadano.[1] The soundtrack was composed by Kōji Endō [ja].[1] The opening theme was "2Colors" by The Spellbound [ja] featuring Jesse [ja] (Rize/The Bonez [ja]).[19][20]

Reception

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As of August 2024, the series has sold a consecutive total of 310,000 physical copies.[1] It won the Chil Chil [ja] BL Awards 2022 in the Deep category, and ranked no. 4 for Best Series in the Chil Chil BL Awards 2024.[1]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Fuji TV lists the broadcast date as September 2, 2024, at 26:55, which is September 3, 2024, at 2:55 a.m.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q "「ハッピー・オブ・ジ・エンド」ドラマ化、おげれつたなか作品の実写化は初" [Happy of the End drama adaptation, first live-action adaptation of Ogeretsu Tanaka's work]. Natalie (in Japanese). August 5, 2024. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "おげれつたなか先生インタビュー スリリングな展開に鳥肌…！謎めいた美人×底辺ヒモカス男 コミックス『ハッピー・オブ・ジ・エンド』" [Interview with Ogeretsu Tanaka: A thrilling plot that gives you goosebumps...! A beautiful person full of mysteries and a low-life man! Comic: Happy of the End]. Chil Chil [ja] (in Japanese). June 14, 2021. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "ハッピー・オブ・ジ・エンド" [Happy of the End]. Crown Works (in Japanese). Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d "ハッピー・オブ・ジ・エンド ep.05-08" [Happy of the End ep.05-08]. Crown Works (in Japanese). Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "「ハッピー・オブ・ジ・エンド」に久保田悠来、唯野未歩子、浅利陽介、山中聡が出演" [Happy of the End Miako Tadano, Yosuke Asari, added So Yamanaka added to the cast]. Natalie (in Japanese). August 16, 2024. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  6. ^ "[Qpa]VOL.98". Takeshobo (in Japanese). Retrieved August 4, 2024.
  7. ^ "[Qpa]VOL.141". Takeshobo (in Japanese). Retrieved August 4, 2024.
  8. ^ a b Pineda, Rafael Antonio (August 5, 2024). "Happy of the End BL Manga Gets Live-Action Series on September 2". Anime News Network. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  9. ^ "【6月16日付】本日発売の単行本リスト" [(June 16) List of tankōbon released today]. Natalie (in Japanese). June 16, 2021. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  10. ^ "Happy of the End, Vol 1". Barnes & Noble. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  11. ^ "【4月15日付】本日発売の単行本リスト" [(April 15) List of tankōbon released today]. Natalie (in Japanese). April 15, 2022. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  12. ^ "Happy of the End, Vol 2". Barnes & Noble. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  13. ^ "【10月17日付】本日発売の単行本リスト" [(October 17) List of tankōbon released today]. Natalie (in Japanese). October 17, 2023. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  14. ^ "Happy of the End, Vol 3". Barnes & Noble. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
  15. ^ "ハッピー・オブ・ジ・エンド" [Happy of the End]. Oricon (in Japanese). Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  16. ^ "ハッピー・オブ・ジ・エンド ep.05-08" [Happy of the End ep.05-08]. Oricon (in Japanese). Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  17. ^ a b c d "ハッピー・オブ・ジ・エンド Interview" [Happy of the End Interview]. Crown Works (in Japanese). Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  18. ^ "ハッピー・オブ・ジ・エンド ep.05-08 Interview" [Happy of the End ep.05-08 Interview]. Crown Works (in Japanese). Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  19. ^ "THE SPELLBOUND×JESSE「2Colors」が沢村玲と別府由来W主演「ハピエン」主題歌に" ["2Colors" by The Spellbound and Jesse serves as theme song to Happy of the End, a drama co-starring Rei Sawamura and Yurai Beppu]. Natalie (in Japanese). August 20, 2024. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  20. ^ Cayanan, Joanna (August 20, 2024). "Live-Action Happy of the End BL Series Reveals Theme Song in New Trailer". Anime News Network. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
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