The end. Two words. Sometimes sad, sometimes happy, and sometimes left open to interpretation.

Yet, all of them are endings.

Adapted from the manga series Happy of the End by Ogeretsu Tanaka, Keito/Haoren (Sawamura Rei) and Kashiwagi Chihiro (Beppu Yurai) are both broken men whose only experiences with “love” have been through abuse, rejection, and pain.

Their life together begins at “the end.” It’s as if both men are merely existing, waiting for the inevitable, even after they find each other.

Each comes from different circumstances. Chihiro has been raised in a world that rejects him because he’s gay. He’s been beaten down by the love he desperately tries to cling to, until he believes he’s worth little more than the garbage he steals. Keito, on the other hand, is raised in a world of abuse and anonymity, one that has stripped him of his identity, his body, and his heart.

Happy of the End isn’t a happy drama. It’s a tragedy from the start, pieced together through the trauma of these two men. It’s a story of healing, but also a disturbing exploration of what abuse, rape, and rejection can do to a person, and how it can shape their relationships with others.

My first impression still stands: Happy of the End is sad and hopeless, yet a simmering spark between these two men gives rise to a sense of possibility.

They talk to each other. They open up. They care for one another in subtle ways.

And yet, they also hurt each other. Building flawless love is impossible when the only thing these two men know is how to give and take pain.

However, what makes Happy of the End stand out is that it isn’t trying to build a flawless love. It’s building a real one between two men who have never experienced true affection. It’s about facing abuse while hurting one another, healing while confronting the past, and dealing with the consequences of taking the law into your own hands—even when doing so ends a horrendous cycle of abuse.

It starts with the desire to see the end of your life but ends by starting a new one filled with purpose, love, and mutual understanding.

That’s what makes Happy of the End so compelling, even while it’s hard to watch—it strives toward a happiness that isn’t perfect. It’s simply “The End” of one life and the beginning of another.

And that’s inspiring, because even in the darkest moments of our lives, we need a reason to believe that life is worth saving.

Overall, Happy of the End is a compelling blend of chaos and tenderness, exploring the fragile and unlikely bond between Chihiro, a man adrift in his own life, and Keito, whose questionable character only adds to the intrigue.

For a series that immerses viewers in a hazy recollection before plunging them into the tale of two flawed souls who find happiness within themselves and each other—despite their troubled pasts and uncertain futures—check out Happy of the End on Gagaoolala.

There is always light in the darkness.

Rating- 4 out of 5