The Great Happiness Space, winner of the Best Documentary Award from Edinburgh International Film Festival 06, is one amazingly interesting documentary on the life that revolves around a few Japanese hosts from a well-known host club, where they entertain women, Cafe Rakkyo. I really did enjoyed watching it. Although I am already familiar with the male host club culture, since I had a friend back in high school days that looked like one, aspired to become one , and also lived a life very close to one, where he entertains girls all day (or you can call him a player), it is still hard to imagine how the life of a host truly is. This documentary is indeed very eye opening.

My friends have been asking me about my opinion on how I felt about the people involved in this documentary, mainly the customers and the hosts. To be honest, I have a hard time coming up with an answer for that. I think the director sums my conclusion of the movie up nicely:

“I felt no need to be judgmental. People exposed so much of their lives and emotions for the film that I had only respect for their candor The extent to which there are parallels between female prostitution and male host culture is left up to viewer, but everyone in the film is paying a price one way or another. I think that people come away from viewing The Great Happiness Space feeling that a window has been opened through which one can see culture evolving and a little of ourselves in the people of host club Rakkyo.”

Jake Clennel
Osaka, Japan 200

If you have the chance, I do recommend going to the theater and watch it to support the director, there is a lot to be seen and learned. However, if locating a theater that plays documentaries like this is a problem, I know it can be hard, here is the BT link, though it seems like it would take a while, since there are not many seeders nor leechers .

Here is the trailer in quicktime format for the viewing pleasure.

BTW, I do have one comment about the hosts: the mid-level hosts make about $10-20,000 USD a month, while the top hosts make upward of 40-50,000 USD a month! That is a good $100,000 USD to $600,000 USD depending on their skills, which is equivalent if not better than lots of top managements in the corporate world. Now that is something I am truly amazed and still find it hard to swallow.

Cheers!
-aL