Jake Clennell’s documentary about male hosting in Japan follows Issei, the top-selling host at a popular Osaka bar called Rakkyo Café as he socializes with nightclub patrons who are willing to pay thousands a piece just to be in his sphere. His carefully coiffed dyed hair and impeccable attire masks an emptiness which can only be found in a place like that, where money can buy love, at least for that one night. And by love, of course, we’re talking about emotional support.
Every night at Rakkyo Café is a party. Issei drinks so much that he worries about the state of his liver. He also laments his fate as the seemingly eternal bachelor. Of course, Issei could snap his fingers and any one of the girls that frequent Rakkyo would be more than happy to call him her boyfriend. 
The problem is, these women are not exactly what one might consider “traditional” girlfriend material. On the surface, Rakkyo seems like a utopia for the hip, young Japanese crowd as they are seen ordering bottle after bottle of champagne, laughing, hanging on each other and dancing around. But as the viewer is slowly taken deeper and deeper into the lives of this cast of characters, the truth about male hosting becomes apparent, and one can only sit back in awe of the train wrecks of lives which are revealed.
The Great Happiness Space is a fascinating look into the harsh 
reality behind Japan’s booming industry of escorting and prostitution. It is a world made up of concentric circles of vultures who capitalize off each other’s misery with the one single promise of obtaining a little piece of happiness at its core. No one ultimately finds it, however, except for the one girl who wises up and buys herself a puppy.
Rating: A
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