Description

Ah, young love. A girl. A boy. A giant who falls from the sky with a chainsaw for a hand, intent on doing battle. Ain’t love grand?

The boy is Yosuke, a typical slacker kid dozing his way through school, showing nothing in the way of ambition as he quietly mulls over the death of a close friend the year before. He is clever enough and full of smart comments but just doesn’t seem to see the point of much in life. That changes when he meets Eri by chance, late one night. She is a beautiful young girl, herself nursing a tragic loss, and for Yosuke it is love at first sight. So what to do when a giant falls from the sky, determined to do battle with Eri (the young girl armed with a brace of hidden knives, as this is obviously a regular occurrence)? Yosuke finds his purpose—he must help the girl he loves, never mind the fact that she is far stronger and better equipped for this battle than he.

Based on a hugely popular cult novel, NEGATIVE HAPPY CHAIN SAW EDGE is one of the most unusual romance/coming-of-age stories you’ll ever find on celluloid. Sure, the cult element is there—it’s got a giant with a chainsaw, how could it not be?—but this is one beautifully shot piece of work, one laced with melancholy and one that remains resolutely about the budding young romance first. Blessed with a pair of hugely likable leads and some inventive action sequences, NEGATIVE HAPPY is more than you might expect at first glance.

—Todd Brown