Happiness (2021)

Certainly not just another me-too zombie production

From a 2h zombie movie on a train in “Train to Busan”, expanded to a 12h drama at a sprawling high school campus in “All of Us are Dead”, I was wondering if there will still be novelty in another 12h zombie drama in “Happiness”, other than staying alive in a zombies-flooded apartment (vs a monster-flooded apartment in “Sweet Home”). I was proven wrong as I enjoyed “Happiness” as much as I enjoyed prior contemporary zombie productions.

Using zombies or mad person disease as the backdrop, the drama smartly weaved in current topic of inherent danger of fast tracked (and thus not as fully tested) medicines/vaccines developed to curb disease pandemic, together with humanity, social class, contract marriage and psychopath in an intense, action-packed drama.

The drama conveys that happiness is not mere material gains (such as possession of bitcoins, jewellery, being the apartment representative), but to be able to love and be loved (such as the two leads, the girl and her mom, the siblings), and such happiness is the motivation needed to stay sane and fight adversities, zombies and psychopath.

This is my first drama starring Han Hyo Joo and Park Hyung Sik and I really enjoyed their performance and their on-screen chemistry, and will be on the lookout for their future works, and perhaps also watch some of their past works.

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A better romance than a lot of romances!

Someone on MDL recommended this as a good romance. Wait! It doesn't have a romance tag, and it's a drama about zombies! I'm so glad this was recommended to me and that I watched t.

The two main characters are friends from high school and get married so they can get an apartment in a new apartment community. We saw the progression of their relationship in each episode and I loved watching it. You could see how and why they started liking each other and they always had each other's backs.

Park Hyun Sik as Yi Hyun - this actor is very gifted in the way that he shows his affection for FL's that he plays opposite of (Soundtrack #1 is another great example). He bulked up for this role and was excellent as the detective that always wanted to do things the right/legal way.
Han Hyo Joo as Sae Bom - Strong FL, she had a strong sense of justice and didn't take anyone's BS. Her relationship with the little girl was so sweet.

All of the actors did a great job, and there were so many actors that I have seen in other works. I have to say, this drama had a plethora of unlikeable characters. Just when you think they can't be any more self-serving or terrible, they surprise you and do something worse. This drama talked a lot about the class system, determining your value by what you had. Disasters bring out the best and the worst in people and boy, did it bring out their worst!

The music was very good, suspenseful when needed, and otherwise blending into the background. I also appreciated the graphics at the beginning of the episodes.

This drama wasn't about zombies as much as it was about "What would you do?" Though it made me a nervous wreck to watch it, I really enjoyed it.

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Unconditional love must be nice

As someone who fell in love with kdramas because of the beauty factor (and I don't mean just the physical aspect), this wasn't an easy watch: while there are quite a few beautiful souls, this is mostly about human weakness and human failure under pressure, in difficult circumstances.

The main couple's love relationship reminded me of Flower of Evil. They are rock solid both for each other and in the face of a lot of troubled waters.

The story is not the most original one but the pace is well maintained through the series and there aren't any annoying plot holes.

The biggest pleasant surprise was the OST though. I don't think I picked so many songs for my spotify playlist from a single kdrama in quite a while.

I really enjoyed this drama and I think I will remember it with pleasure for a long time.

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Cliche Yet Not Cliche

I may be biased since Han Hyo Joo is one of my favourite Korean actresses and I'm a sucker for shows with great soundtracks/musicality. While I was initially hesitant to watch yet another zombie drama/movie ever since Train to Busan infected the Korean entertainment industry, this drama isn't actually about zombies. Surprise!
In this drama, the "zombification" personifies an individual's search for happiness. The more extrinsic one's road to happiness is, the more susceptible they are to the virus.
If you don't read too much into the symbolism though, this was a highly entertaining series to indulge in, simply for the impeccable chemistry between the two leads that built up throughout the series, the fantastic supporting cast and characters that added personality to what could've been "yet another zombie show", the anti-hero who made you question your own views on morality (although some parts of his character development confused me), the thrill and suspense that comes along with the genre, and of course the amazing soundtrack and bgm.
Overall, this drama certainly kept me intrigued from start to finish, and while some parts were predictable, it managed to present a fresh take on the "zombie" genre.

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the definition of Happiness

just amazing, and this drama definitely deserves more praise? the story itself it's very fresh but yet relatable during times of COVID19. I think it's a first in it's league because i think so far there isn't any drama of this sorts currently.

Story & Acting
The story itself is relatable to current times, but with more scientific side of things. So apparently theres an outbreak of mad person disease stemming from a pill called NEXT. Infectees will have bursts of thirst for human blood. What happens here is residents of the apartment are quarantined under the pretext of containing the virus. However, it's really such pressures that brings out the ugly side of humans and also the humanity side of to nobles.

Needless to say, Saebom & Yihyun are really a saint having to deal with a whole load of crap and even going lengths to restore order and protect a bunch of inhumane people. At the end of the day, it really shows that some humans t themselves are monsters rather than the infected. I would like to point out some characters, and seemingly their development:
- na soo min and na hyunkyung: honestly, i was pretty annoyed at the start at how shameless the brother was. However, things changed after he got infected. He starts to repent and show care for his sister! There were even times where he stood out to protect him. He was also very human himself, hiding at first to prevent others from getting hurt because of him.
- donghyun: bro, seriously i got so annoyed the way this guy screws things up with his stupid livestream and how he treat his parents. tho subtle, there was definitely some growth in his character. the way he realizes that happiness doesnt comes from fame, but being with his family :) i was touched at how the parents loved him unconditionally despite his state and how he treated them.
- sehoon: one of the characters i found sus at first, but turns out to be a kind hearted man. he didnt deserved to get killed :(
- haesong & soyoon: this lawyer jerk really deserves to get dumped by soyoon who deserved much better, the way he looks down on people and his own wife was blood boiling. glad soyoon made the right choice to dump him !!!
- jungkuk: honestly i was quite disappointed with how his character was midway, but i got to agree he is one of the most relatable characters? his insecurities and fear forced him to waver between siding with the majority and saebom + hyun.
-oh juhyung: wtf this character is just pure villian and stirring lots of shit during the whole lockdown, but got to say his acting was great enough to make me despise him
- apartment rep: idk her name but she's an obsessed woman with authority while tryna look classy but failing miserably. villianious and crazy right til the end
- andrew: no words for this psychotic murderer
- jisoo: omo the pretty and capable lieutanant and saebom's awkward friendship
- han taeseok: i hated and love him, you get it. but ultimately, he loves his wife TT

plot wise, i was hoping them to answer some of the questions:
- so how do we determine who gets infected after eating the NEXT pills?
- also, the govt intervention was minimal ... while the outside doesnt seem to be on lockdown, there doesnt seem to be enough efforts to rescue the residents inside... mostly saebom & hyun saving asses..
- the romance could have more built up actually? like i mean I am happy but they could have gave more development instead of a sudden realization ..

Overall, i really enjoyed the drama, though i thought more explanation could have been done and also, i was hoping for clarifications or enlightenment on why this drama was called happiness? because the happiness logo seems to be fading.. idk but it was a great experience :D

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As a fan of Han Hyo Joo, I made sure to watch this drama since it's her small screen comeback after W: Two Worlds. Well, it was also Park Hyung Sik's small screen comeback. So a lot of fans are definitely waiting for this series. Although I have been waiting for it, I never read the plot nor watch the trailers. So I seriously have no idea with its story. Since we're seeing another visual couple, I thought it was some kind of a typical romance K-drama. BUT I WAS DEFINITELY WRONG! I was shocked when I watched the first episode. I didn't imagine the story to be like that. But that's what made me interested with the story and continued watching the drama.

Casts:
There are actually a lot of characters but I'll just post here who I think are the main protagonists and antagonists.
- Han Hyo Joo as Yoon Sae Beom
- Park Hyun Sik as Jung Yi Hyun
- Jo Woo Jin as Han Tae Seok
- Bae Hae Sun as Oh Yeon Ok
- Baek Hyun Jin as Oh Joo Hyeong
- Lee Joo Seung as Andrew

Plot: A thriller drama that happened during the New Normal era wherein an infectious disease is spreading. Sae Beom and Yi Hyun was lockdown in their place along with their neighbors. The whole story revolved around how people reacted and survived the disease.

Things I like about the drama
Everything? I guess that's the most accurate answer. But of course, I'll be sharing some details about it. Note, that this review is not spoiler-free. So read at your own risk.

Every scene has a reason
This was in Episode 8. I can clearly remember asking, "So, what's the purpose of the two of them having conversation about Yi Hyun's digestive medicine?" But then a few scenes later, Yi Hyun drank a medicine in front of Joo Hyung and everyone thought it was the NEXT (the medicine that can make you infected). But it ended up being Yi Hyun's digestive medicine because he already has swapped the medicine in the car. I was really amazed when the drama actually answered my question. I didn't expect that the first scene actually means something. I applause the writer for this. There are actually a lot of scenes that I thought doesn't make sense or can be edited out but ended up answering my questions.

A not-so-romantic drama but is giving me all the feels
Come on. Don't tell me you didn't root for this couple? No romantic scenes and cheesy lines (well at least during Episode 1 until the 10th episode) yet they're giving us all the feels and kilig inside. How was that even possible? It's just a proof that their chemistry is so good that we don't even need those romantic lines to feel their love for each other. But of course, when they confess or show affection to each other for sure our hearts blasted.

This is one of the best K-Drama couples of 2021!

The antagonists are so effective
They say that an actor/actress is a great antagonist when you're really irritated with his or her character. The whole story won't be complete without these antagonists. They made the story more realistic. My stress level became higher than their apartment whenever I see them do something bad. I remember a post on my Facebook page, it has reached more than a million reach because of these characters. That's how good they are with their craft that a lot of people got irritated.

The realistic zombie makeup look
Oh yes! An intense spoiler! Koreans are really good when it comes to makeup. You'll really get scared when you see one in real life. I remember a Filipino director praising South Koreans for their efforts in doing makeups. The effort they do here is highly commendable.

Production set is so realistic
My inner Multimedia Artist in me comes out whenever I watch the behind-the-scenes. I really love seeing how the drama that I'm watching was made. Who would have thought that the staircase is not a real one? How about the room in the first episode? The way they made it as if it's a real one is so mind-blowing. Kudos to the production design crew!

Relatable Yoon Sae Beom
She's definitely relatable! She just spits out things randomly but all of us can definitely relate to. But aside from these there are some lines that she said that remained in me.
"Happiness is hard to find."
"You have to look forward to something in order to be happy."
Simple statements yet struck hard.

Lessons I got from the drama
It may be a zombie-type of drama but you can actually learn a lot from it. One is, a lot of people are indeed selfish. You can definitely see it when there's a situation like this. Some are making money by extorting other people. Some are willing to kill. But let's not forget that there are still some people who are selfless. Let's learn to choose who we get to be with and who we are going to be when situations like this arise. But one of the most heartwarming lesson I got here is, family will always be your family. I actually got teary-eyed with this short scene.

It somehow reminded me of the story of the prodigal son. After wasting all his money, he returns home yet his father is so happy to see him back. At the end of the day, it's our family who will be with us until the end. It's also heartwarming to know that this old man never left his wife even if she is suspected to be infected. This is what we call true love. And of course, one of the mantra that I put my mind into. "People need something to look forward to in order to become happy." Every time I feel sad, I remind myself to find something to look forward to. In this example, Sae Beom looks forward for the meal that they will receive. It may be a simple thing yet it makes her happy. So, I'm always looking forward for my merchandises. (hihi).

Conclusion
For those who love watching thrilling K-Dramas with a little bit of a romance, Happiness is definitely a must-watch! I consider Happiness as one of my favorite K-Dramas of 2021. I'm really looking forward for Park Hyung Sik's and Han Hyo Joo's next projects and who knows, we might get another drama or movie from them?

For international viewers, Happiness is available on iQIYI, Viu, and WeTV.

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I have watched many Korean apocalypse movies, dramas and series. Happiness wasn't any different to be honest. I was eager to see Park Hyung Shik's acting as he is one of my favourite actors. He did good but I didn't like the female lead's acting, She was showing too much macho character. It wouldn't be that noticeable but because this is a zombie movie, you'll find her character too careless. Overall acting was good, it's worth to watch but the story isn't any different from typical zombie movie. I have just watched first six episodes, they were nice but it didn't keep me up to my toes.

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Finding Happiness During a Lockdown

Basic premise: How to survive a lockdown with zombies in an apartment building. Key tip? A baseball bat, Park Hyung Sik and Han Hyo Joo. With these three, your survival rate will be 95% unless you have an alliance with one of the other tenants in the building. If that is the case, your chances of surviving the lockdown will be much lower.

Unlike a typical zombie-themed drama, this show is light on zombies running around looking for the next meal. Instead, it focussed on how to survive a lockdown with no power, no internet, with an added scarcity of food and water. Oh, and how to keep zombies out of your apartment.

Happiness' cast list is the who’s who of the Korean entertainment industry. We have PHS and HHJ as the leads, and they are smokin’ together. However, the supporting cast, I think, were the true stars of this show. They were over-the-top and delivered some of the best audacious lines someone can safely utter in a dramaland. So much so, PHS and HHJ are merely policing their outrageous behaviours.

Lastly, the building used in Happiness deserves mention. The apartments where the characters lived are a nice extension of who they are. However, the old university dormitory sends shivers down my spine. It is old and decrepit where I feel like having a shower when that location appears on my screen.

Happiness is one of the enjoyable dramas I have watched this year, and the length of episodes is apt.

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Decent but could have been better

1/ STORY:
GOOD: The personal story of the two leads. How they meet, keep in touch, start to stick together and how they are dealing with the situation and with a bunch or moronic neighbors.
NOT SO GOOD: The pandemia story has plot holes and inconsistencies. The "crazy people" are very fun to watch but it is the best thing about it. The way they handle le plotline is a bit, far fetched, illogical and in the end, they throw a master evil guy in and resolve the situation in a snap of fingers with the bad guys becoming more and more ridiculous.

2/ CHARACTERS:
- I loved the main couple. ML is not handsome but chubby cute. He has a nice and lovely personality. He is courageous, sticks at the law and worries about FL. FL is pretty, savage at times, smart, but reckless also. I like the duo. Very complementary. I did not understand their reluctancy to be a couple when they are so caring for each other. I felt like she had a mental block and she was too tomboyish to have time for feelings. Pretty sure it was a torture for the ML to be so close to her and so far at the same time.

- Bad guy is not so bad. His intentions and purpose are good but his methods are very questionable and he acknowledges it himself. He is a very complex character likeable and despicable at the same time. In the end he was better but still he should have been court martialed.

- ML best friend is completely useless most of the time apart from one moment which is not a moment of glory for him.
- Little sick kid was cute but kind of a prop in the story.
- Real bad guy doctor Oh was annoying like heck. They should have killed him. Such a bastardo. He survives and will probably get away with most of his bad deeds.
- Lawyer, his wife and his mistress. Funny triangle. Especially the mistress. Such a gold digger, Loved the funny scenes when these two are caught doing their business. Proper ending for them three.
- Loved Lieutenant Lee Si Soo. Cute, dutiful. understanding. And even fun in the end.

3/ OST:
Quite good for a "crazy people" drama. The tense moments were well illustrated by the music.

4/ REWATCH VALUE:
No really rewacthable for me

5/ OVERALL
The drama has three parts. First part when we get to know the characters is well made and interesting. Second part when the people start to go against the rules and against each other is quite draggy. Then last part is rushed but fun. I really struggled to go beyond part two but I wanted to see what happens of the ML and the little girl so I binged watched to the end. Overall it is still a fun watch despide the less fun middle part. 7.5/10 + 0.5 for the fun "zombie" moments.

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Happiness? Perhaps everyone just try to find their own happiness in different ways.

First off, just like many other, I didn't expect much and only gave it a try because of PHS and HHJ. Unexpectedly, the drama is very well written in a way that i didn't imagine. I couldn't predict what is gonna happen next. Each characters have flaws and the writer always make sure to include it as tiny details which often overlooked. And of course my favorite character has to be Saebom and Yihyun. Saebom is badass female lead who had bad past which make her like to act first then think later and selfish sometimes. On other hand, Yihyun is smart male lead who believes that as a police he should lead and protect the resident and of course his love for 12 years, Saebom. Both characters have flaws and the writer make sure to include as tiny details which often overlooked. However, both characters filled in for each other. This drama isn't focus on romance but these two chemistry are just over the top and even their little moments holding hands make me excited. And I must say that main leads, Han Taeseok and other characters are all just trying to find their happiness just that everyone do it in different way. For instance, Andrew, his happiness is killing people and making people suffer but it's still a kind of creepy happiness for himself. The only thing I don't like about this is there are few plot holes, a bit rushed, it could have done better for last episode or extend it a bit. And of course, i would love to see season 2.

For acting, the casts did a great job, especially the main leads. Also the annoying residents and everyone else. The makeup and styling are definitely on point.

The music are in my playlist, even the bgm are good. My favorite one have to be " She " and " Heaven "

I'll definitely watch it again!

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12 episodes of highly entertaining madness

I didn’t really know what I was getting into when I started watching Happiness, I saw one clip of it online and decided to watch it from that. So I wasn’t exactly expecting a zombie apocalypseesk (but not quite), romance thriller, but that what I got, and I enjoyed every second of it.


Okay first off, I usually watch K-dramas for the romance, which this show has, but it doesn’t exactly take center stage for most of the show. Instead the romance is ever present, but comfortably in the background. Having said that Sae-bom and Yi-hyun still manage to make the charts as one of my favorite K-drama couples ever. Their relationship was startlingly stable, and I loved every single interaction they had with each other, even if it wasn’t necessarily a romantic one. They just played off of each other perfectly.


All of the thriller aspects of the show were really well done as well. And I often found myself more concerned about what the absolutely insane residents of this apartment building were going to do to each other, rather than being concerned about the infected people attacking them.


Every resident in the apartment building had enough character to be interesting in their own right, some of them I wanted to kill, some of them I loved to death, but each of them was well portrayed.


I thought the cast was pretty much perfect, both for the main characters and every side character. And Park Hyung-sik was absolute husband material here, 10/10 husbanding. It’s been quite a while since I finished this one and I’m still madly in love with his portrayal of Yi-hyun. Also like, I’m not into women but if I was I’d definitely be into Sae-bom.


Theres so many good intense moments in Happiness, and some pretty good jump scares too, I would not recommend watching it at night in the cupboard under the stairs like I did. And the music really adds well to the tone, it doesn’t have many full songs like most K-dramas do, but the music always suits the mood really well.


I wish we had gotten more at the end of the show, just a little more after the conflict resolution since it’s a little abrupt, but I won’t complain too much. That does tend to happen in 12 episode dramas that have a lot to be resolved. And I have a few other very minor gripes with it, most of which didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment, so I don’t think I’ll really go into them.


If you haven’t watched it yet, give it a shot. Happiness is just pretty freaking good.

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