Happiness (2021)

Happiness is NOT what the Drama makes me feel!

Even though I rated this drama an 8, this is mainly because of the great acting. Boy can these people be scary as zombies....absolute terrors.

Let me start with the storyline...which is the major let down for me. I have no regard for any of these characters because even though they acted their socks off, writernim refused to tell their story properly. Hardly any back story...enough for me to care about what happens to them. I believe this was a disservice to what could have been a great drama.

There were a few plot holes and even updates that left me like: what? e.g. the cashier from the supermarket was already infected, why then did the creepy infected dude go after her when she went to get the guy's phone from outside? They allowed us to know that the infected know each other because their blood smells disgusting. bSo why?

Also, we already know that once you're infected you can't die unless you get shot in the brain...so why did they ML collapse as if he died? Now if the story told us he really died, I would've rated this show a 1 for breaking its own rules.

The acting was pretty phenomenal and I really enjoyed the OST.

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An unexpected delight

I almost didn’t watch Happiness. The horror genre is not my thing and I don’t enjoy being scared silly. However, the rating was so high, and I really liked Park Hyung Shik in Strong Woman Do Bong Soon, so I gave it a try.

Turns out that this is a fantastic show which just got better with each episode. If you are hesitating because like me, you don’t really like horror, as long as you can handle some gore and a few suspenseful moments, go for it. The main theme is the analysis of how people react when put into the extreme position of a lockdown. Do you help each other? Take advantage of each other? Steal from each other? Kill each other?

The show has so many unexpected twists and turns that it was highly entertaining throughout. I wish it had a few more episodes actually; the ending felt a bit short and left some open questions as to what happened to some of the characters. That’s really the only reason I didn’t rate it a 10.

All the actors did great, but the two main leads were just extraordinary and made Happiness truly special. Apart from everything else, this drama offers a great portrayal of a loving relationship. The main characters are both so supportive of each other, it is a joy to watch. Also, please let there be more shows with strong female leads like this. Many shows start out with a spunky girl who, after a few episodes, becomes weak and forgets she has a black belt in karate. Not in this case. Our heroine stays strong and committed and does kick butt until the last episode.

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A somewhat original take to the usual zom-dramas.

1. Originality: I would say this quite original in its concept, the stakes are raised by having them getting quarantined in their apartment complex with no real help in sight. This is similar to how Train to Busan raised the stakes, by getting the characters stuck in, well, a train. Like the movie, it also deals with human nature, prejudices and divides coming into play it apocalyptic situations, however unlike Train to Busan though it also branches out to the politics of creating a cure and the greyness at play within relief efforts. I also loved the concept of the "disease" happening in episodes, so the patient comes back to their "self" and have to accept and go through their guilt. I felt it was a great way to comment on the COVID epidemic too.

2. Setting: The setting while done well, felt too easy. Like, none of the characters tried making a run for it, even with zombies all around them?

3. Characterization: I do not always feel the need to agree with the main characters to like a fiction. That being said, there were quite a few moments where I felt the main characters could have solved miscommunications within the people with just more and clear communication. They were very rigid with having things go their ways, even when a patient was visibly a threat. I agree with humanising a patient but that shouldn't be done with clear threat to others. Also, I guess since it was a series instead of a movie, too many decisions felt naive, a little too many times.

4. Conflict and Plot: Again this critique comes from this being a show but almost all apart from a few handful characters were just frustrating to watch. I understand the politics, and I understand that every human is grey. But these people were way too dark of a shade for me to tolerate them.

5. 5. Emotional/intellectual payoff: I only have three things to say: a. guy falls first and harder, look! a loser in love b. best friends to spouses to lovers c. couples who are violent together, stay together! 100/10 i will be binging edits for the next several days they are my parents.

6. Theme: As covered in Originality, the overall theme of critiquing our humanity, or lack thereof, in wake of any crisis is very intriguing subject - I always love stories exploring it.

7. Treatment: Given my critiques, it does feel stretchy in the middle. It could have been a 8 or 10 eps drama and would have told us the exact same story.

You would think I hated this series, but honestly despite all my above complaints I still binged the series and was obsessed w the main couple -- so make of that what you would.

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Another take on zombie hype train. Was caused by narcotics, by a disease or by something else?

Loved this one. Another take on zombie hype train. Was caused by narcotics, by a disease or by something else?

Actors looks good and acts well, even the ML and FL had a good on screen chemistry. Visuals are really good too if not great. OSTs fine too.

I like the fact that although this is a paranormal fiction, the creators managed to showcase human nature really well. That humanity is capable of both cruelty and selflessness.

The show didn't revolved around just zombies, darkness and death. It was about the people living and surviving in a chaotic world, trying to find even a bit of happiness. So I think it has an apt title.

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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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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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