This review may contain spoilers
Oh, this one was good! I mean, 90% of the characters in this were rotten apples but the drama was so good! I especially loved the main pairing, Bom & Hyun, they were the most perfectly balanced straight pair I've seen in a while, they were honestly, really, truly equals in everything. Loved it!I think my favorite part was how protective they were of each other. They've known each other for such a long time, they've always been there for each other, it seemed, and then the lock-down came and the zombies and all that suddenly became even more intense. And that was simply lovely, the way they always jumped to the front to protect the other from any threat, the way miss Not Bothered(TM) suddenly became So Bothered(TM) when Hyun got hurt... Mwah! Right up my alley!
One thing I didn't understand, though, was why the tenants kept running through the building like chickens with their heads chopped off. I would've stuck to my apartment as much as possible, locked in tight. I had no problem doing exactly that through the various Covid lock-downs so I would just shrug and stay put, especially in an apartment as secure as theirs was. Eh.
Was this review helpful to you?
Mesmerizing action and romance
High action, strong female and male lead character depth and brutal honest scenes of human flaws. I saw Han Hyo Joo in W and really love her character and chemistry with Lee Jong Suk. It is great to see her return to drama with such a different character from W and different heroine in general.***********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
Was this review helpful to you?
Humane shown in the setting of apocalyptic circumstances !!!!!
The storyline stays on the same tempo till the end, the reality on track story type. The OST from JOE LAYNE sounds exquisite.the metamorphosis and hope is the most underlined context in the story. A must watch even for those who dont watch thrillers. Important to note that the director , crew and the writer ; AHN GIL HO and HAN SANG WOON both did a impressive fastidious work.The storyline stays on the same tempo till the end, the reality on track story type. The OST from JOE LAYNE sounds exquisite.the metamorphosis and hope is the most underlined context in the story. A must watch even for those who dont watch thrillers. Important to note that the director , crew and the writer ; AHN GIL HO and HAN SANG WOON both did a impressive fastidious work.
Was this review helpful to you?
Happiness is the feeling you get when you know this drama is good
I don’t know why I haven’t heard much about this drama, but this is a terrible shame. Because what would we get from mix of High Rise and #Alive (pardon my limited library of zombie themed series)? Well, apparently something very very good.
Young couple Sae Bom and Yi Hyun moves into newly built apartment complex. We have a vast variety of characters and the higher we go the weirder they get. But the titular happiness doesn’t take long, soon the media report about new virus called Madman Rabies. People infected have very strong craving for human blood and being bitten means fast infection. Our main characters are already familiar with new virus but to save themselves from it they’ll first have to fight human stupidity.
The strong side of this drama are certainly characters. Without it, drama set mostly in closed off building wouldn’t be half as interesting. And we have very broad spectrum of the worst and most annoying characters you’ll meet. And even decent people that we meet at the beginning soon begin to be not so nice faced with greed and need of self preservation. They’ll do horrible things to end up on top (literally considering the building and figuratively).
The thing is that soon we’ll learn that zombies are not the biggest danger here. They’re easy to avoid and most of the times harmless. But normal people, completely aware of what’s going on, blinded by their own needs and flaws are the ones we should run away from.
Because apart from our main couple, Sae Bom who works in military and Yi Hyun who works in police, the rest of the tenants are completely unaware of the danger lurking outside the building and soon this would be first problem. Because try to explain something to the people so entitled that they value others by the number of the floor they’re living on.
Even though the drama is set in one place and there’s not really a lot to see here, it manages to keep the viewer interested all the time. A lot of things are going on here but on a small terrain so sometimes viewer might feel a bit detached. Add to it an eerie music that just seems to warn us that something can happen any moment and we have very unique feeling.
Somewhere in the middle of it I was sure I’ll just binge watch it till the very end. This is one of those dramas that viewer don’t feel the passage of time. The constant action is so entertaining that suddenly we reach the end of the episode. And it’s hard not to watch the next one right away.
I have two “buts” without which this drama would be one of the best I’ve watched recently.
One is a villain that emerges in the second half of the story. First, he’s not really needed here. We have enough bad characters here to fill another two seasons. Second, he’s in my opinion not developed enough. We don’t have him for long enough to know his motives. With all of the rest characters we can gradually get to know them and explore their personalities. He’s like a jack in the box. He jumps out of nowhere (well, not exactly, but in a sense, yes) and here he is, the evil one. We have a brief explanation but I feel that it wasn’t enough. His character just seemed rushed and without proper explanation of his actions.
Second issue here is with the montage. I don’t know what happen, but we have several situation that we have a sudden freeze frame before the cut. I think this could be a place where commercials would start, but this is a first time I see it done so sloppily. It was really noticeable and didn’t look good.
But overall, this is amazingly well pace, dynamic drama. With interesting characters and well written plot. From start to the finish it doesn’t let the viewer rest even for a bit. We feel like a part of the story being locked up in the building.
That was very enjoyable drama and great comeback of Park Hung Sik after his military enlistment. May his future projects be equally good.
Was this review helpful to you?
Why watch 'Happiness'?
If you are tired of all the cliche and showy K-Dramas out in the market, this is the K-Drama for you. I think love stories are inevitable in K-Dramas. It will be the core of the story in most cases, but what I loved about this series was how the leads' love story progressed subtly. Their starting point was cliche, but it didn't take the path of love story progression usually taken by most K-Dramas. I loved how the series centered on Sae Bom and Yi Hyun's reel and one-sided love to a real relationship but, at the same time, is not explicitly expressed. There are times when you have to ponder on their actions and be quick-witted and keen-eyed. There may be some plot holes, but I think it's for the story's sake (though it really makes you sometimes cringe, HAHAHA). If you do not mind apocalyptic genres and blood, I recommend watching' Happiness.' It's a refreshing K-Drama showing how small and subtle actions express one's love for their loved ones.Was this review helpful to you?
Which character are you in Happiness?
I started watching HAPPINESS for Park Hyung-sik. This is his comeback drama right off his military service. I've always found him adorable in Do Bong Soon and Suits. My go-to music video is his version of True Colors for the OST of Trolls with Lee Sung-kyung. (Watch here: https://youtu.be/mLmioSZk5-0 )I'm not a zombie apocalypse genre fan. I never watched Kingdom nor Sweet Home and I unknowingly watched Train to Busan in the theater without knowing its zombie plot (because Gong Yoo).
But this series makes it to my top 3 for 2021, making it to my immortal favorites list Goblin, It's Ok not to be Ok, Hotel Del Luna, It's Ok that's Love, Beauty Inside and Full House. It's nothing at all like that cheesy CLOY or that sweet to the bones DoTS, or that fluffy romance Hometown Cha Cha Cha.
HAPPINESS is a 12-part series that explores humanity post covid times, while the world gets broken by yet another kind of virus. I love how the writers have exposed different levels of evil in all forms, how desperate times transform people into monsters or bring out kindness, how kabits will always be kabits, how the prodigal son is always welcomed home by his parents, how sibling love overcomes sibling hatred, how money really means nothing in this world, how fake people live fake lives, how mistrust in the government is seeded, how it proves that private companies with massive funding really run the world, and how a home is really based on family, loyalty and love.
Watch it not for the gore, nor the cinematography. I won't rate it much based on those. There ain't much romance and definitely not much skinship and intimacy. But watch it for the characterizations and reflect upon yourselves which character you transform into when we are all at the worst and most desperate of situations.
Was this review helpful to you?
This is the larger-scale version of sweet home. ( or should I say smaller version??)
This is the larger-scale version of sweet home. ( or should I say smaller version??) - why did I say this?? Cuz the apartment complex is larger but then the spread of the virus is less.Han Hyo Joo, way to go queen!! Her acting just leveled up!! Love her so much. And the chemistry between her and Park Hyung Sik!! *hearts* *hearts*
Sheesh, my poor heart tho. I made sure to watch this in the daytime, cuz I don't usually like watching horror. Yess I'm a big girl but horror?? No- No
well, the Happiness in the whole thing comes in the last 5 minutes of the very last episode. So hang in there. (haha)
P.S - It took me 16 episodes to realize that the female Lieutenant in the story is the second female lead in "Tomorrow with you" *chuckles*
Was this review helpful to you?
Quite chill and easy-going amidst the danger, sprinkled with bits of romance
This isn’t your usual zombie apocalypse. Not so much on the plot but on the overall vibe and tone.Our leads are capable, level-headed, and work great as a team. They complement each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Their partnership is rooted in trust and years of friendship.
The show’s length works very well in fleshing-out the story and various characters’ motivations (as opposed to 2-hour movies) but it’s also short enough that viewers don’t get exhausted with the twists (compared to the usual 16-episode kdrama length).
I’d say this is one of those few shows where the stars in the sky actually aligned and all the elements that make a show work, works.
There are no weak links in the actors and the characters they play. The plot is familiar yet compelling from the start and it shines because it's written tightly with a dose of freshness . The director's vision, pacing and overall production values match the story well.
All these together culminate into 12 hours of awesome. Highly recommended.
Was this review helpful to you?
one of the best non romance centered kdrama
although there are few elements of romance but their chemistry was top notch and didn't felt like forced at all ,, the drama mainly felt like action thriller genre which hooked me up and made me binge watch it .. i normally don't give a drama 10 but this definitely felt like it ,,, every thing was well balanced ,, and the star studded cast didn't dissapoint at all for once ,, the music didn't stand out for me ,, and all the thriller series feels nice only for the first time so i don't think i'll be rewatching it any time soonWas this review helpful to you?
One of the best in 2021
I loved it. I really liked the chemistry between both actors and the entire cast did a great job. I was abit hesitant with the first two eps but since it has such a great opening sequence, i continued and things only got better and better each coming episode. The only thing that didn't let me give it a 10/10 was that it needed a couple more episodes to have proper closure for all the characters but it was overall one of the best kdramas this year and great action, thriller and romance combo. I'm def going to rewatch it as wellSPOILER
Some things were left unanswered, mostly about the whole infection) in my opinion but if you're not too nitpicky, you're going to enjoy it for what it is.
Was this review helpful to you?
Why you should watch this drama?
For the first time, I have watched a movie/ drama that has zombiesque, blood-sucking monsters who have been infected due to a virus (called the mad-people disease). This is a perfect drama for those who love fantasy and apocalyptic novels, dramas, books and movies. I won't go into the details of how and what the story is all about the summary available on the website is enough to give some idea as to how the story will unveil, there may be things and events that you cannot deduce from the summary which is why I would say even if you are someone who doesn't like watching genre of this sort.I too personally am not a fan of horror but still, I wanted to give this drama a shot, mostly because I like Han Hyo Joo. At first, when the drama was airing I only watched a single episode and didn't think much before quitting it, it was a little too much for me especially the fact that it was a drama that had zombies in it. When I started watching this drama again just to kill time and also to try out a different genre than what I usually like I will say I got completely hooked on this drama, the plot, the characters and how well each actor played their role. I wasn't able to stop myself from thinking about the next and next episode I wasn't able to sleep peacefully until I completely watched this drama. Definitely, there are some gory details here but they are way less scary when compared to other zombie movies/ dramas that have been released so far.
You will get to know a little bit more about how humans are by nature after you watch this drama. I personally thought that this drama was a perfect representation of human beings. And I really hope that if you take up this drama and will like it as much as I myself have liked it.
Thank you for reading.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Solid watch, great leads
I think there are three major things this show is focused on: the leads, the dynamic between the residents of the apartment complex, the ethical questions in treating a "zombie" disease.The leads are excellent. They have great chemistry and are both such unique, well-developed characters. Not only do they have awesome romantic tension, they also just work really well together on-screen in all their scenes. Whether they are holding hands, standing silently with their arms folded, fighting zombies or going to bed, you really feel like these two people are a team. I love how the writers side-stepped a lot of the usual pitfalls while still using tropes, too. They communicated with each other, protected each other and trusted each other, from beginning to end. You love to see it. The tension derives from how and when they choose to profess their romantic love, not a question of whether they love each other romantically.
The dynamic between the residents did get tiresome for me. I found the selfish and back-stabbing characters got old fairly quickly, and I wished they'd had some more gruesome losses at some point, just to shake things up. I also would have loved to see one of them redeem themselves. I feel like the rich lady would have been a great candidate for that. I also wish that they had done one bigger, more intense mission. I felt like the turning on of emergency power could have been longer and more high-stakes.
The concept of the zombies being treated with empathy, and of ethics of killing them was also interesting. I liked that these zombies went through periods of "thirst" (more like vampires getting out of control), which made the question of mindlessly killing them more complex. You were always reminded that they were human beings.
I have a few other quibbles: I felt like the happy ending/cure was rushed; I was frustrated that she decided to go back for the male lead rather than give up her antibodies --- what if she IS the only person in the world who can cure it? You could save him faster??; and I felt like there was some issues with the logistics of their forced quarantine. Overall, nothing too major, but keeping me from ranking this higher.
Overall, worth the watch!
Was this review helpful to you?
