Happiness (2021)

This is an excellent drama. It was action packed, but also had its slower moments so the audience has time to catch it's breath. The rush to tie up the storyline in the final episode was it's only drawback, in my opinion. Other than that, the story was thorough, well scripted, and well acted.

I love that neither mains are weak characters. (For instance, the strong ML isn't always having to rescue the weak FL.) Both are strong, physically and mentally, fighting against the bad guys WITH each other instead of one always fighting to save the other. When one goes out alone, the other pities their opponents. Yes, they do protect each other, but they also trust in each other's skills. [The takedown of the pastor is the best physical (wrestling? martial arts?) move I have ever seen....I rewatched that, like, 8ish times!]

I also love that the drama didn't depend on tropes in order to portray the mains falling for each other. There was no awkwardness, only a clear and obvious friendship that allowed itself to deepen naturally as time passed. (Granted, the ML developed feelings 10 years earlier, but his one-sided love was willing to wait for her.)

I was surprised that they never called the infection zombie-like. There was never one mention of zombies. But the infected people's actions and appearance was clearly within the zombie universe. I'm personally fine with that, as I like zombie stories, even though I am not the biggest fan of gore. Ya can't have one without the other though.

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(MAJOR SPOILERS) Finished this literally less than 10 minutes ago and I have a lot of thoughts. This is the first drama I've finished in AGES - I've always started dramas (romcoms), gotten to where the couple gets together, and gotten bored and dropped. I decided to try out a thriller/mystery for once in my life and I loved it so, so much. Happiness has kept me absolutely hooked for the few days I binged it. I knew barely anything going in and that was absolutely for the better.

Going down the list of ratings, the story is something I was rather surprised by - especially with regards to the disease. It taking place IN 2021 (presumably), after the outbreak of covid-19, was so surprising to me? An illness directly after an illness? I thought the plot would go crazy with that (it did not).
Following that, the plot in general is so fascinating. A huge cast of characters, trapped in an apartment building, slowly losing their resources and sanity as days go by until lockdown ceases? Sounds like 2020 to me, but add in the twist that the madman rabies has people biting other's necks out and infecting them raises the stakes by 100. I really thought the drama would be more thriller than it was, though - it was, plenty, but I was expecting full apocalyptic (again, went in with almost no knowledge).
I was super disappointed by the ending, though - What happened? Was the cure made? Did they decide that they'll just find more people with antibodies? What happened to the colonel? His child? The lieutenant? The ENTIRE REST OF THE (HUGE) CAST??? The world in general after suffering from an outbreak of something to that degree? It was never clear on how the madman rabies affected the world outside of the walls.

Every single one of the countless characters were all amazing and unique with their own motivations and stakes and I particularly loved that damn doctor from unit 601 every time he came on screen. I also loved the lieutenant, why was she doing literally everything?? It was so cool of her I love her she's so cool :) My actual absolute favorite character was Andrew (pre-reveal) but I don't think I have too much to say on that. I loved seeing him onscreen and what happened with him was one of the things that had me in the most shock out of all plot reveals. There being a hidden character isn't uncommon in mystery media but I was SO surprised to see it happen here. The characters are so SOLID, especially the FL and ML (of course). The beginning hooked me on them and I can't help but think back on that very first scene all the time.

Despite being titled Happiness, this drama is rather more about love and every form of it, but particularly romantic. Love is what drives the plot, while the relationships are what drive the drama - The evolution of these relationships keeps things tense and constantly moving while the love in (some of) the relationships keeps things secure. The only relationships that remain unchanged and solid throughout the drama are our core - Yi Hyun and Sae Beom, as well as Han Tae Seok to his infected wife and unborn child. It's the love that keeps these relationships unwavering, unlike with the rest of the residents. None of the other relationships in the drama have the love that these do. I think my genius moment was in episode 12 when I realized that Sae Beom and Han Tae Seok are basically foils. Insane and I love them. Their complex relationship is one of my favorites here, honestly. The way he sees her changes throughout the series, going from simply a test subject to someone he can trust and willingly risks his entire career for.

Also I absolutely loved the music. The soundtrack is phenomenal and I would absolutely listen to it outside of the show itself.

There isn't much more I have to say, but in short, I enjoyed this drama so much. I could talk about even more - I didn't even mention Seo Yoon or the amount of blood or the pills or how much the stakes are raised as days go by or the hopefulness that shines through despite the situation or the ROOFTOP. But I really don't know what else to say other than I enjoyed my experience with it and it will definitely remain one of my favorite dramas for a long while. Thank you Happiness for the great time :)

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Zombie like genre peak kdrama 9/10

Happiness 9/10 - 2021
plot - disease which makes people mad wanting to drink blood of noninfected appears. This drama is story about infected closed in one place. And military trying to stop spreading of disease + looking for cure

even though its not zombie drama its alot alike one only difference. Zombie states turns on and off by time. Will rate this drama like it was zombie one.

In such case its peak drama. Second good zombie type movie I have seen from koreans right after Train to Busan 1.

Even though this drama happens mostly in one skyscraper it can be quite chaotic since at each floor is always something happening and camera goes from place to place.
Action, Thriller, Love story, zombie type all in one.

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Curiosity 'almost' killed the cat

- This is what comes to mind when I think about the female lead of this drama, though a badass through and through.
The way the healthy relationship of the lead couple is portrayed is pragmatic and sweet.

Slow-burn romance, talented cast and gripping storyline are the plus points of this survival thriller. I really liked how the infected switched between their normal selves and the infected ones.
Kudos to the writer and director, for putting together different shades and executing them perfectly.

Who knows? maybe this kind of drama foreshadows what might be waiting for us in our near future. ;)
PS: now I'm scared of taking any pill for sometime.

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Similar to Squid Game

Dark, Psychological and touching at times. I wish we had more happy episodes, but someone got infected, or died or something like that in every episode and each episode was stressful. But, nonetheless, a good and unique drama.

One thing that might have made the drama even better are romantic melodies. There were so many heart-warming moments between the main leads, between families and even between strangers. If only they were accompanied by fitting music, they would have had way more impact.
There were a few creepy, dark BGM songs, a few which were good, played seldom anyway.

A few of the inconsistencies I noticed are:
1. Why didn't they prepare animal for the infected to attack? Would they not have been interested in animal blood because they can't pass the virus on to them?
2. How come their doors worked when they didn't lock it & no electricity?
3. Why didn't the health service under Han Tae Seok use shielded/anti-missile cars to travel to Yoon Sae-Bom's area? I think they would have been safe against zombies and could have easily retrieved her/protected her since she was so important.
4. Did Andrew like the boyish girl? Why did he give her food? Why did he give the cleaning lady he later killed an apple? IF he's a serial killer, than what was the point of those acts?
5. Maybe the biggest inconsistency is that no character mentioned even the word "zombie", but only used the terms "infected", "sick" or "mad person disease". Let's be honest, people would definitely associate them to zombies in real life.

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Happiness (2021) - another zombie type drama. I like it but I think I was not as excited for this as with other zombie type dramas. Both leads are great and I am in awe with their acting, coming from a fan of Han Hyo Joo. As for the other actors in the drama, very good as well, I really felt hatred towards the "villains" in the drama. It’s a good watch but I have some disappointments with some of the characters. Some characters in the drama have not been given the justice to be a significant persona that is why I felt dismayed with their roles. The ending is fine with me. In between recommended and not.

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Great Potential, Sad Let Down

I had high hopes for Happiness. The premise of the show was exciting and unique for a K-drama. The lead actors were great, with fantastic chemistry and good supporting actors. However, the plot tanked this great project for me. There are many gaps in the story-telling that took me out of the drama too often. Characters would do these outlandish, reckless, and unrealistic things time and time again. The plot armor was aggravating. The main leads relationship is the only reason why I managed to finish the series but I don't recommend this to anyone unless you have nothing else to watch.

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What a great watch and a little more "slice-of-life" than the usual zombie type shows

Loved the interesting take on the zombie theme. I've gotten tired of watching a lot of shows and movies with zombies and they pale in comparison to KDramas with zombies, especially Happiness.

Depending on my mood, The pacing is what I always look for in starting and finishing a series. Glad the pacing for this show was incredible! From strategic action scenes to comedic relief to light romance, the journey of watching through episodes made it easy to digest. Every watch "session" with this drama had me feeling contented yet intensely curious on the next episode.

As someone who keeps up with politics, it feels refreshing to see a character in power doing their job and actually showing that he cares about the public and doing things for the good of society. Seriously, the main general's character was really satisfying to watch. He would be my favorite character but most the characters were impressive as well! All of them (yes, even the annoying ones) had great character development and really made the story come to life.

Of course ML and FL were incredible! Both actor and actress were so cute individually AND together, I can't--!! The annoying characters really had me annoyed yet the pacing kept my anger at bay soon after being given hints or reminders of their parts in the story.

Give it a try, hope you all enjoy it as much as I did.
I can't get over it yet but that's when I know it's a work of art, when it lingers in my thoughts haha.

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I enjoyed this more than I thought I would, party because of Han Hyo Joo and Park Hyung Sik. They both play likeable and relatable characters whose friendship to lovers story is natural, despite the unnatural setting of the story. I've always enjoyed Han Hyo Joo's dramas. Park Hyung Sik is more hit and miss for me but this one is a hit for me. The drama raises interesting questions about how a government might respond to a frightening and highly contagious epidemic, how infected people are treated not just by the government but also by each other, and what people might do to fight for survival. It can be ugly -- people can behave pretty badly when they're frightened -- but this drama shows that people can also be surprisingly generous and self-sacrificing. I suspect that the inspiration for this drama comes from the first major COVID epidemic before vaccines were developed and the world was terrified.

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This drama will forever be close to my heart

God, where do I even start with this review????
I guess with the fact that this was the first kdrama I ever watched so I may be a little biased. But I do genuinely believe this was absolutely phenomenal.
The characters, specifically our main couple, are my emotional support babies atp.
Sae Bom is a badass and a queen & anyone who disagrees is simply WRONG<3
Yi Hyun is the perfect husband material who worships the ground she walks on.
As he should tbh.
also, friends-to-lovers is my favourite trope so this drama was just made for me.
basically, if zombies + marriage of convenience (for real estate....OR WAS IT) sounds good to you, that's because it is.
NOW STOP READING THIS & WATCH THE HELL OUT OF IT IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY!!!!!

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