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.
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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.
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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.
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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!
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Are monsters human or Humans monster?
This show focuses more on human nature than other mainstream Zombie flicks. So it can be rightfully concluded that, Monsters are not the main focus here.Nobody has faced an zombie apocalypse but we did face quarantine, keeping that into account, we can't expect the whole story to be loophole free.
But trust me the story keeps getting better. You don't know how a character will react as we don't know anything about them.
As the story only takes place over a span of two weeks, don't delve expecting a load of character arcs but just focus on the present.
But what kept it going was the awesome performance of the cast. *standing ovation*
There was immense chemistry and not much romance to keep us focused on the plot. But whatever much was served, was totally delicious.
Not a rewatcher but i would rewatch for some of the immense lead couple's badassness.
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Perfect candidate for the ultimate favorite drama
This drama has basically everything you want. Romance, action, "deep philosophy" (with all that betraying and emotional stuff), and to top it all off, one of the best, if not the best looking main leads.At first, it was slightly tough to get through the story due to their goodheartedness (it was to the point of being foolishness). Stupidly brave and "naive" main leads (for the lack of a better word) were always a pain for me, but im glad i stuck around. After episode 6, it got a lot better and the characters just improved a whole lot.
The other lead, Han Tae Sook was also a damn good character, even if they didnt give him that much screentime. Rational and not hotheaded, but stil humane enough that you would be able to sympathise and like him.
The characters in this drama is just 11/10, maybe could have had a little more romance, but really couldnt ask for anything better.
Music wasnt that prevalent, at least i dont have a strong recollection of there being much music with significant effect in the improtant scenes. The OST is pretty good though, helps with making the emotional vibe of the series.
Main leads themselves wouldve gotten a 8.5/10 at least from me, but with all the extra bits stitched in between, it really makes the series one of the best ive ever seen.
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This review may contain spoilers
The story itself is promising. This is supposed to be my cup of the since I love zombie drama. With the hype and stellar reviews, it didn't live up to my expectation. I can even say wth with the praises? it started well but fell flat at the end. The casts.. Han Hyo Joo's acting is not my favorite and also she is supposed to be bad ass. But when she and Park Hyung Sik's character need to be strict, they went soft. Hence, so much unnecessary problems arose. At the end almost the rest of the cast just went cuckoo (for wealth, for power, etc.) and this is seems like lazy writing and an easy way out to me. The problem is so serious, yet, just days after the government applied the Martial Law, the outside world immediately resumes normal activities like no one bites each other before without proper explanation. How can you sure you already contained all the infected, and not assuming there are still infected to pretends to be normal lurking in the shadows? Even during covid, we are still in at least two weeks lockdown. When the armies catching the crazies from Building 101, the supposed to be infected from Next after they supposed to be dead, act like they are not having the urge to drink blood from healthy people while at the beginning, people got infected way easier and could going crazy almost immediately. However, it is quite entertaining if you can forgo all those things, thus I gave it 8.5 Was this review helpful to you?
I love it
But there are just way too many idiots and selfish characters in this drama. My goodness. The FL has zero impulse control, which makes me wonder who hired her for a law enforcement job because those people need to be fired and blacklisted. 6 episodes in and the idiocy of some of the residents is almost unbearable. Seriously, how stupid can a person be?! This drama is pretty much a reflection of what some countries are dealing with in regards to idiots and the covid-19 pandemic. Many people are only concerned about themselves, what they want, and couldn’t care less about the next person. Like the resident rep, some people are more concerned with maintaining their status than being an actual good person. Like the lawyer, some are more concerned with making money than breathing. Like, seriously! People are turning into zombies. What is he going to spend money on? This may be the end of the world as he knows it but I guess he gotta make that paper! Smh. The vlogger, omg, the vlogger. What a selfish little brat. That man is such a bum. Don’t even get me started on the doctor. That man is the scum of the scum of the earth. All of that being said, I am hooked on this drama. It’s action packed and the storyline keeps me on my toes. I love it but many of the characters are insufferable. Had I been in this situation and witnessed all of those brats, I would have escaped with the only other 3-4 people with half a sense and let the zombies take the rest of those idiots.Post completion edit: Every episode, my eyes were wide open! 10/10 superb drama. Very well written and produced.
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WHAT IS TRUE HAPPINESS?
This drama giving us so much emotion and excitement in every episodes. The actors and actresses give us the best performance. But what made me love this drama so much is the life lesson in each of characters and life. Happiness is one of the most important factor in our life specially in todays world and time. What is Happiness? What is it something that will make us happy? House, things, money or relationship. This drama will make you realize that.Also, humans are the scariest. That's the reality we need to accept.
Park Hyun Sik and Han Hyo Joo love team made the drama a 100% lovable. "It's not the house. It's the person you are with". I love them so much and we want season 2 with happy ending!
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A Hard Way to Find One's Happiness
Yihyun and Saebom found love in a hard situation. Their first meeting on rooftop, the lockdown, and when they have to handle the infected. Taeseok, on the other hand, are fighting for his source of happiness. I would say the story is so neatly written and as a watcher, we get to know all the residents deeper in every episode. It felt like we also live in the apartment with them. Sure, several characters were not explained clearly like Saebom's colleague at the beginning, Yihyun's colleague that live with him during lockdown, the grandma of the unemployed YouTuber, and the clerk girl near the end of the story. The pacing seems a little faster in the last episode compared to the earliest ones. Nevertheless, all the main points were highlighted. This story is about Yihyun, Saebom, and Taeseok after all. A really good drama with full of suspense, thrill, and a sprinkle of romance.Was this review helpful to you?
Happiness but not a happy drama, but I'm not complaining.
Unlike the title, this drama isn't about happiness but the struggle to survive an outbreak. At first I thought it was quite boring, the first few minutes didn't really intrigue me much. But as the drama progresses, I see so much intense scenes and thrilling moments. I had a lot of jump scares in between, I don't know, maybe because I became weak hearted lol. I also like how both the leads were strong and independent on their own, specially because I know none of them will be like "nO jUsT LeAvE mE aLoNe I'm GoNnA dIE aNyWaY", in short, I really like their strong character. The other characters too were interesting, which makes me feel annoyed toward towards them like most of the time. The actors did great in their respective roles. However, I feel like the ending was too short to my liking or because I didn't get to see how others were doing. Overall, it was a good watch and would really love to see the season 2 if there would be one.Was this review helpful to you?
