An unconventional Thriller
It's not run of the mill, just another apocalyptic thriller, mind you. It's not a zombie show either.Happiness is good enough to keep you hooked. Unconventional zombie show as it defines "Happiness" via emotions, actions & empathy during survival of the fittest. Every character is distinctive & well performed.
Park Hyung Sik turns macho from his cute MinMin image yet oh so charming. FL was so damn good too. Nothing about This show deserves negative marking. Genius writing & a gripping tale.
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Amazing power couple leads in a self-contained world with morally grey characters.
I watched for the amazing main leads, they were absolutely awesome, an absolute power couple! Sure, the actions of many of the other characters seemed stupid, but in such a high-pressure environment, it's inevitable. I was really sad about some deaths, especially when some really didn't deserve it, that made me say, but perhaps that's just how life is.It felt like this apartment complex in lockdown was like its own self-contained world, each character reflecting the different types of people and choices that would realistically happen in the larger world, but on a smaller scale. Meanwhile, at least our leads weren't stupid, and I loved them for being calm, rational, intelligent, and an awesome pair! Honestly, MVP goes to Han Tae Sook, his character was seriously awesome in my opinion. In a sense, without his decisions and his intelligence, maybe things wouldn't have turned out as well as he did.
No one's ever black and white in this story, and I love how this show doesn't push ethics in our faces. I think there's definitely a lot of ethical issues with the way people handled things, the obvious and not-so-obvious issues, but each character was never either black nor white, even our leads, because they were willing to see the world burn for each other lol (well, not really, kinda towards the end, but even if they did just want to watch the world burn happily and do nothing about it, I'd be on their side HAHA). And honestly, it made me truly think about this world as a whole - we can blame people all we want for making certain potentially bad decisions, but we never know what drives them to do what they do, and sometimes, that could simply be love for your wife. Selfish as it may be, I honestly can understand these motives.
Then there are the absolute devils that deserve to literally burn with no way of redemption. >.> No pity for them. Sometimes the 'normal' humans are the monsters, not the zombies. No surprise there.
Then again, there's also no need to think too deeply imo, just like how it doesn't push ethics in our faces, it can make us viewers think about issues, but it's really not THAT heavy. I've watched others with much heavier exploration of humanity, although I can't remember any off the top of my head.
Anyways. I don't think it's perfect, but scores are always subjective. I'm giving it a 10/10 because I highly enjoyed it. Romance definitely wasn't the focus, at least, it wasn't pushed in your face, but with the way the two leads cared for and thought of each other, it was just as romantic as kisses. Romance was more prevalent in the last two episodes for sure, but it was there throughout, and I genuinely love such a tacit, understanding pair that would protect each other so naturally. Anymore romance drama in this sort of show would've ruined it. Sure, maybe I'd have liked a bit more romantic moments, but I prefer this than those where the writer ruins a romance by causing unnecessary conflicts between the two leads - that ALWAYS ruins it for me, ESPECIALLY when they're meant to be intelligent, calm, and reasonable ADULTS.
Give it a watch if you enjoy some zombies, mystery, a virus, contemplating human nature (although, really, it wasn't overly heavy), and a speck of romance that's obviously there through their mutual understanding and friendship with each other and the last two eps. It was enjoyable and honestly, if you can just focus on the two leads and be happy with them being the logical and intelligent ones (and the adorable kid Seo-Yoon) most of the other characters' stupid/misinformed/interest-fueled actions isn't that big of a deal. I enjoyed watching the complexity of human nature in them actually.
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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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Opposite of the title
I love Park HyungSik and the reason I watched this drama and did I like FL the same as I loved ML I would say so. storng FL and the chemistry b/w them is too kill for. There are not many romantic scenes but I can see the romance overflowing b/w them whenever they are together. One thing to be noted it drama is very good about relations, Family and selfishness during pandemic. I love it!! if there are any drama's like this please recommend some to me..Was this review helpful to you?
Great Drama!
Titled "Happiness," this drama was anything but happy. It revolves around people turning into zombies following a post-COVID outbreak. The story takes place in an apartment building that is placed under quarantine after the residents become infected. As the days progress, the residents descend into madness, committing increasingly atrocious acts. The plot moves swiftly, and the actors' performances are outstanding; I found the villains utterly detestable.Despite being misled—expecting a typical romantic drama due to the title—I thoroughly enjoyed watching it. Although there were only a few romantic moments between the main characters, I still found the drama very captivating.
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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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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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