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Battle for Happiness korean drama review
Completed
Battle for Happiness
1 people found this review helpful
by yasmina
Jul 20, 2023
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 5.0
This review may contain spoilers

A drama about each people's conception of happiness.

The story-line of this drama is deeper and darker than I would have thought.

This drama revolves around the Bannae-dong murder case, which Oh Yujin, a famous influencer, is the victim of. Throughout the drama, a witch-hunt is occurring to unveil the truth about the whole case. The whole circumstances that led to this tragic event are utterly horrid. This drama is also about people hiding their true happiness, forgetting their true happiness, ruining someone's true happiness, looking for their true happiness.

"What Yujin wanted to hide giving up her own life, true happiness. What she wanted to protect giving up her life, fake happiness."

Each of the character had a different approach with happiness.
- Miho's true happiness: Yujin, Jiyul and Hayul, and Jinseop.
- Jungah's true happiness: Her people.
- Nayoung's true happiness: Arin, and the baby she's carrying in her belly.
- Jiye's true happiness: Sowon.
- Yujin's true happiness: Miho, Jiyul and Hayul, Jua, and her first love.

Each one of them made choices to preserve their true happiness and their peace of mind. Nayoung firmly chose to divorce Taeho while Jungah decided not to divorce Subin even though he betrayed her. Two different choices and two different approaches in life. Even though we might not agree with their choice, it remains their choice, it remains their life.

"The scar you left, it won't ever go away. I will resent you and hate you and be heartbroken all over again. But I decided to continue to live with you. And that's my choice" - Jungah.

Now let's delve into the most important plot of the show: the murder case and who was behind it. As expected, Yujin's evil husband, Kang Dojun, was the mastermind behind it. "You can't even be a proper man." was his turning point. This sentence said by Yujin made him commit the worst. He is willing to kill the mother of his children over a mere sentence. That's how frail of a person he is and how fragile his manhood is. But what made Yujin burn with rage? Something that would make any mother see red, he committed the worst atrocity. The girl who was in the explicit video with him was Yujin's daughter, Jua. He tormented his step-daughter. The moment I realized it was her in the video, I had to stop the episode for a second and breathe because that was too much to take. Also the moment I realized this, I wanted to see his comeuppance, something that we unfortunately didn't get to witness.

The last scene we see Kang Dojun in is him entering a police car while looking at Miho, pretty underwhelming I may say. We should have seem his trial and his demise. This is why I have to remove points.

The thing that increases the score is the sisterhood between Miho and Yujin. Man these girls love each others so much, talk about a bad timing. They didn't get the chance to properly say "I love you" to one another. The only way now of Miho to show her love towards Yujin is to shower Jiyul and Hayul with love.
Ever since the moment Miho got the hold of her folder in Yujin's USB and read that "Complaint" file about her, I knew she didn't read it all. I knew there was more to it. There was no way Yujin's last words regarding Miho would be negative. As soon as I saw that she didn't read everything, I felt relieved. I wanted a good ending for these women.
"You were everything to me... You were my only family. No matter what anyone else said, you were my family. You were my sister and my best friend." - Yujin to Miho.

Miho's way to apologize to Yujin for being too clueless and ignorant was to investigate Yujin's case and properly send her away. Even though Miho's detective work was too emotional and clumsy, I have to give her the fact that she never gave up and stayed brave until the end.

Now the past is past, it's time to move on for all of them while reminiscing the good memories. Miho needs to change her environment and Jiyul and Hayul really need therapy because what these poor girls went through must have taken a toll on them. I hope they all find peace and end up being a happy family. Real Aunt Miho, Real Uncle Jinseop, Jiyul, Hayul.

"I'm happy with just remembering them. The feeling of happiness. The memories that I don't want to forget. The moment that I don't want to miss. Maybe I should try to capture them forever... for my true inner happiness." - Jang Miho.
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