Happiness (2021)

Un drama prenant et palpitant

Je dois l'avouer d'entrée de jeu, je fonctionne au coup de cœur, et j'ai littéralement adoré Happiness, même s'il n'est évidemment pas parfait.

J'écris ce review 1 an après avoir regardé Happiness pour le première fois, parce que j'ai totalement l'intention de le regarder à nouveau ! (ce qui répond à la question "what's the rewatch value?")

Voici ce qu'a noté la moi du passé, à chaud, après avoir fini le dernier épisode de la série.

"Je termine à l’instant l’épisode 12. J’ai tellement de choses à dire... et en même temps si peu. Devant ce drama j’ai crié, stressé, pleuré, et globalement je suis sortie de chaque épisode vidée de toute mon énergie. Ce drama m’a pris beaucoup, je me suis perdue dedans. Il est génial, et horrible à la fois. J’ai adoré autant que j’ai détesté.
On verra plus tard ce que j’en pense, quand j’aurais digéré ce que je viens de voir. Là pour l’instant je vais aller fixer le vide un moment, et essayer de trouver un sens à ma vie.
Si je devais vraiment écrire une critique classique comme je fais d’habitude je dirais que les acteurs sont incroyables, le scénario est juste abusé, et d’un point de vue de la réalisation je n’y connais rien mais pour moi c’est parfait. 9,5/10 (parce que trop éprouvant pour être 10/10, je ne pourrais pas le revoir avant un bon moment). Aller, bisous."

Maintenant que je m’apprête à le regarder à nouveau, je suis évidemment prête psychologiquement pour le scénario, pour les personnages qu'on a envie de tuer tout le long tellement ils sont chiants, pour les plot twists et retournements de situation... et je suis convaincue que ce sera bien moins éprouvant pour mes nerfs ! Je suis aussi consciente qu'avec cette deuxième visualisation, je vais sans doute beaucoup plus voir les facilités scénaristiques et les trous dans l'intrigue. Mais je suis bon public, facilement satisfaite, et je sais que je vais passer un bon moment, et c'est tout ce que je demande !

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De Happiness só tem o nome

Demorei muito para dar uma chance para ele até porque esta temática de pandemias, quarentenas, pessoas infectadas que viram zumbis e comem gente já está mais do que batido no mundo das séries e dramas e estava longe de ser meu gênero preferido.
Mas como este drama marcou a volta de Park Hyung Shik após dispensa do serviço militar e haviam opiniões positivas e negativas, fiquei curiosa em ter minha própria visão e resolvi dar uma chance.
Já no primeiro episódio facilmente o enredo da série me prendeu e já se tornou atraente e foi me prendendo a cada episódio. Falando de “Happiness” que, por incrível que pareça, de feliz só teve o final mesmo. Happiness é sobre comportamento humano acerca de situações que causam incertezas, e poder e amor.
A história está focada em mostrar a batalha pela sobrevivência contra o que eles chamam de raiva humana no prédio de Hyun e Sae Bom interpretados por Park Hyung Shik e Han Hyo Joo. Aliás eles entregaram muito bem seus papéis na trama!
A premissa tem como objetivo uma abordagem focada nas ações e reações dos moradores, nos conflitos sociais e na ética de classes diante do cenário que se encontram. É o puro retrato do comportamento humano através de doenças infecciosas e isolamento social.
O nome Happiness é uma analogia bem irônica, já que o principal aspecto do drama é ver as pessoas buscando sobrevivência e proteção a qualquer custo, mesmo que isso prejudique o outro. É uma história de suspense e drama, que vale ser assistida

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The main couple is the best part

Oh dear. This one is so universally beloved on the internet that I’d been saving it for a long time; as a lover of the zombie genre (the fast ones) and of healthy, best-friends-to-lovers romance, I felt like this had everything I could ever want. In the end, though, I felt like it was just okay.

The best part of the show is the main couple — I loved every scene they had together, and I loved how much they communicated and supported each other through everything. But I felt like they were very underutilized.

Even though this drama is filed under Action and Thriller, there’s actually very little of each. Compared to most zombie outbreak shows, this one is relatively contained: for most of the episodes there’s one or two that pop up, but they’re fought off or pushed outside the building, and everyone retreats to their apartments and their food rations.

I don’t mind a bit more organization and government response, and Han Tae Seok is actually one of the most intriguing characters in the show, but I feel like the show needed to escalate much more to make the stakes feel higher and for us to see the main leads in a more raw and desperate state. We got a little bit towards the end, but it felt very late and the scale just never felt as big as it could’ve been.

Additionally, when the plot started expanding, there were a few unnecessary plot elements that were included. The “people are the real monsters” theme is very common and I enjoy it, but it didn’t quite feel cohesive. Sometimes the character decisions didn’t really make sense, and the “zombies” ended up being pretty underutilizedwith the final resolution being too quick as it jumped to the epilogue.

Ultimately, I think this is a very character-driven drama, which is good if you like that sort of thing. I think the side characters were all very well done and there’s adequate commentary through them about human greed and selfishness — I just wish the drama moved the plot forwards while it was doing all that.

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Amazing Drama!

To be fair, it's my first time ever watching a zombie apocalypse themed drama. I've never been interested in stuff like this but considering that, I quite enjoyed this drama. This drama made me feel mad yet sad. The characters made me furious because of their selfishness and instinct to betray others for the sake of their own life. I kept telling myself to understand where they're coming from because they're suffering too but I just couldn't. But they got their punishments and I'm happy. I thought the main guy was going to die, but thankfully he didn't. Overall, I enjoyed watching this and I totally recommend.

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Few Zombies

The story is about a woman who becomes the main character after getting a scratch from a zombie. The zombie origin is from drugs that have already been distributed all over the world. The woman then survives along with her boyfriend and the people who live in the apartment. But, the military locked the apartment to make sure that no one is come out. This is where the story becomes interesting.

Sadly there are not many zombies like swarm zombies. It's only a dozen of zombies that they have taken on this K-drama.

I thought that the ending is... Just watch it by yourself XD

It's recommended to those who like zombies but not the hardcore one :)

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Gripping Action with Sweet Romance

It took me two attempts to get invested in this show, but it grabbed me by the throat once it happened.

❤ OMG, the romance blew me away. It had it all - pining looks, hand holding, unrequited (or not so unrequited) love, forced proximity, and marriage of convenience. While the romance isn't the driving factor of the story, it certainly builds episode by episode as Sae Bom and Yi Hyun work together to keep the residents of the apartment building safe. The chemistry between them, their absolute loyalty to one one another, and their refusal to back down on fighting for the things they loved made them one of my all time favorite couple duos.

❤ There is some shady shit going down in the apartment building prior to the lockdown, all of which comes full circle as the resident secrets begins to unravel the longer the quarantine continues. Their are certainly some memorable characters and interactions. I will admit some of the storylines for secondary characters petered out by the last episode. It would have been nice to have some clarity on whether or not the characters in peril during the end of the lockdown made it back to the real world alive and unharmed.

❤ I have been really impressed with the expansion of zombie lore over the past year! First this show and now All of Us Are Dead are giving us some interesting zombie alternatives. Honestly, this was a terrifying premise as infected individuals switched between madness and sanity.

❤ The lockdown and quarantine elements of the show certainly paralleled the real world during the Covid-19 epidemic. It explores themes of isolation, fear, and panic as the residents are moved into lockdown. If you're someone with PTSD from Covid-19, perhaps this show isn't for you (at least at this time).

Watch if you like: ?Slow burn romance | ? Zombies / Undead | ? Engaging female lead
Find it: Viki (12 episodes)

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Happiness? Não, tristeza por ter aguentado 12 eps disso

eu sou um amante de zumbis e de romance, por isso fiquei bastante empolgado com essa série. É uma série bem mediana eu diria que abaixo da média. Os episódios iniciais foram os melhores, da metade pro fim foram tortura pura em vários momentos, a série gastou tempo pra desenvolver os personagens secundários, e parece que não desenvolveu nada em certos deles, também preciso mencionar as atitudes burras que ficaram difíceis de aguentar.
No entanto, a série não é 100% ruim, o casal principal e a garotinha com certeza foi o melhor núcleo da série, de resto foi uma porcaria com furos e personagens burros robotizados pra ganhar tempo de tela, houve vezes que nada de bom acontecia em alguns episódios. Foi uma grande decepção para o que eu esperava. Esse foi o meu primeiro KDRAMA de 2024, e sinceramente, eu não voltaria a ver e nem pretendo.

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Happiness is no where to be found in this

I know the drama isn't finished yet and we are half way through the episodes but I felt I have to say something about the first half of it
so far the name of the drama isn't related to it's content at all despite that the female lead tried to explain that happiness is within the people's comfort zone no matter how much the world is becoming crazy and going to hell out there we have to be happy and live our happy life ,, she said that and she may be felt happy having her own apartment and marrying her high school crush in an apocalyptic world but as a viewer I don't see them happy ,, they didn't even kissed once or felt safe until now they are running around trying to survive that's it
Does survival considered Happiness now ?
Also the plot is lacking a lot of details about the characters ,, especially the main lead couple ,, we don't know anything about their families ,, the female lead's family seemed disconnected and she has issues with them that wasn't clarified enough and the male lead's family ??nothing about him at all ?? the writer is giving us punch of people trapped in Quarantine chasing each other without any further details about their own lives or backgrounds just the usual superficial irritating human greed and evilness that's it ,, the writer focused too much on showing us human evilness in crisis
I wanted to see more about the main couples' families and their background ,, I wanted to see more interactions between the lead couple delivering the happiness they meant .. I wanted more depth into the characters ,, I wanted to see the other side outside the Quarantine
I feel like the writer Quarantined us with the characters ,, we are trapped with them ,, we can't know what is happening outside the wall .... just keep watching people getting infected and chasing each other six episodes long that could have been two hour movie
I know that I'm in the minority here to say half way through this drama is becoming really boring lacking a lot
I'm wondering ,, will the writer show us what is really going on outside the next six episodes ?? will we see the main couple get their happiness they deserve ?? will we be answered on the questions the writer made us ask ? too many un answered questions needed to be answered in the next six episodes

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Talk about a Strong Comeback by both the ML and FL

Initial Review:

Really, talk about a strong comeback by both Han Hyo Joo and Park Hyung Shik after so many years, around 5 years for Han Hyoo Joo and 3 years for Park Hyung Shik. So far, this has been an amazing show to watch. Lately, I haven't been really been in love with a drama, after "Mad for Each Other", where it felt really painful to wait for a drama's next episode for 6-7 days. This one, well, has really broken the slump.

The story is very good, intriguing and can divert in many directions over time. If I have to express the overall show with one word, I would use the word "Balanced". It's such a well balanced show, not too unrealistic by any means, not boring by any means, not too lovey dovey, not too dry and tasteless either. Story progression pace is, I would say, PERFECT. All the supporting characters have been portrayed so realistically, which is not often done well for this kind of drama.

Acting is great, truly justified in terms of the storyline. These 3 main characters have really played their role extremely well. Jo Woo Jin is supposedly playing part of the necessary evil, who has to make tough decisions, and even though by now his backstory has been somewhat exposed to the viewers, there is still a bit of mystery behind his character. He is playing his part, very very well.

Han Hyo Joo and Park Hyung Shik has such amazing chemistry. Although, I don't really talk about on screen chemistry too much in my review, I had to mentions this for this drama. Their chemistry is so adorable, so relatable and so subtle yet dynamic. With every episode, their relationship is evolving it seems. Their evolving chemistry, I would say, is THE HIGHLIGHT of this show.

If you read the synopsis, you will figure out what the story is about, not much for to write about that for now. My suggestion is that, give this one a go. I am pretty sure, You Will Enjoy This.

Somewhere in the middle, or after I've finished the show, I will update and make a final review of this. Take care until then.

Update 1: I've just upgraded the re-watch value to 9.5 from previous 8.5. The reason being, I can't really stress enough how charming both the ML and FL are. Their characters are so charismatic in different ways, FL with her bold cutthroat remarks alongside fighting mentality and ML with his gentleness, and eagerness to help people in this precarious situation. Both of these two have one characteristic in common: They are both very protective of each other and are very courageous. Honestly I am not really being able to express how good this show is so far, so my suggestion is that you guys watch it and confirm it yourselves.
And yes, While watching this show, I've become a fan Park-Hyun-Shik. He really is a cute cute guy. I guess I gotta watch Strong Woman Do Bong Soon. I don't know why I've still not watched this one. But, truly, in this show, he has performed extremely well and really made his character worth looking back over and over again by playing the episodes again and again.
I've always been a fan of Han Hyo joo. She has really knocked the ball outta the park with this show.

Final Review: Strong Finish and really one of the best K-drama of the year. It's really a great show by pretty much all metrics. I would highly suggest anyone who is pondering whether to give it a go or not, to GIVE IT A GO. It's seriously good.

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Fake reviews?!

I’ve decided to finally drop this show at episode 5 because of the horribly inconsistent writing, dumb characters and zero-logic plot. Some highlights:
- The pill causes the illness but they’re not recalling the pill or issuing a warning to stop people from taking it
- They won’t track down pill users, instead locked everyone together, increasing the number of the infected
- FL is getting all the hate (internalized misogyny from the mostly female audience no doubt), but ML is equally stupid and tries to play hero for no reason (running outside with the people who took the money etc.)
- They can’t put the child with social services? Grandparents? She has a heart disease and they think it’s wise for her to be with a “good guardian” while being locked up?!
- The murderer/doctor and the management woman are senseless characters with illogical motivations.
- Contrary to what people say, the military man is the only one I like cause he’s rational but still trying his best
The writer really questions the intelligence of the viewers and given the unusually high rating, he’s certainly proven correct. I read all the positive reviews but now that I’ve seen the show they’re either fake, or we’re watching 2 different shows.
TLDR: Don’t watch if you can’t completely get rid of logic, common sense and the need for decent writing.

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A better second half

While I liked their spin on the zombie virus and how the look at the infected as potentially curable patients. There was way too many dumb decisions, boring moments, useless scenes to drive home that a despicable character is in fact despicable(The under the table seduction scene, been there seen that enough in any given American show).
And to add insult to injury, most of the characters besides the protagonists aren't even remotely likable, so I found myself watching a bunch of unlikable characters stuck in a building and wishing they would all just die.
With that said, I've yet to watch the second half, maybe there is a twist that's going to redeem the rest.

Edit after finishing:
The second half is a thousand times better than the first, I found myself actually enjoying the story and laughing in some scenes of the last 2 episodes. Loved the ending and how it was actually treated as a virus, and they bothered actually giving a reason for the outbreak instead of being like "who cares? Just focus on the flesh eating zombies and how our heros survive!" Like most do.
I give it a higher score than I originally did, I would even recommend it.
Bonus point, the romance was well written, not overwhelming just the right amount giving the genre.

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