Happiness 해피니스 - Review

Title: Happiness 해피니스

Genre: Action, Thriller, Fantasy, Romance

Release: 2021

Starring (Main Cast): 

Park Hyung Sik as Jung Yi Hyun

Han Hyo Joo as Yoon Sae Bom

Jo Woo Jin as Han Tae Seok

Director: Ahn Gil Ho

Writer: Han Sang Woon

Rakuten Viki Rating: 9.7/10

IMDb Rating: 8.4/10

Audience Rating: 4.9/5

MyDramaList Rating: 9.0/10

Rakuten Viki Synopsis: Click Here

Watch with VIKIPass Standard on Rakuten VIKI: Happiness 

Episodes: 12 Episodes (abt. 1 hour and 5 min each)

Content Rating: PG-13

Violence/blood: Moderate to high, Hitting/punching, yelling, shooting (guns), zombie-like behavior (biting, scratching), lots of blood

Sexual Content: Hugging, kissing

Language: Mild - Minimal language use in the translation I watched

Ending: Happy, Satisfying

My Synopsis

Having been friends since high school, Detective Jung Yi Hyun (Park Hyung Sik) and Officer Yoon Sae Bom (Han Hye Joo) decide to join hands in getting an apartment in a newly developed complex. Excited for their new life, they are also being simultaneously drawn into an investigation involving some strange occurrences that lead to the discovery of a new and very terrifying virus. As it spreads, Yi Hyun and Sae Bom find themselves and their complex caught within the lockdown area and cut off from the world around them. Together they must try to maintain the chaos within their building and prevent the infection from spreading. As tensions rise amongst the residents, will the mix of human nature, fear, and the will to survive be what actually destroys them all in the end?

Trailer

My Review: 9.5/10

I was quite hesitant to watch this one as it is not my normal type of drama. However, my respect for many of the actors/actresses in this drama drove me to give it a try and I am so thankful I did. Though this does have some horror elements, I would hesitate to ever put it in that category. It would definitely satisfy those who like a scarier side to things, but it also satisfies this girl, who likes her deeper, and even romantic dramas. As for the storyline, though it is built around the spread of an infectious disease, it really focuses on human nature. Though, I don't know that the extent at which these people go is realistic (the only thing that brings this down a notch for me) it does raise the question of how far people would go to survive. Who knows, we have never been faced with anything of this magnitude before. And I hope we never will. But, I would hate to think the true nature of so many people can reach this kind of low. Despite that, I found myself really drawn to this drama and I think the high ratings it has received to be well deserved.

Main Characters

Jung Yi Hyun

Park Hyung Sik played our Detective Jung Yi Hyun. If you have read some of my other reviews you will know that he is a favorite actor of ours. His acting has never disappointed us and he did an incredible job of bringing this character to life. I loved seeing the anger/temper side of him being pushed a bit in this as he faces the bad side of human nature. As usual, he pulls that off just as well as the tender side of things. Excellent acting! Other works we have seen him in include: Heirs, Hwarang, Juror 8, Strong Woman Do Bong Soon, Suits, Two Lights: Relumino, What Happens to My Family.

The character of Detective Jung Yi Hyun was strong and yet caring at the same time. He handled most things thoughtfully, and yet push his boundaries and he could take you down and out as well. We loved seeing this side of him come out as for us it just made us like him more. Yi Hyun's first love was baseball. And he was quite good and a hopeful for a future professional career when an injury ended it all for him. After a crisis, averted by his friend Sae Bom, he takes his life a different route and ends up an accomplished detective instead. Together with Sae Bom, he will find his role in life pushed to the max. Will his character hold out, or will he also be a victim to his own human nature?

Yoon Sae Bom

Han Hyo Joo played the character of Yoon Sae Bom. This was our first time seeing her in a drama, but like her co-actor, she did not disappoint us. She is a lovely actress that pulled off a strong female lead role to perfection, in our opinion. This is a comeback year for Han Hyo Joo who has not appeared on the small screen for about five years or the large screen for three. But she came back big, with two dramas (including this one) and one movie in 2021 and with another drama and movie scheduled for 2022. We are definitely looking forward to more with this actress!

The character of Yoon Sae Bom was a perfect match for her friend Yi Hyun. They complimented each other despite both being strong characters. She might have been the stronger of the two, even. There wasn't a lot of backstory given on any of our leads, but for the purpose of this drama it really didn't seem needed. They each built their character expectations in the present and just like Yi Hyun, you will find Sae Bom just as likeable. She is a determined personality. She knows what she wants and she gets it. I wish I was more like her!

Han Tae Seok

Jo Woo Jin played the character Han Tae Seok. He did not get near as much screen time as the other two, but he did well enough with his role. He wasn't stretched much in this role and I felt that the emotional scenes he was offered were not portrayed over well. They didn't tug at my heart strings the way I believe they could have. As for a harder exterior type of character, I felt he was perfect. This is the second time seeing this actor. The first was in a support role in the drama Chicago Typewriter.

The character of Han Tae Seok was a bit hard to figure out at first. And, I still feel as if all my questions regarding him were not fully answered. He was a military figure that was heading up the investigation into the new virus as well as leading the research into its cure. He was both a help to our main couple as well as somewhat of an antagonist.

Jung Yi Hyun and Yoon Sae Bom

Though this was not promoted as, or even listed in, the romance genre, I felt it one of the best elements of the drama. Starting out as long-time friends Yi Hyun and Sae Bom agree to marriage for the purpose of obtaining an apartment in a newly developed complex. However, Yi Hyun has always had feelings for Sae Bom and as the story progresses, though he hides it from her, you can see his feelings in almost every action. It seems as if everything he does is to protect her and look out for her.

Those feelings get harder and harder to hide as they find comfort in their friendship and lean on each other more and more. They naturally look out for each other, and Sae Bom as well grows more and more protective of Yi Hyun. The gravitation into a closer and deeper feeling seems very natural.

The chemistry between these two was off the charts, in our opinion. They were close and comfortable from the start and the final acknowledgement of their feelings was extremely satisfying. Though romance was not a huge part of the drama, it strangely seemed as if at the same time, it was. I think these two will definitely go down as one of my favorite couples.

Support Characters

Because there were too many support characters in this drama to have listed here, we decided that we would only list our favorite ones. The rest you will have to get to know on your own. :)

Na Hyun Kyung and Na Soo Min

Na Hyun Kyung, played by Park Hee Bon, and Na Soo Min, played by Na Chul took the spots for our favorite support characters. They were a brother and sister duo. Though other characters were more prominent and had more screen time, these two just had a special place in our hearts and were the ones that really came through in the end. In trying not to give away too much information, I will just say that what made these two stand out to us the most was the fact that their characters improved as the story progressed, in contrast to the decline in moral character of the majority of the others. I found each time they came on screen I liked them more. Both of these actors I have seen before. Park Hee Bon played a support role in the drama Familiar Wife, and Na Chul had a support role in the more recent hit drama Vincenzo. I was glad to see both of them again in this drama and hope to see more of them in the future!

Conclusion

To sum up... do I recommend this drama? Absolutely! A lot of great dramas have come out this past year, and this is definitely one of them. It was one of the highest ranking dramas of the year. There is plenty of action, suspense, and a little heart-warming romance as well. I don't think you will be disappointed.

안녕! - 줄스