The drama closest to my heart.
There are dramas that you either enjoy watching or you don’t. And then there are dramas like this that manage to reach the deepest parts of your heart.I believe It’s Okay to Not be Okay is a drama that you’ll fall in love with when the story hits close to home. There are many scenes throughout this drama that really made me cry and touched me in so many ways. And no, it wasn’t all the sad moments. The characters in this drama felt so real that I even cried out of happiness for them. Every time I watch this, I don’t see Kim Soo Hyun, Seo Ye Ji, and Oh Jung Se anymore. It is Moon Kang Tae, Ko Moon Young, and Moon Sang Tae, who I felt closer to than any character I’ve seen before.
Honestly, this is the first time I ever felt this way about a drama. I’ve watched ongoing dramas but I have never been this excited for every episode. My Saturdays and Sundays were never the same and without meaning to, I found really awesome people because of our shared suffering while waiting every week (you know who you guys are! <3). IOTNBO has made these past two months better and I can’t believe how time passed by so quickly.
I just loved everything about this drama: the cinematography, acting, soundtrack, and scriptwriting. This drama always gave us beautiful shots, awesome animation, and creative transitions. Kim Soo Hyun, Seo Ye Ji, and Oh Jung Se showed us stellar acting performances and broke my heart so many times. Even the supporting characters were really good at their roles. The OST was something that kept me going while waiting each week and I really appreciate how they had English songs. I also loved how the story had a balance between sad and happy moments. I usually get bored by a drama that’s too sad so I like how they insert comedic scenes in between. There are also so many relatable quotes and one of my favorites is a piece of advice from Doctor Oh.
“When you’re tired, get some rest. When you’re sad, go ahead and cry. It’s okay to take a break. Then one day, there will surely come a day when you’ll be able to run again.”
Another thing I really loved about this drama is how it was able to incorporate fairytales and stories in every episode. Ko Moon Young’s stories in particular were all really good, especially the one in the ending. I admire the writer for writing these fairytales on top of writing a drama.
I know this drama is by no means perfect. It still left me with a few questions about Moon Young’s mom. But truth be told, I am here for the relationships and development of the characters. It’s a small part of what is overall a satisfying journey. I finally agree with Kim Soo Hyun when he said that this is a healing drama. After all the sadness and pain, in the end, I finally felt the happiness and healing.
This drama might be either something you love or you don’t. We all have different stories. But what I’m really sure of is that this drama will always have a special place in my heart. :’)
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1
2WHAT A JOURNEY IT HAS BEEN
First of all, i just like to say that this Series is not for everyone. I know everyone has different tastes especially in dramas. Aside from being a HUMAN HEALING DRAMA, this show is a character driven kind of drama. You have to immerse yourself in the drama to fully understand and go through the process of healing while watching the show.STORY - I really love the story. It's unique and refreshing how the writer used many fairy tale and folk tales references and combined all those stories into one. It's so brilliant.
ACTING - Now let's talk about the performances for the Actors.
Immediately after watching episode 1, you will be amazed already of Oh Jung Seng's performance. It really is a role of a lifetime. He is so effective as Moon Sang Tae. I cry on most of his scenes with Gang Tae. He exceeded everyone's expectations and he will definitely get many awards from this show.
Seo Ye Ji's role is also very challenging. She is phenomenal as Moon Young. I cannot think of anyone who can do this role as perfect as her.
Supporting Roles from the younger casts, CEO, Juri, SEung Jae, Jaesu, Director, the OK staff and patients. Everyone had amazing perfomances.
Now for my bias, Kim Soo Hyun.... I have to be honest, as a fan of KSH, i really did not understand at first why he chose this project. Maybe i was used to A list actors to work with more known and award winning directors and writers. After his last drama The Producers in 2015 and military enlistment in 2017, i was really waiting for his comeback and has high expectations on the first project he'll work on. THANK GOD, he chose It's Okay to Not Be Okay. He really took time in reading many scripts and he really wants to challenge himself. His role is not as flashy or flamboyant as Moon Young and Sang Tae.... What makes his performance a stand out was the fact that his character wasn't a stand out. SYJ and OJS, being such amazing actors themselves could have easily stole the limelight from KSH. Moon Gang Tae's character was less explosive and more contemplative. His role is very deep and requires consistency. Many of his emotions must be conveyed using his eyes alone. and he did it perfectly. His crying scenes have different emotions and meanings especially his breakdown scene on episode 9. It felt like he poured his heart and soul on that scene and the audience felt it. The fact that KSH was able to get rave reviews for his performance both internationally and locally, and many people became a huge fan of Moon Gang Tae's character.... and lastly, that KSH was able to showcase such amazing and brilliant acting range for a role that's quite a challenge... that's really IMPRESSIVE and not all actors would be able to accomplish that.. I'm just happy that KSH is a risk taker and took this risk and not doing the usual OPPA dramas.
CINEMATOGRAPHY/MUSICAL SCORING/EDITING -
We have to commend the cinematographer of this show. WOW. just WOW! the camera shots are so perfect. i love how the cinematographer used different techniques. It was so effective. Same as the editing. I love the transitions from one scene to another. Not just the cool transitions but just the regular transitions where musical scoring is used to properly connect one scene from another.
OVERALL - this show will be one of my all time favorites. I have to admit that i expected more from the mother's plot. maybe because i watch too many crime dramas and i wanted more explanation how the mother survived or what really happened. I guess i overthought and had watched too many theory videos that i forgot what the show was all about. Thank you to the Finale episode"FINDING THE REAL FACE". My take on the mother's plot is very simple. The mother survived and whatever stories we saw from the father's POV and MY's are not really accurate since the father had brain injury and even had major surgery for that, and MY was too young and grew with too much trauma to remember everything and just remembered the trauma she experienced during her childhood. Once the "Finding the Real Face" story was told, everything made sense to me that this drama is not about MY's mother. It's about the journey of Moon Young, Sang Tae and Gang Tae. From episode 1 to 16 we saw their character developments and how they were healed in the process of knowing each other. There might be an evil witch who took their real faces, but like in any fairy tale, there will always be a happy ending.
Reading this definitely gave me some closure on the mother mystery :
https://chasehermes.tumblr.com/post/625989613310394368/i-was-thinking-about-why-the-show-did-not-discuss
I have to say that this drama has one of the best finales and most satisfying endings I've ever watched. I don't know how many times i cried watching all episodes but one thing is for sure , i learned so much from this drama. I immersed myself in the show and this show really healed me to overcome some of the trauma and regrets i have in my life. The title itself is such a meaningful and powerful phrase that "It's Okay to Not Be Okay". Here are some of the lessons i learned from this drama.
- Family is Beyond Blood Relations
- Fight for your Happiness
- Don't Make Rash Decisions
- Don't Judge a book by its cover
- Confront your Trauma
- Remember Good Memories
- Speak Up for Yourself
- Reach Out for Help
- It's Better to Kiss than Fight
"When you're tired get some rest. When your sad, go ahead and cry. It's okay to do that."
Damn, there so many life learning quotes in this show. Watching this while on air is the best decision i made this year. Usually i will wait for a show to be completed before i binge watch but i made an exception for IOTNBO. I really invested too much in this drama. I'm happy to be one of the active posters in IOTNBO page and one of the users who broke records of having 16k+++ comments on the 16th episode. Most of all, i'm very grateful for this show because i met many friends who will be my forever MDL friends!
I felt like i was also riding in the camping van when the show ended. It really is a great and amazing journey. Thank you OKAY Family! Thank you IT'S OKAY TO NOT BE OKAY.
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Healing, beauty and acceptance wrapped in spooky fairytales
Gosh, I spent 70% of this show with a lump in my throat, 10% with happy warmth in my chest and 20% bawling my eyes out.It's a fast, intense, twisty emotional roller coaster that keeps you engaged throughout.
The best thing about this drama is the smart and impactful portrayal of mental illness. It's not preachy, it's not overly idealistic, it doesn't try to pretend to be extra woke, it's not trying to pass itself as an educational program- it's really just a touching story about three damaged, emotionally stunted people who are trying to get by.
I am not a medical professional and I am not gonna waste time trying to analyze all the symptoms and guess the disorders and argue about that because that's grossly missing the point.
The main focus of this drama was showing the pain, frustration and sorrow that comes with suffering from trauma, dealing with conditions out of your hands and the hurt that comes with mental illness for both who have it and their family members.
But most of all it highlights the strength of these people, about how they help each other and get help from each other to make things a bit better.
It beautifully expresses themes of understanding, resilience, love and friendship between people who've had a very tough life.
Ofcourse, in typical K drama fashion, it's not without its cheesy tropes, cliches and some flair for dramatics but despite all of that it gets the message across in a powerful manner.
The beauty of it is that despite being filled with heartbreaking and emotional moments that make you shed tears and snot, it never lets the dark side become overpowering by adding much needed comic relief and heart warming moments that make you giggle and feel good inside.
There is extra charm in people who are beautiful AND excellent actors. All the cast delivers phenomenally with the two main leads having electric chemistry with each other and sharing glorious, steamy kisses that will go down in k drama history. ;)
The show is easy to watch with a bit of suspense, thrill, murder mystery, psychotic parents and drama mixed with emotion, heart and healing. It's fast paced peppered with wholesome slow moments and amazing character growth.
Seo Ye Ji's impulsive, passionate, gorgeously dressed, blunt, morally questionable female lead with childlike tendencies is undoubtedly a crowd favorite.
On the other hand, Kim Soo Hyun's handsome, selfless, persevering male lead with bambi eyes and a mutinous heart brings his own to the table.
Finally, bringing them both together, the veteren Oh Jung Sae brought forth an endearing character suffering from autism who is extremely pure hearted and just trying his best.
The moments between these three are powerful and literally make you pray for these people and their happiness. The side characters are all relevant and enhance the flavor of the show
The OST is stunning, the direction is beautiful and the pretty story telling incorporating scary fairytales and creepy animations brings everything full circle.
It's definitely binge worthy and a full of feeling ride that you don't want to miss.
Enjoy!
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A lot loved it, me, not so much
After all the hype, I thought I'd give this one a try. I'll be honest, I have difficulty watching shows about mental illness, but I especially have a hard time watching shows in which mental illness is not addressed. I felt that either the writers really dropped the ball on this, or just grabbed onto something that would further the storyline.The cinematography was beautiful. I loved the different camera angles, looking up, looking down, etc. Costuming was lovely, especially for Seo Ye Ji (think IU in Hotel Del Luna).
Oh Jung Tae as Moon Sang Tae - his portrayal of autism was wonderful, even down to the smallest movements of his fingers. I don't follow Korean award shows, but he deserves an award for his performance.
Kim Soo Hyun as Moon Gang Tae - his performance was very understated and powerful. There were times that I could almost feel his exhaustion with his life. His love for his brother was lovely to watch. As an actor Kim Soo Hyun tends to always play parts where he doesn't have much facial expression, and this time it really worked for him. He was able to convey so much with just his eyes, and when he cries? My breaking heart!
Here's where my problem with the show came in: Seo Ye Ji as Ko Moon Young. They allude to antisocial personality disorder, but I didn't find anything redeeming about her character, and she wasn't able to bring anything to the table to make her likeable. She was displaying classic sociopathic tendencies ("I want that") that were very scary. I get that we are all broken in some way, but I didn't buy that he could love someone that messed up, especially with the all-consuming job of being responsible for his brother. When she got the haircut, I think that's when we were supposed to see a change in her, but by that point I wasn't able to get back from my dislike. What about counseling? What about medication?
The twist with the mom was interesting, but very implausible.
I did like the ending, and I liked how the autistic brother was able to bring so much to the table to build a family with the other two.
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While the drama looks like a cheesy romance at first glance, it is actually not. It's a story about healing, about learning to accept yourself, about learning how to accept others, about how it's okay not to be okay from time to time. I believe the drama had a great impact of the viewers who are struggling with life and needed to be comforted.
The plot itself could have been a lot better. The introduction was strong as well as the first half, then the second half was kind of inconsistent. But well, if it doesn't get overdramatic and way too cheesy, is it even a Korean drama?
The cast was very well-chosen and I must say, Kim Soo Hyun chose the perfect drama for his comeback. I was never a fan of his, but he won me here. He was simply perfect as the selfless Moon Gang Tae. His character went through so much and Soo Hyun portayed his emotions so well, I believed every word of his.
And there's our queen, Seo Ye Ji. Such a versatile actress, she can seriously pull off any role and she always looks stunning. Go Mun Yeong is not an easy character to pull off but she did it flawlessly. I can easily say that this is the best role of hers.
Oh Jung Se though... if this man doesn't win an award for this role--- Like, honestly, his performace was insanely good. A total show-stealer. He has all of my respect.
Overall, if you're looking for a good 2020 drama, then congrats, you just found it. An engaging story, a smartly written script, a couple with great chemistry, brilliant directing and an amazing cast -- what more do you need?
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This review may contain spoilers
A lacking story with a pretty package
**CONTAINS SPOILERS****The GOOD:**
1) Aesthetics: the FLs costume, cinematography and animations are really eye-catching. However, it must be said that the animation style and aesthetics style they went with is very derivative, clearly taking inspiration from the works of Tim Burton (and his team) as well as Tadahiro Uesugi and Neil Gaiman (Coraline). Anyways, bravo for the art direction department.
2) Representation of people in the autism spectrum: although seen in Western movies and series, it seems that in Kdrama-land the depiction of people in the spectrum is overall lacking. Oh Jung Se also does a great job in this role, picking up on the small details without coming off as a caricature.
3) Acting of leads and chemistry between the main couple: Oh Jung Se and Seo Ye Ji showed that they're great actors. Kim Soohyun was good too, but I wouldn't say he was particularly remarkable. However, he and YeJi did a good job building the chemistry between the main couple. Also, on a superficial level, they just look good together, period.
**The BAD:**
**lots of spoilers ahead**
1) ASPD being used as lure without proper development and approach: the drama original title (Psycho, but it's okay) is sensationalist enough -- and one might say even offensive to those who suffer with ASPD -- but it could be given leeway if they were to subvert the stigma carried by people diagnosed with ASPD. However, besides one single mention by a secondary character, the show never expands on the FL alleged diagnosis. Her toxic behaviour in the beginning of the series were even excused by some viewers on the ground that she has a personality disorder. Unfortunately, in the end, we learn that the FL was just a person that had traumas and developed (toxic/unhealthy) coping mechanisms. So basically the show used ASPD as an "exotic" character trait to get viewers interested on the show and then didn't raise any awareness about it. It was a mere plot device.
2) The trope of the toxic male lead but with genders reversed: we all know that many kdramas are guilty of having a jerk ML that constantly mistreats or looks down upon the "doormat" FL only for him to be redeemed and the couple finally get together. Usually, in order to redeem the ML we learn that he actually had a terrible childhood, even though he was rich, his parents were abusive or just absent etc etc. We all know that. What this drama does is the exactly the same thing, except that the toxic part of the couple is initially the FL.
A lot of people considered her rudeness, aggressiveness and manipulative behaviour as "badass" and others excused her because of her supposed ASPD. Well, even if she did have a personality disorder that absolutely doesn't excuse behaviours like sexually harassing the ML, using his disabled brother to lure him to her house, among other gratuitious mean behaviours she had initially.
The whole idea that one should endure boundary-pushing, threats, and manipulation until stockholm syndrome kicks in and they finally heal their stalker who loves and obsesses over them is just an outdated and tired troped that should be dropped by writers at this point.
On a side-ish note, I guess it has also become a trend in kdramas to have a FL with alleged "sociopathic tendencies" as seen recently on Itaewon Class for example. Seems like writers are overcompensating years of male toxicity by writing toxic females, which is not the point of feminism at all. And seeing people lowkey (or highkey) glorifying that behaviour is kinda disappointing too.
3) The trope of the destined connection: aka "we actually knew each other as kids but can't remember that for some alien reason!". Do I need to say anything more about it? I guess it's consensus by now that we're done with such trope. And it was barely needed in this drama too.
4) The trope of the forced cohabitation: again, not only this is tired but it was also connected with the FL toxic behaviour as explained above.
5) The gigantic plot hole: welp, the whole way they dealt with the FL mom was a mess and a half. It was textbook *deus ex machina* plot device. The implausible survival and comeback of the mother serves as a way to bring "resolution" and a happy ending to the characters.
One could disregard this argument and say this series is inspired by fairy tales and it was borderline within the magical realism genre. First of all, I think it's a strech to call it a magical realism work of fiction. But even if it was, every work of fiction regardless of genre should have generic verisimilitude (https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-verisimilitude#what-are-the-types-of-verisimilitude-in-fiction), even fairy tales. No matter how outlandish the premises of the work are, it should carry internal consistency. In the world/universe established in IONTBO the mother plot still doesn't make any sense, nowhere it's hinted that magical plastic surgery exists etc. It's just poor writing, let's admit that.
6) The trope of 'love heals all': people who loved this drama will say the characters improved on their own and weren't really codependent. But weren't they really?
The haircut moment -- usually used as an example of MY independently healing -- is more a symbolic and cathartic moment but it by no means is proper treatment or would accomplish major strides by itself. The show didn't give treatment of mental illness any layers of complexity. Not once she had to sit through therapy sessions, take medication, and her progress was pretty linear when in reality we have ups and downs. Another issue I take with her development is that she barely builds any relationships outside of the one with the brothers.
KT could also have gone through therapy to learn some healthy coping mechanism and how to assume his role as a caretaker in a less burdensome way.
What we saw on the show was that the leads healed as their relationship developed/romantically progressed, it was an intertwined process. The overall message conveyed is that they could ultimately heal because they were each other "safety pins" and that's neither healing on your own nor how it works irl.
So yeah, the show did not approach healing of trauma in a groundbreaking way, they went with the "love heals wounds" path.
**The "what isn't really my cup of tea but isn't objectively a flaw" aka personal side notes one shouldn't take as criticism**
1) The drama is really slow-paced, nothing much happens in its first half and barely on the second. But hey, some people prefer slow-burning stories and character study dramas. So there's that.
2) Having not read much about this show before watching, a friend told me this would focus on mental illness, so I build the expectation of it tackling this social issue in the way Sky Castle did with the Korean school system. But the show actually is just a romcom/melodrama that is set up in a mental institution. The main focus is the romance and not a commentary on the Korean mental health system.
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This review may contain spoilers
Loved parts, but couldn't get past others.
First let me say that I love that this drama shined a light on so many types of mental health issues. The autistic brother was my favorite character and I loved his story line. In fact, I really enjoyed all the story lines in the show. The acting was top notch and the entire drama was visually striking.My main issue was the Female lead character. Let me try to explain...
If you knew of a person who had stolen the money from a bunch of elderly people leaving them destitute with their lives in shambles and that same person later decided not to do that anymore...at least not as much, and even built a Senior center, but never made amends to the elderly they had hurt and in fact didn't even think they had done anything wrong to those elderly, you would find it hard to see that person in a positive light.
That is how the the Female lead character felt to me. In the first part of the drama we see her cruelty to animals, her self centered attitude and lack of empathy. She does two attempted murders and two kidnappings in the first few episodes. Plus the emotional blackmail that she often uses is just horrible. Her temper flairs and she gets violent any time she is contradicted. And this part of her personality never changes. Though we see her soften toward the ML, his brother, and a few others, she easily and quickly reverts to her previous ways as soon as she is challenged. Even when she had the opportunity to make amends for destroying her publisher, she makes him choose whether he will repair his business or not when it wasn't necessary for him to do so. Effectively making him choose to stay destroyed and have to rebuild everything when SHE is the one who caused the destruction. I found her character exceedingly uncomfortable to watch and was always wary that the male lead would get hurt or that she would just turn on him at any given moment.
There is a scene where she talks to her mother and says something to the effect of how she "almost" became like her Mom. I was literally thinking...no...you are exactly like your Mom except you have yet to succeed in killing anyone (not for lack of trying) and though you are unempathetic at times, you are not necessarily evil in your intentions.
I like the two brothers and her together, but at the same time I found it uncomfortable to cheer for because of her character. It felt wrong to want the brothers to get entangled with such a person.
Without her character, the story would not have been the same, but because of that character, I had to rate the drama lower. She was just too uncomfortable to cheer for. If the character has shown remorse (beyond saying sorry for stabbing the ML...twice), or really even seemed to change, I would have felt differently but not as it was.
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Great for those unfamiliar with broader mental health issues; otherwise nothing truly new.
I finished this drama thanks to Seo Ye Ji and Oh Jung Se. If this review possibly happens to make you question watching IONTBO, I would tell you to watch it for these two incredible actors. I've been a fan of Seo Ye Ji since her Moorim School days and her talent has only become more stunning as time has passed. Oh Jung Se is a legend in my books, period. I'd also say that, if you like artistry in storytelling, IONTBO is an interesting watch. There is beautiful incorporation of various art styles weaved throughout the show, and this is one aspect that I truly enjoyed about the show. The writing is alright; certainly better than your average drama, though it still succumbs to obvious fan service (which, to be honest, I can't completely fault the writer for because Seo Ye Ji and Kim Soo Hyun are her leads—she took expert advantage of that, haha).So, onto the not-so-great elements. As an individual with deeply personal experiences with mental health, as well as experiences with the mental health of loved ones, IONTBO ultimately is a slap in the face. It's not entirely the show's fault, truly. KdramaLand and, in general, Korean entertainment as well as entertainment internationally, are all guilty of requiring a beautifying lens on most interpretations and storytelling of the world.
Don't get me wrong, I also enjoy watching beautiful people playing roles in heart-wrenching storylines. But there is just something irreconcileable to me about the concept of beauty and mental health. I do not (at all) mean that beautiful people cannot have mental health issues or that mental health is a completely ugly thing. However, when we talk about de-stigmatizing mental and having diverse voices or representative storytelling—I could not help but think: how many people would be raving about IONTBO and its championing of mental health issues if the leads were not Seo Ye Ji and Kim Soo Hyun? If this was a representation (note: I don't mean copy or true story) of real life, how many people would truly care if this story was told? What would domestic and international reception look like if Kwon Yoon Hwa was cast, rather than Seo Ye Ji?
And so, as the show progressed a certain cliche refused to stop ringing in my head: "Nobody cares unless you're beautiful or dead". While I personally can't say that I believe this to be completely true—sadly, when it comes to most mainstream media, wherever you might be in the world, this saying often holds heavy truth.
As I did not expect Crazy Rich Asians to be the representation of all Asian stories and voices, I do not expect IONTBO to represent all voices, stories, and perspectives for mental health. That being said, if you've been around KdramaLand for a while now, you'll know that this is not the first "groundbreaking" attempt at telling stories about individuals and mental health.
Ultimately, IONTBO will be enjoyed by most, I reckon. So, all I can say is that IONTBO was nothing new for me in KdramaLand, and is certainly not groundbreaking in its explorations of mental health. Instead, it's a painful reminder of the endless habit of beautification in film and TV industries around the world.
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Most people are not ready for this kind of kdrama, but I guess it's time
It is a very unique drama that really needs to be appreciated. It was a big step to produce a full-length drama tackling about different mental health disorders. This drama is very psych-heavy but I guess people need to be aware of these disorders too. They need proper treatment and not judgement. The story is a bit cliche but they really added a unique touch to it. Since this Psych-themed drama shows how their thoughts run in their minds, I love how they portray these thoughts using animation and exaggeration (for differentiation from reality). People with mental health disorders might not be able to distinguish reality from their imaginations, thoughts, or fantasies, but the people around them could. We should show them that we understand them and we care for them (Just like how Gang Tae does it). It's good that they get treatment. I just wish Mun Yeong will also get treated. I know her character will still develop so let's wait for it. However, we must not romanticize her inappropriate actions. She has anti-social personality disorder which makes her unable to distinguish between right and wrong. This must not be tolerated and Gang Tae is doing a great job correcting her. This is still ongoing but it already made us feel different emotions. It's good that people are becoming more aware of different mental health issues and the triggers that can be associated with it. Thank you, It's Okay To Not Be Okay :)Music, animations, acting 100% Seo Yeji's voice? 101%!!
PS. I just hope TVN or Netflix will add trigger warnings. The content can be disturbing to some. Trigger warnings would really help.
UPDATE: IT WILL END SOON AND I DONT KNOW WHAT TO FEEL ?? THE EMOTIONS ARE SO REAL I WANNA HUG THEM :(((
UPDATE: OH JUNG SE FOR BEST ACTOR PLS!!! He really did touch our hearts. I really love his character and how he portrayed it :((( ILY Sang-tae oppa!
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Overrated
Stop writing fluffy reviews about this drama. It's not that good you'll just have backlash because it WON'T LIVE UP TO EXPECTATIONS. I went to watch this after seeing the unusual 9.2 and was highly disappointed with how cliché this is. The fans of this are too ride or die and idek why. Probably because of the cute graphics that resemble Tim Burton style but besides that and the autistic character there's nothing special about this show, it's tropes galore and honestly Kim Soohyun performance in this in kinda dull. Yes he's a good crier but besides that his character is not captivating.Was this review helpful to you?
Surprisingly ADDICTIVE!
I wouldn't say everyone will like this kind of drama, but I LOVE IT.It's not the usual korean drama that comes with a cheerful starting, couple fall in love and followed with the story climax. Some people might not like the "psycho" theme drama because of the dark and depressing content, but I find it pretty addictive of its UNUSUAL setting of characters, story presentation and the chemistry between the main leads! As the female lead is a fairytale story writer, the show uses a "fairytale story telling" method to bring out some principles of life that touches the bottom of your heart, which I find it very special!
You will FALL IN LOVE with the two main leads, because they are not the usual main leads you will find in other dramas. The girl is cold on the outside but warm in the inside whilst the male lead is other way round. They both had some bad memories that shaped their behaviours; they hurt each other, but they protect each other as well :) So I would say their interaction and chemistry are the highlight of the show!!!! Not to mention, the three main leads (including the brother) acting is SUPERB! The brotherhood among the two male leads is very touching too and it will make you cry T^T
For those who are a scaredy-cat, be aware that there are some horror scenes too. Well, it doesn't really have physical ghost in the show (in case you are wondering), but because the main female lead had some dark memories, so she will have bad dreams and having sleep paralysis.
Although there were some parts not being well explained, I think you shouldn't be too serious about it and enjoy the scenes and stories this drama has brought to us. It brings joy, intense, sadness and also heart-warming relationships that makes you smile :) I love all the main and side roles and also their sweet and nice characters, the entire casting was pretty pleasing and I enjoyed watching it a lot!
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This review may contain spoilers
Extremely Strong 1st Half Which Slightly Fizzles Out in its 2nd Half...
This was my first K-drama that I watch while it was currently airing. To be honest, I've never heard of this K-drama before. I was just randomly browsing through Netflix, saw the notification bubble, clicked it out of curiosity and the title "It's Okay To Not Be Okay" piqued my interest. So, I clicked on it, read the synopsis and watched the trailer. It seemed interesting so I gave it a try and BOY, am I glad that I did! The production was stunning! The animated opening was beautiful! The cinematography was interesting and caught my eye for being adventurous. By the middle of the first episode, I was hooked! With her stories, Go Moon Young is like a female Tim Burton, who I was completely in awe of back in the day when I was in high school. She also reminded me of Jo Yi Seo from Itaewon Class with her antisocial behaviour though I do prefer Go Moon Young more. Moon Kang Tae is extremely attractive and the most attractive male lead of a K-drama that I've seen thus far no doubt. The chemistry between Kim Soo Hyun and Seo Ye Ji is electric! The acting is all-around top notch! The story is intriguing and engaging! I loved how this is a drama with a mystery in its background about the unsolved deaths of the two leads' parents and the reason for the mental illness in each family. Without a doubt, the best drama that I am currently watching at the moment! Hopefully, the drama is able to maintain its momentum throughout the rest of its episodes!Upon watching Episodes 3, I continue to be impressed! Everything is just so good! The story. The acting. The production. The visuals. The costumes. Ugh. The back-and-forth banter between the two leads is just perfect! And I love how they can help each other to grow to become more fully themselves. And that last scene at the end where Kwon Gi Do is on stage having his voice heard whilst avoiding his father's campaign workers while Gang-Tae looks on longingly at his freedom and utter joy. STUNNING! To stop being so repressed and to just let go. To be free and have fun. I can only wish...
On a side note, I'm having a hard time trying to put my feelings of this drama into words. Everything is just so good! It's easier for me to criticize than to praise as I can point out plot points or story elements that don't make sense. However, if everything is consistently good from episode to episode, I don't really need to point out anything.
Upon watching Episodes 5 and 6, I felt that Gang-Tae's transition from being nervous and suppressed around Moon Young to being happy and loving seems a bit rushed. Same with Moon Young being cold and calculating to being warm and affectionate to Gang-Tae.
Watching Episodes 7 and 8, I kinda felt like this series is losing steam as it was pedal to the metal in the beginning but was unable to keep that momentum, which is understandably hard to do. The episodes are still entertaining, but I wouldn't say that they're compelling unlike the first few episodes.
Upon watching Episodes 9 and 10, I realized that the horror-fantasy elements that were present in the first few episodes kinda disappeared for some reason and the series became just a standard drama, though still a good one at that.
Episodes 11 and 12 were quite riveting as the mystery surrounding Gang-Tae and Sang-Tae's murder gets revealed and the romance between GT and MY is shown to be ill-fated. I hope that GT is realizes that it is not MY's fault that her mother killed his mother. We can't blame the actions of one's parents on them. And it looks from the preview of the next episodes that he doesn't blame MY. I truly hope that MY's mother will be caught and that MY and GT will have a happy ending... I'm so sad that there is only 2 weeks (4 episodes) left. I'm going to miss waking up late on the weekend and watching this drama right after I eat lunch :'(
Episode 13 was very slow and a bit dull to be honest. Only the last scene was interesting as it was shown that the nurse was the mother, not the patient. What an unexpected twist! I've always thought that the nurse was kinda weird and a bit off. But if I remember correctly, the nurse never interacted with MY. For someone who is willing to kill another to keep her daughter, the fact that she is able to distance herself from her daughter whenever MY visits the hospital doesn't make much sense. Either way, I'm hyped for the next few episodes! We're in the home stretch now...
Episode 14 was also quite slow and dull to be honest. I felt that there was a lot of filler as they drag out the confrontation with the mother. Also, there were a few questionable plot points, such as why GT decided to leave ST unprotected at the house instead of stay with him and MY at the cursed castle where he could protect them both. Also, why wasn't there any police at the cursed castle or any protecting MY, GT or ST? There weren't any police even looking for the mother, which didn't make any sense. And why didn't GT call the police after the mother kidnapped ST? Anyways, there's only two more episodes to go. I'm still interested in seeing how this series ends.
Episode 15 was underwhelming with quite a few plot points that don't make sense. The mother is angry that MY doesn't listen to her because of GT but MY thinks that her mother is dead. So, how can she listen to her mother when her mother is literally hiding underneath a different face? That doesn't make any sense. The mother's reason for killing GT's mother makes no sense either. All GT's mother did was suggest that MY go get help. She didn't try to take her daughter away or try to report to the authorities. There must have been teachers or other adults who saw MY's antisocial behaviour and talked to her mother about getting her help. If MY's mother is triggered that easily, she must have killed several people before which she hasn't. So, it doesn't make any sense. And anyways, I'm pretty sure that MY would be completely fine with GT killing her mother since her mother did kill his mother and she actually wanted to kill her anyways. But no, save the mother so that the mother could kill MY or GT. And anyways, how did MY get there so quickly without a car? The climax where GT and MY truffle with MY's mother was also quite underwhelming. Hopefully, the season finale will be better.
Episode 16, the season finale, was good. It wrapped up all the plot lines in a nice way and showed ST seeking independence from GT, allowing him to live for himself.
All in all, this Kdrama was entertaining. The cinematography and production design were excellent. The characters were well-developed. The acting was all-around good, especially Oh Jung Se who portrayed the autistic ST perfectly! His performance was Oscar-worthy! The story however was lacking. The first half of the series was strong! It was unique, interesting and fascinating. There was a fantasy/horror edge to it. However, the series delved into a standard melodrama in its second half and all that potential was wasted. The drama was good, but nowhere near what it could've been if it leaned into its macabre, fantastical element which would have differentiated it from the other Kdramas out there. Crash Landing on You, the first Kdrama that I watched, still remains as my favorite K-drama so far...
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