It's okay to not be okay is a fucking masterpiece
This is, hands down, one of the best shows (not only amongst kdramas) I've ever seen. The acting was absolutely incredible, the plot was, in my opinion, very well thought out and the show as a whole was extremely heartwarming and moving. It was so refreshing to see this kind of thing in kdrama and I think, that all those mental illnesses and all the struggles the characters went through, were represented in an accurate way and were handled correctly. I have nothing bad to say about it and I urge everyone to watch it too.Was this review helpful to you?
I had high expectations because this is Kim Soo-hyun's long-awaited comeback after his military service, and let me just say the cast, the story, the production have all exceeded my initial expectations by many folds.
Story: It is marketed as a dark, healing drama from the start, but while the characters have a dark history and are working towards overcoming their trauma, the plot is full of lighthearted comedy both in the characters as well as the cinematography. Because the main character is a children's book writer, each episode is also centered around a fairy tale theme (and if none exists in the real world, the drama created a few very interesting fairy tales to fit the storyline too). Thus, the story is filled with references that will make you rethink what fairy tales are and what message they mean to convey. In particular, the fairy tale of the first episode really highlights what this drama is about -- learning to live with your most traumatic memories as a means of growing up. As a story about growth and healing, the character development is phenomenal... the script touches upon multiple concepts of self-identity and values, and the use of them as motifs driving the story progression was A+. While the villain is truly scary and bad and I usually hate villains, I just couldn't stop admiring how much the characters added to the story-telling. Everyone had a purpose -- no matter it was to drive the plot or to make us laugh -- and boy did we laugh, HARD.
Also, this is a masterpiece from the literary point of view -- as I said, the self-identity/values/worldview motifs that keep coming back really drive home what the scriptwriter wants to convey through this drama. Many funny lines / scenes in early episodes also keep on coming back in different shapes or forms, and the way the scriptwriter used them as comedic relief has me down on my knees.
Cast and cinematography: The lead characters AND the supporting characters all added flavor to the story, and everyone suited their role so well. I'm particularly a fan of the publisher duo -- they were so funny! (If you see Park Jin-joo in a drama, you know it's going to be hilarious). It was my first time watching Oh Jung-se (Moon Sang-tae) in a lead role, and his (as well as the child actor's) depiction of someone with ASD is really touching.
As the story is about fairy tales, the production really took a liberal approach in cute animations, outrageous special effects, as well as lens filters to create a "story-within-a-story" feel to the drama. The animated leads are so cute! Honestly, even if you aren't sold by the storyline or comedy (which I think you should XD), I would highly recommend this drama just for the acting and cinematography as well. The artistic value of this is BEST.
Music: Right music at the right spots; really adds to the drama. I would put the OST itself on replay. Enough said.
Rewatch value: Sooo many scenes that could become instant classics to be watched again and again. I look forward to when other kdramas start referencing It's Okay to Not Be Okay. It's going to be as meme-y as Secret Garden was 10 years ago I'M EXCITED.
TL;DR: It's a drama I would recommend you watch by yourself, with your fellow fangirl friends, with your significant other, with your family, with people at work... with everyone. Definitely something you could talk and rave about for the next few months (I know I will)
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NOT YOUR TYPICAL ROMANCE
okay so it was surprisingly addictive...and beware this one here isn't your typical "love story"its the perfect example of ill fated relationship for both the leads but what matters most is how they became each other's support and healed through the whole process!
CAST
it was a beautiful journey from the very start with our badass female lead Seo Ye Ji, tbh it was love at first sight for me XD like she was so damn perfect...this role was literally made for her and i don't think anyone else would have been able to pull of the ICE QUEEN role better than her! her whole vulnerable side when shown would make you tear up and actually make you feel bad for her and makes you understand her so much better..and by the end you wouldn't not fall for her
i think Kim Soo Hyun performed pretty well as our male lead too tho i kinda not liked him that much but that's just because of my personal preference of male leads but yes according to how his character was planned to be and all the background story which made him the way he was, the role was pretty much understandable and perfect the way it was
i tbvh found Moon Sang Tae very very very annoying at first but not in bad sense it was just that i felt it was very very unfair for Gang Tae but by the end of it i loved every single one of them!
Oh Jung se literally made the character of Moon Sang Tae come alive! it all literally seemed so real that one would seriously go through a roller coaster of emotions throughout the series and have mood swings according to how the story was going!
MUSIC
i freaking loved it like it just tied everything together so damn well!
the whole playlist was made to perfection in my opinion and i don't think the drama would have pulled off its whole vibe without the music it had
go ahead and watch this drama if you are tired of watching cliche love stories and want something totally different that would leave with you with thousands of different emotions and major mood swings;)
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This review may contain spoilers
VERY ADDICTING AND TUGS AT YOUR HEART-STRINGS!
This drama might not be for everyone, but for me, It was absolutely amazing, one of my top favorites!It's different from the usual progression in dramas. Instead of going in the normal direction of a happy start, falling in love, the conflict between characters that throw you off guard then a happy ending, this drama portrays a much more dark route. Not everyone will like the more in-depth mentioning of mental illnesses and the dark and depressingness of this drama, but I'd recommend definitely giving it a try! It's really heart-touching (at least to me) and I was addicted to the second episode!
The main characters are absolutely amazing, and you will most definitely fall for them! They have a different feel than other drama main characters and they are portrayed amazingly! The main female (Moonyoung) is cold on the outside with a warm inside and the main male lead (Gangtae) is warm on the outside with a more walled up personality. The third main lead was also amazing might I add, he brought some amazing moments to the show. They all had bad memories that were intertwined and they protected each other throughout the drama. The three main leads were AMAZING, one of my favorite sets of main characters! The brotherhood between the two male leads will make you cry from how touching it is!
This drama brings a lot of emotions and I highly recommend this drama to anyone who is looking for something meaningful, and intriguing to watch! Plus, the ending is super cute and worth the watch!
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Personally, at first, I wasn't that hooked; I was watching this drama every weekend because of the cast. Eventually, in the second half of the drama, it started becoming really interesting. I was more interested in seeing the 'main story' progress rather than seeing the romance and side plots. And that was something I did wrong. I suggest paying close attention to everything in the story because a lot of it is actually connected to one another.
I was initially a bit disappointed because, after much build-up, a few things I found were a bit anti-climactic. I was hungry for conflicts in the story, not knowing that this drama isn't about day to day problems but how you get through them. It's Okay Not to Be Okay is a drama that is unexpectedly heartwarming. This drama is so heartwarming, you can connect with it at a personal level. The story tackles a lot of different life crises in different perspectives and shows how one can cope up with it and overcome all obstacles with the help of people surrounding you.
I don't know about other people's thoughts, but I didn't like the romance elements at first. Everything else seemed more interesting than the romance, but eventually, I thought that the romance was necessary once a few things were revealed.
Now I'll just list down a few things that overwhelmingly stood out in the drama:
The cast: Wow, just wow! Acting in this drama is on point. I don't even have to explain this. I'm sure at least one of them will win a best acting award at the end-of-the-year film awards.
Life lessons: watching all episodes you'll realize that you can learn a lot from this drama. One thing that was mentioned in the drama that really hit me was "The law of the total number of misfortunes. I heard we all have a set amount of happiness and misfortunes assigned to us. If their lives have been filled with misfortunes up till now, it means only happiness awaits them.".
Seo Ye Ji's Visuals: Okay, so I just wanted to put it out there. Seo Ye Ji is just out of this world beautiful. ( 8/10/2020) I now consider Seo Ye Ji's character, Ko Mun Yeong, the prettiest among all other female leads I've watched.
Sorry about the worthless review. I was just not attentive enough when I started watching this. But all in all, this is a really good drama.
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One of the best dramas I've watched so far!
When I started watching "It's Okay not to be Okay" I didn't think I would get so obssessed over it like I did. I remember thinking that I would "just watch two episodes" and ended up finishing all the episodes that were available that same day. It was a real journey to see the development of each character and it was joyfull to see them grow so much.I experienced so many feelings during these 16 episodes: I laughed, I cried, I got frustrated, scared, and at the end of each and every episode I was craving for more.
It brings up many things that I have never seen before on dramas. It brings up very realistic problems and it teaches us that it's okay to have some trouble during life, it's okay to not know how to deal with that problem right away, but also that we must not pretend it is not hurting us when it actually is.
I grew very fond of all the characters and it just made me happy to see them coming out of their shells, it made me happy to see them overcome their struggles, it made me happy to see them happy. I will definitly miss waiting for next episodes to come, and I will definitely recommend this drama to anyone who asks me.
And I must say: Oh Jung-se's acting was flawless, I became a fan after this.
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What a breath of fresh air!
Watched a bunch of korean shows and most of them have typical romance with a plot that can easily be guessed.Then comes this show, at first you think its going to be another typical romance story but then you soon realize its not. With cast of characters that almost all have their story told including supporting role characters, to topics that are tought provoking, to music that is perfectly matched and used, to the art that is so properly used to tell the stroy and give it depth, this show hits all the high notes.
Without runing too much, this show deals with mental health issues but it does it with a great balance, it makes you laugh, it makes you cry, you got shocking moments and moments that you will love. It also has the one of the best final episodes I have seen in a tv show let alone Korean dramas. Every single character I was rooting for, every single character I loved.
If you have not watched it, what are you waiting for? 😄
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best korean drama of 2020, period.
"To make the people around me happy, I have to be happy first.’ So being selfish isn’t necessarily a bad thing. If it’s too hard, just think about your own happiness.”Finally after so long I found another kdrama that stole my breath the second I started watching it. This hasn't happened since my fave kdrama came out (It's Okay That's Love) but the long wait was completely worth it.
The story in this drama is really well-thought, I can't complain about anything. I might be a bit biased but I don't care, I tend to rate things out of enjoyment and how it makes me feel and this gets a 10/10. For me it's 100% worth it from beginning to end, you can see the development of the characters throughout the series and even if I expected some of the plot twists, I still loved how the story developed. The concept of 'healing' kinda made me think about myself and could relate to most of what some characters where going through so in a way it was a healing show to me that gave me happiness whenever I watched it. As Sang-tae tries to remind his young brother; you belong to yourself and only yourself. I belong to myself. You can carry traumas for the longest and it's okay to be sad and to get hurt but you need to let go, being stuck on the past will never give you happiness. Everything depends on you. Such a beautiful lesson I got from watching this. Also, the relationship between the main trio felt so wholesome, they made me cry, laugh and get angry with them. An amount of feelings that gave me a rollercoaster ride every time. I'll always remember them.
Such a good comeback to the drama world from Kim Soo Hyun. I missed him in dramas more than I thought. Amazing acting from him and the rest of the cast. All of them deserve an award, especially, Oh Jung Se... his talent is beyond this world! Being able to interpret an autistic person in such a respectful way, kudos to him. I felt the brother's story and relationship close to home since I've grown up with an autistic family member and I know how hard it can be. Brilliant acting, just mesmerising.
And can't end this without mentioning the amazing OST. I already made a playlist that I keep on replaying and replaying all the time *chef's kiss*.
Congrats to the cast, director and screenwriter for such an amazing work, thank you for such a heartwarming experience.
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I Am Not Okay That This Ended!!!
So this is one of the best Korean dramas I've ever seen. No joke. It's everything I could've ever wanted in a drama like this, in that niche of romance being mixed with other important topics. Mental health is now something to be discussed over in Korea, finally and its so wonderful! So to see an entire show dedicated to mental health discussions in various forms. Treating it with dignity and compassion, seeing these characters all heal their emotional wounds. It's very touching and heartbreaking as well as pretty thorough! We go from a son from a wealthy political candidate whom just wants to be seen, to a woman whose assumed a childlike state to cope with her past parents abuse, to an elderly man coping with severe ptsd from the war. Holy crap it was all such an amazing set of experiences to watch and see the growth of all these characters. They weren't even our main characters but it all still felt so fleshed out!I want to touch upon the overall visuals of this series before going into the main characters/storyline. To put it upfront, they were spectacular. The animation style with the dark aesthetic, the intro sequence with the stop-motion and beautiful music. As well as Moon-Young's books style. It's all very Tim Burton esque and its soooooooo good man. Like its my favorite thing ever! There's also some use of black and white film footage that had me shook to the core as a film student!
So now we will move on to the characters. Moon-Young is my queen for real. The crushing is HARD lol. She's gorgeous, fierce with her literal throne, fashion sense and black nails. Even though I loved her, I wasn't sure if her character would be able to garner sympathy necessarily. Since she is so cold at the beginning and for a good chunk of the show. All of it makes total sense though as the story progresses and its not her fault at all. She's developed this anti-social personality to clearly cope with past trauma from her parents, whom are literal evil people. You're going to embody being a "witch" if its what people called you, including your own father! Once you understand that her character sometimes does these outlandish cruel seeming things to push people to be better in her own way, it all comes together. She's not just a piece of artwork to be groomed or long hair to be pulled! An interesting thing Moon-Young said during the series was that she hated flowers that fell apart petal by petal, she prefers ones like magnolias that fall all at once. Something interesting to think about looking back at her character development.
Now we're moving onto the brothers. Gang-Tae is also very beautiful, my bisexual a** was struggling during this series! He's kind-hearted and you feel deeply for his character from the start. He's flawed, but I thanked god for that because I didn't want a perfect character! Everyone needed to grow during this series. His brother Sang-Tae was an amazing representation of autism spectrum disorder. Their relationship as brothers was my favorite to watch throughout the show, not even the romance! It was so wholesome and I couldn't take it! When Sang hugs his brother and comforts him, that was beautiful and so hard to do with autism. He assumed his older brother role and it was just TEARS. Children do not have to be "useful" to their parents, they are their own person to love.
So like I said, I loved the individual patient storylines interlaced into the main story. Those were great. The main plot of the mystery surrounding our main characters pasts was fascinating too and didn't disappoint! Was it overly dramatic sometimes? Sure, but it was hella entertaining! I thought each main characters past was really well done and the mystery surrounding Moon-Young's mother was really solid too. Even the romance was pretty good! I liked seeing the love blossom from something she thought was necessary to something that was necessary for both of them to heal. The only storylines that I didn't care for was the side-couple nonsense. There was already so much good packed in that we didn't need that at all. Ju-Ri could've just been single and found her own happiness without a man. By the end though every character had developed so much and grown, ending with each of them finding their own individual happiness. It's such a good pay off and I swear I teared up every single episode. WATCH THIS SHOW! I wish I could relive it again!
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Pin Point
This was on my PTWL list for a LOT longer than it should've been. I started watching it when it had already finished and put it on the back burner for my current shows, which I now completely regret! This show was INCREDIBLE! Everything from fashionable wardrobes to tear jerking acting was amazing. It wasn't cliché or slow paced at all. There was one part I saw coming a mile away but it still had my mind blown to pieces. Moon Young is the definition of a cold and antisocial beauty, Gang Tae is everyone's cowardly hubby and Sang Tae had (honestly) the best autism actor of all time. All 3 rolled together made this master piece and I hope everyone who watches this knows... It's Okay To Not Be Okay.P.S. When I first saw the cover I thought it was Mark Lee from NCT... so that was my main reason for wanting to watch it(other than the much deserved positive ratings) never judge a book by it's cover LMAO
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This review may contain spoilers
BEAUTIFUL. VERY VERY VERY BEAUTIFUL.
⚠️ SUPER LONG REVIEW AHEAD ⚠️This drama got so much hype when it aired. There were so many spoilers, so many reviews, so many screenshots circulating around the social media. And I was planning to watch as soon as the last episode aired. However, the plot twist was spoiled to me since there were no spoiler warning on Instagram like here on MDL. My plan to watch got delayed and more delayed since I thought there was no point in watching when I knew the ending already.
But, after months and months after this drama ended, I knew I needed to watch this drama somehow. I was super happy when the news that Seo Ye Ji and Kim Soo Hyun playing in a drama together came out, so I really needed to watch this drama. So... I watched it. And GOSH... it was BEAUTIFUL. It was beyond my expectations. I forgot the fact someone spoiled me the ending, because the plot twist didn’t really matter anymore. The story of Moon Young, Gang Tae, Sang Tae and all the protagonists were all that matters. It was beyond beautiful, it was spectacular, touching, healing, and was perfect. I don’t think I could move on from this drama so easily now. It’s been quite a while since I last saw this kind of romance drama - I think my last favorite was Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo. It’s something quite rare to see dramas with leads that have awesome chemistry like this, like they were meant for each other. Seo Ye Ji and Kim Soo Hyun did that. They were perfect for each other.
The story. Whew, where do I begin? I was super intrigued after finishing Episode 1. It doesn’t normally happen to someone like me. I usually get quite bored on the first four to five episodes, but IOTNBO managed to break my stereotype upon the first half of dramas. I had to admit that I hated Ko Moon Young’s character at the beginning. She was annoying, self-centered and super loud. But I realized that it was the whole point of the title - Psycho, but it’s okay. As I watched the next episodes, I began to understand her. She grew up without love, and her doors to the outside world were shut closed by her mother. Next, onto Gang Tae. He devoted all his life to his autistic brother Sang Tae. He’s never happy, but always tell other he’s fine. But, when he met the psychotic Moon Young, his life changed. He began to feel real happiness, but he’s now stuck in a dilemma between his brother and the now called “destiny”, Moon Young. Every fairy tale book managed to wow me every time, it has the perfect portrayal of each episode. Very inspiring and entertaining.
Each and every character here is super lovable. Even the side characters are all so lovable. Despite being completely normal, I could somehow understand every patient in the psychiatric hospital. Odd, huh? The screenwriter managed to portray every characters beautifully. Their lines were so inspiring, and every scene was just very very memorable. Some dramas would just add in ‘Healing’ as a tag and would fail in healing the viewers, but this drama really healed me. Doctor Oh Ji Wang, Sang Tae, Lee Sang In, Jae Su, Kwon Gi Do, Kang Sun Deok, Nam Ju Ri, Kang Eun Ja, Gan Pil Ong. These are the underrated side characters. I honestly forgot some of their names, but they left me in such a memorable impression. Their scenes were short, but memorable. Weird, but inspiring. Perfect.
What I really love about all the scenes in this drama is the balance. After heartfelt and tear jerking scenes came up, they brought Jae Su, Lee Sang In, Lee Seung Jin into the scene, making the viewers smile and laugh after tearing up. Their comedic side didn’t seem forced, it was natural and was really funny. Eventhough the main genre of this drama isn’t pure comedy, I didn’t expect myself to laugh this hard watching this drama.
The acting. Seo Ye Ji did a really really great job portraying Moon Young. Can the viewers even guess that she’s actually an introvert? She’s deeply immersed the role of Moon Young and as a viewer, I’m impressed. Super impressed. Kim Soo Hyun did a good job as always. I loved him since My Love From The Star, and as always, I’m in love after watching his drama. He’s so dreamy. Oh Jung Se, just WOWED me with his acting. It’s not easy to portray an adult with autism. But he aced the role. He made me cry a bucket of tears and just overall feel inspired. The life lessons I get were so many, I had to replay several scenes just to get a screenshot of the lines. :-P
The music. New, but fits well with the drama. It got the horror vibe, but some also sounds dreamy when it got to Moon Young and Sang Tae’s scenes. Super duper perfect!
Overall, I could give more than 10 out of 10. I would happily give 100 out of 10 because it was that good! If you’re looking for a romcom, with a hint of mystery and loads of life lessons, THIS IS DEFINITELY FOR YOU. Kudos to all the screenwriter, directors, staffs, actors and actresses!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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