It's Okay to Not Be Okay (2020)

best kdrama this year

honestly when this drama first started airing and i read the description, i thought i wasn’t gonna like it. oh how wrong i was. from the very first few seconds i was drawn in, which doesn’t happen very often. everything about it is just so intriguing: the opening, the osts, the cinematography, the acting and so on. i’m not sure i can find the right words to explain this drama to be honest.

the characters aren’t perfect and are flawed. munyoung is snappy and loud, and says whatever she wants without caring about others. she feels like a second lead bitch sometimes. gangtae can be a hypocrite - telling others to not act impulsively but doing it himself. sangtae has his selfish and immature moments. however, it is because of these imperfections that make them so realistic and relatable. they aren’t perfect people just because they’re main leads. at times you dislike them, and you wonder why they do certain things. but i think that’s the beauty of it. we aren’t supposed to love them at all times. just like in reality, we can’t approve of everything someone does. we aren’t supposed to instantly like the characters, or like every single thing they do.

a few of the relationships in this drama can be seen as toxic. munyoung forces her way into gangtae’s life and wants him no matter what. the two brothers, gangtae and sangtae are both toxic to each other. sangtae is selfish and tends to only do things that he wants, and gangtae wishes he didn’t have to look after his brother his whole life.

the character development is one of the best i’ve seen, especially munyoung. throughout the drama you can progressively see her development. from her fashion sense to her expressions. in the beginning, she overdresses, which is a sort of defence mechanism for her to feel secure. throughout the drama she starts to wear more “standard” clothes, however they’re still very ko munyoung. she starts to smile more and generally looks happier. she doesn’t act on impulse as much, and doesn’t get as frustrated. thanks to both gangtae and sangtae, she learns to deal with her emotions better. she didn’t change into a completely new person, that would’ve been unrealistic. we get to see her gradual development. she’s still ko munyeong, just a better version

gangtae also became a lot happier. he learnt to accept his brother more and that it’s okay to be someone people lean on and need. instead of suppressing his emotions, he fought with his brother and let his feelings out, which is something he would never have done before. thanks to munyoung, he realised it’s okay to want to have fun and not be succumbed to taking care of his brother all the time. sangtae became more mature and started acting like an actual older brother to gangtae. he started being someone gangtae could lean on, instead of it always being the other way round. he stopped feeding into his selfish needs and became an older brother to both gangtae and munyeong. seeing them become a little family is one of the best things about the drama. the development of juri and sangin was also nice to see.

i also loved the development of juri and munyeong’s relationship.

another thing i love about this drama is how all the relationships seem to connect. most characters have some sort of relationship with another character. they all care about each other and are there for one another. it’s nice to see

jaesu is also an amazing friend to gangtae, and so is sangin to munyoung. both of them have stayed by GT and MY’s side for years.

the acting is superb. they are all superb actors and deserve all the awards. when they cry you cry, when they smile you smile. the casting to me is perfect.

the osts are beautiful and really set the atmosphere. even the transitions. the music is just so great and perfect for each scene.

the cinematography is amazing. you could probably screenshot any scene and it’d be beautiful.

this is a pretty rare drama imo. there are plenty of reasons why you should watch it. for me, it’s the best drama this year and one of the best ever. just watch it

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Boring for the most part

I honestly think this drama is overhyped. Like yeah the premise is really clever and refreshing but what more is there to it? The storytelling is really boring, the characters are unique but not interesting and the overall, nothing about 3/4 of the drama is gripping. I only started to enjoy it from episode 14 onwards but even then, I wouldn't say that I loved it. Yes, I love some aspects of it like the synergy between Ko Munyeong and the brothers and I was really impressed by the acting of most characters but overall, it was boring. It took me half a year to finish it. I would recommend it to someone that wants a refreshing premise and storyline but not because it's particularly interesting or gripping in any way. Lastly, the whole thing about her mother coming back to life with a different face? I mean, come on we're not 5.

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If I could rate this drama more than 10, I’d do that.

As a fan of Kim Soo Hyun, I waited eagerly for months for his great comeback. At the same time, I was also anxious because so many of his contemporaries have had rather underwhelming returns and was afraid to be disappointed once again. However, I’m happy to say the drama not only lived up to my expectations but exceeded it.

The story was unique, twisted and complex. There were many arcs within the drama, some brought tears to my eyes and others incredibly heartwarming, with the occasional comic scene thrown into the mix. Character development of the 3 leads was excellent. One aspect of note is the portrayal of a character with special needs and the burden it puts on family members. So often characters such as Sang-Tae are either treated as a child/ someone to be pitied/ some kind of prodigy. As if their stories are not worth telling if they’re perfectly ordinary. I love how they showed his struggles and irrational fears while also focusing on his desire to be a good older brother and ambition to be an illustrator. Likewise, it was interesting to see the impact it had on Gang-tae in his childhood and how his character grew over the course of the series. Moon Young was the final piece of the puzzle. I loved the brotherhood/ friendship between the 3 main characters. They really did feel like a family.

Acting was very good all around. But particularly of Kim Soo Hyun and Seo Ye Ji. Also their chemistry was palpable. I loved each and every interaction of theirs, be it romantic or otherwise.

The music was fun and enjoyable and fit well with the mood.

Rewatch value is low. But only because I don’t think I would feel the same level of excitement and anticipation watching this the second time round.

This drama kept me engrossed and eagerly waiting for the next episode to air. I enjoyed it thoroughly. This is easily one of the best dramas I’ve watched all year.

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It was a beautiful journey

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.

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.

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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It was good until the last couple episodes :///

I’m not gonna lie, it kind of breaks my heart to give this drama 9 stars instead of 10 stars, but I honestly think it was a TAD bit overrated. I do admit that in the very first episode of this drama, I was HOOKED by the female lead and especially the autistic brother of the male lead. I hadn’t seen those types of characters in Korean dramas before, and I was loving every minute of the drama. I think the characters were beautifully developed in this drama, and it is definitely a huge plus. I have to say that the author and the director both are artistic geniuses who managed to put together the most compelling storyline, beautiful soundtrack, and relatable characters. I was this close to declaring this drama as my #1 favorite drama ever… until we got to the last few episodes. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am a huge fan of violence (in a non weird way, lol. I’m a big fan of shows like the walking dead and the horror movie genre in general), but I cannot for the life of me watch a romance with violent themes without hating every minute of it. Let me say this once and hopefully never again: Romance and violence do not and should not mix. So you will now understand my incredible frustration when the drama I had grown to adore decided to out of nowhere drop a story arc with a psychotic murderous mother who showed up out of nowhere and started drugging everyone up. It took me a lot of self coaxing to get myself to finish the drama, but I was incredibly frustrated (for extremely personal reasons, I do admit) with the drama at that point. In my defense, the arc where the mother decided to set up this whole conspiracy to teach Ko Moon Yeong a lesson or whatever was incredibly unrealistic and very out of nowhere. Despite the terrible couple episodes, I have to say that the drama was beautifully concluded and got me to shed some tears at the end. The last few episodes did seem to lose their sense of direction a little bit, but they wrapped it up nicely. I hadn’t yet said anything about the soundtrack, which was freaking awesome, by the way. Some of the songs that were played in the drama fit the mood perfectly. I could use some sadder, more emotional tracks, though. I’d overall recommend this, since the beautiful storytelling and character development more than made up for everything else.

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My bias is Kim Soo Hyun since dream high, I like his acting here, especially when he cries, like he didn't care what happened to his face, he just sad and wanna cry. He looks genuine and innocent in this drama.

Seo Ye Ji, she is so pretty and fashionable, a bit crazy but she has a gentle heart in this drama. I love her, since Lawless Lawyer.

KSH & SYJ have a great chemistry as a couple. Beside those 2, KSH big brother who has autism really did important role in this drama. he did a great acting, and makes me forget that he's just acting. wonderful!

The story has plot twist in last episodes, and it shook me, I felt the thrill.

Message of this drama is really good, it taught us to be more consider about mental health.

What disappoints me was the ending, I feel it's too rushed and not all the mystery answered at the end.

But overall, This is one of my fav drama <3

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Best Kdrama I've Ever Watched

This is one of the most touching and additives dramas I have ever seen!!! IT IS A MUST WATCH!!!

Story:
Although it may be somewhat slow-paced, the story is original and amazing, it had the perfect balance of drama, romance, and comedy. It also had an inspiring message which everyone should hear.

Acting:
The actors were all superb and were the perfect fit for the roles as well as each other. You can really tell the actors poured their hearts into perfectly-becoming their characters and making sure the story was perfectly represented.

Music:
the music complemented the story and specific scenes really well, they even threw in a few popular k-pop songs in the background too.

Rewatch Value:
This is definitely a story you can rewatch, even if you already know everything that happened, you will still be able to enjoy this kdrama a lot. I already plan on watching this again very soon to make sure it is always fresh in my memory.

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When I first watched the first episode of this drama I was wow!!! From the intro up to the last second of the first episode it was so amazing!!! In fact when I finished watching the first episode I immediately looked for the next one lol. It was only then that I found out it was shown on Netflix, I was really happy because that means rather than waiting for almost 1 day for the subbed version, I can watch it an hour after its airing in SoKor.

What captivated me most when I watched this one was the character of Seo Ye Ji, Ko Mun Young. For some reason, I find her character very relatable. I really really love love love her acting here. She really brought the character to life. From her fashion sense to her dark humor, everything was perfect. And of course, don't get me started with her chemistry with Kim Soo Hyun. Wow just wow!!! They both really outdone themselves here.

But to tell you honestly, in terms of acting skills I was really taken aback by Oh Jung Se who plays Moon Sang Tae. I first watched him in the drama When the Camellia Blooms in which he won an award for his acting, but his acting skills here in IOTNBO is really on another level. He played the character of Sang Tae well, from the way he talks to the mannerism, it really seems legit. I'd even go as far as saying he deserves a Daesang Award for his acting here.

I love watching dark, mysterious and dramas that tackle psychological issues, that's why I think I was also drawn into this drama. Aside from learning things about the different psychological issues, it's really nice that we also learn how do they heal from their wounds. It's really satisfying to see the characters grow as a person which was something I loved in this drama. Not only the leads, but even the supporting characters grew from their old selves (Well except from MY's mom). They went out of their comfort zones and lived a better life. This drama is really one of the dramas that has a satisfying ending. I'll truly miss this one.

The only thing I didn't really understand from this drama is how the hell did KMY's mom survived what happened to her. She freaking bled a lot and was thrown at the bottom of a lake. How the heck do you live from that? I guess we will never know the answer to that lol.

Anyways, wishing everyone the best. I appreciate the effort of everyone involved in making this drama. Despite the fears of COVID19 you didn't backed down and gave everyone something good to look forward to in these trying times so kudos to you all!!!!

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A good drama with a compelling story and beautiful visuals.

"It's Okay Not To Be Okay" was a beautiful surprise that appeared on my Netflix recommended. When I went to watch it, I didn't know much about the plot, I just knew that had Kim Soo-Hyun and Seo Yea-Ji as the main leads and that it had mental illness and fairytales in the mix. But as you can tell by my rating, I was pleasantly surprise by this spooky fairytale.

This drama is a blend of romance, drama, comedy and a bit of mystery and is very character driven, so if you come here to watch a lighthearted romcom, you are definitely in the wrong place, as this drama dives in on character development and is all about their healing and growth.

We follow Moon Gang-Tae, who is Healthcare Assistant who works with psychiatric patients and as to move around a lot because of is older brother Moon Sang-Tae, who has autism. He ends up meeting children's book writer Ko Moon-Young, who, because of her traumatic childhood, grew to have a very toxic behavior. And between all the bickering and cute moments, they end up falling in love. There's a whole mystery sub-plot in this drama, that honestly it was quite disappointing and it didn't had much to the story, honestly it felt like it was only added to create more unnecessary drama. Sparkled in between like chocolate chips, there was the stories of some of the patients of the psychiatric facility, where we learn more about their mental illnesses and their journey to overcome them.

I honestly never felt more relatable to a character in my life, I don´t know if it was because we have the same job, or because, like him, I learned how to conceal my feeling, principly while I'm working but also outside work, were I always feel the need to take care of other, so in a way I understood Gang-Tae a little bit. Moon-Young, although a love her, I need to admit that her behavior in the beginning of the drama was quite toxic and shouldn't be glorified, but I love that throughout the drama, she started to change for the better with the help of the two brothers. And obviously I had to talk about that character, that for me stole the show, and that was Sang-Tae, I'm not one to cry, but in some of Sang-Tae's scenes i just couldn't stop myself from bawling my eyes out, and I can't say this enough but Oh Jung-Se was brilliant on his portrayal of Sang-Tae.

I think the best part about this drama is the visuals, I've never seen such a beautifully shot drama, the whole concept was so well done, I loved the spooky fairytale concept and the animations sprinkled across the episodes. I just can't stress this enough, this drama is gorgeous to look at, complemented by the beautiful OST, (honestly I've already added most of them to my playlist). I loved that they composed original instrumental music to fill the ambient, besides the typical OST. Also I need to make a special mention of this drama's intro, i never skipped it once, and beside the visuals and the music, i really liked that depending on the episodes mood (happy or sad) the saturation of the images would change: more colorful for happy episodes, less colorful for sad ones. I don't know if I was the only one who noticed that, but nonetheless was a very cool small detail.

Will I watch this drama again? Probably, I really liked the overall drama and the concept, and I see myself watching it again in the future. If i recommend it? Yes, if you looking for a character driven drama with a different concept.
Thank you Netflix for putting this gorgeous drama on my way!

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A new benchmark for KDramaland

From the moment the intro begins you know what to expect from this show - an unusual fairytale that's quirky, sophisticated, stylised, dark and melancholic. Leave if it isn't for you, but if you stay YOU ARE IN FOR A DELIGHTFUL TREAT!

Casting the three main actors - Seo Ye Ji, Kim Soo Hyun and Oh Jung Se - had to be the best thing to happen to this drama. Ko Moon Young and Moon Sang Tae could have easily become caricatures, but the restrain each actor showed was commendable.

Kudos to the director and writer for never once using the mental patients for comic relief. Everyone had a solid story but their healing process never stole focus from the main characters. On the contrary, they added to the very satisfying finale episode, which is perhaps the best in any TV show ever. The editing, OST, illustrations and, most of all, WRITING was top notch!

This hungry caterpillar chomped it's way through every corner of my heart, wrapped itself in a warm cocoon of giggles & tears, and emerged as the most glorious butterfly, whose dazzling colours are sure to stun all!

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Best drama of 2020. MUST WATCH!
They justified the title Beautifully. Loved the plot. They took Mental Health as the Topic, which was great. Story was Amazing and one of a Kind. Each and every episode was well described and you'll learn many things for sure.
Everyone's acting was SUPERB. Their characters too.
Kim Soo Hyun really did well.Seo Ye Ji, She was amazing, her acting was admirable. Their Love Story was Pure and Lovely. Loved it.
Oh Jung Se was bestest in this drama. Hats off to his skills. How their characters changed in the end was So good.
After a long time... A drama with lot of beautiful OSTs. All are mesmerizing.
GO..watch it now! And yess...Be nice to those who're not Okay. ❤️?

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