I'm writing this review after re-watching it probably more than 5 times! Yes, it's That good.
Story:
Jang Jae-yeol (Jo In-sung), a famous author of mystery novels, and Ji Hae-soo (Gong Hyo-jin), a psychiatrist, meet one another and end up living in the same house. Jae-yeol becomes Hae-soo's third roommate, with Dong-min and Soo-kwang already having lived there. Dong-min is a psychiatrist, senior to Hae-soo, that has his own office set up in their home. Soo-kwang has Tourette's syndrome, and enjoys trying his luck at meeting women, asking Jae-yeol for advice often. The four of them support and care for one another, creating such feel-good moments.
Jae-yeol has a troubling history with his older brother, and he is disturbed by his past. Jae-yeol's history begins to unravel and Hae-soo, who has a sex phobia, begins to fall in love with Jae-yeol. The two truly heal one another's wounds in a beautiful way. It was nice to see that the characters were not perfect, but were able to grow together.
The drama is open about mental illness, sex, and the like. There is a transparency that is not often found in other kdramas. For example, during one scene, the characters discussed the importance of consent. I really loved this aspect about it.
Acting/Cast:
10/10.
Jo In-sung plays Jang Jae-yeol perfectly, and made me fall in love with his character. His emotional delivery during scenes that called for it was convincing. The way he portrayed despair, brokenness, as well as playfulness, and humanness, was spot on. Jo In-sung's character is just so Swoon worthy.
Gong Hyo-jin delivered Hae-soo's guarded but loving personality so well. She made you feel the anxiety that Hae-soo was facing and want to see her overcome it. I can't really picture another actress as Hae-soo.
Music:
Replay worthy! So many great and memorable songs on this OST.
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Let’s weigh It’s Okay It’s Love on a beam balance and see if it is worth watching or is better missed.
Good Weights
Good Story – IOIL is a medical drama with an interesting storyline for every character on the show. The show deals with several medical cases and each case has been dealt with maturely without compromising on the entertainment value. You may not belong to the medical field but the psychiatrists in the show explain each case in a simple manner for a layman to understand. Despite dealing with a serious topic, the show still makes space for comedy and romance without straying away from the central theme.
Amazing Soundtrack – Apart from the beautifully woven storylines, the original soundtrack of the show is what stands out. All the songs in the show are just incredible. It sets the mood for a scene especially for the non-Korean audience who may initially struggle slightly to understand the nature of a scene.
Sleepless Night by Crush (feat. Punch) is my favourite and I listen to it in a loop. Its lyrics are extremely romantic and totally suits the protagonist’s love story.
Good Acting – What’s beautiful about this show is that every character has a part to play and has a story of its own. It shows how each character deals with its own personal issues and how they manage to tackle them and go on in life. Supporting actors of the show have done an amazing job. Each of them has acted their part to perfection.
Main Lead’s Chemistry – Jang Jae Yeol and Ji Hae Soo’s chemistry is intense and enchanting. Their love-hate relationship is so engaging that you wait for them to come together on screen. Jo In Sung (Jang Jae Yeol) is not only handsome but also a good actor. He looks so vulnerable in certain scenes that you almost feel like protecting him. After a few episodes he just doesn’t look like the Casanova he was thought of being initially. He manages to shed the playboy image and comfortably fit in the role of a romantic hero.
Gong Hyo Jin (Ji Hae Soo) is exceptionally good as the independent and highly opinionated psychiatrist. At times, you might feel annoyed with the way Hae Soo deliberately pushes Jang Jae Yeol away from herself but that is what is required for the character. Hae Soo is a difficult woman because she deals with some insecurities and guilt which is why she uses her arrogance to shield herself.
Bad Weights(I found it extremely difficult to spot any flaws in the show. So the bad weights for this show are not exactly its shortcomings but a few things that bothered me slightly.)
Easy Treatments – Some of the ailments have been shown to be treated easily. An illness like schizophrenia is difficult to treat and may take years to control. But in the show, a patient is shown to contain it very easily and in a rather short period of time. I am not from a medical background but from what I have read I know that it definitely requires more time and efforts to treat it. However, since the show is only 16 hours long I cannot blame the makers for speeding up the treatment process as the audience is not really interested in seeing the detailed procedure of the treatment.
Cheesy Title – I must say that the show’s title is totally misleading. With such a strong content it should have been named differently to avoid the audience taking it to be a just a regular romantic series.
The show beam balance has way too many good weights than bad weights which clearly indicate that the show is a MUST MUST WATCH. I cannot elaborate enough why the show deserves the accolades it has been receiving online by several K-drama fans. All I can say is that had it not been for this show I wouldn’t have tried Korean dramas at all. It’s Okay It’s Love is totally worth the 16 hours of your life.
Originally posted on www.alphagirl.in
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I'm glad I decided to give this a chance anyway, because it is really amazing.
This is the third drama I've seen where Gong Hyo Jin was the female lead, and I was really surprised. The other two dramas I've seen her in were Pasta and The Greatest Love. Her characters in those were so different than in this one and it was nice to see. She is really a great actress, and I feel she really brought her A game here as well.
The male lead was played by Jo In Sung, this is the first time for me to see him act and at first I wasn't a huge fan, but slowly came around as the drama progressed. He did a pretty great job.
The story and characters are really well done, and this might be one of the only dramas I've seen where everyone kind of felt like real people. People with faults and strengths that seems more real than usual. I really like how this drama's pacing had the viewer realize what was going on first, then the other characters, and then finally the main person. It really kept you in anticipation since you found out what was going on first through clues. Then the focus of the drama isn't just a love story anymore, it's watching these characters slowly realize what you found out. Then it's watching these characters deal with it in their own personal ways.
This one right here is definitely going to be a classic down the road. Where people with look back fondly at this and say how great it was.
This drama was amazing and I highly recommend this drama.
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Story is not as simple as you think. Though few early episodes already gave hints of what to expect next, it would still surprise you.
Acting was good. I fell in love with Jo In Sung because of this drama. Leads have good chemistry. Support cast did a great job as well. Music was okay. But nothing memorable for me.
I’ve already rewatched this drama. It still made me cry. I enjoyed this drama a lot. I was surprised of how good it was.
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This review may contain spoilers
This was such a rollercoaster of a drama, with many ups and downs, offering an awesome thrill all the way. This series was in my "must-watch" list after much praising and positive feedback on it everywhere. I loved it, even though it had its flaws here and there. Now let's focus on the positive aspects. First, I loved the strong female lead. Not only her as a character, but how beautiful she is as well. Second, the story was very unique and nothing like I've ever seen before. Third, I enjoyed how quickly the chemistry and romance blossomed between the main leads. As lastly, and something that I look for in every drama, the OST was magically beautiful. No wonder it scored so high with the fans around the world! Now, the only thing that ruined this drama for me was how draggy everything became after the schizophrenia diagnosis. It went downhill after that for me. The female lead became weak, the male lead followed in her footsteps. Even though the illness was quite unexpected and a plot-twist for me, in addition, the brother committing a crime was a big plot hole too. If I took anything from this drama, is to look at mental illness from a different perspective. But I don't get why the drama is so hyped up, there are definitely drama that are more fascinating and gripping than this one. Was this review helpful to you?
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What a wonderful ride this has been one of the best dramas dealing with mental health in my opinion also giving this is kind of an older drama I think it was way before its time its very well made also my very first jo in sung drama and let me tell you I fell hard for him and everything that sung dong il is in is bound to be good the ost was more than amazing and complemented the story pretty well now lets get on to the negatives shall we first of all I would like to say that jae youls storyline has become one of my favorites but due to that fact it felt as though hae soos character was just a supporting role with really finishing off her story in the first few eps which made me sad given that her disorder is sth that ive never seen in a kdrama before also the last ep for me were very unecessary and disappointing like she went for a year and came back sooooooooooooo is everything ok now? this entire family drama was very unecessary for me however overall this is a solid watch that I enjoyedWas this review helpful to you?
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Love is Imperfect When Mental Health Issues are at Play
8.5/10 is what I would rate this one.A 2014 South Korean Television series that spanned 16 episodes (~60 minutes/episode). Jang Jae-yeol (Jo In-sung) is a disc jockey and popular author. He has obsessive-compulsive disorder but, despite that, he is very fun loving although a bit arrogant. Ji Hae-soo (Gong Hyo-jin) is an newby psychiatrist that takes her responsibility to her patients very seriously. Her mother and father's relationship has left Hae-soo with anxiety around all things related to relationships and intimacy. Jae-yeol and Hae-soo are not love at first site, at least not for Hae-soo who actually dislikes almost every thing about Jae-yeol and is surprisingly cruel to him given her profession. Proximity leads to a discovery that the differences that originally drove them apart are only surface and they are much more alike than first impressions would indicate. Jae-yeol and Hae-soo begin the process of healing each other through their growing relationship.
Spoiler ? This was an absolute emotional ride. I never cease to be amazed at the onion like nature of these dramas. I read the title and look at pictures and even read some reviews and still feel like I have only seen the outside of the onion. I start with an impression in my mind of what the drama might be like and I am so surprised so frequently with what they are actually about. On this one I expected the typical guy meets girl, some conflict in the middle, maybe a 2nd guy then a happy ending. This did not follow that at all and had me delving into my thoughts on mental illnesses, what constitutes a family and just what is normal. This is deep and complex and sad at times but very good and compelling.
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I came into this drama wanting to watch a drama which tackles mental issues and from reading the synopsis, I had high expecteations and they for sure got met. They way they depict to struggles and issues that both the leads go through and how they tackle them is truly amazing. As a person who suffers from a disorder I could relate to some of the characters and especially Soo Kwang, I don't have tourettes but I could emphasise with him the most and how he finds it hard to socialise with people and his internal struggles.This drama was more about the struggles and edurance in a relationship rather than the journey to get to the relationship like other kdramas. It tackled things like sex and other sensitive issues that a couple might have to tackle to be able to have a good relationship.
I want to first talk about Ji Hae Soo's character, the actor Gong Hyo Jin did an amazing job expressings Hae Soo's character. This is my second drama for her after watching "When the Camellia Blooms" in which i liked her character but i wasn't completly sold on her. This drama gave me a 180 and made me appreciate her acting and made me realise how good she is expressing more mature femal roles. Hae Soo had an emotional scar as a child becasue she saw her mom cheat oh her disabled husband and that gave her a scar to where she was no longer able to anything sexual with a male becasue she saw that as a bad thing. After meeting Jang Jae Yeol did she start to change and began to appreciate love that she was given.
With Jang Jae Yeol character, it really deeply affected me becasue on the outside he looks like a strong willed person but on the inside he was hurting. He hid hish real thoughts by playing with a bunch of girls and acting happy all the time. It was only after moving into the house with Hae Soo was when he started to change bit by bit. When we find out that Kang Woo was his imagination, it realy did shock me because just before it was revealed I said that Jae Yeol acts childish around him and seems happy. Once that was revealed we start to actually see Jae Yeol in a new light and as teh story progressed we could see that Jae Yeol was changing due to his illness getting worse. Every scene Kang Woo was in a scene, I just felt so sorry for Jae Yeol. I loved how it was Hae Soo that helped him realise that Kang Woo is not real and allowed him to move on and start to change.
Park Soo Kwang character was really intresting becasue he was very mature throughout the whole show and I believe if he wasn't there to comfort people, something might've gone wrong. His romance with So Nyeo was quite refreshing as I know both actors from previous dramas I've wacthed and loved.
The OST was aight, it fit the scenes that they were in but they didn't affect me as some other drama OST's have.
If your looking for a drama which tackles Mental Issues and want to see a adult romance between two people deeply scarred in which they heal each other then I whole heartedly reccomend this show to you.
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Jo In Sung and Gong Hyo Jin SUPERB ACTING!
Yes both of the two leads did give justice from ther roles and it got me in EXTREME ROLLER COASTER rides, with many psychological terms or illnesses that mind blown me more than i expected. I never expected this drama to be great. But i really hate Haesoo's mom and her sister ther both btchess tskkk… but the rest all of them have perfect execution of ther roles i love it. Im about to laugh becoz almost all of people inside the ML house are all PSYCHOPATHS its so fcking hilarious i cant with this. And also ive learn many lessons from this drama it so relatable in our daily lives. I cried more than any more drama that i have watched so far so ready for your tissues if you wanna watched already. Im really of Gong Hyo Jin i love her even more in this drama.SHES LIT AS FCK !!!! Highly recommeneded!!!Was this review helpful to you?
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I've been putting off watching this for a long time, mainly because of the plot summaries that I've seen. The only reason I've only decided to watch it because I'm a big fan of Gong HyoJin. This is such a nice surprise really. Despite the heavy topic & the melodrama tag this is a very nice heartwarming story. Obviously the romance is outstanding, there are no bullshit plot devices, such as love triangles, there is no second male lead. The procedural part was mostly interesting, sure there were some parts where I felt my intelligence was insulted a bit, but I understand that they wanted to make sure everyone in the audience can understand everything easily. So I guess psychology is interesting, I knew this when I was a kid, but I have not thought about this in a Long time. The cast is truly very good, almost everyone's acting was on point. I liked the OST too, the title track is especially cool. The way how the drama dealt with the ML spiraling out of control was okay too, we knew from episode 2-3 on that this was inevitable, it turned out way better than I have expected.One negative I guess is Kangwoo's character, there was no casting mistake and I can see the intent behind this character, but I just felt something was wrong with him, it's hard to put into words what exactly. When I get around to watching this again in the future, I will skip the scenes he has been appearing in.
I have recently watched Age of Youth, this drama is obviously completely different, but it also deals with dark/difficult topics, but I greatly appreciate the much more positive outlook on life here, this is how melodramatic content should be delivered, the 10* rating is easily given, if this isn't 10 stars, then I don't know what is.
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I try not to rate things a 10 but this drama definitely deserves it. *MINOR SPOILER ALERT*
The story is amazing and I have never heard of a plot done so well that causes so much emotion in the viewer. You fall in love with all the characters even her douchebag ex boyfriend and friend. Don't get me wrong her storyline of not wanting intimacy with men being down to seeing her mum kiss another man was a bit weak and her attitude will annoy you lol but you get over it as JJY's storyline becomes a bigger deal and the way she stays by him through it all. I love the fact that you as a viewer begin to think as the drama goes on 'hmmm somethings not right about this guy but I can't put my finger on it'.
Acting/Cast....one word AMAZING!!! The tears, the genuine laughs and the smooches are so realistic you cant help but laugh and cry with them. Uncle Jo's character is a ray of sunshine in the otherwise deep storyline which brings some lightness to it. Hae Soo's mother does become a bit of a thorn in the viewers side as she tries to protect Hae Soo in the end but I guess you can understand where she is coming from. The relationship between JJY and Kang Woo is so deep and well done, it was so sad to see KW go in the end.
Music....I play this OST (also can be found on Spotify) all the time. Absolutely love the songs and they all fit with the various scenes. The music director for this show knew what he/she was doing, they knew when to play the right music and when silence was necessary. LOVED this OST.
This is a defo rewatch. 10/10 Watch it, you won't be disappointed at all.
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