Story: Ahh where do i start?????? LIKE AWESOME. The story is everything. Its so different and unique. Shines the light differently on mental health issues. I love how they show different mental disorders and each patients background stories. The characters like dont even make me start on how much i love each and every character especially meonyong. I love her character and also sangtae.
Acting/cast: do i even have to tell you that this cast is superior? I think we all that. Seo Yeji and Kim Soohyun nailed every aspect of their character and also Oh Jungse like he perfectly executed the most complex character in the whole story and i feel like he doesnt get credit for it.
Music: dude the best osts after goblin and scarlet heart (sorry lmao) the best music. Love it
Rewatch value: i could 1000% rewatch it no matter what. I am watching this with my mom and she literally told me that she wants to watch it again.
Overall: its a gem. Please watch it. There was not one episode that disappointed me or bored me. The rhyme of the drama was impeccable like you dont feel tired. Each episode was exciting to watch and the chemistry between the main leads... oof dont, it came hard and fast. Like you can feel their chemistry in your bones. This is one of the best kdrama in the history of kdrama no scratch that dramas! Pls watch it. I know u wouldnt regret it (well its up to your taste too)
Byee
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This is a good drama, but not the best drama
When I watch the first episode, this drama really interesting, i have a high expectation because KSH and SYJ is really exelent actor/actress, when i know it's about psychology and mental health, i became really excited, because one of my favorite drama is It's Okay That's Love and kill me heal me, which is have the similar genre.When I watch, i think i can learn something about psychology, yeah my bad. Because this drama not really much talk about psychology and mental health, i got disappointed. There's too much focus with romance. Yeah, i know, maybe there's many people who like it and enjoyed, but i got little bit disappointed because mental health not really talk in this drama.
I just can only watch for 15 episode, because i think there's nothing too much to see in episode 16.
I know this drama have a great responses, many people who liked this drama. I know, this is a good drama, because little bit talk about mental health and the actor/actress have really great acting skill. The music too, i really like the ost who sang by Suhyun - Akmu.
If you wanna watch this drama, it's okay, go watch it! Maybe you like it, right?
Because this is a good drama. But, not the best for korean drama :)
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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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This review may contain spoilers
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. 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 loved some aspects like the synergy between Ko Munyeong and the brothers and I was really impressed by the acting 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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provides a moving and reflective experience
The South Korean drama "It's Okay to Not Be Okay," aired in 2020, has such a timely theme that it received a Philippine remake in 2025.The Korean version's plot development, deeply and sensitively, highlights the importance of carefully approaching the themes of mental health, trauma, and the healing process.
The drama also incorporates some dark fairy tale elements and a strong chemistry between the leads.
The performances, especially Oh Jung-se's as the autistic brother, have been highly praised internationally, as has the realistic and unconventional approach to psychological issues.
The series' approach to mental health has been widely recognized internationally for its unique and sensitive approach to mental health, trauma, and personality disorders, demonstrating that the path to healing is an ongoing process and not a magic solution as some still believe.
In my opinion, the cast's performances are spectacular, as is the chemistry between the lead actors and Oh Jung-se's performance. in the role of Sang Tae lends a special identity to this South Korean version.
The script and themes created characters with complete arcs.
The use of the protagonist's book stories as metaphors for the plot and the way dark themes are presented are beautifully and profoundly presented.
The visual style, a kind of psychological fairy tale, enriched the cinematography, wardrobe, setting, and atmosphere of the drama.
I also highlight that the main character, Ko Moon-young, conveyed great strength and communication skills.
I recommend the drama "It's Okay to Not Be Okay" because the series provides a moving and reflective experience about the importance of embracing one's wounds and seeking growth.
Spoiler: I've already watched it four times with my friends because it always allows us to see something new to reflect on. After all, we can't stop sharpening the axe :-)
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It's okay to not be okay ?
It tells you how to find your own happiness.There are many things that have helped me to think differently on the basis of the situation.I am very satisfied watching this drama.Everyone should watch. A different kind of joy is working in me after seeing it .happppppppppppppppppyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyDrama really gives me a break from real world problems .This drama really made me happy💝❤️💝❤️💝❤️❤️💝❤️💝❤️💝❤️💝🥰🥰💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝💝
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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.Was this review helpful to you?
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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This review may contain spoilers
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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