Hard hitting drama to the society who sees mental health patients as PSYCHO
●This show is an apology to the mental health patients that they are mad or something and other harsh wrds used for them. Its like the show name ITS OK TO NOT BE OK, its fine if you have a mental health issue, you are just seeing the society differently. But we as society see them as not fit for society is totally wrong, and we need a change of perspective.●Story- I was a bit shocked to the initial episodes featuring ghosts as I don’t watch horror genre and was absolutely nor ready for it so I took my time and watched it patiently and I was slowly damped with amazing story and powerful performance. Its not a typical romcom but a dark mystery full of thriller.I love the mental health issue portrayal by various characters due to certain trauma or pain. Their healing was somewhat good. Yes I hate that DEER too.
●Acting- for me it was all about seo ye ji as ko-moon-young. Her sassy look,badass character and straight forwardness were beyond excellent. Her each actions were speaking volumes.
Kim soo hyun as moon-gang-tae was perfect. His sadness, love, caring for his brother, he just nailed it.
Oh jeong se as moon-sang-tae as an autistic oler brother dealing with his trauma was above par my words. He was excellent.
●Music- each ost lyrics and music is excellent. They blend with the scene perfectly.
●Rewatch- I would defintly watch this masterpiece again. I love medical genre drama.
●Appreciation- I love the tiny tales in each episodes. The animation to them was visually soothing to eyes.
I love the costumes of ko-moon-young, an applause to her hair and makeup artist.
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This review may contain spoilers
One of the BEST if not the GREATEST
This is my first time writing a review so bear with me :)First of all I would like to thank everyone for bringing this drama to us. From the producer, writer, actors and everybody involved.. We are grateful.
Story - If you want fast paced and plot driven drama this is definitely not for you. Guys this is a healing drama, not a mystery or thriller drama so for those saying theres too many plotholes and stuff I get that you want everything to be solved but for me I liked that it was left a mystery for us to think about what really transpired and focus on the main point which HEALING and GROWTH.
Acting - I haven’t watched a lot of kdrama but one thing is for sure.. The acting in this one will make you feel every emotions that each actor is trying to portray. Even haters are praising the acting in this one so that says a lot. The chemistry of the main leads is really off the charts.. I honestly don’t want SYJ and KSH to be paired with a different actor/actress lol, I just want them to really get together irl. To OJS.. damn this is my first time watching him and I can say that his portrayal of Moon Sang is on point! If you liked Joo Won in Good Doctor, you’ll appreciate and love Moon Sang Tae for sure.
Music - Music was great and will always make you feel more emotional during the scenes whether it be happy or sad. It’s not like those background music that will just keep repeating and try to make up for the bad acting or unrelated scenes.
Rewatch Value - I put 10/10 coz this drama is that beautiful and I don’t know how many times will I rewatch this one coz I don’t rewatch dramas but this is also the first drama that I watched while it’s airing so I’ll watch it again to see the small details and enjoy more of the scenes of this wonderful drama.
Overall - This drama is really one of the best and I’m not being biased just because I liked it. Majority of the people here liked it coz they appreciate the drama for being true to its point and for me I was satisfied with everything.. actually I’m more than satisfied coz how can you not be?! This is probably the only drama that ended and tied everything, coz usually it’s rushed or they just make it confusing. If you’re thinking of watching this one I suggest go for it.. this is the only good that came out of 2020.
Thank you everyone from MDL and IOTNBO Fam and Comment Section. Let’s all hope they reunite with another project! See you guys! I hope everyone even the haters stays safe and healthy during these hard times and I also hope that this drama can heal you from the anxiety and stress that we are experiencing right now. Spead love and appreciate! Peace!
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WELL WRITTEN AND ACTED
story- I would've made it a 10/10 however I recently read another review that pointed out a loophole w/ regards to the mother of the lead character and although I forgot about it, the review is actually right. Other than that, I can say this drama is well written. The writing is grounded in reality that it prevents the story from becoming over the top. Which is great for a kdrama that talks about different mental health issues, since certain creative choices might tarnish the pereception of the audience towards the actual topic and the people who experiences it in real life. The writing also made the characters fleshed out, not like any typical dimensional character that's prominetnt in a lot ofther kdramas. Lastly what I love about the writing is that it was able to make a long enough resolution that felt real after all the hardship that the characters experienced. Unlike other kdramas that had a conflict / conflict again at the last episode and try to resolve it at the same episode as well *coughs: My ID is Gangnam Beauty, Fight For My Way, The Tale of Nokdu, etc.*acting/cast- Everybody acted really well especially the three leads. Although personally I think the two leads (the romantic couple) could've had more chemistry on screen.
Music- It's good. I'm not korean so i don't really understand the lyrics but I can It's bad that I remember it for being awful. The music did it's job properly.
Rewatch Value- The whole series is rewatchable since the story is well written. Personally though I will not rewatch as a whole becuase it's too serious.
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This review may contain spoilers
A MUST-SEE DRAMA
"What the Shadow Witch has stolen from them was not their true faces but their courage to find happiness."사이코지만 괜찮아, or better known with its English title, It's Okay to Not be Okay, is one of the dramas that I have been waiting to air because it is the small screen comeback of Kim Soo Hyun after serving in the military. That's why this is a very special one. Just in case you didn't know, I have been a fan of Kim Soo Hyun since Dream High era. Anyway, in this blog post, I'll be sharing to you the things I like, hate (if there's some) and lessons I learned in this drama. I may have some spoilers here so read at your own discretion.
Things I liked about this drama
The animation and VFX
As a multimedia artist, I am definitely impressed with the animation and the vfx of this series. I like how they used stop-motion animation to give this creepy vibe. Stop-motion animation is a meticulous type of animation. It requires a lot of patience that's why I really appreciate it. Also, I also like how they presented the main characters. They give me some kind of Addams Family vibe.Regarding the vfx, since they showed us at the end that they are using the blue screen for the scenes in the balcony of the castle, I must say that I am truly impressed on how they made those effects. Hands up to the vfx team.
The cast line-up
This drama has a solid line-up. The actors and actresses in this drama are so amazing. Well, amazing can be an understatement. Every actors and actresses fit with their roles and well, they also fit well for each other. I mean, I can't imagine other actors playing those roles. I also like how the main characters' past selves really look like their younger version. The casting team did well. And speaking of casts, Oh Jung Se is really a versatile actor! I first watched him in When the Camellia Blooms. His character here is really different from that character and he pulled it off very well. I hope he wins an award for his role here.
It tackles about Mental Health
Mental health is something a lot of people are afraid to talk about. Maybe because they are not that informed about it or they just don't want people think that they're crazy. Admit it or not, a lot of people will label us crazy when we tell them that we visited a psychiatrist or psychologist. As a person who is suffering from depression and anxiety, this drama gave me hope that those people who are not that aware with mental health and mental illnesses will have an idea about it and how they can deal with it. And also they gave me an assurance that I can recover from my mental illness.
The stories within the story
The fairy tale story books that Ko Munyeong wrote were really an eye-opener. My personal favorites are The Boy who Fed on Nightmares, The Cheerful Dog, and the Finding the Real Faces. The main reason why I loved this is because I can relate to the stories. I keep on thinking, is it really made for kids or is it made for adults? I love how adults can relate in these children books.
Aside from that, it gave me another perspective on how to look at the fairy tales. We always think that this is the moral lesson of the story because our parents or teachers told us so, but in fact, there are more lessons that can be found there. And I love how Ko Munyeong pointed it out.
The emotions it gives me
This drama will give you a roller coaster kind of emotions. One minute you'll see yourself crying and suddenly you will burst out laughing. A single episode can make you experience a lot of emotions. I think that this drama wants us to release those emotions because there are times that we also try to hide these.
The story twists
There are a lot of twists in this drama and that is what makes me want more of it. There were just so many mind-blowing happenings. Spoiler alert, yes it's a happy ending. I actually expected it already but I never thought that this happy ending can affect me equally with a sad ending. Maybe because I saw the development of the characters. It's probably one of the most satisfying ending. I personally love it. It was not the ending I was expecting but it was the ending the drama deserves, a happy one for each one of them.
Things I somehow hate in this drama
Questions that were not answered
SPOILER ALERT. The main question is how did Ko Munyeong's mom suddenly live again? Was she resurrected or something? I don't remember watching a scene telling how she survived from falling from the stairs knowing that a lot of blood spilled that time. Because somehow, it doesn't make any sense to me. I just need this question to be answered and we're all good.
Lessons I learned from this drama
I'll be writing a separate blog for the lessons I learned from each character because I think this review will be long once I added those. Anyway, these are the general lessons that I got while watching this drama.
Taking care of our mental health is as important as taking care of our physical health
Most of the time we tend to neglect our mental health because we consider it as a "not important" part in our lives. But in this drama, it shows us that mental illness is an illness. It is not something to be pushed away. It needs to be treated so that we can fully live our lives.
Blood-related or not, it is the bond and love that matters
We can see how the friendship of everyone grew. They may not be blood-related but you can feel the love that they have for each other. One example is Jaesu. He is definitely the best example of a best friend. He is just there for Gang Tae every time he needs him. And he is just so happy that at the end, Gang Tae called him "Hyung (older brother)". You can also see Nam Juri's mom. Look at how she takes care of everyone! She was just a landlady but she ended up being everyone's mom. The way she takes care of everyone is really heart-warming.
For parents, your children are not your artworks
Yes, you brought them to this world but that doesn't mean you can control everything in their lives. They are a separate human being. They belong to themselves. The thing you can only do for your children is to give them support and love they need and guide them while walking on their paths. Note, guiding is different from dictating what to do.
For children, your parents can make mistakes but that doesn't mean they don't love you
Like in Gang Tae's part, he grew up thinking that he was never loved by his mom, that he was born just to take care of his brother. But when he is sleeping, we can see how his mother loves him. It's just that his brother needed more attention. Our nation's eomma once said, cut your mom some slack.
And of course, it's okay to not be okay
Just like what the title says, it's okay to not be okay. It's okay to feel sad, angry, or just feel nothing. It's okay to show the world what our real emotion is. Because we're human beings. We're not robots who don't feel any emotion. Release your emotions instead of bottling it all up. Cry if you must. But after all these heartbreaks, let's all stand up together and move forward.
Conclusion
It's Okay to Not be Okay is a drama that I will cherish forever. It's now listed as one of my favorite dramas along with W Two Worlds, Angel's Last Mission: Love, and Scarlet Heart Ryeo. This drama will give you a roller coaster emotion. It will make you cry, laugh, angry, kilig, and everything you can think of while giving you a lot of life lessons. Each episode may be longer than the usual, but you won't feel like you're watching a long one because everything is well-packed. I'm very thankful for those people who created this drama. It was worth it. Watch out for my blog about the lessons I learned from each character of this drama.
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Drama of the year
Saying goodbye to It's Okay To Not Be Okay was the hardest I've ever felt. It has everything I want in a drama. Love line is so subtle, no unnecessary kisses or bed scene. Character development is on point! The casts is good at portraying their character. I might say Moon Sangtae is my favourite. I have an autistic brother so i know how autistic people behave and Oh Jungse nailed it. I teared up mostly at his scene. Thank you Moon Sangtae for proving to us that having an autistic family wasn't a thorn all along but every silver lining has a cloud. I couldn't possibly thank the writer for being brave enough to write this kind of plot amidst many cliche drama nowadays. I truly believe she has open many eyes for what mental illness is and what autistic is. They are also human so they have feelings. It may not be everyone cup of tea but it definitely mine. I'm going to miss them so much 😢😢Was this review helpful to you?
Moon Sang Tae
really amazed by Moon Sang Tae's character...the way the actor played it... really really amazed. I think I watched the whole episodes juste to discover how that character would evolve. I love how he really loves his brother. He is really caring and he despite his trauma and despite being autistic he deals with everything so well ... I am autistic myself (not as much as he is) I was really able to feel some parts that he was experiencing...all my admiration for the acting skills of that actor!!!Was this review helpful to you?
Wow, just wow
I feel like I have to write a review on this piece of art. This series allowed me to once again fall in love with k-dramas.STORY -
I loved this unique concept where they didn’t shy away from topics such as mental health and diagnoses and since these topics are, still, somewhat taboo in Korea - it was even more unique. I watched one episode and I was hooked, this is one of the few k-dramas where I didn’t feel the need to skip even a second. There wasn’t one scene where I felt as though it was boring or I felt the need to skip.
ACTING/CAST -
I cannot praise this casting enough!
Seo Yeaji and Kim Soohyun were the perfect leads for this k-drama, their chemistry was out of this world and I found myself giggling and peeking through my fingers every time some minor thing happened, even their eye contact made me all bubbly. I have yet to find another k-drama that has this sort of impact on me. And man oh man do I love the clothing choices for Seo Yeaji’s character, the whole image just fit her perfectly.
I have to take another moment to really praise Oh Jungse for his outstanding performance. As someone who has been diagnosed with Aspergers (a form of autism) and who has a brother with bigger problems related to autism, I felt as though I could relate to some of the things that were being represented in the series as someone who both has a “light version” of it but also as someone who has a brother who is very similar to the character in the series. For the first time I didn’t feel offended by how a movies/series portrayed the diagnosis. Although autism is very individualistic, I could identify some of the similarities and just uuuugh great acting really!
REWATCH VALUE -
I would really watch this over and over again, and although I’ve rewatched some scenes - I still feel that same magic as the first time I watched it.
Honestly I don’t even need to wish that I could unsee it only to watch it for the first time again, I can just watch it again and it feels the same as the first time.
I would really recommend.
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What you need to know before starting this 16 hour journey.
This was one of the top notch drama I've seen this year and I've seen a lot through my life times which is not that many. First off I really like the plot development that happened in each episodes. At first I was kinda hesitant to start because of the drama title also because the writer was someone who I have not heard of, but I would suggest don't let that stop you from starting this amazing done drama.The drama not only talked about mental illness, and different disorders, but it talks about the relationship about different personality individual that have things that they are dealing with, and are more similar than they may think.
What i really liked about this drama is everything ties with each other and how the representation was done. There wasn't anything that I disliked about that show, but other than that it ended too quickly. The main lead had a lot of chemistry with each other and I like how they heal each other and different ways. There was only one antagonist that tried to make it hard for the main characters lives, but you have to watch to find out more.
The OST was really good and I would highly suggest giving this a try whether or not your a fan of Kim Soo Hyun, Oh JUNG SE or Seo Yi JI. I appreciated the message that they were trying to give out to the viewers. However, I wouldn't rewatch it not because I didn't enjoy the drama, but I think one is enough to remain in my memory for a long time.
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Must watch
I’m so upset this drama has ended I want to follow the three of them around forever! For the first 2 episodes I was majorly confused and not sure if I would like it and continue watching it because it seemed too dark but I cannot be more overjoyed that I stuck with it. Not only does it have great storyline and screenplay- there’s not a single character or scene that is unnecessary but the characters are so deep and intricate performed by the most phenomenal actors that there’s is no option but to feel each of their pain and anguish. Also just cannot fan girl over gang rae and MY more I love the two of them so much I want to watch them everywhere! Such perfect actors for such perfect roles! This is litterally one of the best kdramas I’ve watched!Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
A healing journey that you didn't know you needed even with the "plot holes"
This may be a long review, but I wanted to point out a few things how I felt about this drama compared to what some others have written.I love this show, in a way, I'm like GT, but I'm slowly working on healing. Exactly how this show does with the characters, they heal over time. Some people think that the beginning of the show was the best and then it slowly deteriorates from after the first 5 episodes. This show starts as a dark/gothic/mystery. But the only reason that is, is to set the stage for when the healing begins. Healing is a slow process it takes time. Like the way this show does with the characters.
The comments that I've read that kinda peeves me a little. Is that some think that it's the 'my mom killed your mom' cliché. It's not a cliché for how they did this. They did it with style and a way that makes sense and moves along with the story.
Now the biggest problem ALOT of people seem to have is the mother arc. Why is her mom still alive and why is it the Head Nurse. The Head Nurse was least likely person (at least to me). It also didn't need to be a random person we've never met. That would be harder explanation to buy. But the mother needed to be alive for our main characters to heal. There wouldn't have been any closure if she wasn't alive. Also with the mother arc comes with, how did she survive. And this part I may get some backlash for but: I'm okay with how they didn't explain how she survived. Not gonna lie, at first I was a little disappointed that we didn't find out how she survived, but then I got to thinking about it afterwards. The first couple of episodes, MY said she registered her moms death years ago. Maybe part of her knew there was a possiblity of her mother still being alive. Also MY mentioned that her mother dissappeared in the basement (we assumed her father collected the body, maybe thats not the case).
Also, what really made me okay with not knowing how the mother died is this: this show has tied up most if not all the loose ends. It came around in full circle, even bringing back patients that have now healed. You think the creators didn't think about this "plot hole"? I think they made it intentional because to really make our main characters heal is to have the mother alive. To confront the past of how GT and ST mother died. And also have MY face her biggest fear, her mother. Also, it doesn't matter how she survived. It doesn't go along with the story. Also, MY didn't care how she survived only now that she was back in her life. She could have easily asked what happened when she visited her mom in jail. But she didn't ask, because she didn't care. It's the same as how it was with her dad. To her both of her parents died years ago. All she wants to do is forget. And thats what she even told her mother, that she wants to forget her.
So to be honest I'm okay with not knowing how the mother survived, because it doesn't matter how, it's that she did.
The reason why I love this show is because it takes you on a journey. A journey you don't expect, but a journey you would miss if you didn't take it.
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Best drama of 2020
KSH, SYJ and OJS really deserve to be praise for their phenomenal performance on this drama. This isn’t a drama that everyone will watch since its topic is more on mental health issues, but i would say that while watching it, i learned a lot from it. It’s not just about the romance of the 2 leads that brought me here but the fact that every episode, you will learned all the different mental health issues and how to deal with them and help them. This is indeed a Human Healing drama. I hope hat this drama will bag a lot of awards in upcoming awards shows. And i hope that people will start to appreciate SYJ’s acting skills. Of course KSH and OJS is already indeed great actors but i hope korean people will start to acknowledge SYJ too.Was this review helpful to you?
Destructive relationship dynamic
Watching this drama was... often frustrating. I liked Moon Kang Tae's character, but I think he really vanished in caring about his brother. I wish he would've had a personality outside of being a caretaker, or given the chance to develop colorfully as an independent individual. There was some development, but there could've been so much more with him. Couldn't stand the FL and her chemistry or rather the lack of with the ML, which was horrible. Her sociopathic personality was such a destructive match to the ML's gentle demeanor and she benefitted from the relationship much more than he did. How is something like this romanticized? I only watched till the end because I enjoyed Moon Sang Tae's development and the amusing, likable antics of director Oh Ji Wang.Was this review helpful to you?
