It's Okay to Not Be Okay (2020)

A beautiful heartache

I love a show where I am so engrossed in the alternate universe it has created, and—when I’m done—leaves me in awe of the team of people who have created it.

The score is perfection. It reminds me of my favorite regency pieces while seamlessly interweaving modern pop and it plays the balance game so well. Furthermore, when there was no BG music was even more notable. This drama goes off the beaten path so often and with the skill that is only mastered in the way a team of experts with freedom could.

While it diverges from the norm with the score, it also announces its uniqueness in the first episode by mixing mediums of animation, claymation, and beautiful wardrobe. You’re not immersed into an alternate reality: In fact, the characters’ world is identical to yours. Yes, they believe in love and there’s sadness, but the power of the mind is its own character as much as it is IRL, and rightfully so.

I was most uncomfortable by the treatment of people with social and emotional disorders. Let me be clear though: It wasn’t ham-fisted, haphazard, or even irresponsibly done. As someone who frequently discusses these treatments in her line of work, I am always über conscious of characters portrayals when those characters are on the fringes of society due to no fault of their own, and kudos to this show for its very deliberate effort to be responsible. Oh Jung-Se is perfect in his role as a brother with autism spectrum disorder, and he acts only in a way that he (and maybe Lee Kyu-Hyung!!!!) could.

Though, all the actors deserve their props. Every Adam’s apple and unfocused peripheral hand was in character, and these actors have superb control over their vessels to perform as they did for this show. This cannot be done without an amazing team, and so, everyone involved in the making of “It’s Okay...” deserves 10 stars.

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Recommended

You really should watch this drama. It was awesome. The acting, OST and the story were great. I loved every moment of it.
This drama is the best drama i have watched till now!!!
Best things about it!!
*unique story based on mental healing & fairytales
* all ost's are so good to listen
* where all people want perfection in life !!it leaves a message "It's okay not to be okay "
* All the short stories this drama has As the main role girl is a writer for children but still stories have a deep meaning for all!!
* you will not feel in any emotional scene that they are overreacting!! Cause the cast in the show made it so real that even you can't hold your tears !!! That doesn't mean this is an emotional drama!! Its mixture of every good thing.
Watch it you gonna love it!

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Hands down the best beginning to a drama I've ever seen, but ended a little flat.

I decided to watch this drama as the leading couple was too powerful to pass up. I also saw the interesting mental health theme and thought it would be something akin to My Ahjussi and Hotel Del Luna. Obviously, I was really excited because I've been waiting for the next masterpiece that will challenge My Ahjussi and oh boy did the beginning deliver.

Story - 9/10
I just want to say that if this drama didn't begin the way it did, I would've given the story a 7.5/10 maybe 8/10. The first few episodes formed, what I believed, to be the strongest start of any Kdrama ever. The introduction of complex mental health issues and the enchanting presence of Ko Mun Yeong really captivated and hooked me; I was practically longing for each next episode. The early middle episodes (for lack of a better phrase) managed to maintain that momentum, and I truly believed that this level of quality would be maintained through to the end. However, it was the introduction of a particular story line that, like every other Kdrama, meant the two leads had an intertwined childhood and therefore they would have an ill-fated relationship. This, to me, kinda felt lazy?
For such a great start I felt that they had to introduce something that completely blindsides the average Kdrama user. My problem with it is that, with my favourite Kdramas, I don't think of them as a Korean Drama - rather I think of it as a piece of art. This sort of predictable and overused childhood trope makes this a typical drama.
My next problem with the last few episodes is the somewhat disappointing way the mental health issues were handled. I don't mean that they offended people, but rather the exploration of it wasn't deep enough. Sure, they took brief looks at issues like PTSD, but I don't think they explored the mental health issues behind the two leads enough. In the end, it seemed like the children's stories just explained and scratched the issues in uninteresting exposition. To me, there were too many situations where someone says something profound and suddenly the person listening realises what is wrong with their life.

Cast - 10/10
Not much to write about with cast. Kim Soo Hyun and Seo Ye Ji were amazing. Many scenes were honestly Oscar-worthy, and they both had immense screen presence (especially Seo Ye Ji). Kim Joo Hun was charming and I really look forward to him in Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol. Oh Jung Se was also amazing and he had some very impactful moments. He also had some very on-the-nose moments that were a bit too profound and enlightening that seemed like lazy writing more than anything. Overall an amazing performance from the cast and I'm sure many awards will be handed out for them.

Music - 10/10
Very story and tonally fitting music. Some of the songs really amplified the scenes itself. I feel as though the music gave the drama a certain tone that is really distinct from anything I have ever heard before. It's hard to put into words - it has a creepy vibe, but you always feel there is warmth close or somewhere, which really fits with this drama!

Conclusion - 9.5/10 Overall
I definitely recommend this drama. This drama has landed comfortably as one of my second favourite dramas, and a re-watch will be warranted sometime in the future! If you want a tear-jerker, there are some scenes that will make you cry - although I didn't cry myself. If you want to just admire the lead couple, then this drama is perfect for you. If you want to feel a little more enlightened about life, then this drama is perfect for you too!

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Introducing Reality Through Fantasy

Best drama! It's more than a kdrama, it's a life lesson that will change your perspective towards the people around you. Best acting, best production, best soundtracks, best cinematography, best animation, and the most amazing thing about this drama is the writing!

Story - Such a genius story about reality that is delivered smoothly through fairy tale stories. You will realize another perspective of some famous fairytale stories and how it relates to our everyday life.

Acting/Cast - No more questioning, we will be dazzled by the main leads visual, plus their acting is daesang worthy. Many people commented about how they have to win an award for their acting in this drama. They could make the viewers cry with them unconsciously.

Music - All the OSTs are amazing and some of them have that spooky vibes melody. All of them are good that people can't choose which OST of this drama is the best. The same goes with me.

Rewatch Value - To be honest, I am not that type of person who like to rewatch a drama/show. Maybe I could rewatch a show after some years later. But this drama made me rewatch it even when the show is still airing. Because there's a lot of details which I probably missed before and I feel like I have to absorb every emotions and lessons from each episode.

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Just Watch It!

Seriously, I would recommend not even reading reviews and just dive in to form your own opinions of this drama. If you're into melodrama, badass leads, female chasing the male first, darker stories, found family and a side of comedy, then I 100% recommend this kdrama.

Story: I feel like I've read a few reviews/comments from people saying that this dragged or was overrated but I loved the story and never skipped. It was a unique melodrama that honestly had me crying way too much. I found myself completely invested in the storylines and characters and this has become one of my all time favourite kdramas. Obviously, if you're looking for a light fluffy drama, then this isn't for you. But if you're into deep/4D characters, with even deeper stories, then look no further.

Acting/Cast: Wouldn't change a thing. The casting was perfect and the acting was truly amazing. And the chemistry was incredible. The ML and FL had some of the best chemistry I've ever seen.

Music: LOVED the soundtrack! It was so good and I found the songs getting stuck in my head.

Rewatch Value: an 8 is high for me when it comes to the rewatch value of a kdrama! I rarely rewatch anything but this is a drama I would definitely want to rewatch in the future.

Overall: WATCH IT! I hesitated with watching this for a year until I ran out of things to watch and finally decided to give it a go. I don't regret it at all.

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GOOD, DESERVING OF PRAISE BUT NOT THAT MUCH

I really don't know how to even write a review for this drama. The first half of the show was amazing, suspicious, tense ish,. The second half of the show was just.... absolute disappointment
The only reason I didn't drop it was for the main lead and just to see how it will end

OUTFITS
I loved the female lead's outfits, some of them. Some of her outfits were outrageous terrible. But anyways she's got good charisma and was lowkey giving me female lead from graceful family type vibes

STORY
Story was interesting at the first few episodes then the story just poofed into the air. Most dissapointing thing in the show was the mother. There was no background or motive for her mother acting like and killing for the most petty reason ever. It's quite unbelievable but on a good note the first episodes were really good and made you wonder what happened

CASTING/ACTING
I loved all the cast. It was perfect. Male lead can really cry but other than that nothing impressive. The brother was such as a sweetheart but lowkey annoying at the same time. His character was done beyond perfection

CHARACTERS
Loved all the characters. male lead was really bugging me sometimes but i love him despite. The female assistant is so damn cuteeeee. And the girl that has a crush on male lead is quite pathetic but that's just my brutal opinion

MUSIC
I dont remember anything so... idk

REWATCH VALUE
I will probably never watch this again cause the show got really tiring but anyways I never end up re watching a lot of kdramas

OVERALL
It was okay. First half gets a 8.5. Second half gets a -2.5

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I really can't get over how good this drama was. The story and the OST were both amazing but was amazed me the most was the characters, they chose just the right actors and they portrayed the characters amazingly well that I can't think of any other actors who would have this same chemistry that the 3 leads had.

The story was very intresting because it's not your everyday kdrama story, all 3 leads are hurting inside due to past trauma. The characters really stand out in this show. I loved how they added a flair of horror and thriller into the story with certain aspects like the whole person humming in the hospital and also Mun Yeongs mum being introduced and let me say this, I have never been so shocked in my life for a reveal like that becasue you would not expect it to be the head nurse who looked really kind and also looked nothing like the mom we see in the flashback scenes.

First of with Gang Tae, I really enjoyed his character becasue on the outside he was a was character but on the inside he was hurting a lot. For 20 years Gang Tae had to look after his autistic brother by moving from place to place and changing workplace just so they can live a decent life. When Gang Tae was a child I felt sorry for him because he got neglected as a child because his mom having to look after Sang Tae. When he finally starts to open up and take off his mask after meeting Mun Yeong, you could say that the time that was paused for him has finally resumed and he can start to emjoy his life again. This is also my second drama seeing Kim Soo Hyun act since 'My love froma star' which was my second ever drama so yeah its been a long time and I really loved seeing him in a drama again.

Mun Yeong was such an amazing character, she was so complex yet so simple at the same time. We first see her as a cold hearted person who doesn't know how to love and is wanting love from someone because she's been alone for her whole life since 20 years ago. We start to see glimses of how shes really living in episode 4 when she has a nightmare and Gang Tae found her and hugged her to clam her down and this event really showed us and Gang Tae how much Mun Yeong is suffering and how much help she needs. When she was a child, she got the exact opposite to Gang Tae and recieved too much love to the point you could call it obssesive love from her mother as she was shaping Mun Yeong to her liking. When she met Gang Tae as a child we could see the realy Mun Yeong as a child but then when we thought it was okay, her mom stopped her from metting him so she couldn't change. Something I loved about Mun Yeong was how much she accepted Sang Tae who had autism and became his bestfriend. I know that it's hard to handle someone with a autism like Sang Tae and could emphasise on both ends. I saw Seo Ye Ji in 'Lawless Lawyer' and I didn't know she had this side to her so I will definetly watch more of her dramas for sure.

Both Mun Yeong and Gang Tae had amazing chemistry as they were opposites and they went hand in hand since they brought out the hidden side of eachother. Thier romance was really heartwarming to watch because they had to face many obstacles and they jumped them all and at the end of the finish line there was a happy ending.

Now with Sang Tae's characters, he made this drama seem that much more real. He was such a pleasure to watch and had such amazing character development. He went from saying he owns Gang Tae and noone can have him to saying that Gang Tae belongs to Gang Tae which it was probably really hard for him to accept that reality but after seeing his brothers smiling face when he was asleep he realised this it was his real happy face looked like and he couldn't help but admire it. This scene really made me tear up becasue this was the scene that made Sang Tae realise how beautiful his brothers realy smiling face looks like. When we first see Sang Tae, we see him as a persone who wasn't independent and needed people to help him but near the end when he got over his fear of butterflies her gained his independence and ever left his family to go work on illistrations which showed us how much he grew up.

These 3 leads were amazing to watch as the trio had such amazing chemistry and I cant think of another trio in a Kdrama that are better than these 3. I will really miss watching this drama and I will for sure rewatch it in the future to relive the joy I got from watching it.

The OST was very good as we got OSTs from Heize which is always amazing to see and also the OST 'In Silence' and 'Im Your Pyscho' By Jannet Suhh were amazing, she really pulled it out of the bag in this drama.

If your looking for a warmhearted healing melodrama with amazing acting and an amazing cast then i reccomend this drama becasue it will really make you lose ypur thoughts on the real world and focus entirely on the Drama becasue it will really make you forget your thoughts on the real world and focus entirely on the Drama's world.

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The memories issues are the best in this drama

The slow way that episodes goes, helps us to suffer together with the characters. I was a little surprised with the more than 60 minutes in the drama and sometimes it is not necessary to transcend more than this to show us the plot. But this is not a big problem, because they know how to involve us in the pain/love/friendship scenes with the different stories.
The remarkable part in this drama is when they present us how our memory from childhood can trick or fragment us in the present. The traumas and the sadness part in this show was realistic and sensible one. In my opinion, this helps us to understand how relationships are diverse, how these issues are complex and how this can affect humans in many ways. It was a good form to introduce how it's not helpful to judge others when we don't know how difficult it is to lead with traumas and with an internal struggle all the time.

In my opinion it was the best drama this year.

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WOW

Just an absolute masterpiece of a show. Loved the cast, the acting, the relationships among all the characters, the chemistry of the two main leads, the brilliant OST, and one of the best female leads EVER!
The chemistry between the leads was off the charts, and also Oh Jung Se was just perfect as the elder brother, who slowly understands the meaning of being an older brother, and the fact that he can be one too, regardless of his autism which he initially thought of as a hindrance in this role. He learns to stand on his own feet and the leads sail off in their own lives to discover new things together.
This show was heartfelt, and the story perfectly depicted the three main characters and a period in their lives when they discovered painful memories and combed through them together, creating a new family in the process.
Just a really lovely show. I have seen it twice already.

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beautiful, creepy, meaningful and lustful

Despite being a skilled worker, Moon Gang Tae (Kim Soo Hyun) struggles to settle in one psychiatric ward for longer than a year; which seems to be due to his and his brother's Sang Tae (Oh Jung Se) trauma and current situation. One day, he met a successful author Ko Moon Young (Seo Yea Ji), who writes dark-toned children's fairytales and who is obsessed with him at the first sight. There are reasons of why these people are the way like they are, and those reasons seems to be darker than as it seems as first…

I really enjoyed this drama for the cinematography, vibes and unique animated visuals of the fairy tales. They’re beautiful, creepy, and perfectly represent our female lead, Ko Moon Young. It’s fun how she was introduced as a dark fantasy writer aimed at children, who has a kleptomania for knives. Seo Ye Ji was phenomenal portraying her every movement and talk, showing Moon Young’s psycho and powerful aura. At times I got bored with the plot, but she’s the reason for me to keep watching. Her chemistry with Gang Tae, can only be said as seductive. The tension between them was intoxicating, especially the firsts times when they were enemies. Another thing, the Moon brotherhood were so genuine and emotional. Sang Tae’s appreciation towards art was so endearing and self-soothing. When he sees a mural, the world is more energetic and warm for him and I love the emphasize on that aspect.

This drama also has perfectly engaging OSTs. The OSTs blurred the lines among the various genres in this show; romance, comedy, suspense, and a bit of horror. The only thing that was not as engaging to me is the mystery subplot, it was predictable, too long and anticlimactic. Other than that, as mentioned, everything was beautiful and worth-watching!

Find me on Instagram: @kdramajudge
edited Mar, 2024

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The visuals are immaculate

I'll be honest; I would've watched this drama even if it had a mediocre plot because Seo Ye Ji (Ko Moon Young) and Kim Soo Hyun (Moon Gang Tae) are so good-looking. I enjoyed the chemistry a lot. The story was actually pretty good too. I loved how they used fairytale books to help tell the story; it was very aesthetic. I also liked how mental illness was the main focus, which brings to light the mental struggles that people deal with every day. One negative about this drama is that at one point, I was pretty far into the drama, but at the same time, I didn't feel a connection with the characters at all; they still felt distant. I would not rewatch this, but there are some scenes that are definitely worth rewatching.

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