Annamaebananas
A fantasic drama that is truly one of a kind
Recently in some of my online groups I’ve seen people bashing on It’s Okay to Not be Okay, so here we are, because I will defend this show until my dying breath. It’s been months since I’ve finished it, I’m definitely not over it and it remains one of if not my favorite K-Drama I’ve ever watched.
It’s Okay to Not be Okay is truly a one-of-a-kind show. I only started watching K-Dramas in early 2023 and I’ve watched twenty or so since, and for every other show there’s at least one other that I can compare it to. But there’s not a single piece of media that I have ever consumed that I could compare to this.
The story of It’s Okay to Not be Okay mainly follows three characters, Ko Mun-Yeong, Moon Sang-Tae, and Moon Gang-Tae. And as the title of the show would suggest, none of them are in any sense of the word, okay.
One of the things I’ve seen most people complaining about is Ko Mun-Yeong’s character. Particularly the fact that both herself and her relationship with Gang-Tae are toxic. I won’t refute that. She is, it is. But that’s kind of the point.
Mun-Yeong doesn’t care about anyone else, and Gang-Tae doesn’t care about himself. Throughout the course of the show, they both grow individually and together, allowing them to go from some of the reddest flags I’ve seen in a K-drama, to green flags for each other.
And while I loved the romance portion of the show between Gang-Tae and Mun-Yeong, I may have enjoyed the friendship between Sang-Tae and Mun-Yeong even more. They go through many phases, from Sang-Tae idolizing Mun-Yeong, to being friends with her, to hating her, to developing a relationship reminiscent of siblings. And it was an absolute delight to watch.
The pseudo family formed between Sang-Tae, Gang-Tae and Mun-Yeong was incredibly wholesome and pretty much made the entire drama for me.
None of that would have been possible through without the phenomenal cast. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a better cast show. I can’t imagine any other actor or actress taking these roles, it was like they were made for them.
The child actors that play the main trios childhood counterparts for flashbacks were also perfectly cast. I don’t know how they managed to find kids that not only looked like the adult character, but were also able to capture the character.
Some of the flashback scenes and the parallels to modern day were my favorite scenes in the show. And they get bonus points for the stunning cinematography in those scenes, which by the way is a constant throughout the show.
The best episodes though were the ones where one of Mun-Yeong’s books is read over a scene. The books are all well written and are always a beautiful metaphor for whatever is going on at the time.
The OST is also amazing. The songs always fit the tone perfectly, and Janet Suhh who does some of the tracks ended up being my top artist on Spotify because of how often I got back to listen to the soundtrack.
In addition to all that, the set design is amazing, as well as the costuming. Every single one of Mun-Yeong’s outfits were on point.
I could write a ten page essay detailing everything in the show that I love, but I wanted to leave this review mostly spoiler free and not too absurdly long, so I'll end it here.
It's Okay to Not Be Okay is a phenomenal show that covers a wide array of topics, mostly involving mental health. It’s funny, sad, serious, beautiful, wholesome and thought provoking all in the best ways.
If you haven't watched it, I would highly encourage giving it a shot.
It’s Okay to Not be Okay is truly a one-of-a-kind show. I only started watching K-Dramas in early 2023 and I’ve watched twenty or so since, and for every other show there’s at least one other that I can compare it to. But there’s not a single piece of media that I have ever consumed that I could compare to this.
The story of It’s Okay to Not be Okay mainly follows three characters, Ko Mun-Yeong, Moon Sang-Tae, and Moon Gang-Tae. And as the title of the show would suggest, none of them are in any sense of the word, okay.
One of the things I’ve seen most people complaining about is Ko Mun-Yeong’s character. Particularly the fact that both herself and her relationship with Gang-Tae are toxic. I won’t refute that. She is, it is. But that’s kind of the point.
Mun-Yeong doesn’t care about anyone else, and Gang-Tae doesn’t care about himself. Throughout the course of the show, they both grow individually and together, allowing them to go from some of the reddest flags I’ve seen in a K-drama, to green flags for each other.
And while I loved the romance portion of the show between Gang-Tae and Mun-Yeong, I may have enjoyed the friendship between Sang-Tae and Mun-Yeong even more. They go through many phases, from Sang-Tae idolizing Mun-Yeong, to being friends with her, to hating her, to developing a relationship reminiscent of siblings. And it was an absolute delight to watch.
The pseudo family formed between Sang-Tae, Gang-Tae and Mun-Yeong was incredibly wholesome and pretty much made the entire drama for me.
None of that would have been possible through without the phenomenal cast. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a better cast show. I can’t imagine any other actor or actress taking these roles, it was like they were made for them.
The child actors that play the main trios childhood counterparts for flashbacks were also perfectly cast. I don’t know how they managed to find kids that not only looked like the adult character, but were also able to capture the character.
Some of the flashback scenes and the parallels to modern day were my favorite scenes in the show. And they get bonus points for the stunning cinematography in those scenes, which by the way is a constant throughout the show.
The best episodes though were the ones where one of Mun-Yeong’s books is read over a scene. The books are all well written and are always a beautiful metaphor for whatever is going on at the time.
The OST is also amazing. The songs always fit the tone perfectly, and Janet Suhh who does some of the tracks ended up being my top artist on Spotify because of how often I got back to listen to the soundtrack.
In addition to all that, the set design is amazing, as well as the costuming. Every single one of Mun-Yeong’s outfits were on point.
I could write a ten page essay detailing everything in the show that I love, but I wanted to leave this review mostly spoiler free and not too absurdly long, so I'll end it here.
It's Okay to Not Be Okay is a phenomenal show that covers a wide array of topics, mostly involving mental health. It’s funny, sad, serious, beautiful, wholesome and thought provoking all in the best ways.
If you haven't watched it, I would highly encourage giving it a shot.
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