Details

  • Last Online: 3 days ago
  • Location: On the same Earth; Under the same sky;
  • Contribution Points: 4 LV1
  • Roles:
  • Join Date: July 18, 2017

Alma

On the same Earth; Under the same sky;

Alma

On the same Earth; Under the same sky;
It's Okay to Not Be Okay korean drama review
Completed
It's Okay to Not Be Okay
15 people found this review helpful
by Alma
Feb 12, 2021
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed 10
Overall 7.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 7.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 5.5
This review may contain spoilers

The same old clichés!

The story is not something that unique. Like most Korean love dramas it is full of predictable twists, childhood and parent relationships, jealousy and love triangles, characters trying to act cool and make the other lead jealous. For example, the other girl who loves the main lead has done nothing wrong but love him, give him a home and a job but still he never appreciated her enough and just uses her whenever he needs her. I know that happens in real life too but that's not ok as it is always shown in Kdramas. To be honest, watching that time when she is drunk and slaps the female lead and curses the male lead felt really good!
Also, again, like most other Korean dramas they just suddenly jump on a motorcycle to rescue their love in sadness. Ok, I'm not saying that's bad, but that happens in all Kdramas and sometimes it is performed even better. This show has a lot of these old cliches and I don't want to bore you mentioning all of them. Most scenes were based on them and even though it had other moments too, it was not satisfying enough.
As for the acting, the main male lead has this poker face a lot of times that I couldn't really connect with. The acting is not something that unique either. It is just fairly done.
I liked the cinematography for the first few episodes (which it just suddenly stopped). This small part is well done, but that's never enough to make a drama unique.

I want to point out some of my other views regarding the story.
let me first say that I love realistic dramas. Shows that mirror our daily problems which can happen even in a fantasy.
I don't like a show because everybody does, or hate it because everybody does so.

How probable is it that you willingly choose the same career of a mother whom you don't actually like? I'd say none.

The main reasons why I had problems with this show:

First of all, I love serious people, but I don't like arrogant ones. It's the easiest to be rude to others and angry if you're facing problems (or having mental issues). Blaming everything and everyone around you, thinking you are mistreated or you are better than others is very immature - Even though there is always a source for every bad trait of a person and they have to fix themselves and don't think it's ok to continue like this unless love happens and because they are not fine they can hurt others and people should always understand them. So, I don't want to watch the life of a person like that.

Secondly, the beautiful dresses and the cinderella complex! You may think what on earth you're talking about, but let me explain. The FL is far too dramatic. She has everything one could wish for. She has money, talents, she has a beautiful face, good people around her, and still, because of her past, she acts like she is the only one with problems without trying to work on them with the proper psychologist and overcome these problems, while people facing issues like hunger and inequality don't act rudely to that extent. I know that even rich people can suffer from all sorts of issues, but still, they have one very big problem less than others and they can actually pay for treatment. There is a difference between dying from hunger and suffering from past traumas which you can at least try to fix( with the money of course! Doing yoga, going traveling, seeing a psychologist, relaxing, and ...)

Thirdly, It still is full of cliches. In the end, she needed someone (read one man) to enter her life, so she could understand that she has problems and she has to change so she could be a better person for him, instead of fixing herself for the sake of herself and everyone around her. And the fact that even with her success she should still have a romantic life to be complete. ( I know this is a romance genre but still! )

lastly, It's completely mainstream, and still very stupid, of Korean shows when the protagonists' bad actions are always justified in a way, while those who do some bad things towards them are the mere evil ones. Let me make an example, if you have seen Revenge, the American show, you never feel like the female lead having done all sorts of things to get on with her plans is somehow justified. It's like she knows doing this she is no longer an innocent and decent person and she can never go back. Knowing that we can understand her better and like her better. The bad things she has done become a very important part of her, that sticks with her, even if she goes on with her life. Asian dramas always make everything about evil or good rather than the reality of the grey or black personality of people. Like they magically change to this person with a clean slate at the end. We are responsible for our actions and if someone does something bad to us or if we have traumas and mental problems it never justifies our bad behavior. We have to compensate for these rude actions, that's the proper response.

I want to see a Korean drama in which a woman helps other women without being arrogant (being serious still) or rude while having a bigger understanding of the world trying to be better while putting aside her own jealousy when she is communicating with a love rival, and love, well, that can happen too! But I guess I ask too much from this (dramaland) fantasy world. They are made for that purpose. :D
Was this review helpful to you?