It’s Okay to Not Be Okay (2020)

It's Okay To Not Be Okay Is...Okay

I'm not a fan of romance whatsoever but I am a fan of great storytelling when it involves small doses of romance. That being said great storytelling also involves great screenwriting where the dialogue is clear and compelling and doesn't leave all the heavy lifting to the viewers. But what 'It's Okay To Not Be Okay' suffers from is its heavy reliance on flashbacks. It's okay when you're recapping episodes and if they are used sparingly for dramatic effect but if you have to continually remind viewers of certain plot points then it seems to indicate a lack of confidence in the story itself. The likelihood of a man with an autistic older brother falling in love with the daughter of the woman who murdered his mother is a hard sell. And even with some strong individual performances at times by the show's leads, I didn't buy it. I wasn't convinced of the motive that caused the mother to kill in the first place. I also thought the show did a very poor job of exploring the real-life stigma that people with mental health issues face.

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A Bittersweet Fairytale...

It is undeniable that even amongst the drama-watcher community, there tends to be a notable problem of more well-known dramas being “ overrated” or “ glossed over” from noticeable flaws by biased fans of certain actors, actresses or directors, and “ It’s Okay, Not To Be Okay” is certainly no exception .

Written by lesser-known screenwriter Jo Yong ( After The Rain, Jugglers), ‘It’s Okay, Not To Be Okay’ plays itself upon being an “ atypical” romance between a stoic, yet kind-hearted psychiatric health worker called Moon Gang Tae ( Kim Soo Hyun ) and the eccentric children’s writer Ko Moon Young ( Seo Ye Ji) as they both try to find new ways to heal and recover from their past traumatic wounds along the way ...

Before talking about the interesting joys and delights of characterisation in the show, it is first prominent to commend most of the cast for their performances. Oh Jung Se was undeniably brilliant within his role as Gang Tae’s older autistic brother Moon Sang Tae; a performance which was angst-ridden and heartwarming for viewers over the course of series . Parallel to Jung Se, of course, was undeniably Seo Ye-Ji’s performance as the witty, sardonic yet complicated children’s writer Ko Moon Young; purposefully comical and flamboyant, yet intricately heartbreaking as well.

Truthfully, however, the show’s acting quality could sometimes be a mixed bag, not least from Kim Soo Hyun as our main lead. Although Soo-Hyun is undeniably a brilliant and talented actor, his role as Gang Tae was a little lacklustre and “ wooden” at times to say the least. This is not to say that his performance was unwatchable nor was it “ dire” , however, considering his reputation as a top-notch actor, it was a little surprising that Soo-Hyun didn’t truly add anything to his character . On the other hand , perhaps some of this can also be attributed with screenwriter Jo Yong’s deliverance of characterisation and several plot inconsistencies as well.

As a concept, ‘ It’s Okay, Not To Be Okay’ did not truly step upon new ground with its setup of the recently popular “ reversed gender trope ” in Korean dramas (where the female lead “ calls the shots”, and the male lead is nothing more than the “ object of obsession” in her eyes at first). Nevertheless, one of the undeniable great strengths of ‘ It’s Okay, Not To Be Okay’ was its ability to write several fairly “ fleshed-out” main characters who gradually grow over the course of the series .

Ko Moon-Young wasn’t supposed to be your typical “ Princess” heroine ( even labelling herself to be the “ Pretty Witch” of the story) ; she is successful and a talented writer, but intrinsically insecure and traumatised by her complicated past and her estranged relationship with her seemingly mentally-ill father as well. It remains apparent after finishing the show that Moon-Young often allowed her dark and twisted fairytales to adorn her view of the world; fairytales were once used commonly as morality tales to scare children and adults away from danger, a bittersweet belief (, which despite Moon-Young’s often reckless behaviour, )she applied full-heartedly to her own reality and comes to several harsh wake-ups calls by stepping away from these beliefs over the course of the series.

It is therefore apparent that just whilst Moon-Young is your “ atypical, yet typical” heroine, Moon Gang Tae is your “ usual, yet unusual ” knight in shining armour.

Gang-Tae is hard to really describe or feel true emotional attachment towards as a character ( perhaps explaining why Soo Hyun’s performance felt a little lacklustre at times) , due to his often stoic expressions and unreadable personality ( especially in comparison to Moon-Young) over the course of the series.

Nevertheless, it’s wrong to entirely dismiss Gang-Tae as a “ terribly-written character” , as his “ apathy” is often broken in the face of his trauma and clearer feelings( particularly towards his brother and later Moon-Young) in the second-half, however, the biggest problem about Gang-Tae’s characterisation was often a consequence of his sudden transition feeling a little purposeless.Although the show attempted to explain this characterisation by having to look after Sang-Tae as the “ carer” in their fraternal relationship, as well as evidently irked by Moon-Young in the beginning of the show, considering the extent of some of his traumas, Gang Tae’s reactions and coming to grips with them often felt lacklustre and perhaps resulted in Gang Tae merging into a “ stock male lead” over the course of the drama.

Naturally this draws us up onto the aspect of relationships in ‘ Its Okay, Not To Be Okay’. Perhaps the most praiseworthy thing to note about the programme is that although it is a “ romance” drama, it points out many different types of relationships ; from paternal ( such as the case of Kim Mi Sung’s character Kang Soon Deok and her adoration for her daughter Nam Joo Ri played by Park Gyu Young) ,to the fraternal bond between Gang Tae and Sang Tae and to the obvious romantic bond between Gang Tae and Moon Young over the course of the series.

In the case of the latter relationship , the show had an odd balance between genuine and striking similarities between the polar opposites acting as their magnetic force to stick together, as well as later riding upon several cliches which intrinsically took certain earlier driving factors from their fairly well-written and blossoming relationship. The ending was undeniably sweet, though perhaps a little anticlimactic for some watchers (considering the darker themes tackled).

The obvious and evident pairing overshadowed in the show by Gang Tae and Moon Young’s romance , occurred between Nam Joo Ri(Gang-Tae’s “ lovelorn” best friend) and Moon Young’s colleague and CEO of the publishing company Lee Sang In ( Kim Joo Heon). By default their pairing should have perhaps been the most grounded portrayal of the most “ normalised” romantic relationship in the show , however, by investing so much time into Gang-Tae and Moon Young’s, Sang In and Joo Ri’s pairing felt lacklustre , incredibly forced and a cliche setup between the “ extras”, rather than fleshed-out and realistically built-upon over time.

So, is ‘ It’s Okay, Not To Be Okay’ actually worth watching? Although there were a couple of questionable acting moments, cliches and plot inconsistencies, ‘ It’s Okay, Not To Be Okay’ was still a good drama, and certainly shouldn’t be dismissed as “ mediocre” ; the plot was intriguing, the cinematography was creative and beautifully shot, the OST was eclectic and themes of mental-health as well as psychology were fairly well-tackled and portrayed. ( Perhaps one of the most gripping scenes in the whole series came from a veteran soldier experiencing a bout of PTSD and the horrific scenes through the cinematography he was seeing on a normal bus ride.) ‘ It’s Okay, Not To Be Okay’ is undeniably not a flawless show, however, it is certainly still worth a watch ( not least for Moon Young’s more and more extravagant attires by each passing episode).

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Was more enthralled by the side stories and brotherly love than the unconvincing romance.

Everyone loved this show, and understandably so. It had the perfect formula to become mainstream that everyone would truly enjoy. Sadly, for someone like me who craves for unique and realistic stories, some parts of it were too frustrating to watch that I had to convince myself to finish this show because of the parts I loved about it.

Things I loved about it:

- The fact that it revolved around Psychology (I’m a Psychology Major so I’m a sucker for this). I found myself crying every time they revealed and focused on the struggles of the families of autistic people, as well as the other Psychological disorders that were highlighted through the various patients of the ward. The first few episodes made my heart burn and I knew it would be a good story after how they revealed the story of that guy with manic tendencies. Wow, genius and heart wrenching.

- I loved the writing style. Whenever a drama uses a creative way to place a theme for each episode (in this case, the fairy tales), I know i’m in for good writing. Truly appreciated this side of the show. The mini story books and the final story book was truly a genius way to tie up the whole story. The first scene of the show which also used a story book to introduce everything was also truly genius.

- The acting of the brothers. Wow, that autistic brother was truly amazing. And wow, Kim Soo Hyun was just truly breath taking. I managed to finish the show because of these two, and I shed a lot of tears because of their scenes.

Things I didn’t like about it

- The romance. I still find it hard to believe that someone would fall for a scary woman like Mun Yeong. She indeed was fun to watch, but I honestly believe you’ll be creeped out if you met someone as obsessed as her in real life. Not to discount the fact that she also has a personality disorder, but I felt like everything between her and the male lead was too rushed and forced. They should have given their romance more time to develop to make it convincing.

- The story of Mun Yeong’s family was totally unconvincing. I hated how unrealistic her mom was, and I hated how their story was one of the main plots from the very start. I wish they explained a bit of the mom’s background just so we can understand why she turned out to be that way, staying true to this show’s attempt to explain their characters’ stories through the use of past traumatic experiences. Aside from lack of understanding for this character, the head nurse’s acting was actually quite off. She totally wasn’t convincing and I found myself distracting my head whenever she appeared on screen just so I won’t turn off my phone. The original mom would have been more convincing as the villain until the very end.

Don’t get me wrong, it was such a good show, it’s just that I was slightly disappointed about how they forced the “thriller” side of the show through Munyeong’s family, without properly developing their story. However, I feel like the show managed to redeem itself in its last episode after it chose to focus on the brotherly love again (which I honestly think was good enough to be the main plot) and the other patients.

A good watch, truly unique, but it did not really make a lasting impression. Maybe I was hoping for another Psychological drama (a realistic one) like It’s Okay, That’s Love? Once again, my high expectations ruined my viewing of this show. Don’t make the same mistake!

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Overrated and Such a drag!!

I am amazed by the reviews that “it’s okay not to be okay”has received here!! I am uncertain that those who find this show addictive watched any other K-dramas before ? Bcz honestly it was just an average K-drama. It’s been 3 weeks since I started watching the show, but I got soo bored in between that I kept it on hold And watched it On and off. And if I recall to myself what happened in previous episodes ,nothing eventful and exciting came to mind. Yes it somehow put a light on mental health, trauma and autism but that was the only good part about the show.

There was too much coincidence I would say ,more than needed ,that it made their love story odd. Firstly they knew each other as kids and Besides that It was a typical plot that Ms Ko’s mother turn out to be the murderer of Gang Tae’s mother. I have seen that before in various films and dramas that I can’t even recall now.Also Gang tae’s reaction to his mother’s murderer Being Ms Ko mother was also not how I should have been considering how badly it affected his whole life soo much and I mean who would be so okay with their only parent getting murdered and then finding out who did that. His REACTION MADE EVERYTHING SOO UNIMPORTANT. Remember that this was the plot from the beginning,BUTTERFLIES!!! and when he finally get to know ,it didn’t mattered?? How !!! ALSO the reason his mom was murdered for was soo lame .i couldn’t understand that I should laugh or be angry at how stupid it was. Meaning the whole logic just got nullified. It was no suspense as some hints were shown from the beginning as they happen to be from the same town and knew each other as kids. Plot was literally boring as There was nothing new.

Also I hated the fact that Gang tae was the only one suffering the most in the show. First dealing with autistic brother and then Ms Ko, no doubt she brought thrill ll in his life but I think he deserved better. He was now dealing with the demons of Ms Ko as well. Caregiver should have gotten more care from his love interest I believe. Something normal would’ve been much better than a girl with her own trauma and crazy family background.

All I am gonna say is that i didn’t get to see anything new!!

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overrated

I lost interest in this kdrama in episode 11. a lot of unexplained relationships and loopholes here and there. the hot and cold relationship makes me so tired and can predict what will happened between the couple. i dont know how to write review, but then this kdrama is just filler for my time.

few things I found its funny, how come somebody who works as a caregiver at smalltown hospital can afford to buy VOLVO car (support character who drive white volvo car) ? its such fail product placement and kind of spoiled the mood to watch it because it not believable at all.

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Isn't this drama too overrated?

A tip to watch this drama: Please remember in every episode that this drama is not a mystery-based drama. It's mainly romance, so don't expect much about the mystery aspect in it. Warning: starting from ep 12, the plot somewhat will go off. It can betray you. But, episode 16 absolutely is your healer.

And here are the pros and cons:
Pros:
- Ko Mun-young's character is so badass, Seo Yeji's acting is powerful! JANG MAN WOL's COMPETITOR!
- Sang Tae's acting is 10/10!!!
- Comedy, yes.
- Legendary filmography
- Beautiful story concept (Using children's book as the main value in a drama? OH YES!!!)
- Episode 16 is super family-friendly. I was teary when watching this episode.
- Support roles make this drama 100000% better!
- Production. Castle in the forest, why not? DEL LUNA's COMPETITOR IS HERE!

Cons:
- The mystery aspect is pretty bad. Imagine, you as a viewer are supposed to think and solve the mystery (about Ko Mun-young's mother and her family story) along with main characters within +- 10 episodes. But, in the end, the antagonist herself appeared out of nowhere, without her true identity being exposed by the main characters. I FELT BETRAYED! Why I had to think hard who and where is Mun-young's mother while she would appear voluntarily?
- Sometimes, romance scenes are too long. This leads to a loose plot. This drama could have a solid plot with a rich aspect if they cut off some unnecessary romance scenes.
- Wasting some characters just to help raising viewer's curiousness about Mun-young's mother. Where did Ok Ran go? Who's the guy that trapped/being held in that place?
- Horror scenes failed! It's scary but it actually makes the plot go off a lot.
- Inconsistency in picking genres. This drama would have been better if they didn't put the mystery aspect that much. Romance-Family-Comedy is more than enough to create touching scenes.

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First Half is amazing, Second Half is draggy

IOTNBO has been the most talked-about drama of 2020 and for some maybe even the best drama of 2020. I am not one of these people and IOTNBO has been added into my list of the most disappointing dramas of 2020. There are good aspects of course but there are some bad aspects which have caused my rating to be so low.

The Good:
- The first half is amazing
- The psychology aspect is very well done and is blended into the story pretty well
- All the characters have motivations and aren't just one dimensional
- The Characters by themselves are interesting
- The story is interesting
- The MC's have great chemistry
- The Acting is really well done by all the cast especially Oh Jung Se and Seo Ye Ji
- The FL is interesting
- The OST is phenomenal

The Bad:
- The Drama falls flat in its second half and becomes unpleasant
- The Love story happens too fast and doesn't make sense
- The writing is the weakest point as they don't really string together all the great aspects very well and instead, it feels
really messy and confusing
- There really isn't a plot and instead its just random events that happen
- The drama is filled with cliche tropes and even though it does have interesting aspects (such as the psychology aspect)
it's mostly just an average Rom-Com
- All of the character development is really messy
- The FL mother being the murderer was really badly done and her whole character arc was not done very well
- The drama has many opportunities that it wastes

Conclusion: IOTNBO is not the worst drama in the world but it is disappointing when you see how much potential the drama has. IOTNBO could've been one of the best dramas of the last decade but it squanders a lot of its opportunity by adding unnecessary tropes and predictable plot twists. So for me, I would give IOTNBO a 6.5/10

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Overrated

I’m sorry, but I have no idea what all the hype is about. I thought it was terrible and annoying. I didn’t believe in any of the main characters for one second. They all seemed made-up, with no connection to reality. And don’t get me started on the evil mom who survives a cracked skull, broken neck, and drowning in a suitcase at the bottom of the ocean. I think it’s actually more believable that she’s a crazy nurse who learned all about the Ko family from taking care of the father and now mistakenly believes she’s the mom. And the dad tried to strangle his daughter because he was afraid she would turn evil too? How believable is that? And the music was horrible. The singer sounded like her mouth was full of marbles. I’m sure she’s a nice and talented person though so I’m sorry to be mean.

The only thing that saved this drama from being an utter failure were the side characters, who were likable and more real than the main characters. I especially like Ju Ri and her mom.

I guess I just have totally different tastes from most drama fans. But I have very low tolerance for people who mope and feel sorry for themselves all the time.

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Healing drama done perfectly

I've been watching dramas for more than 10 years now.
So far, only two dramas have managed to leave an imprint on my heart.

Now I count three.

I can't even find words to say how watching this drama every weekend has been such a wonderful journey.
There are so many meaningful morals you can take from this drama but ultimately it comes down to the importance of loving oneself, showing gratitude to people around you and muster the courage to overcome the obstacles life throws your way.

This drama is the best and the most perfect healing drama I've ever come across. I loved every minute of it.

The actors were perfect.
The acting was perfect.
The OST was perfect.
The cinematography was perfect.
The storyline was imperfectly perfect.
The rewatch value is definitely 100%.

I might sound biased because I totally, completely, absolutely loved this drama in its entirety.
But I truly believe this drama has something to teach everybody and anybody interested in watching it.

However, don't just watch it. Immerse yourself in it and it will bring you to a magical fairy tale world.

This drama definitely changed something in me, and I am forever grateful for it.

P.S.: prepare tissues, you might cry a lot.

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Dissapointing

I was really, really excited for this one.
I'm a huge Kim Soohyun fan and I was counting down for him coming back. When I saw that he took on a new drama, I was so excited. But, I'm now at episode 13 and it's getting really boring for me.
First of all, the drama is getting hype for being about mental health but that isn't that prevalent to be honest. It's a love story between someone who works at a mental health facility and a someone who became 'difficult' because of her childhood. But, there's never a healing story of Munyeong. She just falls in love and kind of keeps the irritating attitude.
The only really mental health story is the one of Moon Sangtae because he has autism. But I feel like he is just there to make the love story 'cuter'.
I did like the stories of the patients. They were really interesting but there was never a focus on that.
Really hoped this would be better.

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HEARTBREAKING BUT BEAUTIFUL

IONTBO made me feel so many different emotions altogether. But mostly the main leads did, they were all hurt and wounded in their own ways and needed someone to love them and understand them. The very fact that it was a drama that treated psychological problems was a little different since I haven't really seen a drama this focused before. Some people said that the character's didn't even seem to have any of those mental health problems but I want to remind everyone that at the end of the day it's a Korean drama and not a documentary, of course the romance and the drama is supposed to be there, of course at one point it seemed to focus more on other elements but it was essential for the healing of the characters. Personally, I feel the actors did an awesome job, so good that at times I just couldn't stop the tears cos it seemed so realistic and painfully sad. The relationship between KT and ST was so pure, but they had their problems but I'm happy that as brothers they managed to solve them all the time. MY's slow but steady, but not complete development made her look more human by the end and I'm happy about that, since many hated her personality at the start, but probably it's because they didn't try to understand. Yes, she was rude and extra, she still is at times, but try to go to the start of her behaviour, you'll understand why she is, or why are all the characters the way that they are. It's called It's Okay Not To Be Okay for a reason.

I also wanted to talk about OK Psychiatric Clinic, the staff and patients there. Their stories made me realise and understand so many things and I just want to say that those actors also did an absolutely amazing job.

KSH and SYJ are both very good actors, and they had a very good understanding of their characters and they played their roles well. They broke my heart, they made me cry but also smile and laugh. Them two were mood. The supporting cast was also very important and without them the drama would have been surely very different, they were so essential. Also the director, writers and production really did an awesome job, the way they assembled everything, the cinematography, the dialogues and everything is needy of praises.

The OST was awesome. I pay very much attention to the soundtrack and music of a drama cos I believe that it can make a huge difference to the overall mood and atmosphere of a drama. Many of my fave dramas are also my favourites because of the high quality music they offered.

To conclude, the ending was good. The only thing is not knowing more about how things went with the mother, but maybe it's good like this. Everything I wished for happened and I have no regrets. I want to say that it was a really good journey to watch this for the last month and a half, I met so many wonderful people while commenting and discussing this k-drama on MDL, and it was a good ride. You should really give this drama chance and understanding, it's actually really beautiful.

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