It’s Okay to Not Be Okay (2020)

Great acting, great premise, bad execution, no real drama

While It's Okay to Not Be Okay started out with an intriguing premise and captivating first few episodes, the series stagnates around episode 5 and completely loses its luster by the end of episode 7, never to recover until the very end.

My biggest complaint is that it was hard to sympathize with the ML, Moon Gang-tae (Kim Soo-hyun), who I found to be very whiny, mopey, and immature throughout, treating everyone around him with little to no respect. It was hard not to roll my eyes every time he grabbed the wrist of the FL, Ko Moon-young, which was A LOT.

Overall, I felt that there were many storylines that could have brought some much needed drama to the story, but the writer chose to center the drama around a very fickle romance that really didn't feel earned at all.

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Highly recommend !!

This drama is the best drama i have watched till now.



Best things about it :


*unique story based on mental healing & fairytales.

* Each and every OST's are really good.

* When all people want perfection in their life, it leaves a message " Its okay not to be okay "

* All the short stories of this drama are my favorite one's and I'm going to remember these stories for a long time for sure .

* Performance by all the cast is TOP NOTCH
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 .

*Great cinematography and production quality.

Although there're some minor issues in the second half , still it's really good.

Watch it you gonna love it!

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Average drama

Well, I have no complaints about this drama as I knew this was not for me. Even my friends didn't recommend as they knew this is not my type of drama. But it was not so bad neither so good...This drama got such a big viewership internationally and maybe, it can surpass dramas like Goblin or Dots.
About the couple, I missed chemistry and felt lack of emotions . As a drama, I felt that this could be placed in the same class of itaewon class. So if you like that drama, go for it!!

The music is good ..could be added to your playlist. I don't know whether the psychological condition of the characters are portrayed medically correct . I felt a bit of artificiality in that.

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Great beginning, okay middle, draggy ending

I think everyone must have reviewed this show before it finished. When I started watching this show, I thought it was going to be great. Seo Yeo Ji was just a perfect fit to be Ko Mun Yeong. KSH seemed like a good foil to her in the beginning. However when they stopped fighting with each other and you could tell they were going to get together, the magic seemed to diminish.

The first third of the show was excellent. I'd give it a 10.

The next third of the show started to drag on, but it was still okay. About a 7-8.

The last third of the show really started to drag on and on. I could barely finish watching it. Probably took me as long to watch the last third as it did the first 2/3rds of the show. The Ko Mun Yeong mom arc was just a big nothingburger.

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Bit boring at times

The drama was good but it has some boring episodes! The story loses its charm somewhat after 4th episode and again after episode 11. I kept waiting for some big twist or event to happen but nothing happens for a long time . In the beginning of the show, there is a huge emphasis on butterflies as they indicate towards something big. Those butterflies were the reason why both brothers keep moving and relocating but turns out it was not that big deal.
The romance between Kang tae and Ko moon is also not very exciting.It just seems pretty obvious what will happen next.it’s predictable. Nothing to keep the audience on their toes and make them jump with excitement. The excitement elements are missing in its okay not to be okay besides that story has some weaknesses .

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A deceptively deep but ultimately shallow and bewildering drama on "healing"

I'm going to go into this review as a mental health advocate and avid drama watcher and I must say , that on both fronts , I am very bewildered .

There is a telenovela called La Mujer Perfecta "The Perfect Woman" from Venezuela. It is a slice of life telenovela that showcases Venezuelan beauty standards in a society that prizes beauty over brains and the mass objectification of the female body . Whilst exploring that; it touches on a girl who is nonconformist ,has amazing brains , eccentric beauty plus has Asperger's Syndrome . Asperger's is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction and nonverbal communication, along with restricted and repetitive patterns of behaviour and interests. All of which make her severely underappreciated and misunderstood in the society she finds herself in.However -the depiction of mental health in that telenovela showed that your perceived weakness in society can actually be beautiful and strong.

It’s Okay To Not Be Okay didn’t make its protagonists gorgeous but made them weak and lacking with an evolved sense of self centeredness which is far from the mental health truth .It was a plot that was rather disingenuous as it had supreme potential to break much needed ground . It could have really knocked it out the park exploring mental illnesses and their intricate effects in daily life.

The use of psychopathy was lazy and came across as a crude entertainment device. This is seen in the terrible plot twist.Also , It’s okay not to be okay could’ve been a poignant slice of life drama with special emphasis on people triumphing over what society views as a weakness but instead it shallowly explored the effects of alcoholism , domestic abuse and trauma. This is due to the world building and character portraits. The world of IOTNBO was not fully lived in but was rather heavily accessorised and very much stylised focusing more on aesthetic than on substance. So in the end - the beautiful and human character portraits did not have a chance to take center stage.Instead , we had numerous employees stand back and watch while people like the Moon brother's . female protagonist et al had their meltdowns which would NEVER happen , like , ANYWHERE. And those are just a few of the many examples. No careful thought was put in this which was very off putting but people are giving it a pass because it is "pretty" and "helaing". SMH.

I do however appreciate it for what it was in the end. That's why I did not drop it even though , perhaps , I should have .Its a story that does not really focus on plot but opts to tell it’s story via the unravelling of complex character portraits in the form of the three main leads.Thats cool.The acting was also very engaging as well and the actors wove in great continiuty in their skills . Kim Soo Hyun was ridiculously tragic , Seo Yeo Ji was transfixing and Oh Jung Se needs AWARDS ASAP. Drama performance of the year ! The supporting cast was meh for the most part and annoying in some parts but I did really love ALL the patients in Ok Psychiatry Hospital . Very lovely stories indeed.

The music was not impressive and did a lack luster job on atmosphere modulation.

OVERALL - I would not rewatch it or even watch MVs on YouTube. I am glad I did watch and it was mildly entertaining and gorgeous in visuals . On substance fronts - its severely lacking. It was like going to a restaurant and having boiled ribs with no garnish. Ribs have so much potential to be tasty and yum so why leave them boiled?No thank you .

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Good Enough

" It's okay to not be okay " is a conceptional drama. It nailed the atmosphere and the whole gothic, fairytale, mysterious, dark and eerie. The addition of the books worked fantastically, the setting was brilliant and the clothes of the leading lady influential.

The story, however, of the drama was stretched. Looking back into it, nothing happened for some episodes, and the final result was the kind of 'easy' conclusion of the whole mother mystery. The side stories were underdeveloped and boring too. So, no, they didn't work on the story too much, as they focused on the clever dialogue and the atmosphere.

Nevertheless, even though storywise my rating would have been 5.5, I can't really rate it less than 7 because of the performances. The three main actors were breathtaking, especially in the dramatic scenes and one should only watch it for those performances only! (and no, I'm not a fan of the actors, but I can't stress enough how excellent they were! plz give them an award!!)

So, overall, seven out of ten (10/10 for the actors, 5/10 for the story)

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A New KDrama Classic

“It’s Ok to Not Be OK” is nothing that I expected it to be. It’s a mix of psychological thriller, comedy, romance, and melodrama but with the theme of a beautifully told dark fairytale. There are no magical creatures or supernatural events, but there are 3 unique and memorable characters who make this story feel larger than life. Seo Ye Ji, Kim Soo Hyun, Oh Jung Se give brilliant performances. From the very first episode, when I still wasn’t sure what to expect, all three had character introductions that were epic, and let me know right away that this drama would not disappoint. For all 16 episodes, I remained impressed. These three have such strong chemistry together that any flaws in the story were easily overlooked, and it just kept getting better with each episode.

I’ll start my specific praise for the cast with See Ye Ji as Ko Moon Young. She is perfection in this role down to her flawless outfits and eye glitter. Her sinister smile, soft deep voice, and unapologetic confidence made her likable villainous demeanor seem effortless, but she is just as great at showing vulnerability and pain, and over the top silliness as well. Moon Young might be a controversial choice as a strong female lead, but from her very first scene, I knew she would become one of my all-time favorite KDrama characters. I want to be Ye Ji when I grow up and I’m already very grown! I also love the idea of a cynical children’s author. It’s as if this role was made just for her. I was not familiar with her as a lead before this drama, but now I’m definitely her fan. She is perfectly matched with Kim Soo Hyun, as Moon Gang Tae. I already loved him in “You Who Came from the Stars” where he plays a similar poker-faced and responsible character matched with a strong and unpredictable sexy lead, but in this drama, he gets to show way more range (and be human lol). As Moon Gang Tae he is charming and heartbreaking. I think his matured boyish good looks make him also seem perfectly cast as a young man forced to be responsible at an early age, who is somewhat naive and over his head but also wise beyond his years. I also loved the contrast of him being unsophisticated while she was always fashion-forward and elegant. Their very first moments together are already exciting and super hot without anything happening but close talking and intense looks. I kept calling their specific chemistry “sexy dysfunction” because in real life this super-empath and borderline sociopath match would be toxic AF, but in KDramaland they challenged each other exactly the way they needed to, and I loved rooting for them no matter what. Let’s also face the fact that they look gorgeous together. Maybe there were too many wrist grabs, but when they are done so well are there really too many? The love story drives this storyline for sure, in many ways, but it’s really the love story of a trio including Oh Jung Se as Moon Sang Te. It’s hard for me to pick a real favorite out of the three but Oh Jung Se really gave a performance worthy of his own paragraph of praise for sure!

There are a lot of actors who have done a great job playing characters with disabilities or disorders, and I was afraid that his role would just be used to add cheesy melodrama, but I was so wrong. To not award him for this performance would be a serious crime. Sang Tae was the character most likely to make me cry for sure but he was also the character most likely to make me laugh literally out loud and cheer. The brother-bond with Gang Tae warmed and broke my heart so many times. His bonding, rivalry, and banter with Ko Moon Young were some of my favorite moments in the whole drama. In many ways, this character is the glue that makes this story so strong. With a cast this amazing it’s hard to pick a breakout favorite, but I think anyone who watches will agree that this performance is one of the best in a drama period.

Besides the Main Trio, the rest of the cast is also great, although at times easily overshadowed. One of my favorites, Kim Mi Kyung, is among the cast, and she is always great as some version of the best Mom. She’s also in another drama I started watching at the same time (“Was Is Love?”) playing a very similar role and I’m still never tired of seeing her. I loved Gang Tae’s loyal BFF (so adorkable), The endearing Hospital Director, The Patients, Park Jin Joo being weird and quirky as usual, Gang Young Nam as the head nurse, as well as the amazing younger actors in the flashback scenes… There are no weak links in the cast, and even seemingly minor characters are important to the story. Kim Joo Heon and Park Kyu Young were also characters I loved although I admit their storyline did feel a little too much like filler at certain points. It’s hard to say too much without giving something away but none of the problems I had with characters were based on performance. There was a great overall ensemble cast feel that was awesome and didn’t have to rely on dragging out love triangles or overblown rivalries. For a story with such a heavy fairytale feel it also felt very genuine.

I did give the story a 10 score because I loved it so much, but I admit that some parts could have been stronger. Some of the backstories, I felt, were revealed and resolved too easily. The story does focus more on relationships than details, and I was absolutely satisfied with that. Don’t get scared off by the psychiatric hospital setting if that’s not your thing, it’s more about the characters and their self-discovery, not treatment and many of those parts are relatable and inspiring. I also loved that every episode had a specific fairy tale theme. It was a great way to foreshadow some things without giving anything away. The direction was also so beautifully done, incorporating picturesque scenes, and storybook-style imagery. The direction helped tie all the various genre elements together so seamlessly. I also felt like great care was taken in how even minor scenes were shot. It’s the director who did “Jealousy Incarnate”, an all-time rewatchable favorite of mine. The way animation was incorporated was so good too, and never overdone. The way the mystery was solved was underwhelming, but the actual ending episode was so moving, bringing earlier images and scenes full circle into the story (I loved the illustrations!). I was afraid that the end would be disappointing but it ended up being better than I even imagined it could be, while still being simple and true to the story. Every question I had wasn’t answered but the ones that mattered to me were, so everything felt resolved. I was definitely dehydrated from all the happy tears too.

Would I watch this again? Many times. The story is so well told, with characters I already miss, and it probably is a little more entertaining at the start knowing the whole story ahead of time. Since the mystery isn’t the strongest part of this drama nothing is really lost knowing what comes next, and I can enjoy certain performances in earlier scenes differently. There’s also plenty of rewindable moments with Soo Hyun and Ye Ji playing so well off of each other. This is one of those dramas that I will end up watching multiple times… Like Sang Tae watching Dooly. (lol)

The only area I didn’t give a perfect 10 was music. Don’t get me wrong, the music is great in general and well incorporated, but there was no memorable song that could justify a 10 from me, besides the “OK” hospital’s sing-along song which was cute.

Overall this drama easily has become one of my all-time KDrama favorites, which I would have never guessed from the cast and description. This drama definitely deserves its high ratings. If you’re looking for an original story without necessarily reinventing the drama-wheel, this one qualifies for sure. If you want to fall in love with characters and see them grow and evolve in a satisfying way this drama specializes in that. It’s not too dark or too lighthearted and has enough elements to please many different drama moods. I laughed and cried so much. I didn’t know eating porridge could be so emotional or that deer could be so hilarious. I love the themes of choosing your own happiness, defining your own family, and empowerment and freedom through self-expression and self-determination. This drama itself echoes Ko Moon Young’s perspective on fairytales… they exist not as escapism but so we can face reality, and like a children’s fairytale book I wanted to read (or watch) it again as soon as it was done. I rarely give all 10s and this one came extremely close! This is definitely a new KDrama Classic.

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Great acting by a blockbuster cast, led down by an underwhelming script.

Oh Jung Se and Seo Ye Ji nailed their roles spectacularly. The focus on mental illness was great but not developed strongly - especially KMY's ASPD - no diagnosis or treatment was even mentioned. Plot was slow and predictable, with not many surprises. The First leads had good chemistry, however, the pacing on of their relationship was too fast - leading to a burn out in the 2nd half of the series. Second leads could also have been developed even further - NJR, JS, LSI etc. Felt that many of these characters didn't really have a 'role' in plot.

Overall, comfortable to watch, great visuals, excellent acting but could have been so much more if the story was more developed and well rounded.

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Blows everything else I've seen out of the water - true masterpiece

I have to thank my friend for sending me the trailer of this show before it started. I initially had no desire to see this drama as I thought that the synopsis sounded like something I wouldn't be interesting. As soon as I saw the trailer I knew I had to see this. (I even got my husband on board to watch it with me and he fell in love with the show as well.) The music was haunting and Seo Ye Ji's voice was sexy as heck. I'm in. And I'll fully admit that this was so much better than I ever could have expected. The story is one of a kind. There is something for everyone in this show. Drama, Melo, Romance, Comedy, Mystery, and Healing. I laughed and I cried. There was so much heart in this drama - it was so well-written and well-acted. Watching the main trio heal from their trauma touched my heart so much, and I also loved the fairy tale backdrop for the show was well as the episodes themselves.

This was the first time I've watched Seo Ye Ji, but safe to say I am now a fan. She was simply gorgeous as Ko Mun Young. She had times where she was fierce and times where she showed innocence. The acting from all three leads was phenomenal. Oh Jung Se as Moon Sang Tae completely stole the show so many times though - he may have been my favorite character of the entire show. All three of them acted their hearts out in this. They all had scenes that drew on my emotions and brought tears to my eyes.
I have to give props to the supporting cast as well. Everyone really did a phenomenal job with this show. I have nothing but praises for all of them.

I've said before that the OST has to be really outstanding for me to take notice because I'm not much on noticing music. This show had one of the best OSTs I've ever heard. (surpasses Goblin and Mr. Sunshine which had been my two previous mentions for best OST.) Janet Suh's In Silence (and I'm Your Psycho), Lee Sun Hyun's In Your Time, Elaine's Wake Up (opening credits), Ga Eun's Got You, Kim Feel's Hallelujah - some of the best tunes from the show.

Best of all, this has been one of the most satisfying endings of any show I've watched lately. It was more than I even hoped for. It was just beautiful all the way around. I've been through a string of great shows with lackluster endings, but this show brought its 'A game' for every episode right up until the final credits of the very last episode (and Netflix even treated us to a final credit blooper reel!)
This show is a definite re-watch.

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A beautiful K-drama that respectfully explores mental health

This genuinely might be one of the best K-dramas I've seen in a while. The chemistry between all the actors is immense, and that's not to put into question the pure acting ability each of them possessed. Every character in the drama felt genuine and authentic, and not at all forced or downright disrespectful to those who do have such disorders in reality. The romance was beautifully developed, and the relationships between all the characters blossomed in a way that seemed realistic and not rushed. The plotlines were well thought out with little to no plotholes that come to mind; in a way, the story comes full circle and has a fitting ending. Definitely a recommended watch, and arguably the best K-drama of 2020.

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