A must watch
I was not part of the hype train when I started, I saw the high rating and decided to give it a shot.To be honest on the first episode I thought about dropping it because I hate shows where the main actor/actress is being a total asshole for no specific reason, but I stayed and watched a few more episodes and I damn, I'm happy that I did.
### Casting
I think that the acting in this drama was amazing, the story is not something totally original or so ground-breaking, but the acting is the thing that kept you invested in the characters and their story.
I don't think that there is not even one of the main or support cast that I have something bad to say for his/her acting ability.
Only props to all of them, truly enjoyable to watch them play!
### Story
While the story is not something original it felt fresh and was a joy to invest your time and forget about everything.
The only issue I had was with the mother story arc and how was handled by the end, it felt poorly constructed and rushed, but hey, it can't be all perfect.
Other than that the story flowed really well and was really amazing to experience.
The comedy in this show was on point as well as the drama aspect of it, it mashed really well and it's not very often than I can burst laughing in one moment and cry in another one.
### Re-watch
I've reached it least 2-3 times already and specific scenes more than 10 times.
### Overall
I haven't watched too many shows, but I consider this to be at the top 3 for me at the moment.
So I highly recommend it!
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Worth the sleepless nights of binging
"It's Okay Not to Be Okay", these words didn't really mean much to me until I watched this drama. I always thought of these as just another word of pity, nothing special. Which has now changed, because now it carries a story of a lifetime for me. It has become just so many things to me, that I find it difficult to express in words.This show is one of those rare shows that leaves an empty void in my heart after it's over. I rarely get emotional over shows, since I know, for a matter of fact, that they are fiction, they lack a taste of realism, there are no happy endings because there never was a start, to begin with. But man, this story hit me like a train, it touched every emotional corner in my heart that I forgot once existed. I can't describe in words just how great and amazing of an adventure it was for me to sit and binge this show. A rollercoaster of emotions and a journey of emotional learning.
The chemistry of Kim Soo Hyun and Seo Yea Ji is phenomenal. I can't believe just how well they both fit into their characters like they're are specifically made for them and their phenomenal acting tops it off. The Eyes scene from Episode 1 gave me goosebumps. Their expressions, body language, everything was perfect. I just can't believe this wasn't real, and it was just fiction. Oh Jung Se nailed his role as Moon Sang Tae, which I believe was one of the most challenging roles in the entire drama. The way in which he portrayed the character was sheer magic. Every character in this drama fit perfectly with each other like a jigsaw puzzle.
It is said that storytelling is an art, and not everyone can do it. And Park Shin-woo is definitely a master of it. Everything about this show is perfect, the OST, cinematography, acting, scriptwriting, the chemistry between characters. The consistency of the characters and the emotional buildup were perfect. This drama picks up a very interesting way to portray trauma, people, and how it impacts their lives, and this sets them apart from the rest. Whoever came up with the fairy tale idea deserves an award. It was beautifully portrayed and well connected with the overall story. The final story - Finding the Real Face, sums everything up perfectly. I love how no character was ignored or forgotten. Someone's trauma is not more or less important than someone else's trauma everyone has their own story to tell and the journey they must travel to face and overcome their fears to grow.
"So don't forget any of it. Remember it all and overcome it. If you don't overcome it, you'll always be a kid whose soul will never grow."
I feel this drama feels so much different from my general troupe because it hits home. I can relate to everything said here on various levels. Trying to face my traumas from behind, cover them up with petty lies to feel at peace. Always be running away from them. Trying to fill this emptiness with distractions.
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10/10
This show really is 10/10 worthy. Keeps you interested every episode. I think the curiosity is there constantly because we want to know the backstory of the characters and why they are the way they are. The journey and growth and how they're healing from their pain and past was very well written.The visual is no jokes we have 2 very very beautiful actor/actress. The fashion is just eyecandy overload. The OST is also a masterpiece. You know a good drama when you hear the OST it's honestly amazing.
Best of all is the story idea, it's very different from any other. One character being a carer in a mental hospital and another is a book author. We're not seeing the boring same old rich, hot & smart guy and weak poor pretty girl that gets protected by male lead kind of story. Both character are very real and their struggles are relatable. The 2 leads are very equal in helping each other through.
It's a must watch!
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e falando nelas, muito bem consolidadas e amáveis, mesmo elas tendo problemas com sentimentos você consegue se apegar facilmente a todos, ko munyeong principalmente. ela foi uma que causou polêmica entre os expectadores por conta de algumas atitudes mas eu não consegui desgostar dela por um minuto sequer. a atriz fez um trabalho espetacular na transmissão de emoções, assim como o ator dos irmãos.
quero destacar aqui o tanto que foi incrível e diferente a inserção de um personagem autista pra história, a representatividade de que pessoas assim que quebram o estereótipo ligado ao medo que a nossa sociedade tem é MUITO importante, e o jungse ele arrasou demais nesse papel, foi muito bom ver o tanto que ele mudou do papel dele em camélia pra its ok, já que eu assisti os dois doramas um seguido do outro.
o figurino e os cenários são incríveis, as cores das filmagens também são sensacionais e se eu não me engano as transições de uma cena pra outra são muito bem elaboradas.
o enredo foi muito interessante e intrigante de se assistir, mesmo eu tendo ficado um pouco lerda no começo eu sempre ficava ansiando por mais e mais, o plot twist infelizmente levei spoiler e eles usaram de uma justificativa que faz sentido mas que percebe-se que foi uma coisa de última hora (ou só apressada mesmo). mas não foi algo que tenha me incomodado.
foi uma experiência incrível assistir esse dorama, chorei DEMAIS no final e eu recomendo pra todo mundo!!!
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One of my best kdrama!!!
This drama is one of the drama that will get to my top 1 fave! It makes me more fall in love with Kim Soo-Hyun! I really love the concept of the story, it was my first time I saw this drama that is more of mental health and people working on a mental hospital...You will never regret this! Both Seo Ye ji and Kim Soo- Hyun are one of my best couple! They are really a perfect chemistry! I don't have nothing any word to say! Each episode made me want to continue on watching... The drama also will help us to improve our mental health since mostly in this generation, people are experience depression and anxiety. They will give "Words of Wisdom" to us.This drama also has a little bit of horror. Kinda look like hotel del luna style hehe but not entirely.
Their acting skills are pretty good! It gives me different emotions!
I love also the OST! Everytime I hear this, my heart ache huuhuh
After watching the entire episode I keep rewatching all my favorite scenes!
The ending is a happy ending! Don't worry about it :)
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A magical dark fairy tale with so many heart warming moments
10/10 is my rating. This is a 2020 South Korean Romantic Drama television Series with 16, 70-85 minute episodes. Alternate title is “Psycho but It’s ok.”Moon Gang-tae (Kim Soo-hyun) and Moon Sang-tae (Oh Jung-se) are two brothers who have lived a difficult and unsettled life trying to outrun the horror of their past. Gang-tae is the younger brother but was told before his mother’s untimely death that he should take care of his autistic older brother. who has autism. Sang-tae is the older brother but significant autism leads him to being child like, innocent and honest to a fault. As a younger child, Sang-tae witnessed his mother's murder which left him traumatized and, for some reason, terrified of butterflies. Gang-Tae is a care giver in psychiatric wards and has been able to move from hospital to hospital as they move around. at every place they settle in. Ko Moon-young (Seo Yea-ji), writes dark fairy tales which are inspired by horrific events in her past and an overbearing and abusive mother. She is invited to teach at the psychiatric ward because her books have special appeal for those struggling with their own psychological demons. Circumstances lead the three to the town where they all grew up and when their paths overlap Moon-young is drawn to the quiet compassionate and devastatingly handsome Gae-tae. Moon-young is extremely beautiful but unapproachable as some have indicated she has antisocial personality disorder. Those who irritate or seek to harm Moon-young are likely rto experience her wrath and her manager spends significant time and money cleaning up Moon-young’s many social blunders. What Moon-young wants she usually gets and she begins to relentlessly pursue Gang-tae. The two seem like oil and water but are actually more like ying and yang. Can they solve the mysteries of the past and grow a love pure enough to heal both?
I am really glad it is ok to not be ok because I certainly wasn’t when this ended. I so loved the main characters that letting it go was like leaving old friends. It was such a wonderful and masterful story that was a little like “The Adam’s Family”, “Rainman”, dark fairy tales, and A Series of Unfortunate Events” mixed together and birthed something with elements from all yet uniquely its own. The backdrop of the mental hospital was fascinating because there were patients struggling with a wide range of mental health challenges. The honesty, compassion and courage the disorders were presented with spoke strongly to the message that we do not always have to be okay. The two brothers and the way they had their weaknesses yet leaned on each other through a rough and lonely childhood as orphans was very heart warming. Moon-young proved to be a lot less heartless than her exterior portrayed and was the missing key for the duo to become a trio and develop into a true family. The acting was amazing and the music, costume and sets were beautiful. I will watch this again and highly recommend this wonderful series. I would not change a single thing.
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An incredible, heart-wrenching show
When I first watched this show I scored it a 9 but was rather undecided on the ending episodes. Rewatching it again I've come to appreciate how masterfully executed the first half of the show was.It was incredibly beautiful, tying in two characters who are polar opposites yet sharing in common difficult relationships with their mothers that informed their outlook on life. Both characters suffer from it, yearn for affection, love and companionship but it manifests in different ways. Their failure to understand each other creates conflict until they both come to realise they want and need the same things. There is a moment in episode seven when Moon Gang-Tae has a powerful and emotional epiphany on his mother's supposed indifference and neglect of him and he realises he was loved all along, and it deepens the grief of missing her. That it didn't come from him being directly told but piecing together the truth behind their family outings to the local market made it all the more powerful. This is a story built on motifs, symbolisms and metaphors and it does them superbly.
I think the show explores autism powerfully and beautifully. And also in a very real and human way. Having to look after an autistic brother from a very young age isn't something anyone can do without fatigue, and the show is really good in showing us how Kim Soo-Hyun's character sometimes suffers from privately wanting more. I think his acting, and particularly Oh Jung-Se's were just great. There's also some moving character moments dealing with loneliness, seeking companionship and love, and how sometimes something as simple as sharing dinner with someone else can feel special. The show is really lovely in that sense, accentuated by a blend of songs that correctly fit the tone of the show and various scenes.
I did still have a real problem with the latter half of the show and I don't think it needed a murder drama brought into it but nonetheless this was a masterpiece in storytelling.
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A beautiful disaster with a happy ending
I love how raw the emotions are portrayed in this drama and although some of these emotions were heavy and ugly, they were still able to effectively translate it into something the viewers can relate and sympathize with. The main cast is amazing here, they have undeniable chemistry and just made the story seem like the viewers are with them in their journey together - especially loved how they incorporated themes of different fairytales.What I found anticlimatic was the supposed-to-be final revelation for the resolution to happen, it just didn't sit well with me and felt a bit sloppy and far-fetched, though it still was a surprise.
Nonetheless, the main plot of this drama which is highly grounded on the mental headspace of an individual was effectively portrayed and conveyed. This might fall a little heavy on those dealing with issues but the title says it all: "It's Okay to Not be Okay".
This is also quite a pure story of different kinds of love from different types of broken people, and I think that, by itself, is worth the watch.
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Hands Down Best Drama of 2020
I haven’t been this excited for a drama in so long. I mean, Seo Yeji AND Kim Soohyun in one drama?? My eyes were glued to the screen. I LOVE Munyeong. In the beginning, she was definitely selfish, but I just love how dominate she was. And her outfits??? THE SERVE!! I also liked how Gangtae rejected Juri early on. They didn’t waste anytime on silly love triangle stuff!! The side characters were all so great in their own ways. Juri’s mom <333 No words just admiration and love for her.I loved how they incorporated fairy tale elements & life lessons throughout the drama. Munyeong’s last book made me cry so much since she added stories of the patients in the book. Speaking of crying, I was literally sobbing every during episode. When Sangtae said he was saving money so that he could buy Gangtae a camping car,, The story behind the Mangtae doll,, Or when the director bought the patient a new pair of shoes so he could walk out his "door".. I lost it. Tears, tears & even more tears!
This drama was great but definitely not perfect. I’m still confused about Munyeong's mom being alive because I thought her dad got rid of her body in the ocean?? but maybe his memory was wrong. I also wish Munyeong got help for her childhood trauma. Instead, they kind of made it seem like love fixed/healed everything??
Overall, I love this drama so much. I appreciate how they brought attention to mental health issues. The plot was something different and exciting. Also, the character development?? We love to see it!! I’m so so glad that everyone got their happy ending, even the patients. They really deserved it :,) I got really attached to this drama and will definitely miss seeing Seo Yeji on my screen.
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A Masterpiece(some quotes from show included as spoilers)
❞???? ??? ?????? ????? ??? ?????? ???? ???? ??? ??? ????? ???? ????? ??? ????? ??????? ?? ???? ?????????❞tl;dr:- Absolute masterpiece, I will not be able to forget this in my life.
The last time I spent these many words on a series review was 4-5 years ago when I was still doing my masters in IIT Bombay, or maybe in my first year of Ph.D. I always put it to lack of time, but now I realize you make time to pen your thoughts down if something really moves you. It is your own way of trying to hold on to the moments in the show, and your own way of letting go and moving on.
Let me begin by stating I put this show in the pantheons of animated shows like Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood and Steins; gate in the emotional roller coaster and healing it provided me. But unlike those two shows I cannot guarantee the same feelings would be felt by most people. Literally all the people around me and my wife who have already watched this show had either dropped it midway or felt it was "okay". But it is precisely due to this reason anecdotal evidence is not considered a good evidence in a debate, because statistically in forums like IMDb and this one the show is an extremely popular and highly rated one. It also has received a lot of awards in Korea. So all I can do in this review is prepare you for what to expect and leave the rest to the reader.
??? ?????? ??? ?? ??? ???????? ?? ???? ????? ?? ?? ??? ???????? ?????? ???? ????. ??? ?????? ??? ???????? ???? ???? ??? ?? ??? ???? ??❜? ???????. ??? ??? ?????? ??? ???? ??? ? ????? ???? ????? ?????????, ??? ????? ???? ?? ???? ?? ?????? ??.
This line from a youtube comment on one of the show's songs, sums up what I believe about the show.
The story is of how three people, two brothers, one autistic and one who has cared for him since childhood and a girl whose troubled childhood makes her not know what warmth of a family is. She has anti-social personality disorder and writes twisted fairy tales, which are best sellers, but they are actually calls for help and her way of communicating with the world to tell it not to do the things to the kids which were done with her. They have an ill-fated connection from the past and the story is about how they find their own ways to heal and free themselves from their shackles.
This drama has run into some criticisms from various politically correct sections of the society, because the actions of the girl, who in the initial episodes, are questionable. But the thing is in real life you are never politically correct all of the time, you have done questionable things that you regret after you grow and realize what you have done is wrong. This story is about that. A story where everybody does the right thing all the time is a story not of humans but robots, and frankly extremely boring. The story revolved entirely around how the characters come to these realizations about their flaws and become the best versions of themselves. Such character driven story lines are in general slow-burn, and if this was like that, it would have still been a very good series and not a masterpiece.
A good series gives you a few moments to remember across it's entire run, a great series might give you one every episode. Mind you a moment need not be a climax, it can be as mundane as seeing the montage of a camping trip , but it is something that you want to watch over and over again. A masterpiece will have many many such moments, such that you want to watch it over and over again while you wish to forget it completely so that you can start watching it in an empty mind. This one in it's later episodes(from episode 10 almost) has so many such moments that we sometimes marveled at how on earth one can write in such a manner.
Which brings me to the background score and cinematography. The score has 14-15 songs , and each of which packs a power in it's own right, I remember almost all of the songs because of the "moments" they were fit to, some of them even went on to win awards in Korea and deservedly so, Among all the K Dramas I have watched not a single one comes even close to this in it's OSTs. And starting from the close up shots of the faces to the wide angle eagle eye shots the cinematography is beautiful. The transitions, the surrealism to fairy tale world and I can just go on, I thought Run On was beautifully shot, but this just takes one step further, it is a movie quality production.
And now the acting, Park Min Young was my favourite Korean actress till date, but Seo Ye Ji is another level altogether, as such Korean actors have an insanely high level of acting chops but she takes it to a different level. And the scariest part is she is not even the best actor in the show!!. Oh Jung Se who played the autistic brother was out of this world, in fact having seen him in another drama before I could scarcely believe it was him. The male lead Kim Soo Hyun was good too but these two were unreal, and that's why they heavily featured in the awards in Korea as well.
The supporting cast was equally great and the writers gave everyone time to shine and complete their story. It was a comprehensive ending hinting at new beginnings for everybody. Each character served a purpose and not just comic relief, I have seen people talk about how the story is weak etc, but such intertwined character driven stories are incredibly difficult to handle and here the writers handled it will elegance.
❞???? ???? ?? ??????. ???? ???’?? ?? ???????? ????, ??? ???. ??? ??? ????? ?? ? ????. ?? ????? ????? ???? ???? ??’? ???????. ????, ???? ???’?? ??????, ??? ??????? ???? ??? ??????? ???? ? ???.❞
This brings me to the treatment of autism and mental health aspect . It may not be perfect , but in my limited experience of seeing 2 patients closely , one in the autism spectrum and the other having depression I can vouch the portrayal was so real it gave me goosebumps. The innocent simplicity of the autistic brother was endearing and without giving away much I can say he was the MVP of the show. Quotes like the last one from him hit way too close to home, reminding me of how we complicate things when we become adults and forget how simply we can lead our life.
❞?’?? ???? ???? ?? ??? ??? ??? ????, ?? ? ?????? ??? ?? ??? ?????? ????.❞
Now to talk about a premise which I have found rarely in the shows I have watched about mental health, everybody deals with what happens with the person who has mental health, but no one ever thinks about the trials the caregiver has to go through to support the ill person. The person feels trapped and unless someone is there for them as well, possibly can become a victim of mental health. Having seen the caregiver's lives in first person as well, the way the show tackles this struck a chord with me and probably was my favourite aspect. It treated it with such gentleness and care that I cannot imagine it being treated better in any form of media.
❞??? ????? ???? ?? ?????? ??? ???????. ??? ???? ??? ???? ??? ????? ????, ?????? ???? ??? ?????? ???? ???? ??.❞
And finally, its about the healing. Healing starts with taking the first step. While what the show shows may not be perfect but it's okay to get lost in the 18 hours of utopia where there was hope beyond the despair. When this show was ending my wife and I were saying how we should have watched this when we were physically together to wrap ourselves together in the warm blanket that is this show. After the end we could not wipe the smile off our phases while feeling sad about it having ended.
Well, now this love letter to the show is getting over too, maybe it is time to move on and find other such gems in K Drama world. Even half as good would do.
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Since the first episode, I've been pulled over and didn't really want to end the episode. I like the fact that they not only showed Sang Tae (the autistic older brother) as an extra character, I especially liked the growth they showed in his character which kind of helped Kim Soo-Hyun's personality grow as well. The relationship between the three of them literally gave me all the emotions, from happiness, adoration (especially when Moon Young and Sang Tae uses to argue kindly), sadness, etc. Big brother's personality growth and realization and trying to act like Big Brother have crazy happy I cry many times. I don't even need to really talk about the amazing chemistry between Kim Soo-Hyun and Seo Ye-ji, but I will because it was so perfect. They both were cute together and every scene they were in showed off their amazing acting skills. Although every drama has a cute scene between the main couple, the small cute scenes between this couple were very different and special because of the characters they portrayed.
They fit in well with their roles, Kim Soo-Hyun has been a gentle yet powerful carer who literally perfected from his demeanor to the way he delivered the dialogues. Same goes for Seo Ye-J's Ko Moon Young, she was so elegant but brave that I loved it. Also, her clothes and styling on this show deserve an award, there wasn't a single outfit she didn't wear. There are a lot of shows that have female leads dressed in amazing clothes but the thing that made me love her character and this show in general, even more than that, is how they explained why they dressed so much and justified it as a coping mechanism, that was really something special. I loved all the stories they did on that show and they were so different from anything I've heard, I swear if it actually came out I'd go buy it now. Right from the start, the relationship between the two brothers has been really commendable, and the actor who plays Sang-Tae really deserves an award for his acting on this show. All in all, it was a great and unique show that everyone should watch. You might think it's a pretty heavy show but it's actually a perfect balance and I guarantee it will make your heart happy and warm in the end and you'll cry happy tears for sure, many times if you're like me haha.
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Beautiful from beginning to end
One of the most beautiful dramas that I've ever watched, both literally and figuratively.The characters are all so lovable and realistic — and your heart hurts for every single one of them, even the side characters that get featured for a few episodes. The thing about their character development is that it's just all so NATURAL, and it comes from the small, everyday interactions that we see between them. And to add to that, the drama did an amazing job giving everyone growth and yet maintaining their personalities throughout it.
The plot was amazing and not a single episode was unnecessary. For a drama that handles such heavy topics, IOTNBO made me shed ugly tears or laugh out loud in all the right places. It's also super refreshing to just have a plot that flows naturally, uninterrupted by dumb drama tropes like noble idiocy and miscommunications.
There's a main plot point in the backstory about MY's mother that have left some people questioning and saying that the writers left out a decent explanation — while I understand that, it's really not a problem with me for this one big reason: it's really not the point. What matters is that the characters WERE scarred and used by people in their past, and regardless of what exact form their past comes to haunt them, they're finding ways to heal together.
With that being said, I still enjoyed the first half of the drama better — before the mom sub-plot, because it felt much more emotional when their pasts felt like a dark cloud hanging over all of them. The latter half didn't quite have the same gut punch.
Still, the entire vibe of the drama is just beautiful, especially the transitions in the earlier episodes. Throughout all sixteen episodes though, the aesthetic remained consistent and everything, from the OST to Seo Yi-Ji's wardrobe (!!!) was top-notch.
This drama and its actors deserve all the Baeksang awards — ESPECIALLY Oh Jung-Se.
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