It's Okay to Not Be Okay (2020)

~It's Okay to keep watching as everyone needs Healing~

Some slight/minor spoilers ahead~
Mental Health is a topic that have recently been under everyone's radar where there are many high profiled case that sparks outrage and sadness among the domestic & international community as whole without having the true method in escaping the desperation people faces increasingly. At one point in a lifetime, an experience/encounter that unfold which would make you question your entire existence including how your life are interconnected with another and to imagine getting perspective of living the life as a "mentally-troubled" individual. Now magnify that in a drama and you will get this drama which attempts to tackle this same question. But what is so unique or the standout point I notice early on for this drama?

**Summary**
A detailed summary I can brief on would involve having a male lead (Moon Kang tae) accompanied with a contrasting autistic and traumatized older brother (Moon Sang Tae) living a nomadic lifestyle where MKT is working short term as a caregiver/nurse in different psychiatric warded hospital trying to escape from a distraught past that is filled with mystery and pain for both brothers. It is until the male lead met the female lead (Ko Moon Young), whose someone with antisocial personality disorder tendencies (not knowing the true extent of love) and through this fateful meeting they had, they would faced conflicts and heal at the same time between one another on how they think and act in the future. During their meet-up, stories of other mentally-ill patient would popped up ever so slightly and give rise to awareness for us viewers. Teaching us about morals as a human and how it is okay to not be okay.

**Story Stands out and Attention to detail**
What stands out in the summary I have given are that the depiction of mental illness is very well written as the director made the choice of linking the story-line with supposed fantasy-like "fairy-tale" with morals striving to prove a point about the reason what/who/why/when people faces an issue and how they can grow out of it meaningfully. The depiction isn't always merry and is usually portrayed in a darker undertone but after going through all the struggles/obstacles would be when the dark tunnels leads to the end of a tunnel, a bright finale. The story is very much set in a realistic scenario tackling on psych-heavy theme, but it is a pleasure to see that there are fantasies/animations/exaggerations or dream/imagination sequence which would display a sense of false reality existing within patients and we as viewers can see that. Soon thereafter, the immediate sharp reality of the drama hits us with a bang and ground us on the floor, making us more relatable to the cast and scenario with very clear goals in mind.

As of now, the story have shown great pacing without delaying the lead's interaction and showing progress at how the leads are dealing with their owns emotional and psychological problems. Each episode reveals some clues for viewers to guess the final outcome, making the story a great discussion topic to have between viewers. The fact that some reviewers (who worked as caregivers) also praise the effort of production in showing an accurate representation of how a treatment to patient should be and how the patient normally react to stimulus in daily life is an amazing feat itself to show that the story is reality-based with good intentions. There is a recurring theme of "therapy" session where the story progresses with one core solution to solve different problems. I can safely say that the story element is well-written with intentions and nuances. The writer have made sure that the morals we have learnt from previous episodes is still ever present in future episodes, emphasizing the fact that everything is linked with nothing being thrown out. There is a mystery element to it which was good but wasn't the stand out point and has minor plot holes. 9.5 stars for the story.

**Character designs**
The female lead (Ko Moon Young played by Seo Ye Ji) is designed as having a cranky, headstrong, somewhat psychotic exterior with hints of having a softhearted interior female beauty with similarity to Jang Man Wol from Hotel Del Luna. I have seen a title given to her "A matured, crazier version of JMW" to which I fully agreed. KMY is a trendy fashion icon with stunning dresses and gorgeous accessories where I can imagine people trying to imitate her high-class style during this period of time. And what is more significant are her acting is true to the character without any big faults. Just a tear droplet or a slight smile can speak a thousands more words that if actual words were spoken. Reversing the cliche where the male lead is usually the wealthy and the more dominant counterpart, the female lead here does not follow this cliche and is quite dominant in ways where she is equal to the male in levels. Her acting is perfect for her role.

The male lead ( Moon Kang tae played by Kim Soo Hyun) is designed as having a more introverted personality that is more rooted to a normal male with some traits that aligns with being a lead. Traits such as not placing much importance in wealth, status or fame but rather on taking care of his family and patients first. Kim Soo Hyun doesn't exactly need confirmation for his acting because other than his flopped movie, Real. Every single drama/movie production of his is a success and his acting here is stellar. Not only is he very handsome, he can display emotions very well where I would cry for him every time he cries too.

The other leads I consider such as MKT's older autistic brother, Sang Tae are phenomenal in his acting which largely prove he deserved his 2020 Baeksang award as one the best actor. Just the expression, the way he talks and action. His character showed great development over the 16 episodes, showing a believable yet empowering role as an autistic individual which I would love to share with anyone facing a similar situation to his. Amazing... In contrast, Juri gives me the feeling that she isn't the typical second female lead either because it is shown that she is just as pretty in her own right where she is not as invasive to forcing MKT into a relationship. Though she is jealous and can be petty at times, I am certain I would not hate her but rather like her enough to follow her own plot as their past unravels. Moreover, she has consistently proves in the latter half of the drama as being more than a "side character" and is quite rich in backstory. She acted really perfectly.

There is also moments when the female lead would be doing something inappropriate due to her disorder and the lack of understanding she has over the world create a stark contrast as to how a normal human would have perform the action. This stark contrast isn't as romanticize as many would assume because slowly but surely, the male lead is correcting her action in a gentler way possible. On the other hand, the male lead who seems normal on the outside faces a pressure that created anger and sadness which cannot be diagnosed easily until the female leads notices it. The female lead with her keen observation would also correct his behavior but letting him unleash more of himself rather than just pure suppression. The topic of how you shouldn't just bury yourself with work/responsibilities but rather take a time off to have fun and enjoy what life has to offer. The end result is a "BALANCE" between the cast where male lead preach for control and female lead preach for freedom. Together they can heal each others weakness and compliment one another for their future lifestyle.

My verdict is that their chemistry is overflowing with tension at every corner. Perfect casting 10/10.

**Music**
Regarding this aspects, 10/10 for me due to how perfect the song fits the eerie vibe and fairy tale-esque feels. Once I heard the OST, it became an insta-download from me as I could imagine the scene in my head of when the song is played. The music being this captivating makes every scene flow so well along with the music. My favorite would be Breathe by Sam Kim. The ethereal feeling it invoke right at the start and then giving you that hopefulness in lyrics and vocals. The 2nd favorite would be "In Silence" which invoke a desperation and loneliness in me where I wish someone would "heal" me. As more songs unveil, I began to love the very wacky sounds present in other OST like Wake Up and Got You. Since it was a Netflix original, there is a number of English songs available and it is why international viewers can sing along to the song. Little by Little - Cheeze is also one of my favorites!

**Rewatch value**
This is super high as I have re-watched the drama a few times myself in anticipation for the next few episodes. I discover that there is so many Easter eggs hidden and foreshadowing so a re-watch is must to uncover the secrets the director hidden meticulously. An example would be in episode 1 where Sang tae mouthed the conversation between two animated characters, that is a major foreshadow to KMY and MKT future relationship and I highly recommend you keep this in mind as you watch.

**Cinematography**
Rather than the freeze shot or the abrupt change in sequence to a scene, this drama have moving-action shots that is relevant and interesting to view to my pleasure. There are so many scenes I could talk about so to focus on one scene as an example, the were able to transitioned from a miniature bus in a miniature city landscape into an actual bus ridden by the male lead in one scene smoothly. There is more scenes you will notice when you start to watch. The color palette too leans towards beige and black so when any other color appears, it becomes shocking. In this case, the female lead's dresses would usually have a popped out color highlighting her "uniqueness" and show-off persona. The "Tim Burton" like animation is a treat to watch and is very suited for any age group to view.

**Final Judgement**
Overall, the drama is a masterful work that tackles the topic of mental health issues and heal it in a way rarely seen in a drama of this capacity. Being the small screen return of Kim Soo Hyun and having Seo Ye Ji who naturally exudes charm through her deeper, lower voice, the casting is perfect and that is factoring in Oh Jung Se who I have been seeing in top drama lately like When My Camellia Bloom. The music and cinematography creates this flow that brings you visions and run downs in our journey of healing. As I was watching it airing, I had this hope of the drama maintaining their excellence and quality to which I will say that it did. The quality have just rise without a big dip. There could be some bumps along the way but for sure as I was watching the drama, I became emotionally invested and knowing all the references in fairy tales helped. Spotting the hidden details and theorizing with fellow fans. This drama is a personal masterpiece that I have placed up there with My mister. Whilst I am not sure if you will enjoy it as I do, for you to reach this point in my review shows that you are intrigue and I am thankful for your reading. The ending is satisfying and perfect too. Happy Watching!! 10/10

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