A drama with artistic & therapeutic themes that scream at you through it's painfully real characters and their complicated stories. It's Okay to Not Be Okay is a beautifully orchestrated drama with fresh, creative characters that come alive as they each learn what it means to truly love themselves and each other and in this way they find healing and happiness alongside each other.

One of my favorite quotes of the entire drama, "Hurtful, painful memories. Only those with such memories buried in their hearts can become stronger, more passionate, and emotionally flexible. And only those can attain happiness."

I have to say, wholly impressed by our cast and their acting abilities. There were many friendly faces for me in this drama, actors & actresses that I have already seen and liked, but even still, I was shocked at the level of talent that was portrayed. Kim Soo Hyun as Moon Gang Tae, had such a gentle, nurturing aura as he tirelessly gives and gives to those around him; supports everyone with very little support in return. But his character held such silent power and strength as well, which made him so appealing. Moon Gang Tae's care for/relationship with his brother made me tear up constantly. Seo Ye Ji as Ko Moon Young is fierce and wild. It is no overstatement to say that she commands the screen with her presence. I loved watching her sly demeanor and quick wit run wild, especially as she interacted with Gang Tae; her unabashed confidence and aggressive pursuit of him (and his body lol) was hilarious at times and also made for some extremely captivating romantic moments. You could feel the chemistry between Gang Tae & Moon Young even as Gang Tae was wise to be cautious of interacting with our admittedly unpredictable, sometimes dangerous Moon Young. My first drama with Seo Ye Ji and I hope to be seeing more of her! And now this brings me to Moon Sang Tae played by Oh Jung Se. *STANDING OVATION* Wow. The way he portrayed Sang Tae's mannerisms, his posture, his speech, every movement of his hands and glance of his eyes was exceptional. I think a lesser actor could have very easily over or under emphasized some of Sang Tae's persona but Oh Jung Se had the perfect balance. I loved that Sang Tae was an an integral part of the drama throughout, that he wasn't cast aside when emotions and drama heated up between our main couple, but rather he became the rock that both Gang Tae & Moon Young needed; Sang Tae, the one that everyone thought was the weakest, rose up and became the strongest for all of them.

Moving on from the cast, (although all were amazing I don't have it in me to write for each) I have to say the dialogue in It's Okay to Not Be Okay was very strongly and creatively written. Every interaction between the cast was meaningful and either strengthened relationships or corresponded with the overarching storyline. The stories in Ko Moon Young's books were so disturbingly captivating and had such hard truth to them, not to mention the illustrations in the books was breathtakingly creepy. I am so glad they put so much emphasis on her books as her fairytales were ways of seeing into her mind and understanding why her character was so twisted. I have to say the psychological aspect to this drama was definitely the most intriguing part, and there was a depth and heaviness to many of the emotional scenes because that is where the mind leads us sometimes, to dark and heavy places. But the momentum and the chemistry between the characters kept things exciting and kept me feeling renewed because even when characters had to go through some really intense and difficult internal struggles, they rarely had to go through them alone; and afterwards, they arose stronger and braver than they were before.

I will probably edit this review as I want to add more as I have so much more left to say; but in the event that I don't, I strongly recommend this drama if you enjoy the psychological aspect of things, mental health, things of that nature. The romance also heavily drives the drama and the one between Kim Soo Hyun & Seo Ye Ji's characters is quite thrilling and entertaining. Personally, I loved every minute of this drama and am crushed that I have finished it. Between my laughing, giggling, crying, wailing, grinning, and beaming, this drama solidified itself as one of my all times favorites and thus has landed on my Favorite K-Drama's List.