KDRAMA OF THE YEAR: It's Okay Not To Be Okay

I'm always sad whenever a kdrama ends especially if it already became a part of my routine to watch it every week. Tell me I am not the only one! Hehe. I was looking for something to watch on Netflix back in June when I saw the first episode of IT'S OKAY NOT TO BE OKAY. A lot of people loved this kdrama and for me, it is the BEST KDRAMA of 2020. 🎥

Title: It's Okay to Not Be Okay 

Also known as Psycho But It's Okay, Psycho But It's All Right

Original release‎: ‎June 20, 2020 – August 9, 2020

Genre‎: ‎: Romance, Drama

No. of episodes‎: ‎16

It was not that hyped before because it just started. It was then when I realized that it was Kim Soo Hyun's new series and I was intrigued by it because of his female lead. I saw the news on Facebook. They look like! They look perfect together! 😍

** SPOILERS AHEAD **

SYNOPSIS

The drama tells the story of Moon Gang-tae (Kim Soo-hyun), a community health worker at a psychiatric ward who does not have time for love, and Ko Moon-young (Seo Ye-ji), a successful children's book author who suffers from an antisocial personality disorder and has never known love. After meeting each other, the two slowly begin to heal each other's emotional wounds. Throughout the series, the story also starts to reveal the truth of their pasts that have been haunting their lives. (1)

ANIMATION

During the first episode of the series, I immediately noticed the animation, and I was impressed by it. Well, it doesn't look typical to me because the animation is giving deep meanings and it is just beautiful.

CASTS

Having Kim Soo-hyun as the male lead is a big thing already. He's currently the highest-paid actor in South Korea. We all know he's a great actor and he did not disappoint. He went all out on this and it just came out so natural. His character, Moon Gang-tae, may look not that complicated but he has his own struggles especially as a brother which hinders him in all the things he does. 

Seo Ye-ji, on the other hand, is also the perfect actress for Ko Moon-young who has an antisocial personality disorder. Her character is strong because she likes to manipulate others and she portrayed it well with her huge voice and resting b*tch face as an asset. She wore fashionable clothes in every episode which made her an iconic character. Of all the characters, Ko Moon-young has the most troubling childhood because of her wicked parents.

Seo Ye-ji and Kim Soo-hyun look so perfect together! Periodt! 💗 Look at their eye smile! They look the same btw.

Let's not forget Oh Jung-se who portrayed Moon Sang-tae, the autistic brother of Moon Gang-tae. I've seen him in other kdramas and I knew he is already a great actor. But having this role, he did shine! He also went all out. He deserves an award for his acting on this series! He is very versatile! 👏

The rest of the casts did a great job as well. All of them portrayed their roles perfectly. I appreciate them and their characters as they help the trio. Even the antagonist is versatile. 

THE STORY

The first few episodes made confused and intrigued because of the characters especially Ko Moon-young as a child. I even thought of it as a fantasy series based on the animation and narration. I searched it on google but the genre is romance and drama. This is one reason why you will get hooked until the ending. It will make you curious.

Ko Moon-young got obsessed with Moon Gang-tae. You will notice that it is an obsession and not love because she likes to manipulate people. She can't do that with Gang-tae which makes her more interested in him. 

Let's not forget this iconic scene! Plus she wants to eat him instead scene! Haha. I've never seen a female lead to be this sassy! We stan Ko Moon-young. 😂

Along the way, they met the people of OK Psychiatric Hospital. Then you'll realize soon that this kdrama focuses on mental health. Everyone is struggling. Most of them are haunted by their past. Even the stories of the secondary characters are detailed and you will be touched as they are somehow realistic. It is so satisfying to see them overcome their traumatic experiences and get back to normal life.

The exciting parts are at the last five episodes, especially where Sang-tae finally accepts Ko Moon-young as a part of their family. This kdrama is not just a romance between a couple but also tackles family issues which are a deep topic, to begin with. Ko Moon-young never gets to experience happiness from a family and she found that in Gang-tae and Sang-tae. It helped her to overcome her past. 

However, they were tested again by fate when it was revealed that the one who killed the two brothers' mother is Ko Moon-young's mother. It was somehow predictable because of the hints like the butterfly. It is hurting to see Ko Moon-young devastated. Sang-tae might be autistic but his character is actually the strongest one here. I'm touched whenever he saves people and when he acts as an older brother of the two.

And to the most surprising part! The plot twist where the head nurse was actually Ko Moon-young's mother. As for the people who waited for each episode like me, we didn't see that coming! Right? It was a big reveal! Like who would see that coming? The story was so smooth, well written, and unpredictable. One of the reasons why I love this kdrama. 

Let's not forget how successful Ko Moon-young is on this part! Haha! Ikaw na girl! 😆

THE ENDING

The ending not open-ended like the usual ending in kdramas. I am actually satisfied with it. It is the best ending we can have for this. Ko Moon-young is now finally free from her wicked parents. She also fell in love with Gang-tae and it is not an obsession anymore. Sang-tae finally knew what he wanted to do. Gang-tae is also now free from the chain he built with his brother. He finally realized he also has his own life and so as his brother.

I almost cried when Sang-tae talked to her mother via the tree they planted and he was so proud because he published his first book as Ko Moon-young's illustrator. So precious! 😭

The best trio we ever had! 

LIFE LESSONS FROM THIS KDRAMA

Since it tackles mental health, there are so many life lessons that we can learn from this kdrama. It is not a norm to tackle mental health before as it is a sensitive matter. I love how they show the deeper meaning of "it's okay not to be okay." We should be more open to this topic as a lot of people are experiencing difficulties and are struggling with mental health these days. We should help each other instead of judging other people's lives. We do not know what they are going through. Every time a person has episodes, we should help them instead of adding more fire to the situation. 

We may face a lot of difficulties in life but never forget your own happiness. We are the ones who can completely heal ourselves. We heal so we can move on and look on the great things in life. We may never forget but forgive and replace bad memories with good ones.

Since Sang-tae has autism, it is shown that he can still work and go on his own like a normal person. He still has special needs but he is not that different from us.

REVIEW

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ This is by far the PERFECT and BEST kdrama up to this date for me. It is not easy to pull off this kind of story but they did great especially on the details and the plot twists. Some parts are relatable and can really happen in real life. The cinematography is also good and with the animation, it is superb! If you don't like cheesy romantic kdramas, then this one is for you. Well, I think everyone will it. Hehe! 

Have you watched this kdrama? What are your thoughts about it? 

P.S. The photos are not mine. Credits to the owner.