Tudo Bem Não Ser Normal (2020)

beautiful, creepy, meaningful and lustful

Despite being a skilled worker, Moon Gang Tae (Kim Soo Hyun) struggles to settle in one psychiatric ward for longer than a year; which seems to be due to his and his brother's Sang Tae (Oh Jung Se) trauma and current situation. One day, he met a successful author Ko Moon Young (Seo Yea Ji), who writes dark-toned children's fairytales and who is obsessed with him at the first sight. There are reasons of why these people are the way like they are, and those reasons seems to be darker than as it seems as first…

I really enjoyed this drama for the cinematography, vibes and unique animated visuals of the fairy tales. They’re beautiful, creepy, and perfectly represent our female lead, Ko Moon Young. It’s fun how she was introduced as a dark fantasy writer aimed at children, who has a kleptomania for knives. Seo Ye Ji was phenomenal portraying her every movement and talk, showing Moon Young’s psycho and powerful aura. At times I got bored with the plot, but she’s the reason for me to keep watching. Her chemistry with Gang Tae, can only be said as seductive. The tension between them was intoxicating, especially the firsts times when they were enemies. Another thing, the Moon brotherhood were so genuine and emotional. Sang Tae’s appreciation towards art was so endearing and self-soothing. When he sees a mural, the world is more energetic and warm for him and I love the emphasize on that aspect.

This drama also has perfectly engaging OSTs. The OSTs blurred the lines among the various genres in this show; romance, comedy, suspense, and a bit of horror. The only thing that was not as engaging to me is the mystery subplot, it was predictable, too long and anticlimactic. Other than that, as mentioned, everything was beautiful and worth-watching!

Find me on Instagram: @kdramajudge
edited Mar, 2024

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Wow, just wow

I feel like I have to write a review on this piece of art. This series allowed me to once again fall in love with k-dramas.

STORY -
I loved this unique concept where they didn’t shy away from topics such as mental health and diagnoses and since these topics are, still, somewhat taboo in Korea - it was even more unique. I watched one episode and I was hooked, this is one of the few k-dramas where I didn’t feel the need to skip even a second. There wasn’t one scene where I felt as though it was boring or I felt the need to skip.

ACTING/CAST -
I cannot praise this casting enough!
Seo Yeaji and Kim Soohyun were the perfect leads for this k-drama, their chemistry was out of this world and I found myself giggling and peeking through my fingers every time some minor thing happened, even their eye contact made me all bubbly. I have yet to find another k-drama that has this sort of impact on me. And man oh man do I love the clothing choices for Seo Yeaji’s character, the whole image just fit her perfectly.
I have to take another moment to really praise Oh Jungse for his outstanding performance. As someone who has been diagnosed with Aspergers (a form of autism) and who has a brother with bigger problems related to autism, I felt as though I could relate to some of the things that were being represented in the series as someone who both has a “light version” of it but also as someone who has a brother who is very similar to the character in the series. For the first time I didn’t feel offended by how a movies/series portrayed the diagnosis. Although autism is very individualistic, I could identify some of the similarities and just uuuugh great acting really!

REWATCH VALUE -
I would really watch this over and over again, and although I’ve rewatched some scenes - I still feel that same magic as the first time I watched it.
Honestly I don’t even need to wish that I could unsee it only to watch it for the first time again, I can just watch it again and it feels the same as the first time.

I would really recommend.

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What you need to know before starting this 16 hour journey.

This was one of the top notch drama I've seen this year and I've seen a lot through my life times which is not that many. First off I really like the plot development that happened in each episodes. At first I was kinda hesitant to start because of the drama title also because the writer was someone who I have not heard of, but I would suggest don't let that stop you from starting this amazing done drama.

The drama not only talked about mental illness, and different disorders, but it talks about the relationship about different personality individual that have things that they are dealing with, and are more similar than they may think.

What i really liked about this drama is everything ties with each other and how the representation was done. There wasn't anything that I disliked about that show, but other than that it ended too quickly. The main lead had a lot of chemistry with each other and I like how they heal each other and different ways. There was only one antagonist that tried to make it hard for the main characters lives, but you have to watch to find out more.

The OST was really good and I would highly suggest giving this a try whether or not your a fan of Kim Soo Hyun, Oh JUNG SE or Seo Yi JI. I appreciated the message that they were trying to give out to the viewers. However, I wouldn't rewatch it not because I didn't enjoy the drama, but I think one is enough to remain in my memory for a long time.

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Must watch

I’m so upset this drama has ended I want to follow the three of them around forever! For the first 2 episodes I was majorly confused and not sure if I would like it and continue watching it because it seemed too dark but I cannot be more overjoyed that I stuck with it. Not only does it have great storyline and screenplay- there’s not a single character or scene that is unnecessary but the characters are so deep and intricate performed by the most phenomenal actors that there’s is no option but to feel each of their pain and anguish. Also just cannot fan girl over gang rae and MY more I love the two of them so much I want to watch them everywhere! Such perfect actors for such perfect roles! This is litterally one of the best kdramas I’ve watched!

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A healing journey that you didn't know you needed even with the "plot holes"

This may be a long review, but I wanted to point out a few things how I felt about this drama compared to what some others have written.

I love this show, in a way, I'm like GT, but I'm slowly working on healing. Exactly how this show does with the characters, they heal over time. Some people think that the beginning of the show was the best and then it slowly deteriorates from after the first 5 episodes. This show starts as a dark/gothic/mystery. But the only reason that is, is to set the stage for when the healing begins. Healing is a slow process it takes time. Like the way this show does with the characters.
The comments that I've read that kinda peeves me a little. Is that some think that it's the 'my mom killed your mom' cliché. It's not a cliché for how they did this. They did it with style and a way that makes sense and moves along with the story.

Now the biggest problem ALOT of people seem to have is the mother arc. Why is her mom still alive and why is it the Head Nurse. The Head Nurse was least likely person (at least to me). It also didn't need to be a random person we've never met. That would be harder explanation to buy. But the mother needed to be alive for our main characters to heal. There wouldn't have been any closure if she wasn't alive. Also with the mother arc comes with, how did she survive. And this part I may get some backlash for but: I'm okay with how they didn't explain how she survived. Not gonna lie, at first I was a little disappointed that we didn't find out how she survived, but then I got to thinking about it afterwards. The first couple of episodes, MY said she registered her moms death years ago. Maybe part of her knew there was a possiblity of her mother still being alive. Also MY mentioned that her mother dissappeared in the basement (we assumed her father collected the body, maybe thats not the case).
Also, what really made me okay with not knowing how the mother died is this: this show has tied up most if not all the loose ends. It came around in full circle, even bringing back patients that have now healed. You think the creators didn't think about this "plot hole"? I think they made it intentional because to really make our main characters heal is to have the mother alive. To confront the past of how GT and ST mother died. And also have MY face her biggest fear, her mother. Also, it doesn't matter how she survived. It doesn't go along with the story. Also, MY didn't care how she survived only now that she was back in her life. She could have easily asked what happened when she visited her mom in jail. But she didn't ask, because she didn't care. It's the same as how it was with her dad. To her both of her parents died years ago. All she wants to do is forget. And thats what she even told her mother, that she wants to forget her.
So to be honest I'm okay with not knowing how the mother survived, because it doesn't matter how, it's that she did.

The reason why I love this show is because it takes you on a journey. A journey you don't expect, but a journey you would miss if you didn't take it.

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Confused.

huh!? keep in mind ive dropped this drama after 8 episodes and may be lacking some major twists that magically make up for this drama's faults, so let me know if thats the case.

im VERY confused by the fact that this drama appears to be romance driven and that many of its glowing 10/10 reviews are commenting on how "amazing" the romance aspect is. what aspect of it is beautiful to you guys? the FL using and manipulating the ML's autistic brother into living with her so the ML is then forced into joining them? the whole "i want him and i always get what i want" attitude that drives all of her horrible, shitty decisions and behaviour towards everyone that comes in her way? her blatant disregard for others and their feelings, despite how she expects others to accommodate hers? the way she stalks the ML at the beginning and harasses him until he gives in and cracks a smile? the second i saw him having a lovely little flashback to the time she tried to stab him, then skipping joyfully towards her and asking her to go on a trip together (only to then have her almost drive into a wall and kick him out the car because he mentioned having to look after his autistic brother) i knew i couldnt wait to see if there was some kind of reason for these behaviours.

mental health may be an explanation (although ive read from other reviews that the drama doesnt really end up addressing any diagnosis) but it certainly isnt an excuse for romanticising the relationship between the leads. whether she magically changes into a good person or not further down the road, id probably assume it was only because she'd finally gotten what she wanted and not because she'd faced any major consequences and had to reevaluate how she approaches similar situations in life... or god forbid, gotten some professional help. as someone who suffers from MH issues, seeing the FL distance herself from the ML and attempt to work on herself and her issues before them coming back together or even her learning how to live by herself, would have been wonderful and i would've enjoyed a story like that much more.

points up for the acting, visuals and the smooth transitions and editing. especially throughout the first few episodes. i also enjoyed the supporting characters, and would've loved to see their endings if not for the fact that the main story ruined it for me. the soundtrack was also great. i want to point out that im not criticising any of the actors here, as i think they all did a pretty wonderful job, but only the plot and decisions of their characters.

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Best drama of 2020

KSH, SYJ and OJS really deserve to be praise for their phenomenal performance on this drama. This isn’t a drama that everyone will watch since its topic is more on mental health issues, but i would say that while watching it, i learned a lot from it. It’s not just about the romance of the 2 leads that brought me here but the fact that every episode, you will learned all the different mental health issues and how to deal with them and help them. This is indeed a Human Healing drama. I hope hat this drama will bag a lot of awards in upcoming awards shows. And i hope that people will start to appreciate SYJ’s acting skills. Of course KSH and OJS is already indeed great actors but i hope korean people will start to acknowledge SYJ too.

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Definition of a Toxic Relationship

I felt compelled to write a review because it is a travesty that this drama is so highly rated. I have a lot of hate for this drama which I watched weekly as it was released. The only thing good I can remember about this drama is the cinematography and set design.

The first couple of episodes caught my attention but as each week went by I found myself less impressed. To me, the main couple was not root worthy. There was one exchange outside the hospital where I thought to myself, “this is toxic.” In general I don’t like labeling things or people as toxic but their relationship was so glaringly toxic I can’t help it.

I was not satisfied with the lack of explanation surrounding Moonyoung’s mother’s “resurrection.” A hyper fan tried to explain it like how it is in fairy tales - they don’t explain where or why the villain does something. No no no. What a nice way to explain lazy storytelling.

I will give credit to the show for concocting a creepy antagonist and some disturbing imagery and plot points. In some ways it is haunting, but I don’t think it was in a good way. And I didn’t root for the “good” guys.

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Very entertaining but not too much else

Quite a unique drama with some interesting themes. Seo Yeji is a stand out for me, her acting is brilliant and she plays her moody and dark character perfectly. Also very found of the support cast, all the character have their own interesting quirks and relationships, very likeable and funny as well.

What i don't like:
I'm 10 episodes in and the main story has started to unravel itself, but even still it's not that exciting. Kim Soo Hyun's character has to choose between love and his family, and is leaning towards the latter because he feels guilty. Not anything out of ordinary for kdramas.Why he feels guilty is what kind of annoys me, like dude, you were a dumb kid,

I'm also not a fan of the main relationship, i feel that there is a lack of chemistry between the leads. Seo Yeji's character kind of just forces herself onto him, and he basically does the bare minimum to reciprocate feelings. Pretty disappointed in the "met at childhood" trope that was used, kind of a cheap way to build the relationship from a character perspective.

Overall the relationship is odd, we've seen the male leads be the 'carer' of the female lead in a bunch of other kdramas before, but this one is taking it literally which is funny.

Regardless, i'm going to finish it because it is still fun to watch. But beyond that, there isn't a deeper level to this at the moment from i've seen. Maybe ill change my mind by the end.

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This drama is difficult to review. Even though the story is very simple and unremarkable, it was strangely addictive. I found myself breezing through each episode and eager to watch the next.

It's certainly a drama for those who appreciate the journey and not only the outcome. What makes this drama work is the undeniable chemistry between not just the two romantic leads, but also the supporting cast. The level of acting is excellent. Every actor seemed to play their characters with ease, and the dialogue and interactions felt natural. I found Oh Jung Se's portrayal of Sang Tae particularly outstanding. He played an autistic character with so much respect and love, and was really endearing to watch. He captured the mannerisms so well, without it looking forced or mocking. The sentimental moments between him and Gang Tae (Kim Soo Hyun) moved me to tears, and it felt like they were truly brothers haunted by a troubled past. I congratulate Kim Soo Hyun's performance here as well. I also enjoyed the way Seo Ye Ji's played her character. She was regal and powerful, and carried her costumes with class!

What fell short was of course the story line. It was very one-dimensional and not fleshed out well. It took a backseat in the drama, and honestly made little difference to its overall appeal. I'm also growing tired of the overdone Kdrama trope where the main leads bond over a shared childhood trauma, or an intertwined destiny. I was hoping this drama would take a new approach to romance, but unfortunately it did not.

Overall, I still thought the drama was enjoyable to watch. It was visually enchanting, with a dark storybook feel to it that was unique and intriguing. I'm a huge fan of Kim Soo Hyun and hope to see more from him in the near future!

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Mesmerizing

I started to watch this kdrama after it airs the 4th episode. I was so taken aback with the visuals; both the casts and the cinematography. I love how every episodes have their own sub-titles from fairy tales. It gives us a big picture of what the episode is going to be about. Also how they raise the awareness of mental health in a simple way and focusing on the patients and not only the main leads. The soundtracks are also to die for! Even the instrumental ones are so beautiful. So sad to think that this weekend this drama will be over. Definitely will have a post-drama syndrome and gonna rewatch this dozens times!

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