Tudo Bem Não Ser Normal (2020)

Your unusual Korean Drama that you should add on your watch lists!

I know that there are some K-dramas that doesn't go with the typical Korean formula (e.g. chaebol/heir - ordinary person romance; Historical and Fantasy genre; Hallyu status; etc.); but this drama is really something. A series that raises concerns about mental health is one of the best Korea had ever produced.

The story is simple - 2 past acquaintances with dark histories met again and ends up overcoming the past they have left behind. The real spice of this drama are the actors - As for KSH, what a comeback for him and yes, he still got it! SYJ also proved in this drama that she's really a top actress (also her wardrobe is absolutely stunning and gorgeous! she's like a bold Jang Man Wol). But the real show stealer is Oh Jung Se - giving a phenomenal performance as an autistic brother of KSH. There are no skippable moments in this drama! The hospital and patients scenes gave some motivation to the lives of Sang Tae, Gang Tae, and Mon Young. They also used some fairy tales and stories in the series to parallel the events that happened in the episodes. Each are summarized by the story that the trio narrates, most notably - Mon Young.

Although the drama seems perfect, 1 thing I like to emphasized is they don't use the other characters well in some points. Like isn't it strange that there is no romantic relationship between Sang-in (CEO) and Moon Young? or even Sang-in having a feelings for Mon-young? I think he can be a potential third wheel for the couple. Also her mother - I don't want to spoil but I don't like the plot twist in the last episodes.

Will all those shortcomings, it still doesn't ruin the quality of the drama. I'm looking forward for this drama to bag numerous award (OJS may also won a DAESANG!).

I know that not all will like this drama since the majority prefer a rom-com series but I swear, there are still scenes that are really hilarious (some are dark humors of Moon Young) so I really hope to give it a shot!
1 word to summarize this drama- MASTERPIECE

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A very fun and casual watch

I really enjoyed this drama, and I really liked the casting for it as well! The story built up well and there were lots of references to previous episodes that linked really well together. The build up of the overall story line of their parents involvements with each other was quite gradual and didn't have a huge surprise ending like many other dramas would, but I liked this because I think the story came second. To me it felt as though it was more focused on the characters and them over coming the traumas they faced in their childhoods, rather than a who did it scenario. It did have some cool plot twists that were fun and the story definitely didn't disappoint. Would really recommend to watch it!

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Beautifully written & play

The story, animation, cinematography, soundtrack, and acting are amazing. Beautifully written and directed. It's a very thoughtful even for tiny little details like their costumes. This has been an entertaining and heartwarming story about learning how to live with one’s scars without them getting in the way of pursuing happiness and fulfillment. In that sense, the first and last fairy tales really sum up the theme. Obviously not typical K-drama. Every episode gave a roller coaster feeling, its funny, scary sad, and happy. Agree with SooHyun that its a human healing drama. The best drama ever, worth every second. The chemistry is amazing! Sangtae Oppa deserved awards.

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Wondrously Unique Story with a Few Bumps at the Start

For me, this show was hard to get into at first because the female lead, Ko Moon Young, starts off as a grade A b*itch -- though there are reasons why, she starts off as being unrelentingly selfish, manipulative, and even obsessive over the male lead, Moon Gang Tae. However, this ends up a little forgiven as the show quickly picks up its stride and turns out to be about the healing power of human relationships, especially as it pertains to mental health.

This kdrama is famous for portraying mental health in a positive light and its easy to see why: psychological problems are treated semi-realistically and handled by the fictional psychiatric hospital staff in a respectful, therapeutic way. Underlying these character-driven stories is a fairy tale backdrop, where the individual stories end up being an allegory for the main story. It's a very clever and unique formula.

Ultimately, it is a great show, but for me personally, I think Ko Moon Young's character really took it down a few notches for me. In particular, I felt like the show sort of started her off as having some kind of diagnosable mental illness, but then pivoted to the source of her personality and her issues being trauma that she faced. For me, I think this revelation made it just a little more unforgivable to me that she acted so self-centered and immature in the beginning of the story.

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Episode 5 the motel scene is hilarious between the male and female lead. Let just put this out in the open am a SUPER-MEGA fan of the female lead like bruh her character is priceless. I love the FL character Ko Moon Young . This is what females are like they have a backbone and they are crazy like I am glad that they don’t give a weak FL. I like the harsh and cool FL that was created in this show. I also like the chemistry between the ML and FL like they almost Complement each other. I am quite curious about the storybooks cause i like them like i seriously like dark fairytale it’s like so good. Hat off for the creator for this Kdrama and those storybooks like they were very creative for this Kdrama. Movin on, let me tell you the bromance is amazing between Kang Gi Doong (Jo Jae Soo )[Gang Tae's friend] and Kim Soo Hyun (Moon Gang Tae) . I really ship to the point I wish that this drama was a BL. oh i almost forgot about the baby sound effect anytime the ML save one of the ML side characters heck even when he sometime talk gay like i am cracking uo with laughter.another hilarious scene is when the ML is jealous when he see othe men with the FL that can also be said for the FL too when she jealous too. Now almost closing into the end of the show it legit made me cry buckets of Tears. Oh and I almost forgot the deer that always cries or makes noises when the ML and FL are going to make up as in going in for the kiss that always gets intercepted by the deer noise. I can see they put a lot of effort in this drama because the did animation on the stories that was being told.

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A Delectable Mash Up Of Tim Burton Wes Anderson & Rainman °Flutters Superior°

Bring your own smores.

I won't try to describe this. Just get in the camper and journey with these characters.

This review, and the show itself is not about splitting hairs over the level of accuracy vis-a-vie certain mental ailments or whether the plot is plausible. Trust me, I understand the pain mental illness brings home. The show creators are giving us a little therapy and laughter in the hurt. It's entertaining enough to mute outside interference and provide a safe space for a little escape.

Every element is a win: Acting, costumes, characters, character arcs, sets, plot, dialogue, writing, directing, and soundtrack. (I want to jump in and have my own nice, long, cathartic, airing-out-my-lungs argument with this gang. What an emotional high-colonic that would be.)

It all comes together to make something that is truly stylish, sad, sagacious, sanguine, and... SUBLIME. It is way better than just okay.

IMHO〰

Directing 9
Acting 9
Romance 8
Flutters 6
Warmth 7
Art 9
Action 6
Thought provocation 7

Age 14+

Re-watch? Absolutely

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A fantasic drama that is truly one of a kind

Recently in some of my online groups I’ve seen people bashing on It’s Okay to Not be Okay, so here we are, because I will defend this show until my dying breath. It’s been months since I’ve finished it, I’m definitely not over it and it remains one of if not my favorite K-Drama I’ve ever watched.

It’s Okay to Not be Okay is truly a one-of-a-kind show. I only started watching K-Dramas in early 2023 and I’ve watched twenty or so since, and for every other show there’s at least one other that I can compare it to. But there’s not a single piece of media that I have ever consumed that I could compare to this.

The story of It’s Okay to Not be Okay mainly follows three characters, Ko Mun-Yeong, Moon Sang-Tae, and Moon Gang-Tae. And as the title of the show would suggest, none of them are in any sense of the word, okay.

One of the things I’ve seen most people complaining about is Ko Mun-Yeong’s character. Particularly the fact that both herself and her relationship with Gang-Tae are toxic. I won’t refute that. She is, it is. But that’s kind of the point.

Mun-Yeong doesn’t care about anyone else, and Gang-Tae doesn’t care about himself. Throughout the course of the show, they both grow individually and together, allowing them to go from some of the reddest flags I’ve seen in a K-drama, to green flags for each other.

And while I loved the romance portion of the show between Gang-Tae and Mun-Yeong, I may have enjoyed the friendship between Sang-Tae and Mun-Yeong even more. They go through many phases, from Sang-Tae idolizing Mun-Yeong, to being friends with her, to hating her, to developing a relationship reminiscent of siblings. And it was an absolute delight to watch.

The pseudo family formed between Sang-Tae, Gang-Tae and Mun-Yeong was incredibly wholesome and pretty much made the entire drama for me.

None of that would have been possible through without the phenomenal cast. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a better cast show. I can’t imagine any other actor or actress taking these roles, it was like they were made for them.

The child actors that play the main trios childhood counterparts for flashbacks were also perfectly cast. I don’t know how they managed to find kids that not only looked like the adult character, but were also able to capture the character.

Some of the flashback scenes and the parallels to modern day were my favorite scenes in the show. And they get bonus points for the stunning cinematography in those scenes, which by the way is a constant throughout the show.

The best episodes though were the ones where one of Mun-Yeong’s books is read over a scene. The books are all well written and are always a beautiful metaphor for whatever is going on at the time.

The OST is also amazing. The songs always fit the tone perfectly, and Janet Suhh who does some of the tracks ended up being my top artist on Spotify because of how often I got back to listen to the soundtrack.

In addition to all that, the set design is amazing, as well as the costuming. Every single one of Mun-Yeong’s outfits were on point.

I could write a ten page essay detailing everything in the show that I love, but I wanted to leave this review mostly spoiler free and not too absurdly long, so I'll end it here.

It's Okay to Not Be Okay is a phenomenal show that covers a wide array of topics, mostly involving mental health. It’s funny, sad, serious, beautiful, wholesome and thought provoking all in the best ways.

If you haven't watched it, I would highly encourage giving it a shot.

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The best kdrama I have ever...

I just finished It's Okay To Not Be Okay one day ago and I decided to try watching something else. I ended up starting Move to Heaven but all I can think about is It's Okay To Not Be Okay. I think I might re-watch it even though I finished it yesterday! I am craving that feeling it gave me that Move To Heaven just isn't giving me.

I cried so hard for the entire last episode but cried hardest at the end! I watched it in a library and I was a sobbing mess with snot leaking out of my nose and tears pouring down my cheeks regardless of people being around.

The character development is amazing! The ML and FL have such amazing chemistry that you actually believe that they're in love! Not only did i cry for the entire last episode but I cried throughout the entire series. I also laughed, felt sad, angry, and everything in between!

What a beautiful story of two people who experienced trauma that lean on each other to get better and become better people! This will forever be my all time favorite series! I feel like it's equivalent to a drug! I am now chasing that feeling it gave me! It's definitely going to be hard to find something better than this! I doubt I ever will !

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This is one of the best drama I have watched this year. From the first episode to the last episode I was hooked. The thing I love the most was the character development, story telling and the animation which was used in the drama.

Casting: The people who did the casting I really want to give them huge round of applause. The actors were amazing. I was able to connect with characters and their emotions.

Music: The timing and the use of the music was really great in this drama . For example the music which was used when Munyeong confessed GangTae made that clip even more funnier.

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THIS IS A MUST WATCH

I picked up this series because of Kim So Hyun. It's the best decision I have made thjs month.

The story is refreshing, captivating and intriguing. I was on tenterhooks wondering which direction the story will take. It wasn't easy to predict the happenings. The story really potrays the meaning of love and the healing process and growth involved in falling in love and staying in love.

The coustume for the FL were all beautiful and runway worthy. The acting of the ML and FL was flawless and perfect. The chemistry was intense(If you don't believe me just watch until the Gang Tae and Ku Yeong kiss each other). Even I could feel the heat watching them. The expressions of the Lead Actors was fantastic and well interpreted.

The Music was apt. All the OST's were appropriately used to convey the mood of the story. I am definitely downloading the all the OST of this series.

I will definitely rewatch this as many times as it takes to be able to mimic and lip sync the words of the FL. The performance delivery of the actors in this series expecially Moon Sang Tae, is award deserving.

I am looking forward to the next series that will serve Kim So Hyun and So Ye Ji acting together. They are my most favourite on screen couple. I'll ship a relationship between them any day.

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MON PREFERE de tous les 2020

je suis restée complètement sous le charme de cette série
j'ai adoré le scénario, entre psy et SF. l'OST, super, je l'écoute sur spotify !
les deux frères sont hyper crédibles, l'autiste est parfaitement incarné par Oh jung Se, très touchant, attachant, on pleure on rit avec lui !
les 3 rôles principaux ont tous des problèmes, plus ou moins brisés par la vie, et on est complètement envahi par des sentiments touchants, percutants, Seo Ye Ji est absolument magnifique , sortie tout droit de la famille Adams, elle fait peur et elle est touchante à la fois !! Que de beaux moments entre eux
Tout au long de ces 16 épisodes on va les voir évoluer, grandir et changer jusqu'aux dernières secondes du dernière épisode.
A VOIR ABSOLUMENT

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unique storyline, romantic

this kdrama was probably the best i’ve watched, the storyline, acting, and ost were amazing.
pros: 1. what really made me get interested in watching this drama was the title which sounds comforting and reassuring
2. the characters were all well developed and changed over the course of the drama
3. the acting was perfect, all the actors portrayed their characters really well even though the characters had unique personalities.
4. the male and female lead were visually pleasing
5. the ost sounds good and suits all the scenes
6. the plot twist is just wow
7. the drama is about healing and taught me it’s really okay to not be okay
8. it really captivated me and made me feel for all the characters
cons: 1. the story was moving a little slowly at one or two episodes

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