Tudo Bem Não Ser Normal (2020)

I watched the show for Kim Soo hyun. The story wasn't my cup of tea based on how I felt while watching the show.
I liked the side stories better than the main character's story. And the major reason was the same old past connection and how the main leads had such a crazy history. I wasn't shocked when they showed the main leads knew each other from childhood and were from the same town. It's bizarre watching the same past connection plot. There history was soo dark and intense it gave a such a gloomy feeling. Them being together just didn't invoke feeling of happiness in me.
Knowing how Kang Tae and sang Tae mother was killed and that to buy female lead's mother just left me uneasy.
The female lead was odd but not in a good way. The character had serious anger issues. She seemed like a villain to me and she always overstepped and forced Kang Tae and his brother. She was childish but not in a likeable way. Of course viewers must have liked her character but to me personally she felt very odd and evilish.

Overall as a romance drama,I didn't feel the butterflies watching their moments. I like the brother's bond. the autistic brother was the main star of the show. As for healing I liked the back stories more . For much of it couldn't relate. Music was good

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What a fulfilling show

I've started to draft this review at the end of episode 11, my heart was so full, that I felt this urge to share my thoughts about this show with this community.

At first, this is just an weird, funny and exquisite story, very dramatic and eccentric. But boy... Was I loving it.
As the story unfolds, those eccentricities, that weirdness, is slowly replaced by findings, findings about one's feelings, realizations about the world around us, honesty, understanding, meeting each other halffway, buy mostly, this is a show about love, love in all shapes and forms. You know that feeling when you need to grab a pillow, and hold it against your chest, hide your face 🙈and make an huge "ohmmmmmm 😻😽" expression? That's what I've been doing this entire show.
Like I said, my heart is full, the actors chemistry is incredible, and I love the leading actress, everything about her and her performance is perfect in this roll.
Please, watch this show with an open mind, and let yourself fluctuate in this sea of discoveries.

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Uma história terna e adorável, que traz ensinamentos muito importantes

Este drama é incrível desde o enredo principal, os personagens - tanto os principais quanto os com menos tempo de tela -, a arte para os livros da Mu yeong, o desenvolvimento dos relacionamentos e os passinhos para mais perto da cura, da superação. Não há palavras o suficiente para definir o quanto Mu yeong e os irmãos Gang-tae e Sang-tae evoluíram ao longo da história, e como foi lindo acompanhar suas pequenas conquistas. É extremamente realista como foram retratadas as reações aos eventos inesperados, como muitas vezes pessoas reais não são capazes de passar por tudo com um esclarecimento quase surreal, que elas também são cabeça-dura e vão ficar no canto delas por um tempo até alguém ir lá e mostrar apoio ou um outro caminho.
O romance, também, teve um desenvolvimento incrível. Em comparação com tudo que já vi, foi um dos relacionamentos mais adoráveis. Tanto o contato físico quanto emocional foi muito bem estruturado, é notável a química entre os personagens, muito bem representados pelos atores. Simplesmente não há como não dar uma nota 10 após uma obra tão bem feita e com tantos lados bons.

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Fresh and heartwarming!

This show swept the international community by storm, and to be honest, it didn't live up to the hype (for me). I felt uncomfortable and creeped out at times, but I suppose that was the point. At the end of the day, you come to understand these people who "aren't okay," and this story beautifully helps us increase our compassion for one another. I hate to admit that I was kind of weirded out by Sangtae at first, but it's really a testament to the story and Oh Jung Se that I ended up rooting for him HARD —  and I began to reflect on how to be a better human. By the end of the story, I found myself rooting for this sweet family, and lovingly remembering all the patients (both through the story and the "real-life" counterparts). Special shoutouts to Ahjussi looking for the door, the star-crossed lovers, and the politician's son. You were such gems, and the last episode did a great job at tying up these knots!

Some missing plot threads: what happened to Park Ok Ran? How did Mom make it through the ice? WHY DIDN'T THE STORY END WITH A LIL GANGTAE (kidding... but not really)?!

It took me a long time to watch this show. I didn't LOVE it, but I do appreciate the messages and the overall direction. The cinematography was stunning. Kim Soo Hyun is a beautiful crier, and I loved his chambray shirts (although his whiny way of saying "hyung" got grating). Also, I was completely in awe of KMY's outfits. If only I could pull off HALF of what she wears.

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If you skipped this show, I feel bad for you.

I'm not even going to lie, I've managed to watch this show twice now in a span of a week and I'm still watching clips of scenes here and there throughout the day because I'm happy it's over and ended the way it did but I'm also sad because it ended. I couldn't help but cry and have the tears that I did because everything about this was heart warming and heart wrenching at the same time. I really liked that this show kept you on your toes, I loved that there was never really any huge miscommunication and I just overall loved the relationships between every single person. I don't really know where to start with this but I can honestly say that I was not disappointed at all, like at ALL. I don't typically watch psychological type dramas because I'm really into rom-com's but this had everything you needed and more. You have the male lead that's just fantastic all around, he's an amazing guy, caring, a sweetheart and a bad ass female lead that was born into an unfortunate life and crazy background story and like your typical Korean drama, the two of them are in an entanglement that goes way back per usual which I like :) Gang Tae was awesome, a fantastic brother, hard worker, great friend and Moon Young was sick af, she was tight to me and the brother, ACTOR OF THE YEAR!!! I just thoughtfully loved the story, I loved how it never let me down, I loved how I had to keep going and going because I just needed more.

I can honestly say that every single person in this show played such amazing actors and actresses. The chemistry between the main leads was just wonderful and they did not let me down, I loved the brother, he was fantastic, the emotions I felt in this with the side stories and different kind of personalities was just wow. From the second mom to best friend to even the hospital workers.

I loved the music, it was great timing, calming, wonderful.

Overall, I would definitely rewatch this show, in fact, I have AND I love this show so much that I want everyone in my life to watch it with me. Lol. It was WONDERFUL. Everything about it was not disappointing at all, it had great pacing, it had great acting, the romance was the greatest amount, the family, the psychological part was even absolutely wild. I binged this in less than 24 hours, I chose this whole show over sleep. I'm not even exaggerating, that's how much I loved this whole show.

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The Rush, The Drama

I truly like the storyline and the screenwriting. It's for the mature audience. However, episode 4 lost my interest, but I quickly regained my focus with episode 5, and the start of feelings evolve into strange chemistry. That was a mouth full. Actually, you'll see this building in episode 1, but it seems to be stagnant for a few episodes, but the drama and the character flaws and issues will keep your interest long enough to wait for the romance. This drama is also funny. I genuinely love the acting and the character of Mr. Lee, the publicist. He's not on the screen often, but he leaves an impact on the audience with his comedic dramatics and care for the lead actress. Now, there is always someone with unrequited love... This is boring. It's not even amusing anymore with any storyline. It doesn't bring anything but an annoyance and time fillers.
Nevertheless, the leads, Gang-Tae and Mun-Yeong, are too darn attractive together in this series. I believe that's why I gave it another go after episode 4. I want to see their strange chemistry and how they overcome their past hurt and heal.

I'll have to update my review after the series end.

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~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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Search for feelings

Not having feelings or not knowing that you have them? It was this question that I asked myself when I heard Gang-Tae's speech about Mun-Yeong's supposed lack of feelings. I believe that many people know that for healthy development, as healthy I include good mental health, it is necessary to grow up in an environment that provides this, but that did not happen with the main character of this drama. Aware of this, can we say that she has no feelings or that the set of situations she experienced made her an emotional mess? Mess she shows in her actions that look more like a cry for help ...

I think that the discovery of feelings, as well as the healing of the main characters' traumas, is a point as or more important than the possible romance. For like Mun-Yeong, Gang Tae also needs help, only he hasn't realized it until now.

To show this "search", I believe that the choice of how the narrative is shown is interesting, as well as the references to Tim Burton's style. Representing the feelings, desires and aspects of the characters' lives from the fairy tales written by Mun-Yeong besides enchanting also allows a greater immersion of the spectators, as it is a creative way of seeing reality ...

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Did not live up to my satisfaction.

This drama follows the genre of romance as well as other genres such as psychology. The plot sounds very interesting but the pace of the drama is just too slow. I don't enjoy dramas that are slow paced, resulting in me longing for the climax or just the rising action. The cast is good, the acting is pretty decent. I understand that the main male lead's character is portrayed as shy, quiet and reserved to himself however, there wasn't a depiction of outstanding acting as these types of characters composition don't contain of heavily influenced acting or dialogue. Overall at the most I would recommend this drama to someone who has just started watching kdramas.

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I've been waiting for this drama since it has seo ye ji and the comeback of soo hyun, and so far it has yet to disappoint. the plot is great and they already have spectacular chemistry(I'm assuming because they have already been a couple in a commercial a few years ago). I hope this drama stays having it's plot intact cus there are plenty of dramas that stop being good half way through. But yea, i would say this is a interesting and cute drama so far. I'm really loving the new female roles they are making leads now a days, rather than the female lead role always being some hard working girl that is poor or is dating her boss and is a push over lol. New and fresh i love it. At first it reminded me a bit of IU's drama of last year. Mainly because the ending when soo hyun appeared and now hes in this ? Wow... episode 4 is BEAUTIFUL i cant

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Not for me.

Hated the dynamic of the main couple, and knowing they end up together made me drop it. I liked the characters, but did not want the main couple to end up together at all. Usually I wouldn't mind all the problematic stuff that comes with characters like these, I might even love it (if they go through character development etc.) but the fact that Sang Tae was involved made me hate it. I didn't care about the main relationship, I only cared about Sang Tae and wanted him to be okay. There were way too many episodes left for me to keep on watching just for a relationship I don't care about. I googled the important plot points and dropped the series instead.

The acting was good though, very nice production. If you like the main couple's dynamic you will love this! It just wasn't for me. (Why wasn't it Moon Young x Joo Ri?)

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