Tudo Bem Não Ser Normal (2020)

Fairy tale about healing journey

"Psycho but it's okay" tackles issues such as mental health disorders. And it does it pretty well. In a world where mental disorders may look as "weird" "crazy" etc this drama does a great job at showing that it's okay! It's just an illness and that with the help of others and your own courage to heal you will be okay!

To be honest except the stunning visuals i didn't like it that much at the start. Maybe because thee female lead was acting like the type of male leads i don't like. And i kept forgetting that she is ill too. The "forced" romance didn't come at me at first too. Later though I started to like them and see that they were meant for each other because both needed help, and both received it though each other.
It was a very healing story and i liked the small sub-character's stories too. The darkness that surrounded the characters and how they were fighting with that darkness. However I was expecting much more from the "big reveal" and the last episode. Maybe because it was building up really intensefully throughout the drama and after all that build up the revelation, the big secret wasn't as big and special as it may have seemed. Maybe it was just because my expectations soared too high in the sky. Same with the ending. But it was a quite satisfying and healing one. Plus i think it is not my place to judge the pain that all these characters had. Because each and every person's pain is big and it is not to be ever compared.

As i said, i think this is a character driven story. The interesting characters were really charming and enchanting. Starting with Moon Young and Kang Tae ending with the patients in the OK hospital.
A character that really had an impact on me was Sang Tae and his growth. Autism is an illness too and a really hard one to be portrayed in a drama, but the actor did an amazing job. Sang Tae's growth was really something I enjoyed a lot. He also said a lot of wise words! Even naive and innocent with a mind of 8 year old, sang tae could see through a lot and say things that grown-ups may have not noticed because of overthinking :) . I was also surprised at the actor Kim Joon Hwon who played the president of publishing company Lee Sang In. He was really different here so at first i didn't even notice that it's the same actor who played doctor Park Min Gook in Romantic Doctor 2. I also really like Kim Chang Wan who played director of the OK hospital Oh Jee Wang. He is a great singer and i love how they used his songs in here too. Also his character was very wise and i loved each word he said :) Of course there is also Kim Min Young who is as always the best mom :)

Music was very enchanting especially the opening theme and the opening scenes :) though i couldn't make much sense of the English lyrics xD
Of course Go Moon Young's wardrobe is something to look forward too.
The cinematography is stunning.

For me the highlight of this drama were the fairy tales, the drawings and animations. :) That is what i liked the most in this drama. :)

...."So don't forget it and overcome it. Only the ones who overcome have the right to be happy. If you don't, then you will become a child who can never grow up"....

What i liked:
Fairy tales, Cinematography, healing, side characters with their illnesses, Hospital director, the castle aesthetics, Sang tae.
What i didn't like:
mostly the problems were because i expected too much from this story :) It had such a strong start that my expectations flew into space lol :)

If you are hesitating to watch it or not i suggest to try it a little then decide :) It has a nice share of comedy and suspense so you might not be bored :) Plus the nice messages :) so it will definitely go to my list of dramas with good messages :)

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I won't recover from this probably

I watched this because Netflix would not stop recommending it to me. And let me tell you, weeks later I am still thinking about this drama (and listening to the OST from it). The acting is superb, the story is entertaining, and the theme of the show really hits home. Also can we talk about the FL's outfits...iconic. I think what I really appreciated about this drama though was it's uniqueness. Yes, it's a romance. But beyond that it brings into discussion so many other topics surrounding mental health and the importance of family and it's done in a way that feels both interesting and almost a little edgy but also comforting. I realize that doesn't exactly make sense since it implies a contrast, but I think this show manages to do just that. As a viewer I was invested in all the characters (not just there for the main couple like I sometimes am). Also it's a surprisingly pretty show visually to watch, weaving animation into the storyline. However, this show is not like other dramas. It is deep and it does feel a little dark sometimes. It's one of those shows you watch and end up thinking about beyond "wow that was cute". It's kind of a masterpiece, but I think you need to be in the right mood to watch it and appreciate it.

Would I rewatch? Probably
Would I recommend? Definitely

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I do not know what I was expecting when I started this K-Drama, but it certainly wasn't the story and characters that I fell in love with. The characters and plot all continue and form together towards the end of the season, and I feel like it does a really nice job of jumping back and forth between past and present enough that it doesn't confuse you as to what's happening.

-- Spoilers Under --

Gang-Tae and Sang-Tae were such a duo that I fell in love with and couldn't get enough of their story. I loved how much Gang-Tae took care of his brother and took the time to understand him and his trauma. The way Gang-tae also started slowly showing emotion and having fun around Ko was so refreshing and something he deserved. He was so patient and kind and made for a really great main character that added to the story. Reliable and always there, I loved how much he loved Ko and was willing to do anything for her. His story coming together and character development of actually loving his brother and wanting to be a caretaker tugged so much at my heart. He deserved every happy thing and to be happy so much.

Their relationship is nice and slow, but I love the way it is drawn out. It makes it so much more nice when they actually do kiss and get together. I loved the family dynamic and how they adopted Ko immediately. The family portrait made me tear up with how happy they looked. It didn't matter that she was cold and stand-offish they accepted her and brought her in. Her and Sang-Tae's friendship was so refreshing and added such a nice comedic relief to the show. Together they were so funny and always had me laughing with how similar they would act. They bickered just like brother and sister, perfectly meant to be. I loved the way that she believed in his art and work so much and eventually published and used his work. She even helped him overcome how to draw facial expressions.

Them knowing each other as kids was such a cliché, but so cute when paired with the story. Their mom being murdered, her mom disappearing after being attacked by her dad, them liking each other as kids, her saving Gang-Tae as a child. It all adds up so much and adds such a layer to everything that happens during the season. The impact of finding out that it was HER mom that murdered their mom was jaw-dropping. Even learning that she was the one who saved Gang-Tae out in the frozen lake. It was such great writing.

Her character is so insane and crazy and I fell in love with her in an instant. Her backstory with her mom and dad was so interesting and the way the mystery played out, I was not even expecting. I would've never guessed the turns that the mystery took. The way she was raised and the way her parents were was so interesting and creepy. It helped show how isolated and actually lonely Ko was and how much she wanted relationships and love. When she wants them to move out at the end and they refuse had me crying. She asks, "Why is everyone so nice to me?" and it really showed how much her mom made her feel completely unloved. The family she has now and how warm and happy she becomes throughout is beautiful.

I did wish she took more time with her dad when he was in the hospital, but I totally understood where she came from with his dementia and him choking her almost to death. He saw too much of her mom in her, and didn't take the time to learn that she wasn't anything like that. She had a warm and loving side that her mom could never have. Her mom still being alive and being the character that she was, was such a shock to me. I was not expecting it and would never have guessed. When they started talking about the reason Sang-Tae was so scared of butterflies I was on the edge of my seat.

The background characters all were so great and added so much to the story, especially in the ways that they were helped and actually got discharged and better. I loved that when they published the book, the characters they helped were in it as well. They each were brought in and each were an integral part of the storyline. It was such a nice story of friendship, love and shined such a great spotlight on mental illness without being dramatic and fake.

I could re-watch this drama many times. It was so amazing and had me crying not wanting it to end. Forever needing more of the trio. I loved every minute of it.

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I'm a vegetarian and I'm fully against animal violence, but,...
SOMEBODY PLEASE GET RID OF THAT DEER
(just take him to a national reservation or sth)
otherwise the drama was great, loved it

it seems this has to have at least 500 characters, so let's do it...
I really liked the story, it was original and the creators were not afraid to deal with some topics, that are quite controversial. It was fun but also realistic, the drama really showed that 'it's okay to not be okay', and that's what I really appreciated. Both Seo Yea-ji and Kim Soo-hyun were PERFECT, no complaints at all. The others were great too, but these two, especially Yea-ji were just born for their roles. Oh Jung-se was irreplaceable too. Jang Young-nam was a big surprise, didn't expect it at all.
I don't have much more to say, only because it was so good that I don't know how to describe it. Maybe just one tiny complaint: I've seen Moon Gang-tae cry way too many times, they made him suffer too much, it breaks my heart. Apart from those parts, I could watch it over and over again.

I had only one problem with this drama: THAT DAMN DEER (and Moon Gang-tae crying)

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The actors and actresses in this drama is so powerful. If I can rate them more than 10 I would. Even the side characters and extras are awesome. But sad to say I didn't like the story. The plot is fine, just not enough for me to get hooked up. The first few episodes where the main female lead was so controlling is a no for me. I also got a little confused from the start if this drama is a fantasy drama where the female lead has a power since that's what they portray her so I was anticipating when will she show her powers. Maybe I just interpreted it in a different way. Though the ending was nice, I like the improvement of each characters and how they all build their relationships. The OSTs and outfits are a banger too. I would rate this a 6.5 out of 10.

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Absolutely loved this series, however, with one issue

First off, I have never written a review on this website before, however, I felt the need to with this one. I will not do a traditional break down of what I thought about the individual parts of the show including cast, music, story, etc... Although I did love the music especially in this drama, and my being a fan of KSY did make this story more enjoyable. However, I will say that it takes more than just the actors to make me watch to the end, and I finished this drama in a solid 2-3 days. Back to the point, if you clicked on this review to see my one issue this would be it:

I was kind of disappointed with the way they dispatched the main antagonist. There was an incredible build up to the revelation of who the main villain of the story actually was. You were always told about her, but you didn't get a face until a ways into the show itself. That being said, the payoff was underwhelming. Moon Young's mother was made out to be this cruel and manipulative villain that would stop at nothing to get what she wants. She always gets her way and has even escaped death to do so, but in her first main physical altercation with the protagonists, she gets arrested. This person who could barely be described as human due to her lack of emotion or understanding of love and warmth was dealt with an episode or two after she was revealed. I simply can't forget how quickly I got over the impact of her character. It felt like she was always a presence throughout the show, this creepy shadow over your shoulder, but then she just disappeared. I don't mean that her creepiness vanished when her real face was revealed, but it vanished when I realized that she simply wasn't as strong and manipulative as I thought she was because she made a mistake the first time she tried to do something after she revealed herself.

I know this is a drawn on review, but I felt the need to share my opinion. In all honesty, it was just a disappointing moment in an otherwise incredible series. I quickly got over it once the story started focusing on a difference aspect, but that also sort of saddens me. The last few scenes with her character had little impact on me because of how rushed it felt. I do still, however, recommend this show if it is the type of stuff you're comfortable with. It isn't for everyone, but I definitely enjoyed and many other people did as well.

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Great story all over, however the villain didn't work. Set up as a terror inducing person felt short when it actually came in front of us. However what was important is the fact that the characters had their own demons to fight and what seemed alright at the first glance might not be the real picture was delivered properly.
The side couple was not really good, loved the main couple more and would've liked if they spent more wholesome and light hearted moments.
OST is good and compliments the story well.
Amazing use of Visual FX, really brought life to the fairy-tales.

All in all, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

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The only reason I kept watching was purely to see Seo Ye-ji in all her beauty

The show makes no sense. Plus really cannot stand shows where the brother sacrifices love and family for a disabled brother. That kind of story always bugs me to no end because it's so unrealistic.

Plus what kind of human being could resist Seo Ye-ji? But alas, after living life and seeing the world, the monster is indeed crazy mental women. No matter how beautiful they are, if they have mental issues, they will always cause your downfall. Gorgeous women with mental issues are like the Titanic. It's not worth the ride. Avoid!

But back to the show. Seo Ye-ji is absolutely gorgeous in every single scene she's in. I thought the cast was okay but the story was horrible. So bad... I stopped at episode 7 and skipped to the last 2 episodes. And I am sure glad I did because the ending was just ridiculous as I expected.

Love Seo Ye-ji and the male lead. But the story just sucks. Sorry.

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A masterpiece to make you cry with an unforgettable romance

In the 11 years since I fell down the Dramaland rabbit hole, I have never cried as much as I did at this drama! I cried several times per episode! This is quite a feat, as it is very rare that I cry. For me, this drama is a masterpiece! ? It is amazing and unique compared to other typical dramas. It shows important issues such as mental health, depression, autism, domestic violence, childhood trauma and healing!

This drama was so moving that I could only watch 2 episodes a day when I usually binge-watch everything in 2 or 3 days. So be warned before embarking on this journey.

?PLOT
The hero and his autistic brother are constantly on the run from the Butterfly (the murderer who killed their mother). They meet the heroine who is a writer with an antisocial personality disorder. The three of them develop and heal together.
The story was very well put together. I was surprised several times by the plot twists or revelations.

?ACTORS
The performance of all the actors was incredible!
• When Kim Soo Hyun cries, I cried with him. He manages to share all the emotions that go through him and you can feel his pain as his acting is so well executed.
• The autistic brother was played wonderfully. I often forgot that he was an actor and thought he was autistic.
• The heroine is played perfectly too. She surprises me because she is not like the heroines we are used to seeing in dramas. She screams or rather yells and doesn't hesitate to pursue her desires. The actress has succeeded in showing us a person with difficulties in expressing her emotions.

♥️ROMANCE
The chemistry between the main couple was palpable. I loved their romance and the way they learn to set boundaries and respect each other (in their own way). The heroine is there for the hero in her own way and brings him out of his lethargy. She helps him to heal himself. And vice versa.

?OST
The songs were very well chosen to fit the moments. The soundtrack helps us get into the emotions, and connect with the characters’ suffering.

? I recommend this drama to all those who like stories of personal development, a good romance and tears. Make sure you are in a good mental state before starting this drama. Take care of yourself.

? Tags:
• Melodrama, Healing, Trauma, Psychiatry, Autism
• Character Development, Personal Growth
• Murder, Thriller
• Possessive, Independent & Successful Female Lead
• Selfless Male Lead

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The Best K-Drama I've Ever Seen!

I'm going to start off by saying that I've never been a huge fan of Korean dramas. I'm not sure why or how, but all of the dramas I've ever seen have always been over-the-top dramatic and downright nonsensical. I'm not very fond of soap operas and soap opera-esque shows, so I typically choose to stay far far away from them. And yes, I have tried to watch some Korean dramas in the past and I've never been impressed. Either I'm bored senselessly or I'm unable to suspend my belief to buy certain storylines because they're so effing ridiculous, especially if they're not marketed as being fantasy/supernatural. They're just regular slice of life K-Dramas, but they always employ certain tropes that can only be found in dramas from this country. I can't explain it, but I'm sure someone knows exactly what I'm talking about. And no, I 've never had any issues with watching dramas from other Asian countries; I've always managed to find something to watch from Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, etc. Korea has been the only country where I've had difficulty falling in love with their dramas.

However, this show is nothing like that at all. If you're anything like me when it comes to Korean dramas, then I will highly recommend that you watch this one. It's nothing like a typical Korean drama and that's what made it stand out to me. I know some people may not like the female lead but I LOVED her. She's one of the primary reasons why I fell in love with this show to begin with. She's also the reason why I've decided to give K-Dramas a second chance, so thank her! I've always been drawn to female characters like Moon Young. Yes, she's awful and does some irredeemable things. However, she stands up for herself and other people too. Moon Young is an excellent female lead. She's interesting, complex, and dynamic. She's not boring and she's quite memorable, as well. She doesn't fall victim to being "weak." Granted, I don't mind female characters who aren't as assertive and opinionated as her. But I do mind when female characters are practically depicted as pathetic doormats who don't stand up for themselves and constantly allows things to happen TO them. Moon Young is definitely nothing of the sort. She doesn't let anything happen to her; SHE makes things happen.

Gang Tae was amazing, as well! This is the first time I've ever seen this actor but I'm thoroughly impressed by his performance. The running joke for me while watching this was: "if there's anything you can count on, it's Gang Tae crying." I joke, I joke! But the actor played the role of Gang Tae being suppressed but wanting that freedom of being a single, unmarried, young man in his 30s pretty well. You just know Gang Tae held back for most of his life and you believed it. Now, I loved the two of them as a couple too. Yes, we know that no means no but this is a fictional depiction and is not real. So, because of that, I honestly don't care how "creepy" Moon Young may or may not have come off. I don't care, friends. Anyway, the two of them as a couple worked well for me. I've never watched any shows where the female lead chased the male lead. This show depicted that pretty well too because Moon Young never really came off as desperate or thirsty. In the hands of less competent writers, it would have been fairly easy for Moon Young's choice to chase Gang Tae to come off as pitiful and pathetic. However, that never happened. Even when Gang Tae would reject her in the beginning, it never came off as pitiful. It's a very delicate balance that must be employed and they handled the challenge incredibly well.

Sang Tae was great too, but he would annoy me ever so often. Mainly because it almost seemed as if everyone would walk around on eggshells with him instead of calling him out for his own manipulation. I don't care what anyone says, but Sang Tae manipulated Gang Tae quite a bit during this show. I understand him not wanting to "share" his brother but Sang Tae isn't stupid. He knows that Gang Tae would constantly choose his brother over himself again and again, and that's unfair to Gang Tae. Why should he be forced to sacrifice his own life and happiness to take care of his brother for the rest of his life? It wasn't right! So, I'm really glad that we saw some growth from Sang Tae regarding that issue by the end of the show. This was my favorite trio once everyone got on the same page, and that makes me happy.

Now, before I end this review, I must talk about the elephant in the room with the story. While the story was good and the actors more than made up for certain weak spots in the story, there was something that I wish was made more clear to the audience. This is regarding the woman who turned out to be Moon Young's mother or the woman from Devil Judge (haha). I feel as if they should have justified her sudden reappearance by saying that Moon Young's father has a distorted version of his recollection of the events regarding her "death" due to his tumor. If they'd just mention that in passing, that would clear up so many things. The audience watched her bleed out on the foot of their stairs and watched him put her body in a bag and throw it to the bottom of the lake. How did she survive? I never fully believed Moon Young's recollection because of her age, the length of time that had passed since the event occurred, and her overall trauma. However, that doesn't really explain how her mother survived all of that and I wished they would have cleared that part up a lot more, because it didn't make sense.

Aside from that, this show was incredible and I'm sad that it's already over. I would absolutely recommend everyone watch this show if they were on the fence about it. It was downright amazing!

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Earnest tearjerker despite some issues

I don't think I've ever watched a show before where the majority of episodes made me cry, but this is it. This was my first Kdrama, since I've been trying to diversify the Cdrama-heavy landscape of my Asian drama watching, so I had no idea what I was getting into. So I was pleasantly surprised to find myself really invested in this story and the characters, both laughing out loud and crying ugly tears at turns.

Now, this show is touted as one that pioneers discussion around mental health issues. Is it that groundbreaking? Not really, at least not in the world of international media. I admire the show's efforts to define medical terms, to show that therapy is necessary and important, and to humanize people with mental health issues (e.g. PTSD, alcoholism, autism). However, there's still many issues with its portrayals of the world of mental health care. The show is still often in danger of perpetuating stereotypes about various mental health issues/disorders, and there are times when I feel the healthcare workers in the show, including Doctor Oh, behaved problematically, unprofessionally and were sometimes straight-up unethical. There were important themes that were introduced but not well-explored, like those of addiction, and the long painful process that therapy often is. Nonetheless, I think a show like this is important to have in East Asia, where mental health is still a taboo subject - and hey, it's hard to find a show even in Western media that accurately portrays mental health issues and the therapy process.

On its own, this show is a fantastic and authentic portrayal of healing from trauma, and finding your own identity despite seemingly pre-determining forces. Ko Moon-young has a mother who I would describe as deeply narcissistic - she sees her daughter as an extension of herself, and did her darndest to suppress Moon-young's emotional growth during her childhood (this dynamic kind of reminded me of Ms. Havisham and Estella from Great Expectations?). Gang-tae has spent his whole life as his brother Sang-tae's keeper, an unhealthy situation that's exacerbated by them becoming orphans at a young age. I really loved seeing these three characters form and grow genuine relationships with each other, as well as their conflicts that often went to fraught, and even vicious places. Concerning the romance between Moon-young and Gang-Tae, I was pretty worried it would be a toxic relationship framed as a romantic one - and oh man it's toxic at the start! - but the show was surprisingly good at showing its evolution into a mutually healing relationship. There were parts that were a bit cheesy and felt hastily thrown together - but it's fine, I'll take it. Sang-Tae is great, and his character arc is so rewarding. He's kind of a character stereotype of the autistic man with an idetic memory and savant-like abilities, but the show handles him with such tenderness and grace. Oh Jung-Se is fantastic at bringing out this character's vulnerability, warmth, and moments of genuine strength. In fact all three of these actors are excellent and I admire their willingness to take their character moments to raw and uncomfortable places many times during this show.

(By the way, I loved Ko Moon-young's fashion, especially her witchy wardrobe at the beginning. I liked that her clothes became lighter and less ostentatious as the show progressed, but I did miss those dark witchy dresses.)

Generally I loved how grounded and human most of the characters were in this show. They all make mistakes and sometimes even have crippling flaws, but ultimately mean well in their own way. I ended up sympathizing with characters I didn't even expect to care about, like Sang-in, who was kind of a buffoon in the beginning, or Joo-ri, who just seemed like the third corner of a love triangle at first. Even characters I dismissed as irrelevant wankers turned out to have vulnerabilities and completely understandable motivations.

Even if the mental health themes were thoroughly explored, there were other really interesting recurring themes that the show explored really well. Food as proxy for emotional warmth is recurring motif, and reflects how characters like Ko Moon-young accept care from others even if they can't verbally express the need. There's also a theme of stories and fairy tales as ways of communicating with the world about life. Another big theme is parenthood - there are lots of parents in this show, and for the most part they all approach parenthood in the best way they know how. We go from the grounded and loving parenting style from Joo-ri's mother, to the flawed but well-meaning style of the two brothers, to the deeply toxic and domineering style of Moon-young's mother Do Hui-jae. I especially appreciated that with respect to Sang-tae and Gang-tae's mother, we can see how much Gang-tae was hurt by her investment of energy in Sang-tae over him, but also how in retrospect she really loved him just as much and tried to be a good parent to him as well. If I were to expand on this theme I would have had the show explore the psychology of Do Hui-jae's narcissism and how that realized itself in her parenting.

This brings me to what I think is the biggest flaw of the show *SPOILERS AHEAD*

So I liked when Do Hui-jae was just this spectre who cast a shadow over the three main characters' lives - I liked the choice to not reveal her face for most of the show, which made her scenes that much more eerie. That way, she was more of a symbol for the amorphous nature of trauma and how it can shape your life without explicitly being present. But the moment she became a real person and became this typical horror villain who laughs maniacally, she was so much harder to take seriously. I waited for the show to add some complexity to her like they did with other characters, but unfortunately that did not happen. In a show that features such complex, human characters, Do Hui-jae just didn't fit in. The final arc where she shows up, messes up Sang-tae's painting and has a final showdown with the three mains felt like an aberration on the rest of the much more grounded story. The fairly high quality of the other episodes makes this much more frustrating - I probably would have rated this show a 9 or even a 10 if not for this set of three episodes. I wish the writers had found a way to make her presence remain ambiguous, or to make her a more nuanced character, but I guess we can't have everything.

But nonetheless this is great and moving show that comes across and authentic and earnest, and I definitely wouldn't be against watching it again.

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