Tudo Bem Não Ser Normal (2020)

A Mesmerizing Tale of Healing and Love

"It's Okay to Not Be Okay" is a standout Korean drama that beautifully intertwines themes of mental health, healing, and romance. With its exceptional storytelling, captivating performances, and stunning visuals, this series is a must-watch for anyone seeking a deeply emotional and thought-provoking experience.The drama follows Moon Gang-tae, a caregiver at a psychiatric hospital, and Ko Moon-young, a successful but emotionally troubled children's book author. Their paths cross in unexpected ways, leading to a journey of healing and self-discovery for both. The series masterfully explores the complexities of their pasts, the impact of trauma, and the power of love and acceptance.

Moon Gang-tae : Gang-tae is a compassionate and selfless caregiver who has dedicated his life to taking care of his autistic older brother, Sang-tae. Kim Soo-hyun delivers a nuanced performance, capturing Gang-tae's inner turmoil and his gradual journey towards self-acceptance and emotional liberation.
Ko Moon-young : Moon-young is a fiercely independent and unconventional author with a haunting past. Seo Ye-ji shines in this role, bringing depth and complexity to her character. Her portrayal of Moon-young's emotional struggles and her evolving relationship with Gang-tae is both powerful and poignant.
Moon Sang-tae : Sang-tae, Gang-tae's brother, is a character who brings both heart and humor to the series. Oh Jung-se's portrayal of an autistic adult navigating the world with his unique perspective is both respectful and deeply moving, adding a layer of authenticity to the show.

Visual and Sound Design:
"It's Okay to Not Be Okay" is visually stunning, with its fairy-tale-like settings and meticulous attention to detail. The cinematography captures the whimsical and often dark elements of the story, enhancing the overall narrative. The soundtrack, featuring hauntingly beautiful melodies, perfectly complements the emotional depth of the series.
The drama courageously tackles themes of mental health, trauma, and healing. It emphasizes the importance of acknowledging and addressing one's emotional wounds, and the transformative power of love and support. The series also highlights the significance of self-acceptance and the journey towards personal growth.

"It's Okay to Not Be Okay" is an extraordinary drama that stands out for its profound storytelling, stellar performances, and visual artistry. It offers a rich tapestry of emotions, blending moments of heartbreak, humor, and hope. This series not only entertains but also delivers powerful messages about mental health and the human condition. For those looking for a drama that resonates on multiple levels, "It's Okay to Not Be Okay" is a truly unforgettable experience.

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What remains with me after watching this series is that, indeed, we're all struggling with emotional pain of some kind, but owning up to it and being compassionate about it is what makes us human. You'll probably find a mirror to your own insecurities and woes in any of the characters. The story portrays love at large in a heart-wrenchingly vulnerable way, so I don't think most people can finish the whole series without shedding at least a few tears. The characters are complex yet relatable, and most importantly, they are consistently interesting and never become dull. The cast is superb and the OST is already in my Spotify playlist.

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More Than Just A Boy Loves Girl

Admittedly, the first 2 episodes of this drama had me bored. I was ready to drop it. You are assaulted with the relationship and it's easy to get into that, "I'm a professional K-Drama-er" mindset and have yourself convinced you know exactly how the story is going to go. Then it really starts taking a dive into the story and it becomes one giant rollercoaster of emotions that have you questioning all the things.

While the acting was dry at some points, the actors were amazing. I know that doesn't sound right, but I don't know how else to explain it. The parts were played well, they were believable and relatable. The story was beautifully portrayed by the cast.

Was there music? I know there was, but I honestly can't say that it was super memorable.

I don't know if I'd rewatch this. Yes, I absolutely enjoyed this drama, but I don't think I could handle the emotional curves your constantly thrown, even if I do know what's going on already.

Overall, once I hit E3, I was hooked to this drama. The story is captivating, the settings are perfectly Tim Burton-esque, and how relatable it all was really hit home. Yes, it's a love story, but it's a different kind of love story, it's a mental health exploration, it's a put yourself first type story. I'm here for it.

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A complete world of emotional war

Where should I begin with? This drama is just a GOLD.

Superb acting by the main leads. And my favorite strongest female lead Seo Ye-ji.
Just go for it. I am out of words to explain this great piece. Just watch it.

It has sad moments with joyful ones. Fighting with the past is hard and can be tricky but with the love and support of our close ones, we can overcome anything. A clear-cut drama that focuses on how a human would feel when he is mentally challenged with real-life responsibilities, The drama has many cheerful moments and you can connect to the main leads.
The ending was also satisfying and make you fall in love with the plot.

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A haevy theme but not to watch heavy at all

I was hesitant to watch the drama at first because the subject matter seemed so depressing to me, but the series is so adorable and staged with such funny and strong characters that it was a lot of fun and easy to watch.

The chemistry between the 3 main characters is fabulous. The scenes are beautifully staged. Seo Yea Ji's voice is so intense and beautiful that it is addictive. The scenes between her and Kim Soo Hyun fit so perfectly. He has a wonderful attraction to her (I can still picture the scene as he grabs her by the waist). Oh Jung Se plays his role so funny and endearing.

I've laughed, cried alittle bit, been enchanted by the scenes and
costumes and laughed. I really liked the setting, precisely because it was a bit detached and unrealistic.

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it's a great kdrama standard -so fresh and original, it definitely stands out-

You like psychology? This is the show for you.
→ trauma, neurodiversity representation*, three dimensional characters with development done right and they demystified the portrayal of antisocial personality disorder.
*it sucks that it's portrayed by a neurotypical actor, but just the fact this character was written is already a start (we gotta see the progress).
There are scenes that I felt were a little too much, but the other amazing scenes made up for it.
The only thing that bothered me is that she harassed him quite a lot at first. I know it's supposed to be funny, but men can be victims to abuse and women can be perpetrators. Women are the majority of the victims but there is a percentage of men too and they should be respected, not treated as a joke. It's a fucked up double standard, if he acted the way she did I think the repercussions would be different. --Since it's not the main part of the series I still love it, but just because we like something doesn't mean we get to ignore what could harmful.--

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It warms your heart in the most clever, hilarious and emotionally heavy way.

As someone who was always put into a difficult and horrible position by my parents, as well as having multiple autistic close relatives and anti-social, narcissistic personality traits, I related to this kdrama a lot. It was slow, electric and captivating. I particularly enjoyed the fresh change of pace in the dynamic between the main characters, as well as the character growth shown across the episodes. Having the FL as she was, but also the actual acceptance of who she was, because I often feel that people demonise those with personality disorders or try to “correct” them, and many shows with “Cold” FL’s, end up turning soft, was poetic and presented a strong-minded butt of heads between the main couple. I really enjoyed the dual complexion between the brothers because it really is tough being a caretaker and I felt so seen just through the ML’s situation. This kdrama was heartfelt, sincere, comical and thrilling at times. The director hit the cinematography like a nail on a hammer with stunning animation, CGI, and use of dark scenery. Every episode carries depth and emotional baggage that is not battered heavily by dialogue but smoothly with clean scene transitions and soft imagery that juxtaposes the dark context of the two main leads' childhood trauma. It tantalises you into a mystery, and while yes, developed slowly, it never feels so. Though the main crux of the drama is dealt with towards the end, across the whole show there is a very strong grasp on chemistry; loveydovey at times but also hilariously stressful at others.

This kdrama is slowpaced like all others, enough so to make you question what the ending really is, largely because the plot is sort of non-existent but in a very good way. However, I am severely disappointed in the execution of the FL’s mother and that storyline. Up until Episode 17, it was perfectly written as a tense, spine-chilling and emotionally devastating mystery that is told in an unreliable narrative by two people’s memories. And then, it is revealed, rather lousily (in my opinion, although there were efforts to make this cohesive by hinting at it across 4 episodes) that the FL’s mother is NOT dead but alive and kicking—she works as the Head Nurse at the very psychiatric hospital where the ML works and the FL’s father is a patient at. It is really such a… Hollywood-esque plot twist that has no substance other than sticking in a tense “life or death” flight to push together two main leads AS IF THEY DON’T ALREADY HAVE CHEMISTRY(?) Chemistry that, mind you, was built up in the most brilliant, emotional and humourous way across 17 episodes.

The flashbacks that the FL has about her mother and the darkness of her past have always alluded to the mother’s death, something that honestly could have worked out as such a poignant allegory for the FL to overcome her past trauma. Not all mothers need to be revived or be “alive” for the trauma to be real, or for people to heal. Personally, having the mother be alive after all those years was a slap in the face to the grief that the FL was processing—it could have been confirmed in some sick way that the FL killed her mother as a child—and that it raises a lot of questions. What was her purpose then? Why, after so many years, would you want to re-enter your family’s life again randomly? Especially since you had so many chances to kill the FL’s father, or even kill the FL. I think it was said that the FL’s mother had memory loss—another sloppy slap in the face, especially since trauma is so vividly and visibily remembered and recounted in this show. I was extremely happy with the ending, but how Episode 17 and 18 were executed, left me a little sour.

It just felt out of place and cheap, and the show’s creators had built up the perfect image of the FL's mother being an unattainable ghost, a figment of the past that the FL must conquer and move on from. It would have been such a perfect allegory, especially given how violent, gorey and ghostlike a lot of the FL’s children books and morals are. Rather, having the mother be alive allows for a physical manifestation that justice can be inflicted on, even though most of the trauma in this show is about having to fight the ghosts of your past. I can't help but wonder if they did this largely because of the subplot that was the ML's mother, who we would never have really known was murdered by the FL's mother if she wasn't alive to allude to it.

Despite my criticisms of how the last bit of the main plot was handled, I say this with the utmost chest that I truly want more of these kdramas in the world. The ending is powerful, empathetic and warm, a happy ending that understands the handling of trauma and the slow but bitter process of moving on.

As for Sang Tae, I have always been hazy on the presentation of autistic characters in media due to the subsequent trivialisation, infantalisation and demonisation that follows. They are treated like children and have their rights and autonomy taken away from them through their actions. However, this kdrama changed that, big time. Sang Tae was written extremely well from my perspective, as a person who understands what it is like to be in his and Kang Tae's position. He's clever, childish but not in a "baby-like" way but rather in a way that can embolden his creativity and skills, and is accurately emotional and hard to socialise with.

I want to thank the actor for the accuracy and dedication to the role of Sang Tae, as well as the accuracy of the actor for the FL because it is extremely difficult to play a character with an anti-social personality disorder without being written off as a robotic, cold-hearted, "tsundere" strong woman. Rather, the FL gorgeously plays the role to a T. She carried this show with her comedy and her brash, reckless behaviour. I was rooting for her all the way.

Anyway, this was so close to being a 10. So close. Of course, it all depends on perspective. Shows can't always please everyone. I thoroughly enjoyed this narrative enough to 100% recommend it. Though heavy and emotionally upsetting, it is powerful and I loved it. I think that in terms of a rewatch, it might vary from person to person because this was the kind of show I would need to sit down and watch again in one sitting when I am looking for a source of comfort or a way to process trauma.

Hope this review helps!

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Hasta mı yoksa sevgisiz mi

(TR)Açık konuşmak gerekirse diziye başlamamdaki en büyük etken animasyon efektleriydi ama dizi ilerledikçe karakterlerin geçmişi beni resmen içine çekti. Ayrıca çocuk yetiştirirken tek sorumluluğun annede olmadığını babanın da aynı derecede sorumlu olduğunu hatırlattı dizi. Ve herkesin sevgiye muhtaç olduğunu, sevgisizliğin insana zarar verdiğini ve sevgisiz çocukların da ileride sevgiyle iyileşebileceğini öğretti. Anlayacağınız ana karakterlerin hikayesi çok derindi gerçi son bölüme kadar hiç tamamen öğrenemedik. Biraz da bundan kaynaklı yan karakterlerin hikayeleri sönük kalmıştı. Eğer yan karakterlerin hikayeleri de derin olsaydı dadından yenmezdi dizi. Çok şükür ki bunu karakterlerin oyunculara cuk oturmasıyla kapatmışlar. İzlerken "Lan acaba bunlar gerçek hayatta da mı böyle" diyor insan. Ah konunun işlenişini ve dizinin çekimini de unutmamak lazım. Burada işlenme biçiminden çok çekimi konuşmak istiyorum aslında. O kadar güzel çekmişlerdi ki nutkum tutuldu bazı yerlerde. Hele ki şato sahneleri! Ekran görüntüsü almaktan o kadar çok sahne kaçırdım ki. Yönetmen mükemmel bir iş çıkarmış ellerinden öpmek gerek. Sonuç olarak:
Garip bir ilişkinin anlatıldığı, mükemmel çekim açıları ile dolu bir dizi arıyorsanız tamamdır. Ama yan karakterlere çok takılmayın, onlar biraz süs olsun diye konmuş (!). Her neyse iyi izlemelerr~~

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Be Prepared to Cry Your Eyes Out

Damn!!! I cried a lot with this drama. So many scenes that broke my heart and so many children carrying heavy burdens placed on them by their parents. Goodness!!

I liked the series overall. Really great cast but especially Oh Jung Se as Sang Tae. The man should have won all the awards the year this came out!!This drama ended up being totally different from what I thought it was going to be about. Seo Yea Ji is stunning and once again the Kdrama wardrobe and costumes department was on fire with her looks. However, her character, Ko Moon Young was not easy to like. Once we get her full story, we can see why she behaved the way she did. It was actually quite refreshing to see her development throughout the series.

Moon Gang Tae is one of the most heartbreakingly, tragic characters I have ever watched in a drama, K or otherwise. The amount of things this man had to endure was too much for me to bear and like I said, I cried a lot. The man couldn't catch a break.

One of the best things about this drama was the use of the well-known fairytales and the ones created by Moon Young that show the parallels of the characters lives.

I also really loved the animated scenes from the storytelling. Just phenomenal. OST is good too!

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Good

The writing on this show was actually top notch. The characters are complex and compelling. It was just so fascinating to watch
these characters banter and slowly open up to eachother. Of course, it's enemies to lovers, which I love. But it's portrayed in such a unique but realistic way that I haven't witnessed before in kdrama history. All of the characters have their flaws but that's what makes them all the more interesting. I also love how it feels like a fairytale and the use of stop motion. The acting is great across the board. Go Mun Young was iconic and her outfits ate down. It does follow the standard 16 episode format (which as you know I'm not a fan of) so it drags a bit. But it makes up for that in other aspects!

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