Tudo Bem Não Ser Normal (2020)

Amazing Drama

8 episodes in and this k-drama has managed to continually impress! Just when you think you've watched the best episode yet and it can't possibly get any better, the next one raises the bar to a level that previous k-dramas (and I've watched many) and imo future dramas will struggle to meet. Even if somehow the writers stuff it up from here on (which I doubt given the quality of the writing so far), the first 8 episodes have been so brilliant and delivered so much that I would not hesitate to recommend the drama just on these alone. First time ever that I have not once used my ⏩ button. Instead I have rewound multiple times just to re-watch and really absorb scenes and dialogues! One of the most balanced and well paced dramas I've watched. The writer has skilfully employed comedic relief interspersed with the heartbreaking and anxious moments. The writer has also taken the time to lay the foundations for the story and provide a natural progression of relationships. This has given viewers the time to really invest in all the characters and the romance. I've cried, giggled and laughed out loud in pretty much every episode.

Spectacular cinematography, storytelling, directing, OST and acting. The Visuals of this drama are such that I'd be happy just watching it on mute and still enjoy it. The main leads make a spectacular pair and their acting has been top notch. Normally I really hate the 'staring at each other' in k-dramas, but these two have the most expressive eyes that I seriously feel that when they look at each other I'm interrupting something very intimate. Their chemistry is insane! This director and the actors know how to show what the characters are thinking and feeling just from a close up and slight change of expression of their face/eyes. No need for words!! When they smile, you smile, when they cry you cry! I've really been on an emotional rollercoaster.

The way the writer has dealt with the very sensitive subject of mental illness and autism spectrum has so far been very commendable (and can I just say that Oh Jung-Se will definately HAVE to win the Best Supporting Actor award, he is ridiculously talented and has portrayed his character so realistically). Having family that's in similar situations where brothers/sisters/parents have struggled and sacrificed so much as caregivers of siblings/children with autistism or mental illnesses and who have had to make some very hard and heart wrenching decisions in life, this drama has been able to accurately, sensibly and realistically depict these struggles.

The wait for the next episode for a drama has never been this difficult for me....

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Should be next on your list to watch?

8 REASONS WHY IT’S OKAY TO NOT BE OKAY SHOULD BE NEXT ON YOUR LIST

1. NOT YOUR TYPICAL MALE LEAD
Kim Soo-hyun plays the role of Moon Kang-tae, a young man in his late 20’s who works as a community health worker at a psychiatric ward. Kang-tae also takes on several part-time jobs just to make ends meet—something you don’t usually see in K-Drama Land where CEOs, chaebol heirs, captains, kings, princes, doctors, professors, famous writers, and other well-off male leads abound—turning away from the trend of the rich guy role. As a health worker, Kim Soo-hyun dons a scrubsuit (swoon) and it just makes your heart flutter watching him take care of different types of patients. And with all the sibling rivalry going on in most dramas, seeing a character who is so fragile and sensitive towards his brother just melts our hearts (and we all know Kim Soo-hyun always delivers when it comes to dramatic scenes so prepare your own boxes of tissue).

2. STRONG, FASHIONABLE FEMALE LEAD
Just recently, strong female leads are popping up on almost all dramas. Adding to the list is Seo Ye-ji, who plays Ko Mun-yeong, a successful and popular children’s book author who suffers from anti-social personality disorder. Although she comes off as selfish, arrogant, and rude, this strong personality is also her charm (yes, her dark-humor actually adds spice to the drama). Also, when I say strong, I mean someone who knows how to fight back against troublemakers! Talk about girl power! Don’t even get me started about Mun-yeong’s enviable wardrobe. Can I just say she slays every outfit she wears? Go girl, make the world your runway!

3. REVERSED ROLES
Unlike most dramas where the male lead is wealthy and the female lead is financially mediocre, the roles played by Soo-hyun and Ye-ji are actually the opposite. Kang-tae is the poor one here and Mun-yeong is the affluent one. Also, while it is common in dramas that the man does extravagant or heroic acts to win the girl’s heart, Mun-yeong is one of the few female lead characters who actually makes an effort and goes all out to chase after her leading man. Despite the role reversal, chemistry remains undeniably strong between these two! ❤️

4. MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS
The drama sheds light on various mental health disorders, one of which is effectively presented by none other than Baeksang 2020 Best Supporting Actor Oh Jung-se, who plays the role of Moon Sang-tae, Moon Kang-tae’s older brother who suffers from autism spectrum disorder (ASD). I cannot stress just how convincing Jung-se’s portrayal is of someone with ASD. From his posture, to his stance, to his gait and the way he talks as well as his facial expressions—his acting skills are spot on (I could smell another Baeksang award for him!) Since the setting seems to be mainly at the fictitious OK Psychiatric Hospital, it’s safe to say we could look forward to seeing more mental health issues being tackled as the story progresses. Additionally, it is great to see another aspect of mental health awareness—that is, seeing it from the caretaker’s point of view as they impart the struggles and frustrations they have to deal with in their line of work. With this drama, I’m crossing my fingers that people will finally see and understand how challenging yet fulfilling it is to take care of persons with mental illness.

5. ATTENTION TO DETAILS
I have to applaud the research that has been done for this drama. As someone who has dealt first hand with children with special needs, it is very satisfying to see the effort the production crew made just to make everything as realistic as possible. From the labels plastered all over the Moon brothers' house, to the repetitive TV lines spoken by Sang-tae, to the fixations of Mun-yeong and Sang-tae on specific objects, I could say it’s a job well done in delivering the realities that come with mental illness (planning to post more on this subject later).

6. CINEMATOGRAPHY
One word: WOW. Each scene is breathtakingly shot it’s like a moving piece of art. The camera angles are well-thought of that every time you take a screen shot, it always comes out pleasing to the eyes. Oh, and did I mention the aesthetically pleasing color palette? Again, one word: WOW.

7. ELEGANT ANIMATION
The animation in the introduction immediately reminded me of a Tim Burton production with its dark theme. It was haunting yet soulful as it narrated the inner struggles of Mun-yeong. The animations done to convey what went on in Sang-tae’s mind was beautifully done as well, showcasing the colorful and creative world of persons with ASD.

8. OST
The drama’s soundtrack is captivating and beautiful, leaving you wanting to search for it immediately as soon as you hear them play in the background. Each song fits the scene it plays on perfectly, it’s like all your emotions have been converted to music.

If these aren’t enough reasons to convince you to watch, I don’t know what will be. Come on, you know you want to watch it now too! Catch It’s Okay to Not Be Okay every Saturday and Sunday on tvN and Netflix (9PM KST)!

Note: CTTO

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HEARTWARMING AND EYE OPENING

This story got me crying, laughing, loving, and understanding a few minutes away from each other. It's raw and real and sometimes it's scary how you understand the struggles and share with the pain. It's a drama that will warm your heart and make you feel understood. It may not be everyone's cup of tea but it's something so raw and real that it leaves an impression on everyone who gives it a chance.

The relationship between Sangtae, Gangtae, and Munyeong are all special in its own kind. The love that the brothers had for each other is one to emulate and live by. I admit that Sangtae sometimes has the best lines in this drama.

The second lead was not terrible or pathetic, she had her own story and she was strong too. the people surrounding our main leads are amazing, they supported them like no other and it was amazing to see.

I hated the mother but she had a bolt or two loose so I won't mind her anymore. Juri's momma was a delight, as in all of her roles. The best friend was such a dream, imagine following your friend and supporting him like that, if that's not love then what is? He is truly part of the family and deserving to be called 'hyung'.

My best advice yet? Give this a chance.

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BEST KDRAMA EVER

That title wasn't even an understatement. It's Okay to Not Be Okay is hands down the BEST kdrama I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot of kdramas. Honestly if I even wanted to find a flaw with this show I couldn't because it was so masterfully created in every way. I'm still blown away by this show and how powerful it is. The messages they gave every episode, and the amount of topics they covered. Also how well they paced everything which included several mystery plotpoints, romance, and multiple romantic and platonic relationships. Each and every character had a purpose and message even if it was revealed later in the show. All of the characters had great character arcs with no real unanswered questions. Each episode was able to top the next to my surprise (the tears and smiles were endless with this one :) The soundtrack fit this show SO perfectly. AND DON"T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THE FAIRYTALES. The writers are literally genius for that aspect, each fairytale had such a powerful message and related to the story so well CHILLS. Also the mother storyline was actually quite satisfying. They didn't try to overdo her character because even as she was the amount of trauma she caused on Moonyoung was astronomical especially since she was a kid. I love how our perspective of her changes as we see her from child Moonyoungs memories and how Moonyoung sees her now. THE ACTORS MY GOD. Every single one of them killed it, and our main three shined so much. This by far my favorite drama from all of them. OH JUNG SE IS SUCH A TALENTED ACTOR GIVE THIS MAN AN OSCAR, AND GIVE ONE TO SOOHYUN AND. SEO YEJI AS WELL, IN FACT JUST GIVE THE WHOLE CAST EVERY SINGLE AWARD. Anyway haha, moving on from actors the crew was phenomenal. Cinematography was breathtaking the directing was seamless, I LOVED the editing, and the writers literally blew me away with this phenomenal story. They really outdid themself in the best way possible. This was really a one of a kind show that is extremely hard to find. Honestly its one of THE BEST shows I have ever watched let alone kdramas. I could talk about this show on and on, but I'll end this here. If you haven't watched this show you are doing yourself a HUGE disservice, and if you have watched it, please tell me how I'm ever supposed to get over this amazing show that is "It's Okay to Not be Okay". No but really, I'm never going to get over this show.

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Destructive relationship dynamic

Watching this drama was... often frustrating. I liked Moon Kang Tae's character, but I think he really vanished in caring about his brother. I wish he would've had a personality outside of being a caretaker, or given the chance to develop colorfully as an independent individual. There was some development, but there could've been so much more with him. Couldn't stand the FL and her chemistry or rather the lack of with the ML, which was horrible. Her sociopathic personality was such a destructive match to the ML's gentle demeanor and she benefitted from the relationship much more than he did. How is something like this romanticized? I only watched till the end because I enjoyed Moon Sang Tae's development and the amusing, likable antics of director Oh Ji Wang.

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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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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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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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