It’s Okay To Not Be Okay has everything I love and seek out in dramas and in stories generally: Deeply flawed characters, a cold, fashionable female character, who pretends to have no feelings, a slow-burn enemies to lovers storyline, complex, lovable side-characters, a beautiful, emotional OST, a magnificent, mysterious cursed house, gorgeous costumes, emotional slo-mo scenes and deep meaning.
And it gave me something else I didn’t expect: A main character that I could relate to and that made me think about the way I’m living my own life.

My older sister is not autistic. But she has a lot of issues. She doesn’t work, is plagued with depression and panic attacks and when she’s upset, she acts like a child, throwing a fit, locking herself in, screaming and crying. It’s very hard to calm her down.

My parents never told me that the reason they had me, was so I could take care of her. But sometimes I think that is kind of what it has turned into. I live with my sister now and have to deal with her fits. Sometimes, I feel like I will have to live with her for the rest of my life because she will be lost without me. And it’s burdening. But she is also safe for me because as long as I have to live with her, I don’t have to go out into the scary world. In a way, we are both holding each other back, just like Sang Tae and Gang Tae.
It’s Okay To Not Be Okay left me feeling ready to spread my wings and find my own happiness.

I loved the way this drama deals with mental illness, trauma and disability. It was very tasteful and hopeful. At first, I thought the residents of the hospital would only have very minor roles. I was pleasantly surprised when we learned about each of their stories. Despite touching upon some dark subjects and being at parts gloomy, the drama never drags you down. I never felt bad by the end of an episode, because it somehow manages to always maintain a positive atmosphere - even when there's a sad or tense cliffhanger.
The way different fairytales are woven into the story is a wonderful idea and very well executed. I also really enjoyed the non-linear storytelling. Of course the fairytale theme is also reflected in the production design - which is nothing short of marvelous, the cursed castle being my favorite set. Ko Moon Young standing on her balcony in her white nightgown, walking down the big staircase or writing in the huge gloomy study... every scene in the Cursed Castle is so aesthetically pleasing, underlined by the hauntingly beautiful OST.

The acting of the whole cast is outstanding. Especially Kim Soo Hyun ‘s and Seo Ye Ji’s portrayal of their characters deeply touched me. I watched this after Seo Ye Ji’s scandals came to light but it didn’t influence my enjoyment of the drama and her role at all. I absolutely adore her in this role. Whether or not the scandals are true, she is a brilliant actress and the perfect fit for the role of Ko Moon Young.

I think one of the things that touched me most – and I imagine will touch most people, is that Gang Tae loves Moon Young for who she really is – with all her flaws, cruel sides and unreasonable outbursts. I think we all have some darker sides and mean streaks, and we feel like we cannot show these if we want to be loved. Seeing this incredibly flawed character being accepted and loved the way she is, made me very emotional.

Up to episode 13, I would’ve given this a perfect 10/10 score. But then I found the plot twist with the true identity of Ko Moon Young’s mother a bit much. To be honest, I would’ve preferred it if her mother had been dead and truly haunting them. The scenes where Ko Moon Young has sleep paralysis and sees her mother’s corpse, are absolutely genius in a “The Haunting of Hill House” kind of way and I would've loved to see the drama go a bit further down that lane. Her mother was also written as too evil, in my opinion. She is the only character that is completely black and white with no humanity to her, which was a bit of a disappointment after 12 episodes full of very three-dimensional and complex characters. I'm not a big fan of pure evil villains - I find them way more interesting when we see some reasons why they became like this.
Nevertheless, this will go on the list of my all-time favorite dramas. And I knew it would be so by the end of the first episode.

It was absolutely brilliant and touched me deeply. I enjoyed every moment of these wounded, lost characters finding their way to each other and finding their happiness. During the montage of their trip with the camping van I cried like a baby.

PS: Moon Gang Tae showing up for the photoshoot with his hair gelled back had me literally scream out-loud. What a gorgeous man.