It’s Okay to Not Be Okay (Psycho But It’s Okay) is a tvN series written by Jo Yong, directed by Park Shin Woo and produced by Studio Dragon. The series, produced in 2020, consists of 16 episodes. We can consider the genre of the series as a fusion of romantic, psychological and drama. You can also stream it on Netflix, which is great for easy access to the show and for availability of vast number of languages and subtitles. It’s Okay to Not Be Okay had a 6% rating when it was first released, and its highest rating was 7.3%. IMDB score 8.8 / 10 (pretty good👍).
The subject of the series was explained on Netflix as follows: “When an asocial children’s book writer crosses the paths of a devoted caregiver working in a psychiatric ward, an extraordinary path to emotional recovery opens in front of them.
The drama stars Kim Soo Hyun (Moon Gang Tae), Seo Ye Ji (Ko Moon Young) and Oh Jung Se (Moon Sang Tae) is.
Gang Tae is a caregiver working at the Psychiatric Hospital. His mother passed away unfortunately at a young age. He has an older brother who suffers from Autism. He is unhappy and devoid of affection, and takes on life with all its negativities. So much so that Gang Tae‘s first smile happens almost after episode 12!.. He got into his role so well that the more he got bored, the more we got bored. We started to look negatively at life. One asks will this boy ever be happy? Gang Tae, who does not want to establish a close relationship with anyone other than his older brother, lives with his brother in a very modest one-eye room and changes business and house almost every year because of his brother. His older brother is obsessed with butterflies and that is the reason they move somewhere else in every butterfly season. [ Spoiler alert: This is because it has an important place in the drama’s story!]
Moon Young is a popular children’s book author with antisocial personality disorder. It is emphasized that she has a troubled childhood and a turbulent relationship with his parents since the first scene of the series. You wonder if this woman is a psychopath? The title of the series refers to Moon Young’s character. He is a children’s storybook writer, unlike his negative, fairy-tale-reminiscent character. She has not many friends except the owner of the publisher. I assure you that you will always remember Moon Young; the role is played so powerfully!
Sang Tae is Moon Gang Tae’s older brother who suffers from autism spectrum disorder. He is a huge fan of children’s fairy tale author Moon Young and also a talented illustrator. He has a cloth cabinet in which he hid in times of crisis. Sang Tae has severe autism attacks in about the first 10 episodes of the series. The series reveals how much a person with autism spectrum disorder can develop with appropriate support throughout 16 episodes. This is one of the important messages the series tries to give.
Nam Ju Ri (Park Kyu-young) is a nurse working in a mental hospital and is a colleague of Gang Tae. She has a platonic love affair with Gang Tae. He doesn’t like Moon Young, with whom she made a brief friendship in elementary school. [Spoiler alert : The love that developed between Nam Joo Ri (Park Gyu Young), the nurse of the psychiatric clinic, and Lee Sang In (Kim Joo Heon), the owner of the publishing house that published the books of Moon Young, you will never guess in the first episodes of the series.]
Kang Soon Deok, played by Kim Mi Kyung, the mother of Nam Joo Ri, who played the mother role in many K-Dramas, added maternal warmth to this drama. Other side-roles we liked were hospital head doctor Oh Ji Wang (Chang Wan Kim) and Gang Tae’s best friend (Ki Doong Kang) Jo Jae Soo. The side roles manage to make you smile amid the intense dramatic turmoil of the leading roles.
The Story of “It’s Okay To Not Be Okay” and Its Remarkable Details
The story begins when nurse Gang Tae intercepts a psychopath who by chance attacks fairy tale writer Moon Young. Actually, you know, the lead actors in k-dramas have a relationship from childhood or adolescence, they never met again after childhood. Then by the virtue of destiny their paths crosses again. We are experiencing the same K-drama cliche in It’s Okay To Not Be Okay. However, there will be more interesting points in the series than the relationship with the past. The first three episodes of the series are in fairy-tale style, you will taste thriller/horror up to 10-12 and drama between 12-16.
There are episodes where you will feel as if you are watching scenes from The Grudge, for example, when Moon Young lies at night, a person with long black hair waving and flying in the air appears in the upper parallel. Goosebumps! I would like to warn those who are afraid of horror movies. However, they connect the subject so well that these scenes gain meaning over time.
In the series, you will also come across the stories of people who have experienced various kinds of traumas and fell into the mental hospital. Some of them will hurt your heart. The general story of the series focuses on the characters’ healing by helping each other’s traumas.
Although it is sometimes annoying that the character of Moon Young is a “witch” so to speak, it often makes you say it is very well done. Seo Ye Ji, who portrays the character of Moon Young, has a plump and cracked tone of voice that matches her character very well. She is so mean but she is also so adorable.
Zombie Kid-Episode 4
The storybooks and Sang-Tae’s drawings belong to illustrator Jamsan. Many children’s stories are told in the series. It was “Zombie Kid” that gave its name to the 4th episode that impressed us the most. We’ve seen a lot of adult zombies so far, but we’ve never seen a child zombie. Not many have thought of it until now. The story is really haunting.
Zombie Boy
“A boy was born in a small village; he had pale skin, big eyes. When his mother raised his son, he realized that he had no innate emotions, only a desire to eat like a zombie. So his mother locked him in the basement of the house so that the villagers would not see him. Every night, to feed him, she stole livestock from his neighbors. She secretly raised his child like this. She stole chicken one night, pigs one night. A few years passed. Then one day the epidemic started; the remaining animals died and also people died. Survivors left the village but the mother could not leave her son. She cut off one leg to appease his crying son. After that, she gave his arm. Over time, she gave away all his limbs. When there was nothing left but his body, he hugged him to eat what was left of her.
Zombie boy said: “Mom, you are warm”
Did he the child concerned with his hunger to be fulfilled or concerned about feeling his mother’s warmth?
The zombie boy story refers to the warmth Sang Tae expects from his mother. .
Gang Tae belongs to Gang Tae!
Sang Tae had a memory of living with his brother. You will often watch past memories in the series. Gang Tae couldn’t take care of his brother one day, and Sang Tae was slightly battered and injured on his return from school. He got angry with Gang Tae because his mother wasn’t interested in Sang Tae and started yelling at him. Upon his last cry over the boots, Gang Tae cried: “Gang Tae belongs to Gang Tae”. His older brother Sang Tae hears this, seems to have ignored this word for years, but he knows how to hit his brother in the same way when it comes to it. Towards the end this expression will be connected with happiness.
Family Photo
Moon Young, who enthusiastically suggests to Moon Gang Tae to take family photos, is shocked by his cold behavior and finally decides to go for a photo shoot with Moon Sang Tae. Just as they are about to take their first photo, Gang Tae shows up in a surprise. The three of them are now a family.
Seo Ye Ji’s Style and Thin Waist
Another highlight in the drama was the interesting outfits Seo Ye Ji wore. It raised the profile of Korean fashion designers and earring, handbag and nightgown brands. Although some viewers thought that Seo Ye Ji was too exaggerated and that a sleeping woman wearing make-up was exaggerated, Seo Ye Ji made her talk with her clothes and makeup. Considering that Moon Young is a not-so-normal character, we think there was no exaggeration in her dressing style. Seo Ye Ji’s thin waist made the agenda all the time!
It’s Okay Not To Be Okay, in our opinion, is one of the best productions of this year that must be seen. The pace of the series is sometimes slowing down, and some episodes may seem like nothing much happens. But when we look at the total, it is a series that has a message that it wants to give and that does not leave the weave of what happened in the air and reaches a conclusion. In addition, the places where the series were shot are incredibly beautiful. Especially if you don’t live by the sea and long for seaside views, this series perfectly blends human psychology and natural beauty. It can help you heal too!
