First Impressions: It's Okay to Not Be Okay

I haven’t done a first impressions in a while, and what better drama to talk about then the recently premiered, It’s Okay to Not Be Okay.

Disclaimer: If you haven’t watched the first two episodes of this drama, there will be spoilers for those in this review. Also understand that my opinions can change of characters and plots as the show progresses forward. This is just a first impression, not the end all be all opinion of the full series.

Native Title: 사이코지만 괜찮아
Release Date: June 20, 2020 (airs Saturday/Sunday)
Episode #: 
16
Platform: Netflix
Director: Park Shin Woo (Encounter, Jealousy Incarnate)

Writer: Jo Yong (Jugglers)
Genre: Melo/Psychological/Romance
Starring: Kim Soo Hyun, Seo Ye Ji. Rest of the cast can be found here.

I don’t even know where to begin with this review. I went into it knowing that I would probably like it, but this drama far exceed my expectations.

The drama centers around Kim Soo Hyun’s character, Kang Tae, who works at a mental health facility. He has an autistic older brother, Sang Tae (played by Oh Jung Se), who he has helped take care of his entire life after their mother was murdered when they were younger. The only witness to the death was by Sang Tae. Moon Young (Yeo Ye Ji) is a children’s book author. She has an (undiagnosed/treated) anti social personality disorder. The two meet and Moon Young is instantly attracted to him (and, surprise, they knew each other during childhood). There are some other plot lines and obviously the dead mother is going to be a thing that will link back to Moon Young, but that’s the gist at two episodes in.

This drama is good.

And not just “I enjoyed it and glad that I’ll want to stick around for it” good. The good you think about right after finishing it, and question whether or not it’s a good idea to rewatch them after drinking an entire bottle of wine and it being 3 am. It’s the kind of good that I’m having a hard time trying to collect my thoughts into a coherent review. I can’t just repeat “It’s just so good” multiple times. I need to just try to break it down from the start, and let it unfold. Like a book. I know.

Note: A lot of the characters are presenting a skew of different mental health issues, but very little has been actually stated about what their actual issues are and I want to try my best to be mindful of that, so things might be vague because I don’t want to assign an issue to someone that isn’t true at this point.

I had heard about the opening before watching the drama (I didn’t get around to watching it till way after it premiered), so I knew that it was stop motion - which I love and was super excited about. I didn’t realize how amazing it would be. It so gorgeously and perfectly integrates with the story. Have you ever seen that Jennifer Love Hewitt show, The Ghost Whisperer? It’s not that great, but the opening credits were kind of cool and eerie…yet the actual show isn’t stylized that way at all. This doesn’t do that. Throughout the drama, there is a clear story book aspect in regards to the characters that are effected with mental issues. The set up of the opening, paired with it being in the style that Moon Young actually writes/draws in was just the perfect opening and quick backstory look.

I don’t think most people actually realize how much artistry and time goes into doing something like this. It so perfectly captures the story that they are going to tell and the way that they will tell it as well as artistically adding an element to the production. It’s not normal for works to put in this thought and care (it’s sometimes just not an option based on time and budget), and I really appreciate it. I also love the care and thought they put into this drama. The cinematography is stunning, and the transitions just add such a beautiful layer to the viewing experience. It can be as little as moving from one scene to another, or from the animation to Moon Young in real life.

While we’re here, let’s talk about Moon Young. Admittedly I am most fascinated with her character. I think it’s important to note that Moon Young is not just anti-social in the Hollywood definition. I think you too often see characters (or even people) labeled as anti-social who are far from it. Introverts are the biggest hit with this misconception. She has an antisocial personality disorder. She has no regard or care for what is right and what is wrong. She doesn’t understand that what she is doing is wrong, because the disorder makes it so. I think too often we get these evil characters in dramas that don’t have an actual reason to be the way that they are. The character keeps being inconsistent as an easy out for the writer. Further scenes can be easily manipulated to help where the story wants to go if they aren’t trapped by what an established charcter should do. The way that the drama shows how it effects not only her, but those around her is really fascinating. Her coworkers don’t understand it as a mental illness, they just think she’s not ‘normal’ - just a the standard power hungry CEO. Which in this case, why would they know? They don’t have a history in psychology to understand how severe her mental illnesses. When she meets Kang Tae he immediately recognizes it and responds appropriately that is clearly noticeably to the viewer.

Seo Ye Ji is doing a phenomenal job in this. There is this line that the drama is playing with her character to make it fantastical (in the story book aspect) but also grounded it in the reality of her condition. She is able to stand in the middle of both, and it’s so amazing to watch.

The drama plays up her portrayal of her role in this story book: the witch. Visually this is done with her choice of clothing. She looks stunning in every look, however when you step back you realize the entirety of her clothing choices are over the top and exaggerated. It doesn’t match with what everyone else is wearing, so she stands out. I talked about the transitions above and how they work in the story, they also help aid in the creation of her larger than life monster persona. Most of these so far have been to relay the relation she has with Kang Tae. She wants to overtake him.

A portrayal in the drama that I was wary of when they first introduced him was Kang Tae’s brother, Sang Tae. There is more issues to his character than what has been stated in the show so far nor the promotional write ups, but I don’t want to assume things and the reasons behind some of his actions are definitely from those. His character represents the known representation of mental health that the general population thinks of. As Moon Young’s is less known, she’s still seen as ‘normal’ and can function in real life and hold a job. Sang Tae’s is out in the open, he has to live with his brother and can’t keep a job. I really think the drama needed this, as it completes the trio with showing those that have been actually admitted into a hospital. The drama has a good representation of the extremes that can be found. I do think that Oh Jung Se is doing well with his handle on the role. This is the character that I will most be worried about throughout the series, though, if I’m honest.

I think what also helps is his relationship with both the brother and best friend. Every time something happens with Sang Tae, Kang Tae keeps his head and doesn’t lash out and respects him and acts in compassion and understanding, with the exception of one time: a flash back while they are sitting in the police station and him pleading for him to talk about who killed the mother and all he can articulate as the person was a butterfly. Yet even in this scene and as young as he is, you see him change to the caregiver role, as he gets him out before the police separate the two.

Honestly, if you had told me the plot of this drama there would not be a doubt in my mind that there would be issues with how the best friend, Jae Soo, handles his being around Sang Tae. But it’s actually done really well from the standpoint of someone who is not trained to deal with this, nor is he actually family. This was such a great choice on the writers part and mirrors the differences in which others treat them. There is so much going on with the story already that the standard “other people can’t understand” trope would have been a terrible choice for a character we see a lot. Leave that to the strangers around. Here it just continues to validate, literally, the title of the drama.

The underlying message in this drama is to show various issues that people are going through, and how they cope within the world that doesn’t quite accept them. Focusing on the care that others around them is a subtle reminder to the audience on how those issues should be handled. We live in a world that is so unaccepting of mental health issues, and a lot of that comes from ignorance or not knowing how to deal with the unknown.

I think what they are doing with this story is really fantastic. There is a reality that being in this line of portraying mental illness in a story book way could end up with really terrible consequences…but I think that’s what they are doing right. This is not a cartoonish presentation. It is a story book presentation. Beautiful and with care. I really hope that the drama continues to be this way and that it doesn’t ruin what good it has done with these first episodes. This one has a real chance to dethrone Hospital Playlist for drama of the year for me. I’m excited to see more.

Also, I totally would have been obsessed with her Burton-like books.

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