It’s Ok Not To Be Ok

I have always been a fan of retelling classic fairy tales, the shows that make you think and even learn more about yourself than you did before. The ones that change the stories, reverse the roles until it becomes something new all on its own, and the similarities of the stories you once knew become a shadow of its creation. I’ve recently finished my fourth rewatch of one of my favorite Korean dramas titled, “It’s Ok To Not Be Ok.” It ties in things that are not really addressed in most shows as more than something to brush off like abuse, mental illnesses, developmental and personality disorders. It gives voices to those who normally wouldn’t have one and shows the strength that comes with healing.

For those of you who may not have seen it before, I won't spoil it for you. For those who have, maybe you’ll watch it again and notice the hidden clues and easter eggs you may not have in your first watch through. IOTNBO follows the interconnecting stories of The Moon Brothers, Moon Gang Tae and Moon Sang Tae. Gang Tae is the youngest brother. He’s the one that’s been taking care of his older brother, who has both Autism and PTSD, on his own since he was 12 years old. He’s someone who’s learned to suppress his own wants, needs, happiness and emotions for the sake of his brother. Their stories connect since childhood with that of Ko Mun Yeong, a popular children’s book author with an antisocial personality disorder. An “empty can” who doesn’t know how to understand or communicate her own emotions, but writes stories that help her to communicate with the world. A “princess” one with her own traumatic childhood experiences who only presents a fierce cold exterior to everyone. The show is told in a series of flashbacks from the past to the present lives of the main characters and how they each connect in ways not even they fully know. The twist of fate that led to Gang Tae and Mun Yeong meeting as children then meeting again as adults. The interconnecting lives of the parents all sprinkled with story book themes.

Each episode includes a lesson from a children’s story that the characters themselves are also learning. It’s a breakdown of childhood classics as well as the lessons Mun Yeong imparts in her own stories. I love how you see the growth in all the characters, even “background” characters like the patients at the Psychiatric Hospital Gang Tae and Mun Yeong, both in a twist, end up working for. I love that you can see the growth and change within everyone and it happens slowly. I’ve experienced so many emotions each time I've watched. I've broken, laughed, and mourned with them as if I was experiencing my own healing as I watched everyone experience theirs. It isn’t completely perfect just as no character is, and that imperfection is what made me love it even more. It was authentic and everyone who changed did so for themselves, which is reinforced in the story, you heal not for people but for yourself.

In The end It was something that left me fulfilled in all aspects in a way many shows haven’t, down to an amazing way to close out the story. It not only met my expectations but exceeded them in a way that I'm purchasing the physical copy of Mun Yeong's books. It gave me hope that the way of storytelling in Kdramas are advancing to include strong women characters, and showing that emotions are relevant to everyone. I encourage everyone to watch it, even if Kdramas are not your thing, this was beautifully written, and the cast did an amazing job of bringing this story and these characters to life. Yet that is just my opinion, why not watch it for yourself to find out if it really is Ok To Not Be Ok?