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There are three things that I absolutely loved about the Korean Netflix series It's Okay Not To Be Okay; the theme of the story, the character developments, and the message it wants to send out to its viewers. As some of you may have noticed, I'm pretty much new to the Hallyu wave. It's Okay Not To Be Okay is just one of the very few Korean dramas that was recently added to my list K-list.
The story of the series revolves around the the characters of Moon Gang-tae (Kim Soo-hyun), a health worker in a psychiatric ward who seems to be out of touch with the world, Ko Mun-yeong (Seo Ye-jin), a famous children's book writer who seems to have magnified all the hatred that exists in the world, and Moon Sang-tae (Oh Jung-se), Gang-tae's elder brother who has autism and has an inexplicable love for Mun-yeong's books and all things dinosaur. The return and crossover of their paths eventually led to a rough and bumpy journey of emotional healing of their deeply intertwined scars.
Unlike the previous K-dramas that I watched, It's Okay Not To Be Okay diverted from the usual feel-good themes, and went straight to a gothic theme that touched one of the most sensitive topics in the society—mental health and the issues attached to it. Pulling off a drama with such theme is extremely difficult as it may narrate a story that is entirely problematic. But aside from a tiny flaw that none may have noticed at all, the series was kind of successful on its execution. What just really bothered me most though was "that" tiny flaw; that one basic courtesy that the production team should've been aware of in creating such sensitive content—trigger warnings. The effort in occasionally putting up on-screen descriptions of some medical jargons was commendable. However, failing to put trigger warnings at the beginning of each episode was a bit disappointing. There were some assault scenes and even suicidal wrist marks that could've unrooted deeply buried scars and traumas from the viewers. It would've been better if this was not overlooked.
Just like the series itself, there are no way that the disposition of Moon Gang-tae, Ko Mun-yeong, Moon Sang-tae, or any other minor characters in the story are perfect. In fact, they were filled with human flaws that exist not only in films and fairytales, but also in reality. However, Soo-hyun, Ye-jin, and Jung-see's portrayal of their characters were outstanding. Soo-hyun and Ye-jin's chemistry was hard to overlook. Jung-se's acting deserves whatever best acting award that exists in South Korea. It was heart-wrenching and somehow relatable how each characters mature as the story progresses. Moon Gang-tae who seems to have lost sight of working up his emotions ultimately acknowledged his human side. Ko Mun-yeong whose world revolves around hers alone eventually opened the door to her locked heart. Moon Sang-tae who is trapped by the nightmares of his past finally tried to overcome his fears. All of these character's initial behavior were rooted in their childhood, manifested in their adulthood, and were somehow set straight through healing in the present time.
One of the morals of the story involves adults being sensitive to the feelings of any children they have around. Who we are today and how we behave on certain matters are all manifestations of how we were treated when we were younger. Therefore, everything is rooted in our childhood. Childhood traumas are serious and should not be overlooked. But then if we, as young adults, found ourselves trapped by these traumas, this series is a constant reminder that it's okay to acknowledge the ghosts of our past but somehow someday we need to overcome them. Literally, it's okay not to be okay. As Gang-tae once said, "Remember it all (the painful memories) and overcome it. If you don't overcome it, you'll always be a kid whose soul never grows." Dr. Oh Ji-wang, which is also one of my favorite characters from the series, also said that, "The first step is always the hardest. But once you take your first step, things will get easier from then on." The first step to healing is acceptance; and this was well-emphasized in the narrative of the story. The fact that one of the backdrops of this series is a psychiatric hospital with colorful characters seeking for professional help was already laudable.
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| Screenshot take from the series |
One scene that was really hard to forget was when two of the psychiatric patients, Jung-tae and A-reum, ran away in attempt to live together. A-reum was firm that their love can overcome whatever mental issues they are going through at the moment, but in the latter part of their getaway Jung-tae thought otherwise. They both need to wake up from reality and heal accordingly. I love that it didn't romanticise healing, but instead emphasised on its reality. While one character's way of thinking may be flawed, another character took a grip of that flaw and rerouted the perception of the viewers on how things should really be dealt. This is just one of the few beautiful healing and acceptance scenarios that was narrated from the point of view of the psychiatric patients. Aside from that, I really loved how all of the main characters ' parents were just crooked in their own way but there exists one character that took away all that flaws and displayed a true model of being a grown-adult; a parent—Kang Soon-Duk. I love that her doors were open even with mere strangers.
Screenshot taken from the series
Advertised as a healing drama, the release of this Netflix series during these trying times is an excellent companion in our healing and isolation. It's okay to feel things; to be human. But my hope is that we won't let our past continue to haunt us. It may be hard to overcome all of our fears all at once, but once we take the first step, I hope that we keep on taking the next ones. Indeed, it's okay not to be okay.
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Words and main artwork by collene.
collene is 24-year-old self-proclaimed creative old soul who is deeply fascinated by the beauty of music, arts, books and poetry. Catch her wearing her bluetooth earphones on with either a phone or book on hand.
