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It’s Okay to Not Be Okay: Episode 1

After months and months of waiting on my part, It’s Okay to Not Be Okay finally premiered and, frankly, knocked my socks off. It’s a very pretty drama, but the true beauty lies in the dark whimsy sprinkled all throughout, showing the world of mental illness in all its glory. If the drama keeps it up, we could be in for something real special.

 
EPISODE 1: “The boy who fed on nightmares”

We start with a beautiful stop-motion animation, about a young girl who lived all by herself in a castle. One day, she decided to go into town to find herself a friend. She offered the others what she thought were nice gifts, but they were horrified to see she held two dead birds.

“They called her a monster who brings along the shadow of death,” the narrator says. The girl was angry with every living thing and wandered off to a lake, where she reeled in fish and stomped them to death. On her third try, she reeled in a young boy, unexpectedly saving him from drowning.

Since then, the dark shadow stopped following the girl and the boy followed instead. Later, the girl asked if he would always stay by her side, and he replied that of course he would. But then she turned to him and ripped a butterfly apart. “Even after you see this?” she asked, her eyes glowing menacingly.

Scared, the boy ran away, the hook that connected him to the girl detaching. That’s when the shadow returned and whispered that no one could ever stay by her side because she was a monster. We transition to a real life castle, to the real life girl (Seo Ye-ji), who replies, “Yes, Mother.”

Modern-day Korea. In a university, a man is overwhelmed by the sounds of the heavy machinery around him and has an episode. No one gets hurt, but the professor tells the man’s guardian that they can’t keep risking others’ safety and that the man should be in a special needs school.

The guardian, and younger brother, MOON KANG-TAE (Kim Soo-hyun) listens with an exhausted expression, eventually looking up to see his autistic brother MOON SANG-TAE (Oh Jung-se) watching him through the window. “He’s angry,” Sang-tae notes to himself.

As Kang-tae cleans out Sang-tae’s locker, it does appear that he’s angry. Sang-tae braces himself, but Kang-tae merely kneels down and smiles, asking if he’s hungry. The brothers leave the school, with Sang-tae offering to pay for dinner since he’s the hyung. Aww, they’re so sweet.

The next day, we meet famed children’s author GO MOON-YOUNG (again, Seo Ye-ji) as she’s eating in a restaurant alone. A mother and daughter approach her, the little girl saying she’s a huge fan. Though Moon-young seems uninterested, she agrees to give her an autograph.

The girl calls Moon-young a princess because she’s pretty, and Moon-young pauses before asking if they’d like a photo as well. While the mom stands back to take their picture, Moon-young brings the girl in close and quietly says, “You’re not my fan, are you? In all my fairy tales, the witch is always the one that’s pretty.”

With a devious smile, Moon-young says that if the girl wants to be pretty, she should tell her mom that she wants to grow up to be a pretty witch. The girl starts crying and jumps off Moon-young’s lap, the mom chasing after her.

Moon-young’s editor and boss LEE SANG-IN (Kim Joo-hun) saunters in, telling her to stop by the beauty salon. He whines that she can’t do a reading at the children’s ward with all-black attire — she looks like something out of The Addams Family.

Moon-young shuts him up by running her knife along her plate, like nails on a chalkboard. She tells him that she likes this restaurant not because of the food but because of the knives. She cuts the tip of her finger and, amazed with the knife’s sharpness, puts it in her purse.

At the OK Psychiatric Hospital, Kang-tae gets ready for work (cue mandatory post-army shirtless scene), and we see multiple scars all over his body.

Once on duty, he’s called into the lounge and finds a female patient on the floor stuffing her face with food. The patient calls Kang-tae “Honey,” saying he always told her she was pretty when she ate.

To calm her down, he explains that he meant she was pretty even when she ate. She swoons and hugs him, only to mutter that he shouldn’t have cheated on her. She sticks her finger down her throat, and OMG the puking-esque imagery that follows.

Later, a new patient comes in — a man with anxiety disorder who tried to kill himself and his daughter. The daughter Go-eun had to be separated from her dad Mr. Kim to be treated for PTSD.

Meanwhile, Moon-young is on her way to the hospital for her event, Sang-in and art director YOO SEUNG-JAE (Park Jin-ju) in tow. Sang-in gets a call from OK Hospital, and to his horror, Seung-jae sees and announces the caller ID.

Calling is nurse NAM JOO-RI (Park Kyu-young), waiting for the guardian of a patient named Go Dae-hwan to sign for his surgery. She tells Sang-in that they can’t keep avoiding their calls; it’s the same thing as killing the patient.

From the backseat, Moon-young coldly states, “He’s dead to me. Why do you keep trying to bring him back to life? Are you Jesus?” Addressing Joo-ri informally, Moon-young tells her to come in person if she wants her signature. Frustrated, Joo-ri practically slams the phone down and returns to her station.

Joo-ri can’t believe what Moon-young is demanding, but her superior NURSE PARK (Jang Young-nam) tells her to do the professional thing and just get the signature.

Joo-ri visits patient Go Dae-hwan, who has severe dementia. Joo-ri mentions that his daughter may not be able to visit, and Dae-hwan goes into a panic. He surprises Joo-ri by grabbing her arm and saying his daughter can’t come. He sees flashes of Moon-young, that cold look on her face, and cries, “If she comes, I’ll die.”

On break, Kang-tae chats with a newbie caretaker, who wants to know the real reason why he moves hospitals every year. Is it because he flirts with the female nurses and patients? Kang-tae puts a hand on his shoulder and answers, “Male.” The guy awkwardly laughs while Kang-tae coolly sips his coffee.

Kang-tae then calls his brother, smiling when he hears that Sang-tae is coloring in one of Go Moon-young’s books again. He mentions that Moon-young is visiting the hospital, and Sang-tae immediately stops what he’s doing. Wanting to meet his favorite writer, Sang-tae scrambles around the apartment, rambling that he’s on his way.

Kang-tae can hear Sang-tae growing agitated, and Sang-tae isn’t listening to reason, so Kang-tae has to shout “Moon Sang-tae!” This shocks Sang-tae into silence.

Kang-tae tells his brother to take deep breaths and then explains that he wouldn’t make it in time for the event anyway. Kang-tae does promise to get him Moon-young’s autograph, which satisfies him.

While Moon-young’s people are setting up her event in the auditorium, Moon-young is lounging outside smoking. Passing by, Kang-tae notices her and asks that she put her cigarette out. She argues that she just lit it, and when he persists, she stands to look him in the eye.

Cherry blossoms start blowing in the wind, all around them, and Moon-young takes in the atmosphere, asking, “Do you believe in destiny?” Without answering her question, Kang-tae tries to take the cigarette from her, and she pulls it out of reach. Why is this so badass to me?

Moon-young dumps the last of her cigarette into Kang-tae’s coffee cup and says that destiny may not be all it’s cracked up to be. Kang-tae watches her walk away, angrily crushing his cup in his fist.

Cut to: Moon-young screaming into her microphone on stage, surprising her audience. She clears her throat and begins reading from her book The Boy Who Fed On Nightmares. In it, A boy is plagued by nightmares of his past, and he ventures out to a witch, desperate to make the horrible memories disappear.

Just outside the auditorium, patient Mr. Kim is running about looking for his daughter while the caretakers are running about looking for him. Kang-tae asks his co-worker what happened, and the guy admits that he let Mr. Kim out of his restraints because he said he felt uncomfortable. What?? Really, dude?

Mr. Kim heads into the auditorium, checking every little girl in the audience, when the hospital workers come in to announce an emergency. As everyone evacuates, Mr. Kim finally finds Go-eun and drags her backstage. Moon-young notices this but doesn’t say anything, instead yelling at the workers for interrupting her show.

Moon-young then sneaks off backstage, watching as Mr. Kim tells the scared Go-eun that they need to run away. Mr. Kim says that kids can’t survive on their own, so they should just die together, and Moon-young cuts in that that’s total bullshit.

“You’re the first worthless human being I’ve encountered in a long time,” she continues. She tells him to die alone rather than drag his daughter with him. At that, Mr. Kim lunges at her, but she knocks him down with her purse. The knife from earlier falls out and she crushes his hand with her heel before he can reach for it.

Now boiling with anger, Mr. Kim overpowers Moon-young and starts to strangle her. At first, she’s smiling with amusement, but then she starts to see Mr. Kim as her father Dae-hwan. A flashback shows us that her dad tried to strangle her when she was young, reassuring her “it’ll all be over soon.”

All of a sudden, Kang-tae bursts in and pulls Mr. Kim off of her. The men have a tussle, crashing into things, with Moon-young trying to get ahold of herself. Just when Kang-tae has a hold on Mr. Kim, he sees Moon-young coming at Mr. Kim with the knife. Mr. Kim flinches and we see droplets of blood hit the floor.

Holy crap… Kang-tae stopped Moon-young’s knife by grabbing the blade. They stare at each other, neither showing much emotion, until she finally says, “So it wasn’t destiny after all.”

Shaking, Mr. Kim calls Moon-young crazy and runs out, straight into the hospital workers’ hands. Kang-tae takes the knife away, and Moon-young watches him try to wrap up his wound. She nonchalantly states that he overreacted; she only meant to give Mr. Kim a small cut. She takes the handkerchief out of his hand and wraps his wound for him.

As she does, she tells him, “In this world, there are people who deserve to die. But some thoughtful freaks kill them for us in secret. That’s why clueless civilians can sleep peacefully at night, completely unaware of it. Which one do you think I am?” After a moment, he says she’s a clueless freak, making her chuckle.

Afterwards, Kang-tae is called into his boss’s office and is told they need to let someone go in order to make this accident go away. And since Kang-tae moves hospitals every year, Mr. Boss suggests he just quit a few months early. With that, poor Kang-tae hands in his badge.

Kang-tae sulks on the street, until a motorcycle stops in front of him. The driver (not so coolly) removes his helmet to reveal Kang-tae’s buddy JO JAE-SOO (Kang Ki-doong). Jae-soo gives Kang-tae a ride to help him feel better, but halfway through, the bike dies on them and they have to push it the rest of the way. And, HA, they pass a poster for the actual drama.

At Moon-young’s hotel, Moon-young is showering while Sang-in worries over Kang-tae possibly suing them for his injury. He gets another call from Joo-ri and whispers the room number before sneaking out. So when Joo-ri arrives at the door, it’s just her and a surprised Moon-young. And by the way they’re looking at each other, I’m guessing these ladies have a past.

It turns out these two went to school together twenty years ago (before Moon-young was transferred elsewhere). Joo-ri tries to get right to business, asking for the signature, and Moon-young wonders why she drove three hours just to get this done. Moon-young smiles and says that she’s an orphan.

Joo-ri points out that Moon-young’s mother is still alive, but Moon-young interrupts with, “I registered her death a long time ago.” She finds it interesting that her dad is alive physically but dead in soul and that her mom is the exact opposite.

With that wicked grin, Moon-young says she’ll sign the forms if Joo-ri agrees to switch parents. To Joo-ri’s blank expression, Moon-young notes that she still doesn’t get her jokes. So, in the end, Joo-ri gets the signature but is emotionally drained by the time she leaves the hotel.

Kang-tae tells Jae-soo all about today’s events on the way home, and Jae-soo calls Moon-young insane. “She’s not insane,” Kang-tae says. “She was just born that way.” Then Kang-tae remembers — he never got Moon-young’s autograph! The guys look over Moon-young’s signature online and do their best to forge it.

Unfortunately for them, Sang-tae can tell right away that it’s a fake. Feeling betrayed, he escapes into his little zip-in closest. As the guys try to coax him out, Kang-tae gets a series of texts from Sang-in begging him to come by the publishing house and hear him out.

On the news, we learn that Mr. Kim took his own life in solitary confinement. And meanwhile, Moon-young is lying in bed and thinking about Kang-tae and how pretty his eyes are. Kang-tae is thinking about her too, so much so that he decides to pull out Moon-young’s book and give it a read.

“Years went by, and the boy became an adult. He no longer had nightmares, but for some reason, he was not happy at all. One night, a blood moon filled the night sky, and the witch finally showed up again to take what he had promised in return for granting his wish. And he shouted at her with so much resentment, ‘All my bad memories are gone. But why can’t I become happy?’ Then the witch took his soul as they had promised and told him this: ‘Hurtful, painful memories… Only those with such memories buried in their hearts can become stronger, more passionate, and emotionally flexible. And only those can attain happiness.’”

Moon-young stares at an old photo of her father, unfolding it to reveal her mother right next to him. At the hospital, little Go-eun takes out her copy of Moon-young’s book and reads the autograph Moon-young left after the accident: “Don’t forget today.”

A nurse checks in on Go-eun, and Go-eun starts crying about her dad. The nurse assumes she’s scared Dad will show up again, but that’s not why she’s upset. “My dad is not a bad person… So please don’t let the police take him.” Aughh…

Kang-tae finishes the last page of Moon-young’s book, with the witch reminding the boy to never forget. Otherwise, he’ll forever be a kid whose soul never grows. Later, in the middle of the night, Sang-tae has a recurring nightmare about butterflies. Sighing, Kang-tae guesses it’s about time they move again.

The next day, Kang-tae stands outside SangSangESang Publishers, taking a deep breath before going in. Little does he know, Moon-young is on her way in as well. All the employees hear of her entrance and hurry to clear their desks of any sharp objects.

But when Moon-young struts through the office, she manages to find one sharp letter opener on someone’s desk. She takes it and heads to the conference room, stopping short when she sees Kang-tae inside reading one of her books. She takes a moment to admire him and smiles.

She approaches him and cuts to the chase, saying she wouldn’t have ever thought he was the type of man to accept a bribe. He tells her that money doesn’t work on him, so she asks what does work — sex? If not that, why is he here?

“I was hoping,” he says, taking a step closer, “I could see you again.” She looks genuinely surprised as he continues that he wanted to see her eyes to confirm something. Her eyes remind him of someone he used to know, someone whose eyes had no warmth.

We see flashes of the past, resembling the opening animation: a boy falling through ice and nearly drowning, a boy giving a girl flowers and watching her stomp on them.

“Were you scared of that woman?” Moon-young asks. Kang-tae doesn’t bat an eye when he responds, “I liked her.” And in flashbacks, the young Moon-young gazes out her balcony while the young Kang-tae smiles up at her from below.

 
COMMENTS

You know how you know a drama’s premiere is good? Like, really, really good? When you so badly want to say you love it but you’re afraid you might jinx it. That pretty much sums up how It’s Okay to Not Be Okay made me feel. I’ve had strong feelings for premieres before, and I’ve been scared to be hopeful before, but this is different. With the themes the drama’s introduced and promised to tackle, I don’t want it to disappoint. Mental health awareness is very important to me, and it physically hurts me to see it poorly portrayed in media. I think certain dramas have done a good job of including these themes, like in Flower Boy Next Door, or centering around them completely, like in It’s Okay, It’s Love, but I’ve never seen one brave enough to take that deep dive. To show mental illness for what it is, in all its colors, bright and dark.

Maybe It’s Okay won’t be the drama to take that dive, but it sure would be nice. I already like how brave it’s being with its heroine in Moon-young. She’s so unabashedly herself and I can’t imagine what it took for her to get to that point of confidence. I’m not sure if we’re eventually going into specifics in the drama world, but the character of Moon-young has been described as having antisocial personality disorder — a mental condition in which someone may have no real grasp to what’s right and wrong. There’s obviously much more to it than that, and goshdarnit, I can’t help but be excited to see how far the drama is willing to go. (I know I said I didn’t want to be over-optimistic, but yeah, I’m over-optimistic.) Let’s talk about the difference between psychopaths and sociopaths; let’s talk about whether a monster is made or born; let’s talk about whether there are bad people or just people who make bad decisions!

Well, look at me, getting ahead of myself. Let’s get into the actual drama. Seo Ye-ji is amazing as Moon-young, making her cool and stoic while still giving her charm. In so many cases, an actor can make the stoic type seem bored or lifeless, whereas here, there’s so much to this character without her even having to speak. It was so great to open with the Coraline-like animation, as it really set the tone. I think Moon-young chose the perfect career path, because this dark fairy tale innocence within her storybooks suits her and her life story beautifully. It almost seems weird for her to be so popular with children when her content is so dark, but that’s what fairy tales are at their core. And I think a lot of children, and just people in general, are drawn to darkness.

Moon-young’s writing is clearly her way of dealing with her past, and judging from the snippets we got, those memories are awfully traumatizing. I was surprised to hear the incredible maturity in her book, preaching that ridding oneself of bad memories wasn’t the answer to one’s happiness. She literally had to fight for her life, from her own father, and she didn’t let that break her. While it is impressive, it’s also worrying. She’s forcing herself to remember these things, as her mother ordered, and it seems to be causing more resentment than peace. There is no cure for her condition, for any mental illness, and I’m hoping the drama doesn’t try to find one. Falling in love with Mr. Angel-face Kim Soo-hyun should not be a treatment, but a chance to find gradual healing and support with someone who understands.

Moving on to Kang-tae, I think he truly does understand. There’s something about the way he treats his hyung and his patients that just says I don’t understand you and I understand that I probably never will. Having a brother diagnosed with autism, I’m sure he had some major growing up to do at a young age. He has to feel some kind of bitterness — at his brother, his parents, the world — but I think he genuinely has too much love in his heart to let that poison him. It’s people like him who see the person behind the mental illness, who can take the hardships and still say “It’s okay.” I don’t know what happened with him and Moon-young in the past or what’s going to happen in the future, but I’m already rooting for them to find that happiness Moon-young was writing about.

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Just finished watching and yay for Kim Soohyun comeback! Also missed Seo Ye-ji on screen!

I really like it so far. The animation in the beginning already got me hooked. I'm a sucker for children's books. It's all I read and now I keep thinking if I could get those books irl.

I just can't unsee how Mark Lee looks so much like Kim Soohyun. It's distracting me. Lol.

Thanks for the fast recap! So looking forward to the next ones~

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Y'all more dramas should open with animation as a hook I'm just saying.

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Welcome back to dramaland sic!!

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When did I leave? O_o

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Oh no sic! You just planted such a bad idea in my head. Now I want someone to make an animation version of arthadal and you doing your usual thing with it *wink wink* man this quarantine would have been more enjoyable if only we had your shitposts to read.

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HAHAHAHA Well you're not alone Playstore because now I kinda just want a fully animated Korean show... so.

Ahhh I'd apologise but it was better for my mental health to have a break lol.

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Of course mental health comes first dear! I hope you're doing much better now.

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So I'm gonna say it, the original title for the show was spot on. This is a drama about two terribly traumatized people. Their relationship will be toxic and wrong, but OMG I will love every single second of it. Moon Young is both flawlessly gorgeous and flawlessly styled. Seo Ye Ji is playing her to Perfection. Kim Soo Hyun is the most beautiful and tragic health aide. Their chemistry is so sexy, it is kind of uncomfortable. I'm so excited.

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It’s uncomfortable because it’s so evident the attraction they have for each other that I feel like I was stalking them.
Wow! (I’m gonna be wowing the whole drama through... I foresee it)

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Surprisingly, I don't find it uncomfortable at all. Hearing about the sexual tension on the wall, I thought I'll be highly uncomfortable. But they're just so straightforward and click so well. However, I don't feel any kind of heart fluttering or giddiness at all because that's not what they're going for in such a heavy premise.

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Maybe it's just uncomfortable because we rarely see this tension in dramaland.
I'm having so much fun, and at the same time it's so shocking (but just because it's dramaland... I don't know if I'm explaining correctly myself).

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I totally agree. I haven’t seen this kind of tension in kdramas. That last scene where he was staring at her lips, to quote you, “Wow!”

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I guess uncomfortable to me in the sense that it is so blatant, that if this were on HBO in America they would have already had sex, lol. Also as you mentioned their is no softness to the chemistry, it is all razor sharp edges. So I'm curious if they will also have romantic chemistry as well. I dig it, wherever they go, but it is a bit strange for a kdrama.

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I am loving this drama. Has else realize that these two gorgeous leads have very similar facial features???

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I don't know how I feel about it. It's clearly good in my opinion but I've never watched stuff which involves any kind of trauma associated with kids. So it was overall a very intense watch for me and idk if I want to continue, even though I like it.

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What a great recap! This was a great first episode....definitely reeled me in to keep watching. I hope that the remaining episodes keep up the pace.
Seo Ye Ji has such an amazing screen presence and voice! That voice alone would be amazing to listen to on tape.
Great chemistry between the leads.
And I appreciate the sensitivity shown toward the subject of mental illness and personality disorders. Doesn't always translate on-screen well.

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I saw someone describe the two leads' relationship perfectly, and why they are so great together, and I just wanted to put it here because I love this drama already (like, wow): "he basically has repressed and negated so much he might disappear if he turns sideways but he’s 3d around her; he gets angry and he fights back and he wants; and her rage and damage, which seems to devour her - she lives vividly, but in anger and pain - seems to soften around him, she can allow a softer side to come out. He needs to feel good things because he feels nothing and she needs to feel good things because all she feels is rage."

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Wow *moon Young style*

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This show reminded me about how good Kim Soo Hyun is as a performer. Damn.

And Seo Ye Ji is awesome of course. She captures the entire screen. This is called GRAVITAS, people.

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I've never thought that Kim Soo-hyun was a great actor but he steals scenes just by standing adjacent to them and steals whole films with a cameo. The only other male actor I can think of with his charismatic screen presence is Kim Jung-hyun.

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The Kdrama I really liked Kim Soo Hyun in was Moon Embracing the Sun, but like you say just his presence can draw all the attention in a scene. I think Jung Hae In could be added to the list of male actors that have the ability to do that kind of scene stealing. Having said all of that, my verdict is still out on IOTNBO, and I've watched two episodes now.

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Hey guys . So I’m very excited for this show . It looks promising and the mental health perspective is giving so much depth . However - the ratings seem to be dropping in South Korea ? Why do you think that is ? What Dramas do they like? Would appreciate your insight:-)

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Can never guess what the general public thinks so I stopped caring about ratings a long time ago.

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The only thing is that tvN seems to care about ratings, they'll even shorten the number of episodes if they think the ratings are too low. They shortened, A Piece of Your Mind, because of low ratings--and I thought that was a wonderful drama.

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Ohh I didnt know it was tvn. What other shows got shortened due to ratings there?

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I was surprised by the ratings dropping in second episode.
I read Korean media saying that the story was rather difficult to follow...
???? We'll see. I hope the ratings will go up next week!

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I'm not really, in the first episode the FL tells the ML if he wants to get paid with sex... Not very dramaland, don't you think?

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Yeah totally. And also because of its theme (mental illness) and dark, not happy characters, so they thought it wan't everyone's cup of tea even it's Kim Soo-hyun...Oh well.
I have watched both ep.1 and 2, I absolutely love this show.
Hope it won't turn into just a love romance/melo drama...

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After watching dramas for 7 years, I will do some educational guess at what the South Korean audiences prefer to watch - makjang, family feud, rom-com fantasy (the fantasy has to be pretty simple, and will be accepted better if a top listed actor plays male protagonist), psychological rom com (nothing very dark), anything by Shin Won Ho PD 🤠

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Another category: mystery crime thrillers! Thriller dramas are actually well recieved in Korea. Make viewers curious who did it and craving for more. Lol. It's kinda the same with SWH PD dramas except for PP...I mean quite a lot tune in to know who the husband will be? The mystery pulls viewers in 🤣

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Edit: PP had mystery too!!! Like did they really do the bad deed? Or are they innocent? I remember JHI's arc in PP. It was a good arc.

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Oh yes definitely mystery thriller but again not too dark 😅

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Hahaha. I think dark dramas is fine. Since Return was a dark-ish mystery thriller with multiple psychos but it was also the most viewed drama of 2018. I think dark spooky gory ghosts dramas aka OCN type dramas has a more niche audience though :)

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It's too early to tell. We will have to wait for a few weeks to get the ratings trend :). Could probably be there was a big event going on in Korea on Sunday so everyone was out and about or it's exam week so many viewers chose to study. Hehehe

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IOTNBO has such a pretty and visually rich world! Add to this the fantastic actors and story, hopefully we’ll get 16 episodes of delicious drama.

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@sailorjumun Thank you for this recap. This was a great opening episode and I'm looking forward to where this story will take us. I am hopeful that this drama will be respectful in its depiction of mental illness (as it has been with other dramas). I really enjoyed the stop motion animation sequence in the beginning.

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Coraline is my most favourite animation of all time and I was so amazed when the intro had so much Coraline vibe...
I wish that this drama be a healing drama rather than a romantic one... Moon-young is not the only one who suffers the mental illness, I believe that Kang-tae is also dealing with some sorts of mental illness and childhood trauma (maybe his more aware of his condition)

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Wow! I'm late to the comment party. Don't know if I have anything more to add.

I remain hopeful that this drama will do justice to the subject matter. And while I love the overall look, I also hope that the focus will be on character and narrative depth. Also, I'm not so sure about the female lead's diagnosis (anti-social personality disorder), as others here have mentioned. We'll see. Fingers crossed, this will be a great drama!

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When I finished reading the recap, I realized I've been listening to the song Psycho by Red Velvet.

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What all y'all said. Perfection. And the perfect finishing touch for me was the music.

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The music fits so perfect!!

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I had no interest at all in this drama based on synopsis, but watched first episode because fan wall was going nuts so got me interested...and now I have a new drama to watch! Haven’t had a chance to watch second episode yet. Like others I got very Neil Gaiman/Tim Burton vibes, design of this drama (and leads) so pretty.

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We've gone nuts on the beanie wall, haven't we?
I've never made so many screenshots of a show, haha.
Today it's Dinner Mate and I don't know if I will be able to focus. Totally nuts!!

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So many! Lol

I haven’t got access to Dinner Mate so I’m all good there 😆

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I’ve loved Seo Ye Ji since Save Me, so I’m really happy to see her in this drama! Moon-young is an awesome character and the chemistry between her and KSH’s Kang-tae fairly crackles :) Looking forward to more!
On another note, am I the only one who doesn’t like Joo-ri? There’s just *something* about her (not that the actress is bad), but she’s so colourless and goody-two-shoes and yet I think I could sense an undercurrent of meanness about her. I could be wrong in my perception, but I get a nasty vibe off her. Anyhow, she fades in comparison to Moon-young, but I think you’d have to try pretty hard to outshine someone so simultaneously dark and vibrant ❤️

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I was a little wary on this one but it's had such a great response I had to check out the first episode. Ultimately I liked what I saw and tentatively hopeful.

I'm not sure I have anything new to add; The animation is amazing and I know it's a lot of work that gets put into even a few seconds of animation but I hope we see more of it! And as someone who loved dark fairytales as a kid, I absolutely am loving Moon-young's darker children's books.

I like the relationship between the brothers, and I feel for both of them so I'm optimistic/ hoping we don't do the "autism is only either a terrible burden or a genius savant" thing. I'm also a little wary on the treatment of mental illness but mostly in regards to romanticizing or quick-fixes. But it's early days and that's nitpicky of me so fingers crossed!

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This drama seems to be everything that was promised it would be and more, but I also don't want to be over excited, for I would be afraid I will spoil it.
Me, I am not Moon-young' style, not in her taste to clothe herself, not in the things she finds beautiful and wants to have, not in the type of literature or drawing she produces; not at all in her anti-social behaviour. But I am drawn to her like a magnet. And I really want to know how she overcome her traumas or if she needs to.
Changing the topic, I really liked the character of Sang-tae, and the actor paying this role is doing an amazing job. Wow, what a challenge! Very very good!

I don't need to talk about Kim Soo hyun, for he is perfect!!!!😆☺🙂🙋😍😍😍😍😍

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ANOTHER one not on Viki? Or did they change the name to something weird again?

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It's on Netflix

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Goodness, the number of comments already! Thank you @sailorjumun for your recap. Recaps are always made better by the enthusiasm of the recapper. I look forward to these.

Well, I let out a big sigh of relief when I saw these comments. It is hard to not keep hopes high.

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I just want to thank all the Beanies here. I am wearied by how many drama reviews and comments on other sites are so harsh and negative on the female characters and the actresses who play them (while gushing about the male lead). So, it is a mental relief to come to DB at times.

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I am enchanted! 🦋 🦋 🦋

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@flyingcolours even if you are silent, I hope you watch this :)

First two episodes were good.

@imperialtitus all well? Inviting you to watch this show... I liked what I saw. Have a look and then let us share more notes.

@mmmmm couldn’t not think of u! Maybe worth a watch if you have time and ok with the premise?

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@noone, this looks beautiful! Love books, fantasy, and a bit of Tim Burton-esque love for gothic misfits, so this is very much up my lane.
And I was very impressed by Yeo Seji fierceness and eerie beauty in Save Me (where she and WDH had far too few scenes together), so I was totally going to watch it anyway, even if the Beaniewall didn't explode as it did 😂
Now I just need a decent internet connection, where I am I can hardly check DB. As soon as I return to wifi-ed civilization, I'm going to check this out, and run to the recaps (just scrolled through with my eyes covered to avoid spoilers)

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@flyingcolours awesome. No hurry, will wait :)

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Thanks for thinking of me, @noone.

Sure I will watch this show, I even promised someone here I will watch it. Actually I am anticipating to it. My daytime job, however, is pulling me behind a lot (I work in news, and having a podcast about news. The city where I birth having great trouble lately, and I have to handle those reactions ... that's all I can say for now).

I am running record speed toward this show, before that I have to finish some shows I haven't finished (I did Mystic Pop-up Bar today: silly, but not bad). Surely I will let you know what I think.

So stay tune.

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@imperialtitus
First thanks for responding :)
Second, I am somehow so drawn to the show that I don’t want to read analysis/comments just yet so I only log in to platforms when I really can’t wait or just to know if something new about the show is circulating. I am having so much fun that sometimes analysis just spoils it :D also, not being too obsessed is saving me sometime! Yay.
Does that make sense? But yes, would love to read your take when you get a chance.
Third, podcast sounds nice :) I know exactly which place you are talking about, would you like to share a link to the podcast (if in English, I would love to listen) ? Maybe once things have calmed down you could do some nice cultural podcast... I think you would have stories to tell and I would love to listen :)
Last bit, mystic pop-up is on my list but am slacking on my tasks to do front so will be picking that up after life is streamlined. I liked the premise but people gave a Luke-warm reaction to it so even I cooled down a bit :D
Stay safe and yup... will wait.

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Finished all 6 episodes in 1 day, still speechless toward the show. Very amazing!

I actually left a post in Episode 6 already. There are so many posts I think it is buried deep down there. Hope you can find out!

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As an answer to "I’ve never seen one brave enough to take that deep dive. To show mental illness for what it is, in all its colors, bright and dark", i think Soul Mechanic is doing so great at portraying a borderline character (the main character). i shouldn't spoil it, but i was shocked at how dark they went. I feel like i'm that annoying person who push people to watch a drama when everyone is unconfortable with the concept... But seriously, just for the way it tackles such a topic in this kind of realistic way and not just a way to add drama, it makes me think it's such an important kdrama.

I really loved the first episode of It's okay not to be okay. I loved how dark it was, and i loved especially the cinematography, and the animation. Crazy how koreans can make a kdrama looks good with some budget. I really hate how netflix is i'm pretty sure going to keep pushing multiseason for kdramas but... the budget thing is definitely something i'm thankfuk for. This is honestly A.MA.ZING. I never thought i'd see such pretty animation in a kdrama ???
Well. I'm really intrigued by the story itself, but i'm still confused on what they are going to do exactly, since it's supposed to have... so many genres. I also hope they won't ruin this...

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It's a great drama and great recap with very rich comments (from everywhere😃). I really like this community which will always be my next stop after watching each episodes.
Just wanna share that I too love our OTP. Kim Soo Hyun is no doubt killing any roles thrown at him and Seo Ye Ji is just so captivating.
Somehow I'm getting a Maleficent vibe in Moo-Young character and I like it.

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Loving the series. Love the couple's chemistry. And love hyung and Jaesu-shi!
Just some corrections for the recap; isn't Kang tae's former workplace NOT "ok psychiatric hospital"? That's where Moon young's dad is admitted and later Kang tae goes to. Also, Kang tae wasn't covering his wound with his hanky but the knife. That's it. 😁 Just a little bit OCD that I possess. 😂

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So far, am on the fence on this one, but will watch until at least episode 4 or 5, that is when I decide to like it or hate it or be indifferent about it. So far, I like the unusual opening sequences, i like the acting, and directing. And best of all so far, no over the top fan service. I am naturally wary about shows portraying autistic characters because I have a son who has autism, and the tv and movie industry normally does not get what it's really like and most shows (with a few exceptions) tend to over dramatize it that it just ends up setting us back when it comes to the general public understanding autism better. I am not looking for a "preachy" show on autism and/or mental illnesses, but I sincerely just expecting at least a realistic pov.

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Thank you for a brilliant recap. This drama had me breathless and on the edge of my seat throughout, and in tears during the scene of the book launch. Every single part is so beautifully acted That you forget it’s a drama. The two leads are outstanding.

Lee Min Ho is an extraordinarily talented actor. Why on earth does he choose an appalling drama like TKE which is mind-numbingly idiotic and where the two main leads have the chemistry of a flat soda? Surely he has a little more ambition and at his age, he doesn’t gave to prance around on a white horse or dress in gorgeous uniforms to prove he is drop-dead gorgeous; that’s not in question.

Come on LMH, have a bit of courage and pick a role that really stretches you. Good looks and charm only get you so far!

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The last scene when he took a step forward and said "I was hoping, I could see you again.", my heart literally skipped a beat. Oh my Do Min-joon is back with a vengeance! I love that they didn't try to rush thru the plot. It was very well paced. Giving the audiences enough to want more.

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I loved the intro and the stories. So Neil Gaiman-ish. 😁

A solid pilot. Promised myself I'll finish Mystic Pop-Up Bar first before starting this but I guess curiosity got the better of me. 😅

Young Moon-young though. So pretty! She looks like Renesmee! Well, MacKenzie Foy. But she's always Renesmee to me. 😅

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I was going to wait until the show was done but the pictures on the DB wall were too enticing. I haven't been giving my full attention to dramas but for this one I put my phone away and turned off all of the lights so I could have a movie theater experience. And I think the last time I participated in the recaps was Mr. Sunshine.

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The last time I watched Park Shin-woo PD's drama was about 4 years ago (i.e. Jealousy Incarnate), and apparently I've forgotten how great he was at these unusual storytelling. The drama is so pretty, but it's the strong visual storytelling that grab me from the get go. The balance between humor, serious issues, warm relationships, and the undercurrent darkness of everyone's past is just so well done. The transition between scenes, the added effect, the music and lightning simply come together into something almost magical. It even let me forget that some of the background seemed to hint into something tropey and (hopefully not overly) melodramatic.

I don't know how hopeful I should be regarding the exploration on mental health, but at least I can be assured that at least I'll enjoy this feast of pretty visual and great acting from the cast.

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first of all l'd like to say thank y'all and most especially sailorjumun ...its so awesome to find a whole collection of people who appreciate the art of a beautifully made korean .... the struggle l face over here in Zimbabwe is real so l really feel at home here discussing well acted meaningful and lets be honest crazy fun koreans....
ok l absolutely loved its ok because of the way it was heavy and light at the same time ...the idea of using a fairytale to tell a dark story isnt one that l had thought of in my previous literary works but that the writer of its ok actually introduced the concept and used self made stories instead of classics was super impressive .....so go figure .... when l first watched episode one l really thought l want to figure out the meaning of these stories ....l want to write stories like them , so the motivation factor in this korean =100% .........
oh and kudos to sailorjumun l watched the drama before l came to check up the recap and l am impressed by the accuracy of the recap and the underlying emotion he brought out in his commentry

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