It’s Okay to Not Be Okay, my latest obsession after the inevitable binge of Bridgerton. Semi-new, released last summer on Netflix, the romance K-Drama focuses on the themes of family, trauma, mental illness, mystery, and fantasy that captures your heart. Not to mention the fantastic chemistry in the show and beautiful sets.
The story itself follows Ko Mun-yeong, a children’s fantasy author with implied antisocial personality disorder, and Moon Gang-tae, a caretaker at a psychiatric hospital who has been raising his older brother, Moon Sang-tae who has autism and loves Mun-yeong’s books. Throughout the 16 episodes, accurate depictions of ASPD, Autism, trauma, DID, and PTSD all while destigmatizing the stereotypes usually persistent within media of various illnesses. Each episode unraveling the romance between Gang-tae and Mun-yeong, the friendship between Mun-yeong and Gang-tae, and the bonding and overcoming of trauma between the brothers, the fairytale rom-com and mystery-themed show leaves you on the edge of your seat in ways no other show I can think of quite does. The complexity between the characters, their depth, and entanglement in desires, wishes, emotions, and trauma capture on camera the evolution of a beautiful love story between friends, lovers, patients, and the self.
Its main theme is the growth one undergoes in overcoming trauma and finally being able to heal from closed-off emotions. Altogether, it’s combination of romance, psychology, trauma, mystery, and fantasy leave you on a cliffhanger after every episode. I truly, could not stop myself from being drawn to how fantastic this cast, script, and plot were nor how many times I cried, burst into laughter, or was outright shocked. It most certainly has now become one of my favorite television shows and a comfort tv show. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever watched before.
In my opinion, hit up Netflix very soon.
