Está bien no estar bien (2020)

Okay, after all, It's Okay to Not Be Okay was an amazing journey. It's one of these dramas that deserve their hype and high ratings. The show stayed strong and mantained high quality from beginning to the end. I feel like nowadays, this is one thing that Korean dramas lack a lot.

While the drama looks like a cheesy romance at first glance, it is actually not. It's a story about healing, about learning to accept yourself, about learning how to accept others, about how it's okay not to be okay from time to time. I believe the drama had a great impact of the viewers who are struggling with life and needed to be comforted.

The plot itself could have been a lot better. The introduction was strong as well as the first half, then the second half was kind of inconsistent. But well, if it doesn't get overdramatic and way too cheesy, is it even a Korean drama?

The cast was very well-chosen and I must say, Kim Soo Hyun chose the perfect drama for his comeback. I was never a fan of his, but he won me here. He was simply perfect as the selfless Moon Gang Tae. His character went through so much and Soo Hyun portayed his emotions so well, I believed every word of his.

And there's our queen, Seo Ye Ji. Such a versatile actress, she can seriously pull off any role and she always looks stunning. Go Mun Yeong is not an easy character to pull off but she did it flawlessly. I can easily say that this is the best role of hers.

Oh Jung Se though... if this man doesn't win an award for this role--- Like, honestly, his performace was insanely good. A total show-stealer. He has all of my respect.

Overall, if you're looking for a good 2020 drama, then congrats, you just found it. An engaging story, a smartly written script, a couple with great chemistry, brilliant directing and an amazing cast -- what more do you need?

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A lacking story with a pretty package

**CONTAINS SPOILERS**

**The GOOD:**

1) Aesthetics: the FLs costume, cinematography and animations are really eye-catching. However, it must be said that the animation style and aesthetics style they went with is very derivative, clearly taking inspiration from the works of Tim Burton (and his team) as well as Tadahiro Uesugi and Neil Gaiman (Coraline). Anyways, bravo for the art direction department.

2) Representation of people in the autism spectrum: although seen in Western movies and series, it seems that in Kdrama-land the depiction of people in the spectrum is overall lacking. Oh Jung Se also does a great job in this role, picking up on the small details without coming off as a caricature.

3) Acting of leads and chemistry between the main couple: Oh Jung Se and Seo Ye Ji showed that they're great actors. Kim Soohyun was good too, but I wouldn't say he was particularly remarkable. However, he and YeJi did a good job building the chemistry between the main couple. Also, on a superficial level, they just look good together, period.


**The BAD:**

**lots of spoilers ahead**

1) ASPD being used as lure without proper development and approach: the drama original title (Psycho, but it's okay) is sensationalist enough -- and one might say even offensive to those who suffer with ASPD -- but it could be given leeway if they were to subvert the stigma carried by people diagnosed with ASPD. However, besides one single mention by a secondary character, the show never expands on the FL alleged diagnosis. Her toxic behaviour in the beginning of the series were even excused by some viewers on the ground that she has a personality disorder. Unfortunately, in the end, we learn that the FL was just a person that had traumas and developed (toxic/unhealthy) coping mechanisms. So basically the show used ASPD as an "exotic" character trait to get viewers interested on the show and then didn't raise any awareness about it. It was a mere plot device.

2) The trope of the toxic male lead but with genders reversed: we all know that many kdramas are guilty of having a jerk ML that constantly mistreats or looks down upon the "doormat" FL only for him to be redeemed and the couple finally get together. Usually, in order to redeem the ML we learn that he actually had a terrible childhood, even though he was rich, his parents were abusive or just absent etc etc. We all know that. What this drama does is the exactly the same thing, except that the toxic part of the couple is initially the FL.

A lot of people considered her rudeness, aggressiveness and manipulative behaviour as "badass" and others excused her because of her supposed ASPD. Well, even if she did have a personality disorder that absolutely doesn't excuse behaviours like sexually harassing the ML, using his disabled brother to lure him to her house, among other gratuitious mean behaviours she had initially.

The whole idea that one should endure boundary-pushing, threats, and manipulation until stockholm syndrome kicks in and they finally heal their stalker who loves and obsesses over them is just an outdated and tired troped that should be dropped by writers at this point.

On a side-ish note, I guess it has also become a trend in kdramas to have a FL with alleged "sociopathic tendencies" as seen recently on Itaewon Class for example. Seems like writers are overcompensating years of male toxicity by writing toxic females, which is not the point of feminism at all. And seeing people lowkey (or highkey) glorifying that behaviour is kinda disappointing too.

3) The trope of the destined connection: aka "we actually knew each other as kids but can't remember that for some alien reason!". Do I need to say anything more about it? I guess it's consensus by now that we're done with such trope. And it was barely needed in this drama too.

4) The trope of the forced cohabitation: again, not only this is tired but it was also connected with the FL toxic behaviour as explained above.

5) The gigantic plot hole: welp, the whole way they dealt with the FL mom was a mess and a half. It was textbook *deus ex machina* plot device. The implausible survival and comeback of the mother serves as a way to bring "resolution" and a happy ending to the characters.
One could disregard this argument and say this series is inspired by fairy tales and it was borderline within the magical realism genre. First of all, I think it's a strech to call it a magical realism work of fiction. But even if it was, every work of fiction regardless of genre should have generic verisimilitude (https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-verisimilitude#what-are-the-types-of-verisimilitude-in-fiction), even fairy tales. No matter how outlandish the premises of the work are, it should carry internal consistency. In the world/universe established in IONTBO the mother plot still doesn't make any sense, nowhere it's hinted that magical plastic surgery exists etc. It's just poor writing, let's admit that.

6) The trope of 'love heals all': people who loved this drama will say the characters improved on their own and weren't really codependent. But weren't they really?

The haircut moment -- usually used as an example of MY independently healing -- is more a symbolic and cathartic moment but it by no means is proper treatment or would accomplish major strides by itself. The show didn't give treatment of mental illness any layers of complexity. Not once she had to sit through therapy sessions, take medication, and her progress was pretty linear when in reality we have ups and downs. Another issue I take with her development is that she barely builds any relationships outside of the one with the brothers.

KT could also have gone through therapy to learn some healthy coping mechanism and how to assume his role as a caretaker in a less burdensome way.

What we saw on the show was that the leads healed as their relationship developed/romantically progressed, it was an intertwined process. The overall message conveyed is that they could ultimately heal because they were each other "safety pins" and that's neither healing on your own nor how it works irl.

So yeah, the show did not approach healing of trauma in a groundbreaking way, they went with the "love heals wounds" path.


**The "what isn't really my cup of tea but isn't objectively a flaw" aka personal side notes one shouldn't take as criticism**

1) The drama is really slow-paced, nothing much happens in its first half and barely on the second. But hey, some people prefer slow-burning stories and character study dramas. So there's that.

2) Having not read much about this show before watching, a friend told me this would focus on mental illness, so I build the expectation of it tackling this social issue in the way Sky Castle did with the Korean school system. But the show actually is just a romcom/melodrama that is set up in a mental institution. The main focus is the romance and not a commentary on the Korean mental health system.

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Loved parts, but couldn't get past others.

First let me say that I love that this drama shined a light on so many types of mental health issues. The autistic brother was my favorite character and I loved his story line. In fact, I really enjoyed all the story lines in the show. The acting was top notch and the entire drama was visually striking.

My main issue was the Female lead character. Let me try to explain...
If you knew of a person who had stolen the money from a bunch of elderly people leaving them destitute with their lives in shambles and that same person later decided not to do that anymore...at least not as much, and even built a Senior center, but never made amends to the elderly they had hurt and in fact didn't even think they had done anything wrong to those elderly, you would find it hard to see that person in a positive light.

That is how the the Female lead character felt to me. In the first part of the drama we see her cruelty to animals, her self centered attitude and lack of empathy. She does two attempted murders and two kidnappings in the first few episodes. Plus the emotional blackmail that she often uses is just horrible. Her temper flairs and she gets violent any time she is contradicted. And this part of her personality never changes. Though we see her soften toward the ML, his brother, and a few others, she easily and quickly reverts to her previous ways as soon as she is challenged. Even when she had the opportunity to make amends for destroying her publisher, she makes him choose whether he will repair his business or not when it wasn't necessary for him to do so. Effectively making him choose to stay destroyed and have to rebuild everything when SHE is the one who caused the destruction. I found her character exceedingly uncomfortable to watch and was always wary that the male lead would get hurt or that she would just turn on him at any given moment.

There is a scene where she talks to her mother and says something to the effect of how she "almost" became like her Mom. I was literally thinking...no...you are exactly like your Mom except you have yet to succeed in killing anyone (not for lack of trying) and though you are unempathetic at times, you are not necessarily evil in your intentions.

I like the two brothers and her together, but at the same time I found it uncomfortable to cheer for because of her character. It felt wrong to want the brothers to get entangled with such a person.

Without her character, the story would not have been the same, but because of that character, I had to rate the drama lower. She was just too uncomfortable to cheer for. If the character has shown remorse (beyond saying sorry for stabbing the ML...twice), or really even seemed to change, I would have felt differently but not as it was.

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Great for those unfamiliar with broader mental health issues; otherwise nothing truly new.

I finished this drama thanks to Seo Ye Ji and Oh Jung Se. If this review possibly happens to make you question watching IONTBO, I would tell you to watch it for these two incredible actors. I've been a fan of Seo Ye Ji since her Moorim School days and her talent has only become more stunning as time has passed. Oh Jung Se is a legend in my books, period. I'd also say that, if you like artistry in storytelling, IONTBO is an interesting watch. There is beautiful incorporation of various art styles weaved throughout the show, and this is one aspect that I truly enjoyed about the show. The writing is alright; certainly better than your average drama, though it still succumbs to obvious fan service (which, to be honest, I can't completely fault the writer for because Seo Ye Ji and Kim Soo Hyun are her leads—she took expert advantage of that, haha).

So, onto the not-so-great elements. As an individual with deeply personal experiences with mental health, as well as experiences with the mental health of loved ones, IONTBO ultimately is a slap in the face. It's not entirely the show's fault, truly. KdramaLand and, in general, Korean entertainment as well as entertainment internationally, are all guilty of requiring a beautifying lens on most interpretations and storytelling of the world.

Don't get me wrong, I also enjoy watching beautiful people playing roles in heart-wrenching storylines. But there is just something irreconcileable to me about the concept of beauty and mental health. I do not (at all) mean that beautiful people cannot have mental health issues or that mental health is a completely ugly thing. However, when we talk about de-stigmatizing mental and having diverse voices or representative storytelling—I could not help but think: how many people would be raving about IONTBO and its championing of mental health issues if the leads were not Seo Ye Ji and Kim Soo Hyun? If this was a representation (note: I don't mean copy or true story) of real life, how many people would truly care if this story was told? What would domestic and international reception look like if Kwon Yoon Hwa was cast, rather than Seo Ye Ji?

And so, as the show progressed a certain cliche refused to stop ringing in my head: "Nobody cares unless you're beautiful or dead". While I personally can't say that I believe this to be completely true—sadly, when it comes to most mainstream media, wherever you might be in the world, this saying often holds heavy truth.

As I did not expect Crazy Rich Asians to be the representation of all Asian stories and voices, I do not expect IONTBO to represent all voices, stories, and perspectives for mental health. That being said, if you've been around KdramaLand for a while now, you'll know that this is not the first "groundbreaking" attempt at telling stories about individuals and mental health.

Ultimately, IONTBO will be enjoyed by most, I reckon. So, all I can say is that IONTBO was nothing new for me in KdramaLand, and is certainly not groundbreaking in its explorations of mental health. Instead, it's a painful reminder of the endless habit of beautification in film and TV industries around the world.

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Most people are not ready for this kind of kdrama, but I guess it's time

It is a very unique drama that really needs to be appreciated. It was a big step to produce a full-length drama tackling about different mental health disorders. This drama is very psych-heavy but I guess people need to be aware of these disorders too. They need proper treatment and not judgement. The story is a bit cliche but they really added a unique touch to it. Since this Psych-themed drama shows how their thoughts run in their minds, I love how they portray these thoughts using animation and exaggeration (for differentiation from reality). People with mental health disorders might not be able to distinguish reality from their imaginations, thoughts, or fantasies, but the people around them could. We should show them that we understand them and we care for them (Just like how Gang Tae does it). It's good that they get treatment. I just wish Mun Yeong will also get treated. I know her character will still develop so let's wait for it. However, we must not romanticize her inappropriate actions. She has anti-social personality disorder which makes her unable to distinguish between right and wrong. This must not be tolerated and Gang Tae is doing a great job correcting her. This is still ongoing but it already made us feel different emotions. It's good that people are becoming more aware of different mental health issues and the triggers that can be associated with it. Thank you, It's Okay To Not Be Okay :)

Music, animations, acting 100% Seo Yeji's voice? 101%!!

PS. I just hope TVN or Netflix will add trigger warnings. The content can be disturbing to some. Trigger warnings would really help.

UPDATE: IT WILL END SOON AND I DONT KNOW WHAT TO FEEL ?? THE EMOTIONS ARE SO REAL I WANNA HUG THEM :(((

UPDATE: OH JUNG SE FOR BEST ACTOR PLS!!! He really did touch our hearts. I really love his character and how he portrayed it :((( ILY Sang-tae oppa!

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Overrated

Stop writing fluffy reviews about this drama. It's not that good you'll just have backlash because it WON'T LIVE UP TO EXPECTATIONS. I went to watch this after seeing the unusual 9.2 and was highly disappointed with how cliché this is. The fans of this are too ride or die and idek why. Probably because of the cute graphics that resemble Tim Burton style but besides that and the autistic character there's nothing special about this show, it's tropes galore and honestly Kim Soohyun performance in this in kinda dull. Yes he's a good crier but besides that his character is not captivating.

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Surprisingly ADDICTIVE!

I wouldn't say everyone will like this kind of drama, but I LOVE IT.

It's not the usual korean drama that comes with a cheerful starting, couple fall in love and followed with the story climax. Some people might not like the "psycho" theme drama because of the dark and depressing content, but I find it pretty addictive of its UNUSUAL setting of characters, story presentation and the chemistry between the main leads! As the female lead is a fairytale story writer, the show uses a "fairytale story telling" method to bring out some principles of life that touches the bottom of your heart, which I find it very special!

You will FALL IN LOVE with the two main leads, because they are not the usual main leads you will find in other dramas. The girl is cold on the outside but warm in the inside whilst the male lead is other way round. They both had some bad memories that shaped their behaviours; they hurt each other, but they protect each other as well :) So I would say their interaction and chemistry are the highlight of the show!!!! Not to mention, the three main leads (including the brother) acting is SUPERB! The brotherhood among the two male leads is very touching too and it will make you cry T^T

For those who are a scaredy-cat, be aware that there are some horror scenes too. Well, it doesn't really have physical ghost in the show (in case you are wondering), but because the main female lead had some dark memories, so she will have bad dreams and having sleep paralysis.

Although there were some parts not being well explained, I think you shouldn't be too serious about it and enjoy the scenes and stories this drama has brought to us. It brings joy, intense, sadness and also heart-warming relationships that makes you smile :) I love all the main and side roles and also their sweet and nice characters, the entire casting was pretty pleasing and I enjoyed watching it a lot!

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Extremely Strong 1st Half Which Slightly Fizzles Out in its 2nd Half...

This was my first K-drama that I watch while it was currently airing. To be honest, I've never heard of this K-drama before. I was just randomly browsing through Netflix, saw the notification bubble, clicked it out of curiosity and the title "It's Okay To Not Be Okay" piqued my interest. So, I clicked on it, read the synopsis and watched the trailer. It seemed interesting so I gave it a try and BOY, am I glad that I did! The production was stunning! The animated opening was beautiful! The cinematography was interesting and caught my eye for being adventurous. By the middle of the first episode, I was hooked! With her stories, Go Moon Young is like a female Tim Burton, who I was completely in awe of back in the day when I was in high school. She also reminded me of Jo Yi Seo from Itaewon Class with her antisocial behaviour though I do prefer Go Moon Young more. Moon Kang Tae is extremely attractive and the most attractive male lead of a K-drama that I've seen thus far no doubt. The chemistry between Kim Soo Hyun and Seo Ye Ji is electric! The acting is all-around top notch! The story is intriguing and engaging! I loved how this is a drama with a mystery in its background about the unsolved deaths of the two leads' parents and the reason for the mental illness in each family. Without a doubt, the best drama that I am currently watching at the moment! Hopefully, the drama is able to maintain its momentum throughout the rest of its episodes!

Upon watching Episodes 3, I continue to be impressed! Everything is just so good! The story. The acting. The production. The visuals. The costumes. Ugh. The back-and-forth banter between the two leads is just perfect! And I love how they can help each other to grow to become more fully themselves. And that last scene at the end where Kwon Gi Do is on stage having his voice heard whilst avoiding his father's campaign workers while Gang-Tae looks on longingly at his freedom and utter joy. STUNNING! To stop being so repressed and to just let go. To be free and have fun. I can only wish...

On a side note, I'm having a hard time trying to put my feelings of this drama into words. Everything is just so good! It's easier for me to criticize than to praise as I can point out plot points or story elements that don't make sense. However, if everything is consistently good from episode to episode, I don't really need to point out anything.

Upon watching Episodes 5 and 6, I felt that Gang-Tae's transition from being nervous and suppressed around Moon Young to being happy and loving seems a bit rushed. Same with Moon Young being cold and calculating to being warm and affectionate to Gang-Tae.

Watching Episodes 7 and 8, I kinda felt like this series is losing steam as it was pedal to the metal in the beginning but was unable to keep that momentum, which is understandably hard to do. The episodes are still entertaining, but I wouldn't say that they're compelling unlike the first few episodes.

Upon watching Episodes 9 and 10, I realized that the horror-fantasy elements that were present in the first few episodes kinda disappeared for some reason and the series became just a standard drama, though still a good one at that.

Episodes 11 and 12 were quite riveting as the mystery surrounding Gang-Tae and Sang-Tae's murder gets revealed and the romance between GT and MY is shown to be ill-fated. I hope that GT is realizes that it is not MY's fault that her mother killed his mother. We can't blame the actions of one's parents on them. And it looks from the preview of the next episodes that he doesn't blame MY. I truly hope that MY's mother will be caught and that MY and GT will have a happy ending... I'm so sad that there is only 2 weeks (4 episodes) left. I'm going to miss waking up late on the weekend and watching this drama right after I eat lunch :'(

Episode 13 was very slow and a bit dull to be honest. Only the last scene was interesting as it was shown that the nurse was the mother, not the patient. What an unexpected twist! I've always thought that the nurse was kinda weird and a bit off. But if I remember correctly, the nurse never interacted with MY. For someone who is willing to kill another to keep her daughter, the fact that she is able to distance herself from her daughter whenever MY visits the hospital doesn't make much sense. Either way, I'm hyped for the next few episodes! We're in the home stretch now...
Episode 14 was also quite slow and dull to be honest. I felt that there was a lot of filler as they drag out the confrontation with the mother. Also, there were a few questionable plot points, such as why GT decided to leave ST unprotected at the house instead of stay with him and MY at the cursed castle where he could protect them both. Also, why wasn't there any police at the cursed castle or any protecting MY, GT or ST? There weren't any police even looking for the mother, which didn't make any sense. And why didn't GT call the police after the mother kidnapped ST? Anyways, there's only two more episodes to go. I'm still interested in seeing how this series ends.

Episode 15 was underwhelming with quite a few plot points that don't make sense. The mother is angry that MY doesn't listen to her because of GT but MY thinks that her mother is dead. So, how can she listen to her mother when her mother is literally hiding underneath a different face? That doesn't make any sense. The mother's reason for killing GT's mother makes no sense either. All GT's mother did was suggest that MY go get help. She didn't try to take her daughter away or try to report to the authorities. There must have been teachers or other adults who saw MY's antisocial behaviour and talked to her mother about getting her help. If MY's mother is triggered that easily, she must have killed several people before which she hasn't. So, it doesn't make any sense. And anyways, I'm pretty sure that MY would be completely fine with GT killing her mother since her mother did kill his mother and she actually wanted to kill her anyways. But no, save the mother so that the mother could kill MY or GT. And anyways, how did MY get there so quickly without a car? The climax where GT and MY truffle with MY's mother was also quite underwhelming. Hopefully, the season finale will be better.

Episode 16, the season finale, was good. It wrapped up all the plot lines in a nice way and showed ST seeking independence from GT, allowing him to live for himself.

All in all, this Kdrama was entertaining. The cinematography and production design were excellent. The characters were well-developed. The acting was all-around good, especially Oh Jung Se who portrayed the autistic ST perfectly! His performance was Oscar-worthy! The story however was lacking. The first half of the series was strong! It was unique, interesting and fascinating. There was a fantasy/horror edge to it. However, the series delved into a standard melodrama in its second half and all that potential was wasted. The drama was good, but nowhere near what it could've been if it leaned into its macabre, fantastical element which would have differentiated it from the other Kdramas out there. Crash Landing on You, the first Kdrama that I watched, still remains as my favorite K-drama so far...

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This drama gives impact with their initial episodes, but fell flat and get confused afterwards.

This drama gives a great impact with their initial episodes (1-3), but unfortunately fell flat and get confused afterwards (imo).

FL and SML (brother) are really carry on this drama on their shoulder. Without them, i don’t really think want to finish this and it’s kinda sad because of the big name of KSH. I love him in LFTS as an alien but in this drama, his character almost feel like the same. His hairstyle, his attitude, his gesture, the way he talk and cried... i really want to sympathize with him as a character, but end up skip almost his crying scene for the entire episodes (T_T). The only drama that i really like him as a character is in “The Producer.”

The story itself is kinda confusing. What do you really want to tell? About mental illness, healing process, love story, or thriller? The combination of lots of genre didn’t really work in this drama (imo, i don’t wanna upset anyone). There is so much information that really don’t take the story anywhere. And it really bothers me that the FL doesn’t get any treatment whilst her behavior is really disturbing and danger for anyone around her (push someone from the stairs-not cool, driving like a maniac when angry and threating someone to fullfill your request-not cool, always scream at people-not cool and many more). I also don’t get why FL falls in love with ML (apart from his physical that really annoys me and it serves as fan service a lot of time T_T). There is no consistency on the characters also (the brother can act like an adult with high function intelect shows, but sometime he respons something like childlike with no intelect at all). I am not expert on this at all, but saying as a viewer who want to enjoy a “fantasy” drama that feels logic at least. And don’t get me started with the confusing timeline and lots of surprises that not necessary at all.

But, if you want to watch drama with full of beautiful people, fancy costumes, good CGI, don’t care about stuff that really matters in real life, and want to know about mental illness then this drama is for you :)

I will recommend anyone to watch “It’s Ok It’s Love” instead if you want to see about mental illness and healing process through being loved by someone. They focused on the main theme of mental illness that the ML suffer (JIS really good in this drama) and other characters with some condition were just information for viewers, that people with condition still can be fully function in their life.

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The same old clichés!

The story is not something that unique. Like most Korean love dramas it is full of predictable twists, childhood and parent relationships, jealousy and love triangles, characters trying to act cool and make the other lead jealous. For example, the other girl who loves the main lead has done nothing wrong but love him, give him a home and a job but still he never appreciated her enough and just uses her whenever he needs her. I know that happens in real life too but that's not ok as it is always shown in Kdramas. To be honest, watching that time when she is drunk and slaps the female lead and curses the male lead felt really good!
Also, again, like most other Korean dramas they just suddenly jump on a motorcycle to rescue their love in sadness. Ok, I'm not saying that's bad, but that happens in all Kdramas and sometimes it is performed even better. This show has a lot of these old cliches and I don't want to bore you mentioning all of them. Most scenes were based on them and even though it had other moments too, it was not satisfying enough.
As for the acting, the main male lead has this poker face a lot of times that I couldn't really connect with. The acting is not something that unique either. It is just fairly done.
I liked the cinematography for the first few episodes (which it just suddenly stopped). This small part is well done, but that's never enough to make a drama unique.

I want to point out some of my other views regarding the story.
let me first say that I love realistic dramas. Shows that mirror our daily problems which can happen even in a fantasy.
I don't like a show because everybody does, or hate it because everybody does so.

How probable is it that you willingly choose the same career of a mother whom you don't actually like? I'd say none.

The main reasons why I had problems with this show:

First of all, I love serious people, but I don't like arrogant ones. It's the easiest to be rude to others and angry if you're facing problems (or having mental issues). Blaming everything and everyone around you, thinking you are mistreated or you are better than others is very immature - Even though there is always a source for every bad trait of a person and they have to fix themselves and don't think it's ok to continue like this unless love happens and because they are not fine they can hurt others and people should always understand them. So, I don't want to watch the life of a person like that.

Secondly, the beautiful dresses and the cinderella complex! You may think what on earth you're talking about, but let me explain. The FL is far too dramatic. She has everything one could wish for. She has money, talents, she has a beautiful face, good people around her, and still, because of her past, she acts like she is the only one with problems without trying to work on them with the proper psychologist and overcome these problems, while people facing issues like hunger and inequality don't act rudely to that extent. I know that even rich people can suffer from all sorts of issues, but still, they have one very big problem less than others and they can actually pay for treatment. There is a difference between dying from hunger and suffering from past traumas which you can at least try to fix( with the money of course! Doing yoga, going traveling, seeing a psychologist, relaxing, and ...)

Thirdly, It still is full of cliches. In the end, she needed someone (read one man) to enter her life, so she could understand that she has problems and she has to change so she could be a better person for him, instead of fixing herself for the sake of herself and everyone around her. And the fact that even with her success she should still have a romantic life to be complete. ( I know this is a romance genre but still! )

lastly, It's completely mainstream, and still very stupid, of Korean shows when the protagonists' bad actions are always justified in a way, while those who do some bad things towards them are the mere evil ones. Let me make an example, if you have seen Revenge, the American show, you never feel like the female lead having done all sorts of things to get on with her plans is somehow justified. It's like she knows doing this she is no longer an innocent and decent person and she can never go back. Knowing that we can understand her better and like her better. The bad things she has done become a very important part of her, that sticks with her, even if she goes on with her life. Asian dramas always make everything about evil or good rather than the reality of the grey or black personality of people. Like they magically change to this person with a clean slate at the end. We are responsible for our actions and if someone does something bad to us or if we have traumas and mental problems it never justifies our bad behavior. We have to compensate for these rude actions, that's the proper response.

I want to see a Korean drama in which a woman helps other women without being arrogant (being serious still) or rude while having a bigger understanding of the world trying to be better while putting aside her own jealousy when she is communicating with a love rival, and love, well, that can happen too! But I guess I ask too much from this (dramaland) fantasy world. They are made for that purpose. :D

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One of the best Kdramas out there, imo

Never in my life have I ever watched a drama as it was airing. Never. I always waited until it was completed because I'm one impatient fella~ But this drama got me so curious since before the first trailer came out. Kim Soo Hyun, one of my fav actors, was officially casted for a drama role since his military discharge and Seo Ye Ji had caught my attention since 'Lawless Lawyer'; her voice was golden. So when the first trailer came out, I remembered being so intrigued with the couple's visuals and chemistry, I never stopped waiting for the 1st episode to come out already.

The show's over but I still need more! I've literally turned into an addict! I'm not satisfied with 16 eps. I can't believe it's over... I walked into this drama only knowing bits and pieces, and now, I walk out of this with a heavy heart, missing it like crazy. This was such a well-paced and life-learning series.

The story, from the get-go was nothing I've ever seen before. I don't remember watching anything quite like this. The added effects, animations and the cinematography tripled my excitement, and the uniqueness of how each episode title relates to the story of that particular episode increased my anticipation for the next ep. Each episode also has a lesson to teach us, and every week, the episodes keeps getting better and better. There's not one episode I've watched with dry eyes.

Also, from the first trailer itself, they tell us something about butterflies. This was the ONE thing I was so DESPERATELY curious about. They explain it in the later episodes, but butterflies are the main imagery of this drama. So beautiful, yet they hold an underlying despair.

"Don't let the past trap you, or you'll end up like me."
"The past can trap me? Then I can just open the door and get out."
"No, you can't. You won't be able to see the door."

I feel like every one of the characters in this drama has their own "mental illness", you know? Either subtly or quite obviously, and I'm excited to see whether they try to overcome it or learn to live with it. Most especially Goo Moon Young. Also, remember that "your eyes can tell stories your mouth never could." This was Moon Gang Tae His eyes ... they tell a thousand stories.

Another reason this drama intrigued me was the chemistry between Soo Hyun and Ye Ji. I've honestly never seen chemistry more explosive, more beautiful, more visually-appealing, more REAL than these two. And that's saying something. Also, Moon Sang Tae, he's a character I've began to love over the course of the drama. His character development, his kindness, his innocence and just about everything about him was so pure and beautiful. The trio have an amazing relationship with each other and no matter what, they're family.

Now for the music, oh, the music, man. I've got no words for the music in this drama. EVERY SINGLE ONE of them is a masterpiece! Every. Single. One. The aesthetic and the feelings that well up inside of you when you watch the scenes as the OSTs play in the background are unbelievable. Sometimes you can't help yourself from smiling, but most of the time you end up with a few or more tears. Fyi, I've added them all to my playlist ^_^

All in all, this show was a crying FESTIVAL and Moon Sang Tae was MVP! And that DARN DEER omg!
Tbh all the characters were so lovable (except that evil villain ofc)~ And all the side characters were worthy of being main characters. They were the stars of their own story and I just really liked them all~

I'm telling you this with utmost sincerity. You won't regret watching this drama. At the very least, just give it a try. The aesthetic, chemistry, acting, music, Kim Soo Hyun's eyes, Seo Ye Ji's voice, and Oh Jung Se's character. They are all best-sellers for this drama <3

I'm sorry if this review was all over place. It's my first time loving a drama this much and writing a review this long omg

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OVERRATED

I was really looking forward to watching this drama especially when I heard Kim Soo Hyun was playing the male lead, however unfortunately I was extremely disappointed.
I suspect it also has to do with my high expectations of this drama but honestly not only was the storyline average but also the soundtrack and character development wasn't intriguing.
I feel like it got so much attention because of the good looks of the main characters but I felt that their chemistry wasn't amazing and their relationship was overly complicated.
I didn't feel moved at all watching this and the ending wasn't satisfying. It has an interesting concept however lacked thematic value.
Overall it was an alright drama and there were some heartwarming moments however definitely did not deserve the praise that it had received.

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