Here is my second installment of Second Impressions! This one is about a K-Drama television series that I dearly love.

Second Impressions – It’s Okay to Not Be Okay

“Don’t make the same mistake I did and try to run when you can’t even walk. When you’re tired, get some rest. When you’re sad, go ahead and cry. It’s okay to take a break. Then one day, there will surely come a day when you’ll be able to run again.”
—It’s Okay to Not Be Okay

One thing I like about It’s Okay to Not Be Okay is that it involves broken people who are doing their best to survive. Except for any who are meant to be “villains,” you don’t really fault any of the characters for handling things the way they do. Yes, it may not be how you would handle it–but you can see why they are doing what they are doing.

What to Expect:

• A strong female lead who demonstrates herself to be mentally disturbed at times and who has some really cool-looking outfits
• A somewhat meek male lead who nonetheless won’t take any bull from others
• An autistic character
• An interesting group of supporting characters
• Thoughts about mental health
• A Gothic flavor at times – it is like Tim Burton meets Rain Man meets fairy tales
• Multiple genres (romance, drama, thriller, comedy)
• Great acting
• A happy ending
• Character growth and mental healing
• Complicated family dynamics (how we can sometimes both love and hate a family member)

Plot: The male lead, Moon Gang-tae, has been taking care of his autistic older brother, Sang-tae, ever since their mother was killed when they were children. Because Sang-tae has an intense fear of butterflies that is tied to the murder of their mother, they are forced to move frequently in order to “escape” the butterflies. At the time of the show, Gang-tae works in a mental health facility with an interesting set of residents. It is during this time that he meets Ko Mun-yeong, a famous female author of Tim Burtonesque children’s books. She is dealing with her own trauma but finds herself fascinated with Gang-tae, and she pursues him romantically.

Plot Commentary: The plot explores mental illness, healing, and familial bonds. While the plot might not seem terribly interesting on the surface, the interactions of the characters are what drives it, and the acting is on-point.

Romance: It’s interesting to see such a strong female lead pursue a reluctant male lead, as it’s often the other way around. The chemistry of the male and female lead is fantastic, and when they are making eye contact, it always speaks volumes about how they feel inside. While the female lead makes a lot of questionable choices, she succeeds in pulling the male lead out of his shell. His life for years has been just wrapped around trying to make his brother happy; now, he has to learn how to try to make himself happy as well.

Why a Second Impression Is Needed: Anyone who watches this should want to watch it a second time! (In my humble opinion.) When you know the middle and end, you will always view things a little bit differently on your second watching of the show. And this will help you remember that it is okay to not be okay.

One Word Descriptor: Healing.

Overall Rating (5/5 Sets of Glasses):