Why is It’s Okay to Not Be Okay So Popular?

There are many K-dramas with unique plots, but what makes It’s Okay to Not Be Okay stand out is its plot and how the story is being told.

Ko Mun-yeong is a children’s book author, and the show makes use of fairy tales and animated clips to tell a parallel story about the characters' lives.

Each episode contains a fairy tale, and what happened in that fairy tale is paralleled with what happened to the show’s characters or what they are going through.

For instance, “Rapunzel and the Cursed Castle”, which was about a little girl trapped by her mother in a castle, reflects Mun-yeong’s childhood where she was waiting for someone to set her free.

Another example is “Bluebeard’s Secret”. In the fairytale, a room in Bluebeard’s basement contains the corpses of his wives who ignored his warning not to enter the room. This fairy tale gives a hint about what really happened to Ko Mun-yeong’s parents.

It’s Okay to Not Be Okay has a unique way of telling a story, which is why it became one of the most popular K-dramas of all time. And because of this unique storytelling, people still watch the K-drama today.

The show focuses on mental health, something not all K-dramas deal with. The K-drama tackles mental health issues and shows the struggles of people suffering from trauma and mental illness.

The main characters went through painful experiences in their childhood and carry that pain in the present. The supporting characters, like the patients at OK Psychiatric Hospital, have been through traumatic experiences.

The K-drama tells viewers that we don’t have to be okay all the time. We can get tired, and we can cry when we are hurting. To quote Director Oh Ji-wang of OK Psychiatric Hospital, “When you’re tired, get some rest. When you’re sad, go ahead and cry."

At the same time, the K-drama also promotes healing as the characters are encouraged to face their fears and trauma to overcome it, and stand up again.

Viewers can find comfort and hope that things will get better in this K-drama. Mental health awareness is something that will always be important, which is why this K-drama is still popular today.

It’s Okay to Not Be Okay has romance, but it’s not the kind of romance you find in other K-dramas. The K-drama features an unusual romance between two people who end up healing each other.

Kim Soo-hyun’s Moon Gang-tae has dedicated his life to taking care of his autistic older brother. He's a caregiver at a psychiatric ward who doesn't have time for love. Seo Yea-ji’s Ko Mun-yeong is an author with antisocial personality disorder. She's selfish, as she only looks out for herself.

They are two very different people, and at the start, it’s hard to imagine a romance between them. But later on, they find themselves helping each other heal and falling in love.

Additionally, there may be some K-drama clichés like the characters meeting each other when they were younger, but there are many other elements in the show that make the romance something not ordinarily seen in K-dramas.

K-dramas tend to have the same patterns in their romances, but It’s Okay to Not Be Okay offers something different, which is why it remains popular.

Apart from the unique story, the characters of the K-drama are also what makes it so popular. The most relatable character would probably be Moon Gang-tae.

He is a selfless caregiver who's committed to taking care of his autistic brother, but even he can get tired at times because he is human.

Additionally, the K-drama does not only focus on the hardships of the main characters. The supporting characters have their storylines too, and viewers can find themselves relating to them as well.

The main and supporting characters’ stories will stick with you, which is something that doesn’t really happen with other K-dramas.

Most K-dramas have supporting characters but don’t give them backstories as it only focuses on the leads. But this isn’t the case for It’s Okay to Not Be Okay. Viewers can relate to both the main and supporting characters.

Good acting is part of what makes a show praiseworthy. The main cast did a very good job playing their characters.

Oh Jung-se, the actor who plays Moon Sang-tae, Gang-tae's autistic brother, has the most notable performance. In fact, his performance led to him winning the Best Supporting Actor award at the 57th Baeksang Arts Awards.

Kim Soo-hyun’s acting, especially in the emotional scenes, will make you feel his character’s pain and cry along with him. Seo Yea-ji’s performance is also applaudable.

Her acting will really make you hate her character at first, but like and understand her later on. Both Kim Soo-hyun and Seo Yea-ji also received nominations and awards for their roles in It’s Okay to Not Be Okay.

Even the supporting cast’s performance is something that will not be forgotten easily. The acting of the cast of It’s Okay to Not Be Okay is definitely one of the factors that made the K-drama popular.

So, in case you haven’t watched It’s Okay to Not Be Okay yet, go ahead and watch the K-drama! You can also check here for other K-Drama recommendations!

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