Rambles and Experienes of Sun-he

Critical Eye

This is a school assignment that I wanna put up because OMFG THIS DRAMA IS PERFECT AND YOU ALL SHOULD WATCH IT

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I chose to do the Korean drama It's Okay, that's Love for this year's final critical eye. I chose this media because I love the acting, unique characters, and plot of the drama. I originally was watching this for entertainment and to pick up a little bit of Korean since I have forgotten many of it since entering school, however, I soon found it to be more than a simple romance drama. It's Okay, that's Love is a drama with extremely well-developed and diverse characters. The female protagonist, Ji Hae Soo, is a psychiatrist with sexual trauma originating from watching her mother cheat her father since she was a child but what we learn about her later is shocking. The male protagonist, Jang Jae Yul, is a famous novelist and DJ who has OCD, and as we later learn, schizophrenia.

At first, I was shocked because though while seeming very modern at a glance, many Koreans hold onto old traditions and values so mental illnesses are still often seen as things such as demon possessions, so to see a drama with not two, but several characters with mental illnesses from behavior disorders to Tourette syndrome (a nervous system disorder where an individual repeats movements and or unwanted sounds) is extraordinary. I was elated by the the topic of this drama along with it's loveable characters and intriguing plot. Including the topics of romance and mental health, it also had suspenseful side which contains the story of Jae Yul's older brother, Jae Beom, who was accused of their stepfather's murder and sent to jail, appears to want to kill Jae Yul. The drama also has comedic elements such as the cheerful and mischievous interactions between the characters, in many scenes, they end up running around their garden, spraying water at each other.

As for disappointments in the drama, I have minimal. The only thing that I can name is the fact that we don't see the background story of Jae Yul's editor who has a very important role in his family's life. The editor, Tae-yong, is the one who comfort's Jae Yul's mother when she is upset about her eldest son being in jail and is the one discovers Jae Yul's schizo. I am a little disappointed that while he's such an important character, we don't get to see what made Tae-yong, Tae-yong.

The intended audience is the general (mostly Korean) public. There is not a set rating to this drama but it has some violence along with some sexual themes so this is not a safe thing to watch with children which is a pity because this drama has so much to say about love and strength. It's Okay, that's Love is my favorite drama so far because not only did I enjoy the story, I adored every aspect of it, including the information that was included in it, explaining many cases of illnesses and their treatments. Anyone who wants an unique story and wishes to learn a little about mental illnesses will enjoy this drama wholeheartedly, even if someone isn't looking for those qualities, I believe that It's Okay, that's Love is a drama that appeals to most people. The fact that it's in a foreign language may deter people away from it but I believe that reading the subtitles while watching will not take away from the experience at all.

The purpose of this drama was to prove the ability of people, an example being that two of the three doctors in the drama are women, the strength and hardship of those who have or are related to people who have a mental illness, and what true love is. To show what people are capable of, both protagonists started as poor but rose to become very successful but on the other side of that, we see the evil of prejudice against the ill and the grudges that people hold which severely affects the behavior of those individuals. Strength and hardship is seen in many characters, such as Park Soo-kwang. Soo-kwang has Tourette syndrome and has been abused and neglected by his father because of it. On top of that, the girl he loves had told her boyfriend (unfortunately not him) about it and belittled him for it, in times where he suddenly starts to spasm, people run away because they feel uncomfortable around him but he still manages to smile and live as if he were without it. This theme is also seen in a married couple who is expecting a child but the mother is worried about her schizophrenia. The husband is adamant about staying with her and with the support of their friends (Hae Soo lit a candle every single day to pray for the couple's and baby's safety), the baby is born safely. This couple's relationship is also a sign of what is to come for Hae Soo and Jae Yul. The final theme, love but not simply romantic love. Romantic love is seen in the relationship between Hae Soo and Jae Yul's relationship (in which they eventually get married) but it is also seen in Hae Soo's love of helping people, including her stubbornness in staying with Jae Yul even though her mother was against it as he was struggling with his schizo at the time but Jae Yul wants her to wait a year to see if she still loves him then because he doesn't want her to give up her dreams for him, because that's love.. It is also seen in Jae Yul and his mother's love for their brother and son (Jae Beom) who is a criminal in jail for murder. Both of them believe that Jae Beom is a good person, even though he has violently attacked Jae Yul multiple times. Finally, there is the love that the characters have for each other. They all understand one another, and make each other laugh and smile even if one of them is extremely upset. The characters have friendships that everyone should strive for. The drama doesn't sugarcoat much besides the treatment of Hae Soo and Jae Yul's traumas and issues to focus on moving the story forward. The characters cry, they laugh, they mess around, they drink, they're selfish, the story allows them to act as if they really are people, as is they actually exist which is another factor that made me fall in love with it because having character's that are too perfect, sad, happy, pitiful, ect. really takes away from the message(s) in any story. There was nothing detrimental to the drama besides the unrealistic treatment time of Hae Soo's sexual trauma and Jae Yul's schizo and OCD but the drama makes it very clear that it is unrealistic. For being a mere sixteen episodes long, It's Okay, that's Love tells an amazing story of what it means to love and live to the fullest.