Written by Sesam Rana Magar, Terafty Manager
From considering discussions about mental health as a sign of weakness, to now fostering open discussion to raise awareness, global society has come a long way. These indispensable discussions of human mental issues have also extended to the entertainment sector. The portrayal of mental health issues has become increasingly prevalent. Korean entertainment, in particular, is producing groundbreaking dramas that showcase the complexities of this matter through the lives of their characters.
In this blog, we will delve into 5 worth-watching Korean dramas that have provocatively sparked the audience’s thoughts by including mental health in their story.
1. It’s Okay, That’s Love (2014)
The makers of “It’s Okay, That’s Love” produced a drama that significantly revolved around mental health, when there was an underlying stigma about the subject matter. Starring Jo In Sung as Jang Jae Yeol and Gong Hyo Jin as Ji Hae Soo, both the lead characters grapple with mental health conditions stemming from their rough pasts.
Jae Yeol, a novelist full of wit, suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and undiagnosed schizophrenia. Hae Soo, a psychiatrist who treats people with mental illnesses is scared of romantic relationships herself. Their respective personalities and professions make the world see them as individuals with the least probability of suffering from the conditions. Unlike this perspective, their conditions gradually unravel as the story progresses.
Besides the lead characters, the drama extensively covers different forms of mental disorders through different characters. Aside from OCD and schizophrenia, it portrays the stories of characters suffering from Tourette Syndrome, postpartum depression and disassociative disorder. The drama not only showcases individuals who appear to have it all together may be struggling with significant mental struggles but also teaches that socially outcast people are worthy of love and compassion. The drama has beautifully balanced these serious subject matters with humorous moments and romance.
2. Soul Mechanic (2020)
Soul Mechanic is a medical drama that revolves around the story of psychiatrists who try to cure emotionally challenged people. The group of psychiatrists goes beyond the treatment and focuses on healing their patients. Lee Shi-Joon, played by Shin Ha Kyun, is a psychiatrist who gets assigned to a patient with serious anger management issues. The patient is a rising musical artist, Han Woo-Joo, played by Jung So Min. Later, the treatment journey takes a turn into a romantic relationship between Shi-Joon and Woo-Joo.
The psychiatrists in the drama emphasize the significance of healing the patients naturally along with medications. The natural methods may incorporate simple activities such as going for walks in nature, exercising, acknowledging the traumatic past and overcoming individual struggles and fear. The drama episodes present different cases of people with mental conditions and approaches used by Lee Shi-Joon and his team to resolve them. Some of the cases in the drama include post-traumatic stress disorder, borderline personality disorder, delusions and so on.
In the drama, Shi-Joon also happens to have PTSD (Post-traumatic stress disorder) caused by one of his former patients. One of his notable dialogues from the drama is “To be frank, we are all sick in some ways. We just haven’t got diagnosed yet.” This suggests the meaning that every single individual has some sort of challenges of various degrees in their life, even if they haven’t been officially recognized. Some aspects of our mental and emotional well-being may have been overlooked and undermined to the extent that they have been normalized and left undiagnosed.
While the drama was appreciated by many for the inclusion of mental health-related subject matters in the storyline, some reviewers disliked the growth of the romantic relationship between the psychiatrist and the patient. Some deemed it unnecessary in the drama. However, as the title of the drama “Soul Mechanic” suggests, the series serves as a remedy for the soul through its relatable characters, restoring and nurturing emotional well-being.
3. It’s Okay to Not Be Okay (2020)
The title/phrase “It’s Okay to Not Be Okay” suggests a sentiment that conveys the message that it is completely fine to experience challenging emotions. The drama has a strong element of mental health maintenance in the title itself.
The drama depicts the journey of emotional healing of an antisocial children’s book writer, Ko Moon Young, played by Seo Yea-ji. Her antisocial personality disorder makes her selfish, rude and arrogant towards others. This initially makes her an unloveable character. She has problematic traits that make her unloveable, unlike female leads of other dramas. Furthermore, she has a toxic obsession with the male lead, Moon Gang-tae, played by Kim Soo-hyun who is a psych ward caretaker with an autistic brother Sang-tae. Her behavior stems from her bad relationship with her manipulative mother.
The drama touches upon the emotions that people often tend to suppress. Suppression of primary emotions often results in the rise of harmful secondary emotions, impacting mental health. The drama conveys the message that it is okay to not be able to control reactions and to run away once in a while and become a free-spirited person. The feelings that society has stigmatized are valid and it is okay to display them.
Although the drama won praise for its examination of mental health issues, opinions on it are still split, especially when it comes to how Ko Moon Young, the female lead, was portrayed. Her character might be romanticized, which raised concerns. Nevertheless, setting it aside, the drama has many valuable teachings.
4. Extraordinary Attorney Woo (2022)
Extraordinary Attorney Woo explores the story of a girl suffering from ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder), Woo Young Woo, played by Park Eun Bin, who possesses immense intellectual capabilities and an admirable passion for whales. She is a rookie lawyer employed in a major law firm where she tackles difficult legal cases with her intellect. Although she has extraordinary capabilities that most people don’t possess, her challenges lie in activities that most people take for granted.
Despite her abilities that surpass those of other people, she faces situations where she is looked down upon due to her autism. The drama showcases the life challenges of a social outcast like Woo Young Woo. Furthermore, the drama portrays an autistic girl as a main character which is a groundbreaking thing. The drama beautifully explores the romantic and non-romantic relationships that an autistic individual shares with people around her. Her romantic relationship with Lee Jun Ho, played by Kang Tae Oh portrays a relationship filled with respect and admiration for one another.
Park Eun Bin’s performance in the drama is truly commendable. From her nuanced gestures and expressions to her body language and speech patterns, she fully embodied Woo Young Woo. The strong representation of an autistic person as a main character in the drama is praiseworthy.
5. Daily Dose of Sunshine (2023)
The story of Daily Dose of Sunshine revolves around Jung Sa-eun, a third-year nurse who gets transferred to the Psychiatric Department from Internal Medicine. She is overwhelmed in her new environment and is prone to making blunders. However, she puts in utmost effort to comprehend the world from the perspective of her mentally challenged patients. Gradually, she wins the hearts of her patients and colleagues.
The drama showcases the adventures of the young nurse in the mental ward of Myung Shin University Hospital. The drama evokes empathy and compassion in the audience through its blend of humanity and healing in the storyline. The drama captivates its audience by skillfully weaving together themes of humanity and healing throughout its narrative. It allows ordinary people to understand the depth of mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, depression and OCD.
The cases showcased in the drama have a touch of compassion, gentleness and hope. The patients in the ward come from different backgrounds and reasonings that have led them to this circumstance and it is beautifully portrayed. The drama balances emphasization of patient cases and the growing relationship between the main characters. Hence, the drama is enriched with valuable teachings and knowledge related to mental health.
Conclusion
The depiction of mental health is becoming prominent in Korean dramas and garnering appreciation from viewers. Recognizing this trend, Terafty is proud to announce our next short film project, “Cafe Diem”, which explores the theme of mental health. We aim for “Cafe Diem” to be well-received by our valuable audience and to create an impactful impression.
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