We’re used to children’s storybooks being filled with pastel worlds and whimsical characters and happily-ever-afters. That’s why it’s all the more intriguing that "It’s Okay to Not Be Okay" flips the page and introduces us to dark fairytales instead. In the series, Anne Curtis' Mia Hernandez, a children's book author, is known for her stories that are haunting, even eerie at times, yet perfectly parallel the journey of the main characters as they struggle with their traumas and search for healing and love.
In the Philippine adaptation, these tales take on an even richer layer as they're reimagined with local folklore, such as shadows of balete trees and nightmares haunted by the Batibat.
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The series' creative team had to walk a delicate line between staying faithful to the original K-Drama elements and the need to localize them. Kapamilya writer Mary Pearl Ortola led the task of reworking the text, while graphic designer and illustrator JC Galag crafted the art side.
JC's starting point was browsing the works of Jamsan, the artist behind the storybooks in the original K-Drama. From there, he developed versions infused with Filipino imagery.
In Mia's "Ang Batang Dinalaw ni Batibat," which centers on a boy haunted by a nightmare spirit, the creature itself was inspired by the Batibat of Ilocano folklore, a vengeful demon feared for suffocating its victims in their sleep, also known as Bangungot in Tagalog legends.
The Batibat is often imagined as a grotesquely obese spirit dwelling in trees, for which the team referenced the Balete, which is known in Filipino mythology as a mystical tree imbued with supernatural powers and often believed to house spirits and fairies. By merging these inspirations, the team arrived at the Batibat’s final image.
"Ang Batang Dinalaw ni Batibat" tells the story of a young boy who wakes up from a bad dream, haunted by Batibat, the spirit of nightmares, who forces him to relive memories he desperately wants to forget. The boy becomes so afraid of falling asleep that he tries to find a way to make it all stop.
Desperate, he seeks out a powerful witch and begs her to take the nightmares away. He promises he’ll give anything in return. The witch grants his wish, but warns that one day she will return to collect what is owed.
Years go by, and Batibat never returns. The boy, now grown up, no longer has nightmares, but he also can’t feel joy. Then one night, under a blood-red moon, the witch reappears to collect her due.
The young man tries to push her away with harsh words, but the witch pays no attention. Instead, she draws out his soul and leaves behind a message. "Ang masasakit na alaala ay huhubog sa pagkatao. Hindi makikita ang pagkakaiba ng sakit at ginhawa, lungkot at saya, kung wala ang mga ito. Kaya ang ganitong mga alaala ay huwag burahin. Pagdaanan ito at harapin. Dahil kung iiwasan lang at hindi dadamhin, mananatili ang buong pagkatao sa lungkot at dilim."
Going through “Ang Batang Dinalaw ni Batibat,” one can recognize how the boy’s struggle reflects the characters’ own battles, particularly Patrick (Joshua Garcia)’s tendency to run from his past, as well as Mia and Matmat (Carlo Aquino)'s nightmares. That mirroring is intentional, explains Henry King Quitain, Creative Manager of Star Creatives, as the storybooks were designed to echo each character’s journey.
Behind the illustrations was a long process of trial and error. Production Designer Leo Velasco reveals careful effort went into fine-tuning even the smallest features. “In terms of designing the characters, maraming back and forth—palalakihin ’yung mata, liliitian, lalakihan ’yung bibig, costumes, ano ’yung material, ano ’yung sapatos—so every detail,” he says.
But while the process was meticulous and demanding, the team still found it fulfilling. “Isa siya sa mga na-enjoy ko, actually, kasi isa sa mga favorite kong gawin ay mag-character design,” says JC.
What’s your favorite storybook from the series so far?
Catch “It’s Okay to Not Be Okay” on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live (KOL), A2Z, and TV5, weeknights at 8:45 PM. Watch it in advance on iWant.