The Meaning Behind Yu Sakai's 'But It's Ok!': the Nhk Drama Theme Song That Inspired Viewers
Television theme music lives or dies by its timing in the edit. Director Yasuda regularly deployed the opening piano chords of "But It's OK !" across the final ninety seconds of each episode, letting Sakai’s vocal run overlap with unresolved dialogue.
In episode four, when Maki breaks down over her mock exam scores in an empty classroom, the song begins quietly under her sobs. It does not swell to overpower the scene. Instead, Koizumi’s character slides a corrected practice exam across the desk, points out two salvageable logic steps, and walks out. The beat kicks in precisely as Kawaguchi looks up at the blackboard.
This editing choice elevated the show above standard tearjerker material. Koizumi played Igarashi with an unsentimental dryness, stripping away typical television sentimentality. Kawaguchi offered an unvarnished portrayal of teenage burnout. The music linked those two distinct performance styles, providing the warmth that neither character was emotionally equipped to express out loud.