Yumi's Cells (2021)

Anti-mainstream drama, a fresh new concept that I found. combines 50% cute animations of Yumi&Woong's cells and 50% Yumi and Woong's love story. Yumi and Woong's characters are often encountered in real life. I also sometimes feel related to some of Yumi's conditions. The story flows well, I really enjoyed it while watching it. Kim Goeun plays Yumi's character very well. Many positive things can be taken from this drama. First we are beautiful, handsome, attractive, perfect in the eyes of the right people. Second, in our relationship we should be flexible. In some conditions we have to put ourselves in the number 1 priority so that no one hurts us carelessly. However, in some other conditions.. we can't be selfish, and have to think about our partner's feelings. Third, from this drama we learn self love, even though one world does bad to us, there are still our cells that only focus on us under any circumstances, not on other people. So we must also be kind to ourselves. We are not alone, we have cells that support us. Overall I like this drama so much and looking forward to season 2.

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Most realistic unrealistic drama

Okay, a very little spoiler. I cried my eyes out at the end of the first season. Still have to watch the second one, that is why I rewatched it just now. I still love it. The whole cell thing can get a bit annoying sometimes, but it adds so much insight to the characters. I love them all. The main and the side characters. And I love the realness. Showing all human emotions in such a fun way to understand. Can’t help but being hopeless romantic though. This show is def worth every minutes, especially if you are a little tired of the normal kdrama scene. You will get your love and jealousy and side characters. But you will also get normal relationship issues, some can be solved, some can’t. Like daily lifes. There is so much more behind than what we can see/hear and feel.

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Most awaited drama

I loved Kim Go-eun a lot she’ s one of a kind. She is a unique actress her personality is a kind and lovable person. you can see in her that she is not a pretentious person so everyone who can work with even a novice or a veteran actor, she can easily get along with and loves her a lot
She also Beautiful and Sophisticated.

Ahn Bo-hyun, on the other hand, I saw him in another drama and I honestly didn't like him maybe because of the character he plays. but here in yumi's cells, my feelings for him has changed! hehe .. it means he's also a good actor, I want him now too.😊

Can’t wait season 2! 👍

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Why I dropped Yumi's Cells. My unpopular opinion...

Based upon the reviews and the ongoing comments section, I hold a very unpopular opinion. I did not like Yumi's Cells Season 1. I had very high hopes, wholly and solely for the cast. I hadn't read the manwha and my adhd brain doesn't do well with the mixed mediums of anime and reality, but that cast! *chefs kiss*. I came in with fully open eyes and no specific expectations, but I was rapidly dis-engaged.

My first point of question - am I watching the same characters as everybody else?! [If anyone here has watched "Sex Education", a show made in Britain, streamed on Netflix. I feel like I had the same disconnect with other viewers watching it, as I have had here. At the end of Season 3, everyone seemed to be angry with Otis (the main lead) for dumping Ruby - where-as I found Ruby to be a horrible person, terrible for Otis' self-esteem and personal identity... but I digress]
I don't understand why anyone would want Yumi and Woong to stay together! We as the omniscient audience, are privy to Woong's thoughts, as he deals with both Yumi and his female workmate, Sae Yi. It is very clear that he was lying to Yumi from the outset, and also that he is keeping Sae-Yi on a string, by avoiding being direct with her. Maybe you consider them white lies to, in Woogi's opinion, spare people's feelings. I see them as lies, to spare his own feelings of vulnerability or discomfort, to manipulate other people's behaviour and opinions. He consistently states that he likes to be straightforward and honest, but he fails to actually be so (he doth protest too much!). He is the epitome of the "I am a good guy" manipulator - he believes he's a good guy, and wants everyone else to believe it, but his actions are not those of a good person. Maybe I have PTSD in this regard, but this kind of person is the WORST to me! Props to the writer for characterising him so well, and props to Ahn Bo Hyun, for portraying it so convincingly, but that, was my first cause for pause. My heart, being ABH shaped, I was relieved to read that he, at least (unlike the seeming majority of the audience), was very aware that Woong is problematic.
Ahn Bo Hyun revealed that his resemblance with Goo
Woong in this area is “close to zero.” “Unlike Goo
Woong, I don’t do things that could cause someone to
become angry or to misunderstand,” he said. “I know all too well that it won’t do me any good.” (Soompi Nov 7 2021)

Now to my second stick in the throat: It comes very early in the series; Yumi's dealings with her workmate, Chae Ugi. He thinks they're close friends. Yumi has a crush on him, but sadly it is amplified, by her need to one-up another workmate Ruby. In this whole game, Ugi is a victim - he bares his truth (it's strongly insinuated he is gay, without overtly stating it) to Yumi, and she promptly excuses herself from the conversation, to go have a sook/cry/wallow, with no thought whatsoever for Chae Ugi's very difficult situation.
In a country that continues to have no functioning anti-discrimination legislation, (https:///news/2021/11/11/national-assembly-south-korea-should-act-swiftly-enact-anti-discrimination) admitting, at work, that you are gay, is exposing yourself to not only public shaming and the vitriol of netizens, but also being sacked from your job (in one of the most difficult job markets in the world) with absolutely no recourse. Yumi is supposed to be a woman in her late 20s, but her behaviour is this scene is very teen-brain. *"OH woe is me, he doesn't like me!"* Boo!. Hoo! He just fully exposed himself and his life to you, and you promptly excused yourself. What the, what!?!

So all of that would've been ok for me to swallow if I could see the possibility of growth. But when I posted my concerns in this forum, I was battered down, told I was wrong, and given multiple re-tellings of ALL of Yumi's feelings (as if they're not right there, perfectly illustrated and animated as Yumi's Cells FFS!) as if they were a justification for her questionable behaviour.
At this point, I just lost hope, that it was a story I could engage with, seeing as I definitely couldn't engage with the audience. So I dropped.

I may watch season 2, in the expectation that Yumi has evolved a bit as a person. And without concern that she is compromising herself, with an "I'm a good guy!" liar Woong. I don't care how you justify or rationalise it, he is NOT a good guy, he's a lying LIAR!

Just to clarify, my music rating is a pass, and no more because I cannot recall any of it. This means it wasn't intrusive enough to be annoying (fail) nor great enough to be memorable. All other ratings are reflected in my opinions above.

Addendum Oct 2022...I just found my notes/musings, whilst I was watching the epsiodes during airing, so I'm posting them now:
There are disturbing examples of inherent misogyny (misogynistic inherent bias) as well as toxic masculinity, in the cells of Yumi's Cells
This show has started to go south for me, at the appearance of a cell called Hysterius.
Hysterius dwells in the unconscious and brews poisons... hysteria means of the womb, ergo if you have a womb, you will naturally be brewing poison somewhere in the deep dark recesses of your unconscious. Ergo ALL WOMEN ARE TOXIC!Hysteria is a hugely problematic word; originally used to describe mental illness specificlly in women.
[Coined by the likes of Freud, who it turns out, was treating a whole bunch of young women who were victims of incest, but their father's and brothers were fine, and those girls just had penis envy!]
Much like 'lunatic' (mental illness due to the full moon), it's not a term in current use unless you intend to be extremely misogynistic and derogatory.

Yumi responds like a spoiled child, completely lacking in sensitivity or compassion, when her crush confides in her that he is gay (she walks out with little explanation to wallow in self-pity in the bathroom)

Naughtysarus vs naughty cell: seriously?! A man's sex drive is represented by an out of control monster, whilst a woman's sex drive is represented by a small mildly cheeky, tree rutting MALE cell in tighty-whiteys!?!? In other words a woman doesn't actually have HER own innate sex-drive because it's a masculine trait. How did we ever populate the planet?! Oh that's right, RAPE. The out of control monster just has his way with her.

Woo Gi's female friend Sae-Yi tells him all women of a certain age are only interested in marriage. This ties in with SK's ever repeated mantra - men and women can't be friends. Why not? Because only sex exists between men and women. No other relationship is possible? Or as 'naughtysaurus' suggests; confronted with an 'attractive' woman in any situation, a man will lose his self control? Or men and women have nothing in common that would actually allow friendship, because of the ROLES we are required to play. Confucius was a fracking Narcissist! (So is my mother)

The character Sae-yi is an anti-feminist character and a stereotype that is common in Hollywood as well. I call this stereotype "The Ally". Undermining other women with her generalisations (about all women Yumi's age wanting to marry...all women but not me. I'm not like other women...is implied). She competes for control of Woo Gi, despite not wanting to date him (that men, in this instance, are commoddities; to be owned and controlled; is implied). And her and Yumi can't be friends either, but rather, competitors for Woo Gi. If you were his real friend you wouldn't reveal to his girlfriend that you chose her gift, not him.
IMO Woo Gi is a bad guy, the stereotypical "I'm a good guy!" Wolf in sheep's clothing. He tells Yumi, from their first date and then repetitively "I don't lie", when we can see from his cells that he is constantly lying by omission. But based upon audience response and comments, that's ok!? He's just a poor communicator, trying to protect Yumi's feelings! GAAAAAAHHH it makes my skin crawl to think that people find this endearing and ship their love!
Woo Gi is also very aware that Sae-Yi is problematic. He controls the information he gives to both her and Yumi. The dinner where he avoids Sae-Yi's advances rather than, I don't know, being direct and telling Sae-Yi how much he likes Yumi. Honestly to me it looks like he's keeping Sae-Yi on a line, in case things go south with Yumi

A cell called "Sensitivity,"?! I want to know the direct translation of this cell, because the cell's behaviour does not match the actual meaning of sensitivity. Maybe Hyper-sensitivity, Insensitivity or Reactivity would have been less ambiguous, but I guess this would have made Yumi's immaturity much more obvious to an audience that clearly doesn't want to relate to her as such. Yumi does not display any sensitivity, but rather self-absorption. I think the audience is relating to it as VULNERABILITY, which is much more palatable than IMMATURITY.

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THE CELLS <33333

I wasn't planning on writing a review until I finished this drama, but it just gets better every episode!

After watching the first episode I found it too be a bit lame with the animated cells and thought this drama wouldn't be for me... BUT IT IS AMAZING. It's really a feel-good romantic comedy drama, but of course I am sensing some deeper more dramatic scenes happening in the future. Though Yumi and Woong are super adorable, it's their cells that steal the show!!

I really like how the cells have their own adventures happening 'inside' of their human and though it's a bit goofy I think it really balances out what happens in the real world. When Yumi's cell 'lust' entered the screen I just couldn't stop laughing! It was really funny and I just love the way the drama jumps from drama to animation.

I definitely recommend this drama, can't wait for the future episodes!

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This drama is somehow interesting But Im not happy to watch

As we all know that, we always want the story to go way we want, and we might be a little disappointed if there're plot twists. To begin with, Yumi's life seems so busy , she's stressful enough with the last breakup and she has to work and also having a crush on someone who doesn't interest in girls. This is really sad and embarassed at the same time T^T
Then, she finally get to meet with Woong, I somehow thought that he was the one, but he's actually not at all. As romantic drama lovers, they always wanted a warmhearted, helpful man as the main male lead for main female lead, but Woong is indeed a reckless guy, he doesn't deserve to have Yumi as her girlfriend at all, when his girlbestfriend tries to provoke Yumi, he only keep quiet and pretend as if nothing happen. This part is really frustrate me as the viewers hmm... Since the drama is on going so I just have to stop here first. ^^

I dare to say that this is much alike in real life, watching this make me leaving my own imagination! hmm let's just be real and a-ppreciate it~~

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A creative and fun romcom where the 'cells' steal the show

I was quite interested from the title to see how they would incorporate the 'cells' aspect when went into this, and I have to say that they totally and completely stole the show for me. They are absolutely adorable and the thought process that goes into every action is quite realistic too. Considering how this is what is meant to set the show apart from other romcoms, I'm very excited to see the future episodes because the cells have stolen my heart. The animation is really good and cute and matches the aesthetic of the show.
Considering only the first episode is out yet, I can't judge the storyline itself but it is plenty enjoyable and I'm loving Kim Goeun in this role. I have to say though that the Willy Wonka/Edna haircut isn't doing her much justice.
The colours in this drama are so pleasing to the eye, and there is SO much blue wherever Yumi is present, and I'm not even complaining one bit.
The music has been plenty cheerful and a win throughout.
All in all I'm expecting this to be very fun and I'm looking forward to the future episodes!

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Unsatisfying and frustrating

I very much enjoyed the story overall, especially (since I'm a guy) how Woong was generally kind and thoughtful. It rankled me to see the Woong's immaturity and lack of communication when he was struggling financially.

Without spoiling it too much, suffice to say that the story was very hopeful; but the season ended at the worst-possible place in the story. This was made with Season 2 in mind, and probably no one would be happy with only watching Season 1 unless they like sad endings.

The cells' animation sequences did keep the series lighthearted, and were a great alternative to the characters' stating their thoughts out loud to themselves.

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A realistic drama about the ups and downs of relationships.

I was really excited for Kim Go Eun’s, I loved her in The Goblin and I loved her in The King: Eternal Monarch. She’s one of my favorite actresses and she is the only reason why I watched Yumi Cells. I also love Ahn Bo Hyun in My Name and Military Prosecutor Doberman. I felt like this drama was stacked in the casting department and with all of that said.

I was confused on the mixed reviews. In my opinion, any drama that has this many mixed reviews is a clear red flag and even though I don’t like to read anything about a drama I am about to watch, I did my research and started to dig.

I KNEW everything coming into this drama. I knew there was a season 2 and in talks of season 3. I knew that the rating wasn’t favorable for a reason and I KNEW what that reason was. BUT I love my actress so much, I decided it was STILL worth watching.

I have to admit, I’m a major Rom-Com fan. I love cutesy moments, cheesy storylines and of course my happily ever after romance. Every once in a while, I will appreciate something different. I get it, there is an art form to drama at times.

The Pros:

1.) The animation is something you love or you hate it. I think I was annoyed at first, but after a little bit, the little cells started to be funny and cute. I started to love and have my favorite cell, like naughty cell and shopping cell.

2.) The acting and casting was perfect. Kim Go Eun is such a seasoned actress and you can completely see every emotion she goes through, from happiness, embarrassment and sadness. I’m happy Ahn Bo Hyun was casted as the ML because it’s such a different role from the other dramas I watched, I really liked seeing him in a nerdy light.

3.) 14 episodes was pretty good length, it could have been edited down to 10, but I take 14 over 16. There was a good mixture of happy moments and frustrating angsty moments. Although more filler scenes, but that is the slice of life kind of storyline.


The Cons:

1.) I didn’t like the pacing of the show. Some reviewers will love watching the ups and downs of a relationship, but I felt like I would have enjoyed it more, had I watched the couple go up and then eventually go down. BUT to see them be happy, fight and then makeup, several times. It felt like I was watching a lovers to haters C drama romance. I was very annoyed.
2.) The HAIR! I get it, they wanted a portrayal of a realistic couple and so they took two beautiful models and FRUMP them up so much to the point, I was just shaking my head. WHY?! I’m happy the FL wore a decent wardrobe, but the HAIR people!


3.) You don’t know where the drama was going to go and I felt like it was misleading, but in the end I kind of understand the direction to where the drama wanted to take you.


Not all relationships are perfect and that is okay, I, however, am not sure I want to watch that in a drama. I watch dramas to watch pretty people have these fantastic stories with struggles and an eventually a triumph in the end. I want to finish watching a drama with a smile on my face and happy endorphins so I can proceed with my not -so perfect life.

In essence, I watch dramas to escape from reality, not to watch reality. But that is how I feel and I’m so glad there is a season 2. I which hope will give me the happy endorphins I so desperately wanted.

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I am IN LOVE

I would like to thank Tiktok for introducing this show to me because I have seen multitudes of spoilers of the show but watching it is a really different experience as I soon got the experience to really understand the context behind those clips. To be honest, I know no one who is watching this show so I am entering this with no recommendations except the ones from Tiktok. I am glad that I did tho because Yumi’s Cells is just really at the top tier of the Korean series that I got to watch because it is so freaking relatable. I have mentioned a lot that South Korea do know how to create the best love stories because they go deep into the psyche of the characters instead of just focusing on the idea of them being in love to each other. I think this is where Yumi’s Cells is winning because they managed to combine the character-driven story that we usually see in Korean series and love stories with the more romantic-centric Western movies. The result is one heart fluttering show that just made my heart melt whenever they focus on love and breaks it when the character is experiencing the same thing. I have read online that this is focused on the relationships that Yumi will be having so I am kinda digging the idea that there might be a second season.
The story is about Yumi. I think that is a really good synopsis for the show because it is truly about her. We got to see how her mind works as we meet these animated characters who play vital roles in making decisions about her but one thing that I would command is the portrayal of Kim Go-eun. She is doing a lot of facial expressions because there are a lot of internal dialogues played by the voices in her head. She is not crazy. The idea is that we have these cells-type individual living inside us participating in different decisions that we commit creating one hell of a person. This may not sound so original since we watched something like this in Cells at Work or Inside Out but what really elevated this story is that it is not really focused on being criminally accurate like Cells at Work or as deep as Inside Out but what it is trying to do is to just introduce us to Yumi. We are shown as to how she thinks and we got to see how her mind works through these cells. Kim Go-eun is what helping all of this because she is really nailing the facial expressions of the internal monologues while keeping a very strong presence in the show. She is the main character and she is giving us what she is being asked for. It is a very cerebral performance and she is giving us that. It is also a romantic comedy and the way that her character Yumi is written is a bit different because she feels like someone that we can all relate to. Honestly speaking, I see myself in different characters so that is something that I really enjoy. I feel like Yumi is someone that I know or is me. Go-eun really brings life to her. Yumi, on the other hand, is a good character to follow because she is a complicated female character in a romantic comedy. I know that we do not usually get this kind of words for a romantic comedy but Yumi’s Cells captured that thought process that everyone has and they kept on going for it. They are committed making this show such a lovable one to watch. She is also the titular character. I like that she is not the typical female Korean character because she objectifies Goo Woong too. I am not saying that objectifying is good but it is a difference that I am actually interested in. Her story is more matured than what we usually see and this is a perfect character study of who she is and how one’s mind works. The scene where she had to call it off with Goo Woong in the 13th episode of Season 1 made me cry. It is such an overwhelming scene because I spent most of my time falling in love with the love. My heart flutters whenever I see them together and them breaking up is something that I expected and knew of but the execution is impeccable. Go-eun’s facial expression and the way Yu-mi’s mind worked in that particular moment is amazing. I love how that sequence was made because we got to see a side of her that is a bit different. We saw a version of her that we did not want to see because we all have been in that situation and we knew how heartbreaking it would all feel. This is a genius moment of the show and I approve what they did.
For the first season, we focused not really on her first love but the love after she got dumped. The interesting thing about this love story is that the way it started is really good. She met Goo Woong when she was set up for a blind date by Chae U-gi who is the guy that he actually wants to be with. Side note, before I talk more about Goo Woong, Chae U-gi is played by Choi Min-ho. His character is actually gay and I am quite surprised with this twist since that is something that we do not usually see in a Korean series. We have a very handsome character who is gay and I am in love with this idea. I wish to see more of who he is as well. Now, let us go back to Goo Woong. He is played Ahn Bo-hyun. He is a game developer who happened to be insanely ripped and one of the hottest Korean actors that I know but his character seemed very reserved with his emotions except when he first met her. I love their first meetup because we got to see another character’s village of cells and how they work. The good thing about this is that they really followed a strong narrative with this character by really building his character as this slightly shady character who is also very sweet with Yumi. There was this scene when they fought during Yumi’s birthday that is resolved by a very romantic exchange. This is something that I enjoyed in this show. The relationship of Yumi and Goo Woong is almost an ideal type of relationship that I am really digging it to a point that I want them to be the endgame and I kinda hated Sae-yi. I love their banters tho. Again, Ahn Bo-hyun is such a hot man and I loved the scenes where Yumi imagined him taking a shower when she first came in his house or the one where she booked the glass wall. Those are really sexy. I love Ahn Bo-hyun and I love Goo Woong but we have to admit that he is also a very complicated guy and we got to see a lot of different sides of him. I felt like he is a very sweet guy but at the end of the day, we got to see that he is still a man that we all know. He still got his pride and his extreme self-love became a hindrance for him to go through with what he wanted to say and do. We can all agree with that. We all have that voices in our heads and we can all agree that being in a relationship is hard because of it. Nevertheless, the relationship that he and Yu-mi had is such a beautiful experience that one can only hope for. It is beautiful. It is real and the ending where they met for the last time in the front of the fountain where they first met is such a nostalgic moment that gave us the same level of emotions but with different emotions with the characters. At the end of the day, we have to choose ourselves and be happy with the decisions that we make even though we know the pain that it will cause us. This is an amazing example of what love can be. It will not always be nice and beautiful. We have to face the reality for it will not always be what we expect. I truly commend the writers of this series because they knew what they were doing and they did an amazing job in highlighting this aspect of the story.
I also enjoyed seeing Jinyoung in the show. He is so handsome and I feel that he will be YHu-mi's next boyfriend and I love that they started as work friends and not romantically involved immediately.

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