Yumi's Cells (2021)

Engrossing series of a personal life and its trials. Kim Go Eun is gold.

Yumi's Cells series was definitely different, in a great way. I had to adjust to what they were doing with the animation. After episode one, it clicked. duh!  lol.  It made a lot of sense. Personally, I give the actress Kim Go-Eun a ton of credit for selling the emotions empathized by the cells. And I just finished seeing her "Little Women" about 17 days before. She's been good in most of the dramas I've watched with her. But in "Cells," her acting performance was stellar.

Overall, I enjoyed the series. So many scenarios and scenes reminded me of my times when I was in my 20s. Good and not so good decisions, learning my way through life itself. Especially when it came to personal relationships. 

Yumi's character's issues appeared self-produced at times. It all falls back to your inner core beliefs, your mental state, your self-esteem, and the core friendships and loves in your life. I'm trying not to reveal spoilers in this take, but there was one character that got on my nerves. That character's overly convenient appearances soon began to feel wedged. While I understand (a little) what they were trying to accomplish, I just feel that it began to dilute the great writing and story a little. I look forward to watching season 2.

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"Inside out" with a kdrama twist

I thought this was a refreshing kdrama. It reminds me a lot of the Disney/Pixar film, Inside out, where the inside of a character's mind is depicted by animated characters.

Casting:
Great acting. I really, really enjoyed watching the leads act. They conveyed their emotions perfectly. All the sadness, indecisiveness, the joy is conveyed well on the screen. Kim Go Eun was a real star in this, but so was Ahn Bo Hyun. I think this might be the first drama that I've seen Ahn Bo Hyun - and he really was great. Park Jin Young - if anyone that didn't look as handsome and sincere was cast as Yu Ba Bi I'd have really hated him. lol.


Plot (SPOILERS)

This drama is also different because it takes a different view on relationships. I haven't watched kdramas for years, but the one thing that bothered me is that they practically force the leads to be a couple at the end. And Yumi's Cell does not do this, which makes it very different.

It goes through the whole cycle of a relationship - the highs, the lows, the beginning and the end.

There are really two sets of worlds in this, and at first I thought the "cells" was a gimmick but I think it really enhanced the story telling and conveys how one feels internally.

I think the greatest character growth happened to Wung. He's really not good at conveying his emotions and really is bad at confrontation. Ironically with the last episode, I felt he finally grew. He knows what he wants and finally makes decisions. Before, I think he'd just go with the flow and would not confront the truth.

Yumi - I think she has shown her heart throughout (well probably because we are watching from her perspective) and I'm not sure what else she could have done "better". She has way more patience than I would have.

"Marriage" is one of those things that I think is important that a partner be on the exact same page. So I think it was the best decision.

Sae Yi - oh gosh she was annoying and felt like a virus lol. I was really glad when Yumi spoke up, and was so mad at Wung when he didn't say anything. He knows what's going on but yet lets it slide... for who knows what reasons.

Yu Ba Bi - gah - i wanted him to back off. lol. but he's played by Jinyoung, who just has enough handsomeness and sincerity to make me feel conflicted. I thought his ex was cool - how she ended it, but it sounded like their relationship was dead for a long time and they were dragging their feet

Anyways, I felt the ending was a good ending for this drama.

Production:
The cells were so cool. I really liked how they were integrated to enhance the story telling, and wasn't just a gimmick.

Personally - I sympathized a lot with these characters and I liked how the relationship was depicted. It let me reflect how I felt about my own personal relationship/break up.

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Relatable and adorable romcom!

This romcom is ADORABLE! They took the awkwardness, self doubt, and insecurities that come with dating and made it refreshingly funny and clever. The animation cells remind me of Pixar's INSIDE OUT concept where each cell is in charge of a feeling and serves as the leads' inner voice, often delivering the funny punchlines as well.. Being able to see and hear behind the mask is what makes this drama so fun and relatable.

Kim Go Eun is effortlessly natural as Yumi, showing Yumi's loneliness, awkwardness, and insecurities to relatable perfection. Go Eun's talent of being able to convey so much through her eyes and expressions alone is what makes this drama work. It lines up with the animated scenes and you can just feel what she's thinking. It also lends to the comedy as well. By playing it realistic, those embarrassing situations are even funnier and cuter.

I liked the chemistry she had with Ahn Bo Hyun and would have liked more scenes of them instead of all the anime. That was my one gripe. While the anime is cute and clever,, there was just too much of it and sometimes it got boring..
I would have much rather seen the chemistry play out between the leads than watching it through the anime characters. I hope this is something they'll fix in season 2. Can't wait!

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This drama is simply genius love it

My response is correct for both seasons and all episodes, (no episode is redundant) this drama is simply genius, smart and sophisticated, realistic, and unconventional. A spectrum of emotions that are expressed in animation, the endless struggle between emotion and logic (in life in general (work, friends, judgment and more and matters concerning love and reliability), the second season with new insights with maturity and maturation, the importance of open interpersonal communication, otherwise it brings To analyze wrong situations... perfect casting of the entire team, perfect acting from the wonderful main actors to the last of the actors, a simply great drama and how I almost forgot - a great soundtrack, so adjusted and precise for each episode.
The kind of dramas you don't forget so quickly
For me 10/10

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"No quiero terminar porque lx quiero o es solo temor a estar solx"

Esta es mi primera reseña en un drama... decidí empezar a dejar algunas en los que vea este año.

De todos los temas presentado en el drama con el que más me sentí identificada fue en el momento en el que Yumi decide tomarse un tiempo en la relación para pensar en sus sentimientos, y si es necesario muchas veces tomarnos un tiempo para tomar un respiro y pensar en lo que realmente deseamos y no me refiero a solo en una relación sino en general. Cuando Yumi se pregunta a ella misma si teme terminar con Woong por el hecho que lo quiere o simplemente teme estar sola me recordó a mí misma ya que antes de terminar una relación me pregunte lo mismo y a diferencia de Yumi llegue a conclusión de que si era temor a estar sola, pero la soledad muchas veces no es mala a vece simplemente necesitamos ese tiempo para nosotros.

Recomiendo el drama es entretenido, tiene sus escenas bastante graciosas sobre todo con las células, aunque por momentos era un poco aburrido.

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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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Only SK could make me cry for a man...

*Sigh* How do I even start?
At first I avoided Yumi Cell's like the plague because the premise didn't seem all that interesting to me but once I gave it a chance, the cells really got me. And then Yumi did. And then Wung.
Even as someone who could not imagine themselves with a man, their relationship got me giggling and kicking my feet until it didn't. I hated Bobby from day one. I hated how Wung seemed to change out of nowhere. I even started questioning whether they were ruining his character because of something to do with the actor.
But then I got it.
Yumi Cell's is annoyingly relatable: the characters will have you screaming, crying and throwing up and the trajectory of Yumi and Wung's relationship almost made me wanna drop the show. But then I realized that it all made perfect sense. They are both very human. The situations they get into are very real. And as much as I wanna believe everything could be perfect, that's just not reality, and Yumi Cell's makes one hell of a case for it (becoming the perfect mirror image of real life).

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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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