Still Very Good After Re-Watching

This was one of the first K-dramas I watched (back in 2020) and I liked it so much I re-watched it in 2022. I still like it a lot, and understood a few more words!

Starting with the good, and why I think this drama is well worth watching: There are three couples with different types of relationships, the main leads with the fake marriage, the second couple with the casual relationship and the third couple who has been dating for years. All three types of relationships evolve during the course of the show and are portrayed really well. The characters are very likeable and the acting was top-notch. I especially enjoyed Esom as the fiery second female lead.

What I also liked was the depiction of current issues like expensive housing, discrimination at the workplace, a “me too” moment where the girl is just supposed to just let it slide, and the overall problem of living in a patriarchic society as a woman. There is some wry humor, too. The show overall is light-hearted but with some depths as well.

The not-so-good: The show kept a good pace in the first few episodes but then got a bit draggy. Several dialogues went nowhere and I just wanted to yell at the characters to spit it out already. The female lead in particular was a bit vague, which led to misunderstandings, which took a while to clear up and caused the male lead some unnecessary suffering. But this show definitely has so many strong points that it can easily be forgiven when it drags a little. I certainly enjoyed watching it twice.

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Very, very funny

If you have ever wondered how and why your heart and mind and body react in certain situations, here’s your answer. Yumi’s Cells portrays the inner debates going on inside of us through cartoon characters representing love, reason, anxiety and everything else which makes us who we are. The interaction between the cells is absolutely hilarious and I laughed out loud several times, especially when the male lead’s cells showed up. Very, very funny stuff and very well written.

Surprisingly, despite the cartoon parts, this show offers a more realistic depiction of a relationship than many dramas that are entirely live action based. The two main characters fall in love (so cute!) but then struggle communicating. Love and betrayal, pride and miscommunication are all very realistically portrayed. We see the situations our couple find themselves in from the cells’ perspective, and they don’t always agree on what to do or say. Ultimately, a lot is left unsaid and a lot is left undone. (I would definitely recommend watching the first few episodes of Season 2 as well, because a lot of the events in the first season are explained further.)

The acting was phenomenal. Kim Go Eun’s Blue Dragon award was well deserved for her portrayal of Yumi, and Ahn Bo Hyun was just perfect for the role of her boyfriend. Give the cells an award too! They really were the stars of the show. I thoroughly enjoyed Season 1 and can highly recommend it.

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Entertaining drama with a few plot holes

I have not watched the original Spanish version so this review is solely based on the Korean show. Overall, I quite enjoyed it. One of the criteria of a good drama is looking forward to the next episode and not having the urge to fast forward through the boring parts, so in that sense, it was a good drama because there were no boring parts and it definitely kept me entertained. The plot is interesting despite a few holes – more about that below – and the premise of a reunited Korea was used well in the story, with some tension between characters from the North and the South as part of the plot.

The beginning of each episode has a little backstory that helps the viewer’s understanding of the main characters. This avoided the typical long flashbacks in the middle of the action, allowing the story to flow very smoothly as it was told. Very brief flashbacks to the planning of the heist enhanced the suspenseful cat-and-mouse game. Did the robbers foresee what just happened? Plan for it? How will the police react? That part was really well done.

The acting was fine, especially by Park Hae Soo as Berlin and Kim Ji Hoon as Denver. Wish the intimate scene catered a little less to the American market but hey, I’m not exactly complaining.

Now about those plot holes! They were significant and may have been in the original script as well, but that’s no excuse. The most glaring one was a civilian barging into the makeshift police headquarters. Pfff, like that would happen. Find another way to get the character the information he’s using later on. That scene really annoyed me because it was so illogical.

That said, I have no problem recommending this drama if you are looking for six hours of being well entertained. I will definitely watch Part 2.

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