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.