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Pierce Conran

This article contains spoilers.
The premise of Yumi’s Cells – young, love-starved office worker stumbling through awkward dates and romantic misunderstandings – isn’t original. However, seeing the Inside Out-esque animated world within Yumi’s head has allowed the show to turn stereotypical romcom beats into fresh and fun vignettes.
When we first met Yumi (Kim Go-eun), she had been off the dating market for years and suddenly had eyes for colleague Ugi (Choi Min-ho). When that didn’t work out, she was set up on a date with his game developer friend Woong (Ahn Bo-hyun).
Despite a rough start to their blind date, the pair soon hit it off and became a solid item within the show’s first couple of weeks. Beyond that, the original romcom series airing on Tving in South Korea and iQiyi elsewhere, hasn’t presented us with many major conflicts, instead focusing on how the pair navigate the many awkward moments that naturally surface early on in a relationship.


As such, Yumi’s Cells lacks a compelling narrative anchor to make it compulsive viewing but – with its extremely relatable comedy and cute, colourful way of reimagining tired scenarios – the show has continued to delight as Yumi and Woong have got to know each other.
Among the challenges for the couple have been early trips to each other’s flats. Visiting Woong’s place for the second time, when she needs to do an urgent bit of work before they go to the cinema, Yumi is treated to some home-made Yuzu tea. She realises the tea was a gift from Woong’s close colleague Sae-yi (Park Ji-hyun).
Yumi’s Cells: delightful romcom offers K-drama spin on Inside Out
Not only is Sae-yi a close and attractive friend of Woong’s, she’s also had her eyes on him ever since they became friends a decade ago. Alarm bells – or rather an intuition cell with a light bulb on its cranium – set off in Yumi’s head and she quickly begins to assume the worst.
An impromptu trip to Woong’s office gives her the chance to scope out her enemy and catch her off guard, but the ploy fails when Sae-yi surprises her first in the bathroom. A tense battle of wits and innuendo ensues, as the pair size each other up.
Half oblivious, half ignoring the trouble brewing between the two women in his life, Woong makes matters worse when he fails to tell Yumi that Sae-yi has moved into his building – a power move if ever there was one. Yumi finds out when she drops in for a surprise sleepover, only to be surprised by Sae-yi in another enclosed space – a lift – as she goes to Woong’s flat to borrow wine glasses.

This sparks the couple’s first major fight and Yumi’s cells start a 24-hour break-up clock. Set to expire at 11pm the next day, Yumi and her cells await any sign of contact from Woong.
As the clock runs out and she begins to panic, a sudden revelation takes hold of Yumi: why is she placing Woong above herself?
Before this lover’s tiff, Yumi’s love cell entered Woong’s “village” through a wormhole of love, which opens up every time the pair share a kiss. “Love” stealthily lowers herself into Woong’s data centre, Mission: Impossible-style, and spies his list of favourite things.
She and her fellow cells are relieved to find that Sae-yi is number 11 on the list, but Yumi is only in second place, as Woong occupies his own top spot. Yumi is also second on her own list, with Woong up top.
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On the verge of breaking up, a change occurs in Yumi and she rises to first place on her own list, placing herself over her boyfriend. This gives her the courage to stand up for herself and confront the issue head on.
When presented with an ultimatum, Woong goes to Yumi. Though it’s an aggressive move on Yumi’s part, it saves them from the brink of disaster.
Compared to Sae-yi, Yumi and Woong’s other trials and tribulations are far more comical and lighthearted. These include Woong’s first trip to Yumi’s flat, where he is mortified when, having had to answer a call of nature, Yumi’s toilet clogs.

Later, Yumi is entrusted with booking a good room for their first trip together but, after hesitating on the phone, she winds up getting a room with a clear glass bathroom, which excites her lust cell but horrifies her etiquette cell. The altercation this causes on their holiday sets up one of the show’s best jokes, as “King Sullen” in Woong’s village temporarily derails the trip.
With four episodes left, the main intrigue is between Yumi and Bobby Yoo, played in a special appearance by Jin Young of Got7, a very handsome member of the marketing team in her firm. Bobby is in a relationship but is growing distant from his partner, while Yumi’s writing ambitions receive encouragement from him, especially as he helps her get a transfer to his prestigious department.
What will happen when she finds herself even closer to this handsome and sweet colleague on a daily basis remains to be seen.

Yumi’s Cells is streaming on iQiyi.


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K-drama midseason recap: Yumi’s Cells – charming, partly animated drama adds fresh twists to tired romcom tropes

Ahn Bo-hyun (left) and Kim Go-eun in a still from Yumi’s Cells. The Korean drama series about a love-starved office worker, with animations of what goes on in her head, puts a new spin on old romantic comedy tropes.

Park Ji-hyun in a still from Yumi’s Cells.

Kim Go-eun (left) and Ahn Bo-hyun in a still from Yumi’s Cells.

Kim Go-eun (left) and Jin Young in a still from Yumi’s Cells.

K-drama review: Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha – Netflix’s charming romcom, despite hokey finale, gives fans what they were waiting for

Kim Seon-ho (left) and Shin Min-a in a still from Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha.

Shin Min-a (left) and Kim Seon-ho finally admitted their love for each other in K-drama romance Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha.

Kim (left) and Shin in a scene from Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha.

Lee Sang-yi in a still from Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha.

A still from Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha.

K-drama review: My Name – Netflix gangland revenge drama starring Han So-hee spins its wheels after promising start

Han So-hee in a still from My Name.

Han So-hee in a scene from Netflix gangster-revenge drama My Name. Her character survives many against-the-odds fights, but they tend to run into one another as the narrative peters out and turns in on itself.

Park Hee-soon in a still from My Name.

Han (left) and Ahn Bo-hyun in a scene from My Name.

Han in a still from My Name.

The 15 best Korean dramas on Netflix, from Squid Game to Kingdom and Crash Landing on You

Lee Jung-jae in a still from Squid Game. Photo: Netflix

Park Seo-joon (left) and Kim Da-mi in a still from Itaewon Class. It is one of many K-dramas that can be found on Netflix.

K-drama midseason recap: High Class – illogical high-society tale apes better Korean dramas and films, including Parasite in which its star Cho Yeo-jeong had a similar role

Cho Yeo-jeong in a still from High Class.

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Ha Jun as Danny Oh in a still from High Class.

Jang Sun-yool as Yi-chan in a still from High Class.

Busan 2021: Han So-hee stars in My Name, Netflix revenge K-drama that’s grungy and packs a punch

Han So-hee in a still from My Name. Photo: Netflix

Han So-hee in a still from My Name, a gritty, eight-part revenge drama in which she plays feisty Yoon Ji-woo, on the trail of her father’s killers and ready for a fight. Photo: Netflix

Park Hee-soon in a still from My Name. Photo: Netflix

Ahn Bo-hyun in a still from My Name. Photo: Netflix

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The relationship between the leads has been the focus of Yumi’s Cells, with the pair navigating the many awkward moments that surface early on in a relationship
With four episodes left, the main intrigue is between Yumi and Bobby Yoo, played in a special appearance by Jin Young of K-pop group Got7



The animated world within Yumi’s head has allowed Korean drama series Yumi’s Cells to turn stereotypical romcom beats into fresh and fun vignettes despite its unoriginal premise.
