Categories: K-dramas

Episode 1 of Yumi’s Cells is Surprisingly Well Done But Ultimately the Webtoon Does Not Work as a Live-action Adaptation

The low(er) premiere ratings of tvN Fri-Sat drama Yumi’s Cells is sadly aptly earned. I watched the first episode and came away with opinions that were the opposite of what I thought I would think when I saw the casting and promos. I thought the webtoon would be perfect for a live-action drama but was not feeling the casting of Kim Go Eun as the petite and emotionally wary Yumi. After watching the first episode, my impressed is the reverse – Kim Go Eun is doing a great job as Yumi conceptually, not the same Yumi visually as the webtoon but captures her demeanor and hesitation, but the drama is so schizophrenic to watch due to the toggling between live-action story and the animated cells in their little cell world. Unlike Inside Out, the switches take me out of the story either way and it doesn’t help that the cells are so kawaii and don’t fit the real world mood. The director is handling it with as much deft as possible and the directing in either world scenes are wonderfully laid out, but ultimately it feels like two different dramas mashed together in atmosphere even if both separately have their own charm.

ockoala

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  • well even in inside out the cell is the leads so it take more time for cells appear on screen. so it really did take me out of the story when the human take the screen too.

  • The 2nd episode is way better IMO, especially when the ML’s cells are introduced and there’s that intersection with Yumi’s cells and how that paralleled their interaction in real life which I related with…having to force a laugh at some dude’s corny jokes on a date *sigh* I also love the direction it took with her crush because it’s about time and an aspect of it really does happen to some of us. It happened to me quite a bit in college actually lol..I eventually ends up with great friends out of it but I honestly felt her pain at that moment.

    If the show keeps giving me relatable moments that connects me to the main characters and their cells, then I think I’ll enjoy this for the most part. I hope it manages to stays interesting for most of its run.

  • I enjoy the animation, but can't say so for the live-action part. It's not that i hate it. It's just i'm more invested in the cell story and often times fast forwarding the live action just to see the animation. Having read the manga makes me know what will happen next so i have no eagerness in watching the live action, but the animation of the chaotic cells are fun to see even when i already know what they'll do.

  • I am liking it especially the second episode. Since I have no idea about the webtoon I don't have to compare the drama with it. I like both leads and hoping the ratings will remain steady and not go any lower. I would rather watch this than the newly released Squid Game.

  • Obviously the cells are the attraction here, what's going on in Yumi's life and her character itself are not very interesting, but the cells give different take to the standard office lady romcom/slice of life fare with their comments and shenanigans. It hardly can hold my interest even with the 2nd ep though, they should've just made it 20-30 mins per episode with specific theme to tackle in each just like the webtoon.

  • I was meh on episode 1 but liked episode 2 better. I absolutely love KGE in this. The cells do take me out of the story, and I can't help find them juvenile, but I'm getting used to it.

  • To me, the cells are kind of juvenile. Also, the platform Viki is not that appealing either. Since they use only volunteers for their translations the subs are slow and missing at times. There is so much content to watch out there and not enough hours in a day, I will not continue to watch this for these reasons. NETFLIX had reasons for not streaming this drama...

    • Viki translations are slower but worth waiting for as they are much more accurate than Netflix. Netflix subtitles are faster but they are terrible. Very poorly done, lazy and inaccurate.

      • The same opinion as yours, Sunny , for the translation of Netfrix were so quick and unaacurated, thanks.

    • it is TVING original series, south korea OTT platform by CJ E&M which is available only for domestically. so having netflix doesn't stream Yumi's Cells due to this reason

    • Viki's translation is way better than Netflix one. They use korean words that can't be translate like oppa, they are carefuly about the setting (sageuk or modern), etc.

      For the less famous dramas, yes the translation is slower but it's because they have a lot dramas to translate.

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