I totally agree with your analysis, and my DH and I enjoyed it very much. Though he would say that the ending of season 1 left him traumatized ;) He still sighs when he thinks about it. Glad we continued watching season 2.
At first I thought that the animation would be a weaker addition, but those little cells were very amusing and expanded the storyline.
I even went down a rabbit hole looking for a retro mechanical keyboard - which I'm using now :)

Thanks @dramaddictally for choosing the K drama I usually direct people to watch especially if they are in the mental health or social work field. I describe it as the grown up version of Inside out. I loved both seasons and the webtoon, which I had to read when we were left hanging at the end of season one.
This was such a great drama to watch alongside beanies as we guessed who she would end up with. The cells were definitely characters in themselves and added to the enjoyment of the drama it was so funny but also gave pause for thought about relationships and personal development.

I was a little bit disapointed by the turn it took towards the end of the second season but I still loved a lot this show.

The Cells were hilarious and I really liked to watch the different feelings of our heroin who was pretty relatable.

I still have to finish season 2 (one day I will!), but I loved what I had seen so far. The two worlds representation and connection, the animated one inside and the real one outside, work surprisingly well.
I was there with the Heroine, ups and downs. And Kim Goeun is great.

I thought Yumi's Cells was just great! Humor seems to me to be very difficult to enjoy in translation, so it was really delightful to find a drama that was funny even in subtitles. I love animation, so this was an added bonus. Yumi is not a typical sweet, virginal and kind female k-drama character---she is imperfect, neurotic, and even unlikable at times which is something I really appreciated. The main conflict was if she even needed to have a partner in love to live a full life. That is a great question!!!! Laugh out loud funny! Animation that added surprising depth on top of those laughs. I may have to go back and rewatch---but I was hoping there would be a season 3!!!

I'm sad we never got a final season - I would have liked to have seen Soonrok.

Also, just a plug for people who loved Yumi's Cell: the webcomic Daily JoJo is a sort of sequel slash spinoff of the Yumi's Cell webcomic (you see Woong quite a bit in it) and it is delightful. One of my absolute favorite webcomics. I really hope it gets the drama treatment at some point!

I loved both seasons and I could write pages ab my reasons but 1 reason that even surprised myself was this : Yoo Bobby /jinyoung
To be VERY honest (and with apologie to fans) when I first saw Yoo Bobby in the first season I hated him because I loved Yumi with Woong and I knew he is dangerous for their relationship. Woong was the typical male lead in kdramas that make you love them and you don't want the cute boy from next door replace him at all cost. And when it actually happened I refused to watch season 2 for a while, but when I watched it.... Wow I liked him even more? How that could be possible?
I didn't fancy these type of boys even in real world but this character captivated me with his understanding, I really appreciated his ability to just understand everything even when they broke up he understood Yumi, he was a gem in this drama although he wasn't pure perfect just like all of us, but he was a rare and VERY good character in drama land.

Sold. I dropped this (I am not a fan of Ahn Bo Hyun) but I think I will pick it back up again.

I don’t like animation and was surprised how much I loved the Cells. They’re so funny and such a true reflection of what goes on in anyone’s head. Great write up and recommendation!

@dramaddictally Sold! I'll buy whatever you are selling. This wasn't on my watchlist but now it is. I'm probably one of the few who hasn't seen this yet.

I guess I’m the audience for this essay, but honestly I’m still not feeling convinced about The Story and The Heroine.

I’m realizing more and more that slice-of-life is just not my thing. I either get bored because it feels like nothing is happening, or stressed because it feels too much like real life. The cells would probably help with the boredom quite a bit, but I’m concerned they would do nothing for the stress. And while I understand the appeal of a flawed and relatable heroine in theory, in practice what we usually end up with is someone like Oh Hae-young. I thought she was okay as I was watching (even though I felt uncomfortable on her behalf probably 45% of the time, which is not a feeling I enjoy), but I found that instead of that watch being a fond memory, I like the drama less and less as I look back on it.

Maybe some other Beanies can advise me: are my reservations founded based on my previous experiences? Would those who love this drama still recommend it to someone with these qualms?

This is one of the best written dramas I have ever seen, and I have become more aware of it after watching it than while I was watching it.

Those who have not seen It should give it a chance. The comedy is great, the love plots are unforgettable, the main characters are relatable and human (never flawless), the OST is beautiful...

There is one scene which will be my all-time favourite scene in dramas. It was from season 1 where Yumi communicated with one of the cells in her dream, regarding the main character of her life. That hit me hard.

After Season 1, I read the webtoon and finished it before season 2 aired. So, the second season felt a bit short of my expectations since they left out Soon Rok's part completely.

But, overall, it was still one of the best drama. PS. OSTs were such a nice match to the drama as well.
Particularly, Spotlight by Band Nah.

One of my favorite shows. 💚
But I would say that if you really liked the season 1 finale, and you dig the message of the show, and you root for Yu Mi and her dreams, and you want to see more of her development; then all the reasons that made you love season one become the reasons why you shouldn't watch season two.

...I kinda feel bad for using a green heart and then recommend to avoid season two with my Jin Young. 😶

I love Yumi's cells, it's my go to watch when I'm in a kdrama funk. I couldn't tell you the number of times I have rewatched it. It just brings me comfort and joy.
KGE is fabulous as Yumi, the cells are hilarious and add so much warmth to the show. Who would've known adding animation to a kdrama would work out soooo well. It made a refreshing change to be able to see what characters were actually thinking and feeling behind the scenes.
Both ABH and JY are wonderful as boyfriends although I don't think I would have liked Bobby half as much if it wasn't for Jinyoung, some of his actions can come across as questionable at times.
I haven't read the webtoon so I can't compare but I thought it was fantastic just as it is.
This year has been disappointing to say the least with kdrama shows. Yumi's Cells is gold, do yourself the favour.

Yumi's Cells is realistic. Thats it. Thats the review.
It brings a sense of realism to Kdrama land, taking a break from the usual dramas that we are accustomed to as well as the "happy endings" along with complex characters, each facing their own turmoil.
You don't have to have experienced a relationship before to understand how the characters are feeling either.

I have to admit, S1 traumatized me the most. That last scene would forever be ingrained in my mind, with the setting, pain AND THE SILENCE IEFHNAIUFHA (I remember clear as DAY where I was when I watched the last ep and DAMN) and that was one of the main reasons as to why I couldn't "enjoy" S2 because the hurt was still there. Man it felt like I was the one who went through the heartbreak, not Yumi.

Then again, people watch dramas to escape reality so this show might not appeal to some, which is understandable.
Aside from that, give Yumis Cells a watch at least once! It'll have you experiencing the entire emotion spectrum :')

Interesting, this sounds right up my alley, but for some reason never was on my radar. 🤔 I’ve read the title here or there, but it always sounded “strange”, so I never dug into it further to find out what it really is about - lol. The animated scenes sound super interesting and hilarious. For the same reason, I really liked “Inside Out”, which sounds kinda similar. (Lol, did anyone watch the bonus scene about the cat’s brain?! Absolutely spot on as I’m imagining it, and I’m still laughing just thinking about it!)

So thank you for this article 👏, it definitely goes on the (very long) watchlist. Now I just need to find the time!

Ah, the drama that made me realize that AHB can be charming and attractive and isn't only fit for jerks with punchable face roles... Not much about it otherwise, unfortunately. FL was meh, all her REALISTIC (imo, just bland even with teen-like wtf antics and colorful cells animations) personality regardless, other guy was high level annoying and I didn't even bother with Season2 aside of recaps so had a good laugh at that clownery on an ending at least. See, that's what happens when writer gets too carried away with their bias towards a certain actor and forgets that they also have a plot to execute. Seems like a common issue these days, isn't it?

Oh, right, it was supposed to be a recommendation post... Sorry, I just cannot^^ But ABH is really great here, maybe give it a try just for him? Tho I would stick to fanvids only...

This drama remains as one of my all time favorites! Please drama gods, we need season 3. I live watched this series and the anticipation of each episode was a heavy burden. ;-)

AHHHHHHH YUMI'S CELLS <3 loved this show! At first I thought the animated Cells would be stupid but to be honest they are the best part of the show!!! They are hilarious! The horny one humping the palm tree! The GIANT hunger cell ( VERY relatable)! The "silly" love cell! The pompous writer cell!

At first I hated Woong (Ahn Bo Hyun) bc he showed up for a first date all "shabby" and wearing flipflops! But slowly he wormed his way into my heart and I STILL wish they had ended up together :( I even dreamed he was my boyfriend! LOL And he had a good character arc whereas Bobbi... just didn't. He was nice, sure. Nice and bland. Always liking one girl while dating another one, WTF Bobbi! If I am with a guy and someone else makes his feelings falter, GO WITH HER. grrrr

And Woong running Yumi to the hospital (typical kdrama trope), buying her the frog sweater dress (um, hoodie sweater dresses should NOT exist). Their frog celebration date was awkward but adorable! I would love to go on that date. At first I hated how awkward he was but so was Yumi. They were just both insecure around each other and I prefer that to someone that's suave and smooth. And HIS birthday he bought a present for Yumi! I felt so bad for him when he had the tummy problems during the date, poor guy... then Yumi took care of him. I mean, how perfect. And even when they broke up he fixed her lights and cleaned up before he left. (And had to borrow money to buy her a new table that he broke) I am #teamwoong forever!

And the soundtrack! Amazing songs that I have since downloaded so I can listen to them all the time. And every time I hear "Like a star" my insides quake, I can't even.

Also, one last thing. The aesthetics of YC was so... aesthetic! I really loved the soft pastel colors. Although to be honest, there is NO WAY she should have been able to afford that amazing apartment (tv show gripe!)

As I am looking for a new show to watch I think I might revisit YC even though it hasn't been that long since I saw it. I'm so glad you wrote an essay on this show!

I'm one of those who haven't watched it, but I'm 387 episodes through the webtoon it is based on, and it is a.w.e.s.o.m.e so I'm glad to hear this translated well to the screen. It's such a clever webtoon, so I imagine adapting it may have been a daunting challenge, but I cannot see any way it could have been done without depicting the cells, and they are so OTT that I think they would just have to be animated in order to capture the magic.

Thank you @Dramaddictally for reminding us about all things awesome in Yumi's Cells.

We are used to shows having two timelines and weaving the threads of past and present, but this inner and outer world storytelling was another kettle of fish.

Of course the Cells HAD to be animated, why is that even a question. 🙄 But no one expected them to be all kinds of cute.