So Good… But Why So Short?
I really liked Yumi’s Cells Season 3, but honestly it felt way too short. I really wish it had 14 episodes like the previous seasons because I was just getting attached again and suddenly it was over. Kim Go-eun as Yumi was amazing as always—she makes everything feel so natural, especially in the emotional scenes. You can really connect with her character.I also liked Kim Jae-won as Soon-rok. He brought a calm and mature vibe, and honestly, their chemistry was good—it just felt more subtle and realistic rather than dramatic. It matched the overall tone of the season really well. And of course, the cells are still the best part, adding humor and making every small feeling more interesting.
This season is more slow and focused on growth than big romance, which I liked, but because of that, it needed more episodes to fully develop everything. It finished so fast and I wasn’t ready at all. I really wanted more time with these characters. Overall, I enjoyed it a lot—it’s simple, relatable, and emotional, just wish it didn’t end so quickly
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A rushed ending to an amazing series
This season can be summed up in 1 word: rushed. Everything was rushed in terms of relationship progression (how they started developing feelings, their dating story, … etc.).Until this day, I still can’t understand how both of them started to develop feelings for one another. Yumi went from hating Soonrok’s guts to crushing on him in a span of 5 minutes. The reasons for her hating him was just super petty and unreasonable for a person who is in their mid-30s. I understand some of Soonrok’s actions could be seen as off-putting to other people who don’t understand him but most of his actions didn’t justify the extreme hatred (?) that Yumi had for him. For example, she felt awkward because he didn’t return her light banter during their meeting, he isn’t obligated to say more “Yes” sometimes people just don’t have much to say. The worst plot is the fact that she got annoyed because he insulted her Maltese’s storyline. The writers must be have ran out of ideas for this one because why are we going for middle-school level pettiness for adults in their early to mid 30s? I can’t believe I had to watch 2 adults arguing about whether Malteses are dumb or not like I actually couldn’t care.
Then all of a sudden Yumi likes Soonrok? Why? Because he took off his glasses, wore casual clothes and smiled at her? Actually whats even harder to understand is how did Soonrok start liking Yumi? All the conversations they had with each other on screen was almost all work-related. What is even more bizarre is that Soonrok proposed to Yumi a month into their relationship. Where did all of these come from? They came rushing and pushing everything into the last 2 episodes when we could’ve had more characterization process for both Yumi and Soonrok and come to a clearer understanding of how both of them came to realize their feelings for one another. But no! We get unnecessary plot lines like the annoying male writer who doesn’t take no for an answer.
Also I feel like Yumi was more relatable in the previous 2 seasons. Maybe it’s because I’m not a successful writer while Yumi in the previous season was such a normal 9-5 office worker/unemployed person who is trying to re-find her passion in writing again whilst navigating the relationships around her. This season just focused on her romance plot line and not a lot of focus on her career aspects? Of course you can’t fit everything into only 8 episodes, thats why this season needed more.
Overall still love Yumi’s Cells, the actors and actresses did a phenomenal job, I thought Kim Jae Won did pretty decent portraying Soonrok. The plot and maybe soundtrack could’ve been better.
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She's just pretty
We can't chalk it all up to the reduced number of episodes. This season was very lacking in so many different ways.You don't marry someone just because they're pretty and you like their writing. You can but that's not a sustainable or even a proper relationship. South Korean society needs to be studied. This obsession with physical beauty is not normal and it's actively putting them in a path of self-destruction. It's more than a symptom when a whole society focuses so much on physical beauty that they start to erase the features which are natural to them. It's the same as saying that being naturally who you are is wrong, that's a level of self-hatred which brings societies down. When she asked what he liked about her, he said she's pretty. When describing her to the jewellery shop clerk, he mostly mentioned physical traits: her face is small, her skin is white, she's elegant and thin. The typical South Korean beauty ideal we see pushed in every drama. Before, it used to be not having curly hair, not wearing glasses and not dressing sporty. Now it's a whole other level of physical compliance shoved down every woman's throat. This isn't a problem with this show alone but it's something that keeps popping up with almost every show. The only non physical trait he mentioned was her being an intellectual. But is she an intellectual? Just because she writes books about love?
Everything seems so shallow.
Was the end game a wedding? After all we've been through? Because it's not even a marriage, it's a wedding with so many red flags.
We see someone portrayed as an introvert, but is he really just an introvert? His inner world is ruled by a set of ironclad principles. That's very adjacent to how autistic people are usually described, with unshakable moral principles. It's like the author confused introversion with autism. Once his principles crumbled, his unshakable principles gained a new direction and focused solely on Yumi. The center of his inner world is now occupied by a person he is supposed to uphold and defend above all else. That's not romantic, that's not how introvert people work and that's half way into Yumi ending up in a domestic violence situation. When Yumi has her love cell as her main cell, the focus is still on Yumi's love and her relationship to that love. In this case, it's not his love cell that is involved, but this cell who puts a person who isn't himself above himself. That's not love, that's obsession.
This season gave us a wedding but it didn't give us a relationship. It tried to do enemies to lovers, misunderstandings to lovers, obsession to marriage. A show that broke many tropes and had a fresh format falls too short with this conclusion. It should have ended at season one. This is one more reason why I will always be against sequels. Too much of a good thing is not necessarily good.
The soundtrack is iconic. The acting was acceptable. Kim Go Eun is one of my favourite actresses and the reason I watched this show. It's sad the show fell so short. There's no need for another season. There already wasn't for the last two.
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유미의 세포들 제작진 여러분께,이렇게 따뜻하고 특별한 작품을 만들어 주셔서 진심으로 감사드립니다. 저는 유미의 이야기를 보며 많은 공감과 위로를 받았고, 그녀의 성장과 사랑을 늘 응원했습니다.
저는 구웅을 정말 좋아했던 팬이었고, 유미와의 관계를 진심으로 응원했습니다. 또한 바비 역시 좋아했고, 두 사람의 이야기도 충분히 이해하고 공감할 수 있었습니다.
하지만 순록과 유미의 관계는 솔직히 많이 아쉬웠습니다. 두 사람 사이에서 이전 관계들처럼 자연스럽고 설득력 있는 감정과 케미를 느끼기 어려웠습니다.
특히 두 사람이 단둘이 있는 장면에서는 순록의 행동이 지나치게 어색하게 느껴져, 두 사람의 로맨스에 몰입하기가 쉽지 않았습니다.
유미의 마지막 사랑도 이전의 관계들만큼 깊은 감동을 주기를 바랐지만, 개인적으로는 그런 감정을 느끼지 못해 아쉬움이 컸습니다.
그럼에도 불구하고 유미의 세포들은 제게 큰 위로와 감동을 준 소중한 작품입니다. 작가님, 감독님, 배우분들, 그리고 모든 제작진 여러분께 진심으로 감사드립니다.
유미의 이야기를 들려주셔서 감사합니다.
키르기스스탄의 한 팬으로부터
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Wasted potential due to rushed ending.
Great for the first six episodes, but damn the ending felt rushed. I hate to be the one to say it, but this needed to be longer. Still, it's an enjoyable show with great acting and chemistry, but I kind of found myself wishing for better plot development and a more satisfying ending for Yumi. Soon Rok is my favourite ML of the show so far, but the writing forces him to make some questionable choices in the final two episodes, while Yumi kind of has to go along with it. I feel like the actress Kim Go-Eun didn't get all that much to work with, as her character didn't make as much progression as I'd hoped.4/5 | B+
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What a series!
To be loved is to be changed and this is what this entire season was about, as soon as Yumi saw Soon Rook her cells, her emotions and her feelings started reviving (even if she was so done with him at first) and as soon as Soon Rook fell for Yumi his principles shattered, I realized how easy it is to change when you are in love, true loveAs an introvert like Soon Rok who has been misunderstood in the past of my feelings, this season of Yumi’s Cells have really proven to me that the right person will definitely do everything possible to be with you, no matter what, and all you just have to do is meet them. There’s no pride or hesitation in how most introverts feel when we meet the person we care about… we express our feelings extremely to the max! Before the time, there may be misunderstandings as we live fully in our world, but once we are certain, we fight to be with the one we choose. I’ve been crying watching these episodes because it really has convinced me that true love will come for us, no matter our temperaments, and that all it takes is the right person and right moment. Yumi is guaranteed to be loved forever by this wonderful man. I’m so, so happy for her! What a beautiful end to one of the best series ever!
The animation element to this drama has been so consistent and brilliant it brought the story to life in such a unique way and made us connect to the characters on a deeper level. There’s always a bittersweet feeling when a drama you like ends, but saying goodbye to Yumi’s Cells is a lot harder. Such a great drama, everyone involved in it deserves their flowers.
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1Great contrasts but the ending was rushed.
This was a decent watch, an easy binge with a decent take on the measurements some must take to survive in an exhausting world... Boundaries and the way one is perceived while just trying to make it trugh the day.The season has a bit of second hand embarrassment, some over the top moments and at least one character I wanted to send in to small dark room to rot. Some parts dragged out a bit to long while others were cut short, especially the ending flet like they skipped a chapter or two just to get to the point. That said the contrast and growth of communication between the leads was fun to watch and the episodes truly did just fly by...
Also I am not a fan of multiple seasons, but somehow Yumi makes it work, I am not sure if Im hoping for another chapter/season or not.
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Still cute and funny, but fell short compared to other seasons
I've enjoyed following Yumi's journey through these 3 seasons, but this last season really fell short compared to the others. With only 8 episodes compared to the 14 in other seasons, this season felt too rushed and lacked depth. I still enjoyed the cuteness and humor, but didn't really believe the love story which is a disappointing way to end the series.Likes:
1) Sun Rok's unique character - I think it's the first time where I've seen an introvert's energy levels explained so well in a drama. I completely related to the energy depiction and also the sort of opposite work vs home personality. Even though MBTI has helped people understand a little bit about introversion, this depiction really captured how much being social can drain strong introverts.
2) Kim Go Eun as Yumi - I can not picture anyone else who could have played this role to perfection like she did. I love her. Her expressions in the beginning towards Sun Rok's rudeness were hilarious!
3) Of course, the anime cells - I don't need to explain that one. My favs were Yumi's enormous hungry cell and Sun Rok's enormous naughty cell. hahaha
4) The addressing of how we approach love so differently as we age. I loved watching this journey as I could relate.
Dislikes:
1) The rushed loved story - it wasn't believable. There wasn't enough buildup between the indifference to love. It needed more time to develop which is a shame because the acting was good and the chemistry had potential but because of time, the chemistry fell short.
2) While I like Sun Rok's opposite work and home personality, at times it was a bit too extreme esp towards the end. So sometimes it felt unbelievable.
3) The last episode was just too rushed in wrapping up everything. A big let down as it could have been all heart fluttery, but it felt like the writers/director just didn't care.
Overall still an entertaining watch, but most likely will be a bit disappointing for those of us that have been on Yumi's journey.
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Go man, give us nothing!
Underwhelmed and unsatisfied with the romance: Have you ever waited 4 years for a complete letdown? That's what it feels. The characters are actually well thought out and their interiority beautifully depicted. Yumi is the best version of herself, goal-oriented and very adult.But she still can't dress herself to save her life. The knitwear is atrocious. Over a white t-shirt, what is this, trashy 1998? Couple that with the unflattering haircut and you have a heroine that lacks taste, ironically for an artist. It's good that she doesn't design the comics, she's writing them.
The romance doesn't flourish until the last episodes and even then it's childish and redundant. I signed up for heart-fluttering, not okay-fine. They are adults, sure, but there can still be whimsy. I am profoundly underwhelmed.
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Another swooning chapter in Kim Go Eun’s romantic saga
As they always say, ‘third’s time a charm’ so Kim Go Eun and her cell village return for a heart-fluttering third and final season in the search for love.After dating a nerd and a romantic and getting her heart broken on both occasions, Yumi chose to remain single and focused on her career as a writer. When the familiar butterflies in her stomach suddenly come back to life, it is none other than because of her associate publisher, Shin Soon Rok who is extremely calm, level-headed, and most importantly, younger than Yumi. This pairing gives off “calm bf and hyper gf” meme. The stark contrast in their personalities is glaring even in their first meeting. Can this noona workplace romance be the key to Yumi’s happily ever after?
I am fairly impressed with Kim Jae Won’s portrayal of a man of few words and few expressions while at work. He totally nails the neutral face emoji (😐) since he is the epitome of an introverted personality (pro max version). You can instantly tell hanging out with people is not his favorite thing and just depletes his social battery. Nothing seems to boost his mood while he is socializing at work. Hence, it is only natural that some can misunderstand his personality and dismiss him as rude and party pooper. No one but Jae Won can perfectly pull off Soon Rok’s dual charm of inscrutable face at work and adorable puppy look at home. He is emotionless but his acting does not look stiff and I think that is a great sign Jae Won totally nailed his role.
Kim Go Eun has consistently brought to life the comical and tearjerker events in Yumi’s life. Her comedic timings are still spot-on. Go Eun’s hilariously funny and painfully relatable thoughts is one of the reasons viewers cheered in her quest of love and dreams. She never misses a beat, whether it’s getting flustered while caught up in an awkward situation, getting riled up over a coworker’s behavior, or suddenly realizing she has fallen head over heels again. In this last season, she has notably displayed maturity and sensibility. She clears the air as soon as possible to avoid further conflicts. She is no longer easily swayed and swept up by her emotions, but falling in love is clearly an exception. However, emotional numbness poses a threat both in her cell village and in her job as a writer. Thankfully, Soon Rok comes her way, wreaks havoc and revives Yumi’s deserted cell village.
It has been a while since I giggled, twirled my hair and kicked my feet in the air while watching a K-Drama. Yumi's Cells truly captures the feeling of diving blindly, headfirst into love. I missed this feeling of giddiness. K-Dramas nowadays feel too contrived, the chemistry feels forced and the outfits are overly flashy.
This season is the epitome of the phrase 'the more you hate, the more you love' because you can't hate someone without spending your precious time thinking and nitpicking everything about them. I love how Yumi's Cells continue to highlight that people have layers and a single encounter with someone doesn't define them. We all carry contradictions, passions and habits that can only truly be understood after spending some time with someone.
I love the enamored look at Soon Rok’s eyes whenever he or looks at Yumi. You can instantly tell he really cherishes Yumi and he’s got his eyes only for her. He is also unfazed when he learns Babi is Yumi’s ex. He didn’t get defensive nor did he probe Yumi about it. This is what everyone should aim for: a love that feels easy and secure.
A subtle parallelism between Yumi’s apathy and Soon Rok’s robotic personality is also highlighted in the show. The lack of emotions is far different from a lack of social energy. The former can unintentionally cause us to lose our spark in life while the latter is simply a way of conserving energy for the activities we truly enjoy. In the end, Yumi and Soon Rok found solace and rest in one another.
However, the question still remains: how can you choose the person you want to spend the rest of your life with when even your feelings are contradictory and unreliable? The answer is: when you know, you know.
My only issue is, just like everybody else is saying, this was way too short. Yumi and Soon Rok’s relationship timeline feels hastened. At one point, they were having an honest and open conversation and the two of them reached a mutual decision. But then parents suddenly barged in and everything they talked about felt like it disappeared into thin air just like that.
But then again, the length of dating does not really dictate the longevity or happiness of a marriage. Some couples date for less than a year, yet their marriage is still blissful. Meanwhile, others have even conquered the seven-year itch, only to learn they don’t work well living together. Indeed, love is a hit or miss. You are never going to know what you will get unless you take a chance and gamble your fragile little heart, putting it on the line. I was hoping for more of Yumi and Soon Rok’s relationship dynamics, but we already caught glimpses of that in later episodes which even revealed Soon Rok’s laidback, childlike charm at home which is unknown to many.
What I noticed in Season 2 is it perfectly balances the storyline of Yumi's dreams and love whereas Season 3 heavily focused on finding her endgame. It wouldn’t have hurt if we peeked a bit into how she balanced dating Soon Rok while still staying on top of her game. I also wondered whether Soon Rok got reassigned to a new writer. Maybe the director intended such conclusion up to the viewer’s interpretation. Open endings are built like that to keep us, viewers, from reeling long after watching.
I don't harbor any ill feelings toward Woong or Babi because they both shaped Yumi to who she is today. They both boosted her confidence and helped her pursue her dreams of being a writer. Woong gifted her a typewriter to reignite her passion for writing while Babi fully supported her in her decision to write full-time and join contests. Yumi will not be the successful writer that she is today without her past heartbreaks and betrayals. She transformed her sadness and gloom into art which is her romance books. Isn’t it fascinating how our darkest times can be a steppingstone and catapult as to our crowning moments?
I’m truly going to miss this show, especially Swear Cell and Naughty Cell haha. But then again, I’m the captain of my cell village and I can make each day as exciting and worthwhile as Yumi’s. I may not have men as handsome as Yumi’s exes ☹️, but I can allow myself to experience life in ways that shape me into the very best version of myself. After all, emotional turmoil is what makes us human. Feelings waver, lifelong principles are broken, people come and go, and that’s all part of the human experience. Amidst all this uncertainty, we can still choose how we react and decide which people and things we want to pour our energy, feelings, and time into.
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An entertaining conclusion to the series
I was skeptical going into this season even though I read the webtoon because I didn't know how they would interpret it for the small screen and if the main leads will have good chemistry. Safe to say that some of my expectations were met while some were left in the dust.Let's start with the positives:
1. The humor- I'm a very dry person but even I laughed out loud by the comedy. The jokes and humor landed for me and is the main reason I enjoyed this show
2. The cell animation and dialogue- I really enjoyed the cells and their dialogue within themselves. They were written very well and were distinct.
3. The doubts in love- One thing I appreciated a lot in this season was the doubts before the start of a relationship. Even starting a relationship can be confusing and emotionally draining so I'm glad they touched on this subject.
4. Perfect portrayal of introverts- As a fellow extreme introvert, I was happy by how well they explained the functioning of an introvert. All my life, I've been misunderstood and misrepresented but I was very happy by how they showed Soon Rok's inner workings
Lets move onto the negatives:
1. The forced plot points- Since they show the inner workings of each individual, it just easy to sense when a plot point doesn't make sense. Some scenes felt really forced, like the writer was pushing their ideas onto us instead of it flowing naturally in the story.
2. The chemistry- This is subjective but I couldn't feel the chemistry between the leads. They were just work colleagues who had a slightly awkward work dynamic but then suddenly one of the starts liking the other. So I couldn't feel their emotional connection or attraction they felt for each other
3. The inconsistency in writing- I get that a person can change but it doesn't happen overnight and definitely not drastically. It just felt like lazy writing, like the writer couldn't bother to connect them so they wrote it in for the sake of it.
4. The acting- Again this is subjective, but I feel like the main lead's acting could've been better or we got a different male lead. He had the most complicated character in this season but his portrayal of his different personas felt too much like they were two different people and not just a single person.
Overall, I had a good time and that's whats important. Some parts could've been much better but I still enjoyed myself. 7/10 stars.
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Sun Rok
Yumi's cells has been one of my favorite Korean dramas, so much so that I have purposely avoided the webtoon as to not affect my opinion.From the very first season I have been aware that Soonrok was endgame, but other than his name I didn't know anything about the character, so I have been looking forward to him to finally show up.
In season 1 I fell for Koo wong pretty quickly, how could I not just look at that man! Ufff!!! I was skeptical about Yoo Bobby, I highly doubted that he could top Koo wong, but he got to me so bad, that I actually cried in season two, I hadn't even noticed but I had fallen for him, hard. I felt real life heart break for Bobby.
Now Sun Rok, I don't understand why he was hyped up so much, I didn't understand why Yumi liked him so quickly it wasn't until episode 7 when I started to warm up to him, and it's most likely deliberate, I'm probably missing the point but I wish we would've seen more of his laid back cute side in the previous episodes, just glimpses here and there, or maybe if it were 10 episodes instead of 8, or if I had waited instead of watching week by week. I avoided reading the webtoon and still ended up comparing the two versions somehow.
Still I really enjoyed this final season, although it left me wanting more and probably will watch the whole thing again, or maybe even finally read the webtoon.
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