''Yumi's Cells'' () is a 2021
South Korean television series
Korean drama (), also known as K-drama or Koreanovela, refers to Korean-language television shows made in South Korea. These shows began to be produced around the early 1960s, but were mostly consumed domestically until the rise of the Korean Wa ...
directed by Lee Sang-yeob and starring
Kim Go-eun
Kim Go-eun (; born July 2, 1991) is a South Korean actress. She debuted in the film '' Eungyo'' (2012) where she won several Best New Actress awards in South Korea. She is also known for her roles in the television series '' Cheese in the Trap ...
,
Ahn Bo-hyun
Ahn Bo-hyun (; born May 16, 1988) is a South Korean actor, model, and television personality under FN Entertainment. Since his acting debut in 2014, he has appeared in various films and television dramas. Ahn achieved a career breakthrough with ...
, and
Park Jin-young
Park Jin-young (; born December 13, 1971), also known by his stage names J. Y. Park and The Asiansoul or the initials JYP, is a South Korean singer-songwriter, record producer, record executive, and reality television show judge. Park rose to s ...
. Based on
the eponymous webtoon, it is a cell-based psychological romance that unravels the daily life of an ordinary office worker Yumi through the eyes of the cells in her head. The series premiered on
tvN on September 17, 2021, and aired every Friday and Saturday at 22:50 (
KST).
It was also released simultaneously on both
online streaming services
TVING
TVING () is a South Korean subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming television service operated by TVING Corporation, a joint venture comprising CJ ENM Entertainment Division (CJ Group), Naver and JTBC by its JTBC Studios, now calle ...
and
iQIYI
iQIYI (, pronounced in English as ), formerly Qiyi (), is a Chinese subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Baidu. Headquartered in Beijing, iQIYI primarily produces and distributes films and television series.
i ...
.
On September 8, 2021, TVING announced that the drama had sold broadcast rights in more than 160 countries around the world, including
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
,
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...
and
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...
.
The second season premiered exclusively on TVING on June 10, 2022, releasing two episodes every Friday at 16:00 (KST).
It was later aired on tvN from November 16, 2022, every Wednesday and Thursday at 22:30 (KST). On September 15, 2022, it was announced that season 2 had been sold to
Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video, known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming television service owned by Amazon. The service primarily distributes films and television series produced or co-produced by ...
for broadcasting in Japan. It was also available on Amazon Prime Video in Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines.
Series overview
Synopsis
Season 1
The drama tells the story of an ordinary office worker from the perspective of the brain cells in her head that control her every thought, feeling and action.
Yumi (
Kim Go-eun
Kim Go-eun (; born July 2, 1991) is a South Korean actress. She debuted in the film '' Eungyo'' (2012) where she won several Best New Actress awards in South Korea. She is also known for her roles in the television series '' Cheese in the Trap ...
) is an ordinary woman. Her love-cell falls into a coma following the shock of a failed relationship. The drama will depict her growth and transformation as her cells work hard to wake up the love cell.
Goo Woong (
Ahn Bo-hyun
Ahn Bo-hyun (; born May 16, 1988) is a South Korean actor, model, and television personality under FN Entertainment. Since his acting debut in 2014, he has appeared in various films and television dramas. Ahn achieved a career breakthrough with ...
) is a game developer who is an engineer to the core. Although he doesn't speak emotionally, he tries to wake up Yumi's love-cell with his simple and honest personality.
Season 2
After parting with Goo Woong, Yumi starts a new relationship with her co-worker Babi (
Jinyoung) but they start to have issues after some time when he doesn't tell her the truth about certain things.
Cast
Main
*
Kim Go-eun
Kim Go-eun (; born July 2, 1991) is a South Korean actress. She debuted in the film '' Eungyo'' (2012) where she won several Best New Actress awards in South Korea. She is also known for her roles in the television series '' Cheese in the Trap ...
as Kim Yumi, an ordinary office worker.
*
Ahn Bo-hyun
Ahn Bo-hyun (; born May 16, 1988) is a South Korean actor, model, and television personality under FN Entertainment. Since his acting debut in 2014, he has appeared in various films and television dramas. Ahn achieved a career breakthrough with ...
as Goo Woong, a game developer and Yumi's second boyfriend and Sae-yi's love interest.
** Jun Ho-young as teen Goo Woong
*
Park Jin-young
Park Jin-young (; born December 13, 1971), also known by his stage names J. Y. Park and The Asiansoul or the initials JYP, is a South Korean singer-songwriter, record producer, record executive, and reality television show judge. Park rose to s ...
as Yoo Babi, Yumi's co-worker and boyfriend.
*
Kim Jae-won as Shin Soon-rok, employee of a publishing company in charge of Yumi's works and her boyfriend.
Yumi's cells
* Love Cell (voice: Ahn Soi)
:Yumi's prime cell that represents the people. It's the driving force behind Yumi's actions. Other cells wear blue, but it wears pink.
* Emotional Cell (voice: Park Ji-yoon)
:Emotional cell, responsible for emotion. It has a nocturnal temperament, so at night, it flutters blue leaves and gets wet with sensitivity.
* Rational Cell (voice: Shim Kyu-hyuk)
:The opposite cell responsible for ideal thinking. When working or having an important conversation, this is Yumi's busiest cell from the moment she wakes up to the moment she goes to sleep.
* Hungry Cell (voice: Lee Jang-won)
:Cell responsible for appetite and cravings. When this cell wakes up, Yumi's appetite explodes.
* Naughty Cell (voice: Ahn Young-mi)
:Clumsy sexuality cell that promotes racy thoughts. It spits out obscene words from time to time, most of which are muted.
* Detective Cell (voice:
Jeong Jae-heon)
:Detective cell that analyzes and predicts people and situations around it. Serious reasoning with a tragic appearance.
* Fashion Cell (voice: Kim Yeon-woo)
:Fashion cell responsible for the sense of fashion.
* Hysterious (voice: Um Sang-hyun)
:Hysterious is responsible for hysteria.
* Anxiety Cell (voice: Sa Moon-yeong)
:Cell responsible for anxiety. It senses anxiety and even helps Yumi.
* Inner Feeling Cell (voice: Sa Moon-yeong)
* Rampage Cell (voice: Jeong Jae-heon)
* Fussy Cell (voice: Sa Moon-yeong)
* Lullaby Cell (voice: Jeong Jae-heon)
* Cheapskate Cell (voice: Ahn Soi)
* Reaction Doll No.1 (voice: Ahn Soi)
* Stomach Cell (voice: Shim Kyu-hyuk)
* I've-Seen-It-Somewhere Cell
* Cleaning Cell
* Tongue Cells (voice:
Yoo Se-yoon
Yoo Se-yoon (; born September 12, 1980) is a South Korean comedian and television comedy show host. He hosts and co-hosts a variety of shows, in addition to being a part of musical/comedic duo, UV. Yoo has been a part of shows such as South Kor ...
)
Goo Woong's cells
* Rational Cell (voice: Um Sang-hyun)
* Humor Cell (voice: Jeong Jae-heon)
* Love Cell
Babi's cells
* Tongue Cells (voice:
Kang Yu-mi)
Supporting
*
Park Ji-hyun as Seo Sae-yi, Goo Woong's colleague. She dreams of becoming the best game art director.
*
Lee Yu-bi as Ruby, Yumi's co-worker who prides herself on mastering various dating techniques.
*
Joo Jong-hyuk as Louis
:A game developer workaholic. Goo Woong, Seo Sae-yi, and he were college classmates, who have set up and run an online game company.
*
Jeong Soon-won
Jeong Soon-won (, born January 27, 1987) is a South Korean actor and manga artist. He won Best Supporting Actor in a Miniseries Romance/Comedy Drama in 2023 SBS Drama Awards for his performance in miniseries '' Trolley'' (2022–2023) and '' M ...
as Nam Joo-hyuk, Chief Nam.
* Kim Cha-yoon as Lee Bonnie, an employee of Daehan Noodles' marketing department.
* Mi Ram as Aida, Yumi's only friend and her co-worker.
Others
; Season 1–2
*
Yoon Yoo-sun
Yoon Yoo-sun (; born January 17, 1969) is a South Korean actress. She began her career as a child actress in 1975, and continued acting as an adult in film and television, including in '' The Story of Two Women'' (1994), ''Even If the Wind Bl ...
as Yumi's mother
*
Sung Ji-ru
Sung Ji-ru (born October 16, 1968) is a South Korean actor.
Filmography
Film
Television series
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
*
*
1968 births
Living people
People from Gongju
Male actors from ...
as Yumi's father
* Kwon Seung-woo as Kang Han-byeol, Assistant Manager of Daehan Noodles' marketing department
*
Kim Mi-soo as Ja-young, Babi's ex-girlfriend
; Season 1
* Park Bo-eun as Information desk employee (ep. 8)
* Jung Soo-ji as Si Leon (ep. 7–8)
*
Kim Hye-in as Hong Na-ri (ep. 7–8)
* Jo Mo-se as wedding guest (ep. 13)
* Kang Chan-yang as grocery store cashier (ep. 11)
Special appearance
; Season 1
*
Choi Min-ho
Choi Min-ho (; Korean pronunciation: Help:IPA/Korean, sʰø.min.ho born December 9, 1991), known :wikt:mononym, mononymously as Minho, is a South Korean singer, songwriter, rapper and actor. In May 2008, he debuted as a member of South Kore ...
as Chae U-gi, Yumi's co-worker and unreciprocated crush.
*
Ahn Young-mi
Ahn Young-mi (, born November 5, 1983), is a South Korean comedian. She made her debut in KBS' ''Gag Concert'' 19th class in 2004 and is best known for her provocative wit. In 2018, she joined the comedy-girl group Celeb Five. Young-mi is also k ...
as Nung-cheol (Voice)
*
Lee Sang-yi as Ji Wu-gi, Yumi's ex-boyfriend.
; Season 2
*
Shin Ye-eun
Shin Ye-eun (; born January 18, 1998) is a South Korean actress and model. She gained popularity for her role in the web series ''A-Teen'' (2018) and its sequel ''A-Teen 2'' (2019), and received international recognition after starring in the D ...
as Yoo Da-eun, part-time worker at Jeju branch of Daehan Noodles.
*
Pyo Ji-hoon
Pyo Ji-hoon (; born February 2, 1993), better known by his stage name P.O, is a South Korean rapper, singer and actor. He is the youngest member of the boy group Block B and its sub-unit Bastarz. As an actor, he has appeared in television serie ...
as Control Z, an illustrator who works with Yumi.
*
Jeon Seok-ho as Ahn Dae-young, editor-in-chief of Julie's Literature History.
Production
Casting
On December 31, 2020, it was reported that webtoon ''Yumi's Cells'' published on
Naver
Naver (; stylized as NAVER) is a South Korean online platform operated by the Naver Corporation. The company's products include a search engine, email hosting, blogs, maps, and mobile payment.
History
Naver was the first Korean web provide ...
by Lee Dong-gun with 3.2 billion accumulated views was being made into a television series and
Kim Go-eun
Kim Go-eun (; born July 2, 1991) is a South Korean actress. She debuted in the film '' Eungyo'' (2012) where she won several Best New Actress awards in South Korea. She is also known for her roles in the television series '' Cheese in the Trap ...
was confirmed as the female lead. In April 2021, the lead cast line-up was announced as Kim Go-eun, Ahn Bo-hyun, Lee Yu-bi, and Park Ji-hyun.
Filming
Filming of the series began in April 2021. On June 18, Ahn Bo-hyun revealed in an interview that he was currently filming ''Yumi's Cells'' and he has developed naturally tanned skin tone for the role of Goo Woong.
Animation
''Yumi's Cells'' is being produced using a new format which combines live-action and 3D animation. It is the first time in a Korean drama that such a format is used to produce a TV series while using the
Unreal Engine
Unreal Engine (UE) is a 3D computer graphics game engine developed by Epic Games, first showcased in the 1998 first-person shooter video game '' Unreal''. Initially developed for PC first-person shooters, it has since been used in a variety of ...
as its source. The 3D animation is produced by Locus Corporation (also known as Sidus Animation Studios), the producer of ''
Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs'', which is also producing an animated feature film based on the property with Studio N.
Original soundtrack
Season 1
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Part 10
Part 11
Season 2
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Viewership
Season 1
The release of the second season on June 10 saw the number of TVING's paid subscribers increasing by more than 60% from the first to the second week, and the series took first place among all the platform original contents for five weeks in a row.
Season 2
Awards
Listicle
References
External links
*
*
''Yumi's Cells (Season 1)''at
Daum
''Yumi's Cells (Season 2)''at
Daum
*
Cells''on
iQIYI
iQIYI (, pronounced in English as ), formerly Qiyi (), is a Chinese subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Baidu. Headquartered in Beijing, iQIYI primarily produces and distributes films and television series.
i ...
{{TvN (South Korean TV channel) television dramas (2020–present)
TvN (South Korean TV channel) television dramas
2021 South Korean television series debuts
2022 South Korean television series endings
Korean-language television shows
South Korean romance television series
Television series by Studio Dragon
South Korean web series
Television series by Studio N (Naver)
Television shows based on South Korean webtoons
TVING original programming