Yumi's Cells 3 Review
- 13 hours ago
- 6 min read
It has been a long journey with Yumi and her cells, but we finally came to an end.
The first season has been a great ride where we got to know Yumi, her boyfriend Woong and the complications of their relationship. There are still some cheesy moments, but it was a nice watch, as I've mentioned in the first season review.
The second season made my heart boil, and my frustration with Babi and Yumi came out, but at least we got to see scenes from other people and Yumi finding friends.
And now the third season...
But how was this Yumi journey for you?
The director and screenwriters had stayed the same through the seasons, so there was nothing that I expected to be more different.
It had some beautiful shots and nice kisses between the leads, as expected.
The writing could have been a bit tighter in some places of the drama, but the last season has only 8 episodes, so I'm trying to be understanding that they cannot include everything they want.
It felt rushed and not fully developed compared to the first season.
There were some comments that the webtoon felt rushed with Shin Sun Rok too, but this would have been a wonderful place to expand the universe and change some bits from the original source.
The plot can stay the same for the most part; it just needs to slow down sometimes.
Directing: 8/10
Synopsis:
In her 30s, Kim Yu Mi is now a celebrated romance novelist. But with no more new goals or challenges, her cells have fallen asleep, leaving her days lifeless—until Sun Rok appears. He is an editor at Julie Publishing, and he is all about facts, logic, and boundaries, feeling perfectly relaxed when staying home alone. But as Yu Mi starts to invade his world, he draws a line—only to find himself slowly, irresistibly, falling for her. (MyDramaList)
It was so easy to binge-watch those episodes!
This was mostly a very feel-good drama, where you don't have to put much thought into it, but most of the things end up making sense, and all the viewer needs to do is enjoy the watch.
The romantic parts of the drama are cute, though Shin Sun Rok can act a bit childish at times.
As I mentioned before, the drama is a bit rushed, but it made me feel so many feelings for both of the leads. From disliking Shin Sun Rok to finding him more and more cute, as well as finally relating to Yumi after three seasons.
The cells were also fun to watch, even if at times it was a bit too much, and it would have been nice to see the actors portray certain emotions rather than the cells.
"Yumi's Cells 3" has brought a lot of joy in my drama life, as there have been so many disappointments lately.
My only wish is more episodes, and times where we see more of Yumi and her friends; the part where we have seen other people's cells in season 2 was so fun, that I kind of miss it here.
I saw a lot of people asking if they can watch this without season one or two... My answer is: you can, but I wouldn't recommend it because it's quite important to know what things Yumi has gone through over the years. How she matured, and why she's so scared to make some decisions.
Let's go to a more elaborate and spoiler-filled review...
Overall: 8/10
Because it got me going through a drama slump
The Yumi we all have known is gone.
After the break-up with Babi, she's living a calm life with her writer's cell becoming her prime, and without feeling much emotion.
This part of Yumi felt the most relatable to the more rational cell holders, a.k.a me. I was surprised by her spontaneity and her still trying new things. Of course, this was for her writing, but it takes courage to turn to skydiving to feel something.
As she meets her new editor, Shin Sun Rok, all her cells slowly defrost, and what has started as hatred becomes love.
This ice defrosts quite quickly, and Yumi becomes infatuated with Shin Sun Rok. I would have understood the change if it took more time, as she learns something new about Sun Rok or maybe just seeing him on the weekend when he's alone.
But now we got the falling-over-a-smile.
The same with Shin Sun Rok. I loved the hints that he likes Yumi and him realising that on their Busan trip. However, I needed just a little bit of a push on why he's in love with her.
The things that were shown (Shin Sun Rok getting jealous and mad at the other writer for trying to pursue Yumi) did make my heart flutter, but a bit more development on the romance would have been nice.
Or seeing more of the romance when they finally date would have been wonderful.
Yes, I'm indirectly asking for more episodes...
As always, animation takes a huge place in this universe, which is fun to watch, but I'm staying with the same critique from the first season that at times it's just too much. However, I loved the moments when the cells were in the real world, next to Yumi.
One thing I have to give for this season is that it was fun, easy to watch, and I was just vibing with it. One episode we're angry and annoyed at Shin Sun Rok, and the next we love him?
Sure! Let's go!
Storyline: 7.5/10
As there was a rush in this season, we did not see much development in Yumi; she's now older, calmer, and that was her whole thing this season. Which I didn't mind, but she sometimes becomes a bit too much in chasing Shin Sun Rok.
A bit embarrassing too.
"Yumi's Cells 3" made me realise how much I hate the trope where the woman is the one chasing the guy. Somehow, it was always portrayed as pathetic and obsessive.
Shin Sun Rok was an interesting character. They did well in the first episodes to make him dislikeable, and then showed his side and how quickly his energy was drained.
Now that I think about it, we know so little about this man, but he was cute and tall and apparently all we and Yumi need to become obsessed.
From the first season, there was an issue with Yumi and other women. They were her rivals, colleagues and bad friends, but they never got too close to Yumi.
The second season changed that when she started to talk more with Ruby and Yi Da, which I was very surprised about and happy to see. In that season, we also got to see other people's cells, which were not Yumi or her love interest.
However, this season has brushed all of that aside. We didn't get to see even one Jun Ho cell, and he was the one chasing after Yumi!
Yi Da and Ruby are there for a very short time, and there's not even a scene where she tells her friends about Shin Sun Rok or her crush. She was in her own space for too much this season.
I want to understand that we have fewer episodes, but one or two scenes wouldn't have hurt. We can take a few scenes from the cells, and that would have been fine.
Characters: 6/10
Season 3 soundtrack was nice, but not as memorable as the previous ones. However, it was nice to hear familiar OSTs when Love Cell awakens and at some other moments.
It felt like the flashbacks flushed through me, and I suddenly remembered everything.
"If I Could Read Your Mind" fitted well with "Yumi's Cells 3" vibes perfectly, showing a bit of youthfulness, while "Spotlight" has given more mature vibes.
My favourite of all was "Shooting Stars", but it comes as no surprise, as it has hints of "Like a Star", an OST from the previous season.
Music: 7/10
it was a light-hearted, fun, easy to watch season, but definitely underdeveloped, so i rated it a bit lower... i'm really glad you found something you enjoyed though! a rare occurence lately :')