Early Access: Yumi's Cells E2 (Patreon)

E2. One of the great things about this show, is just how relatable it is. I mean, I laugh at all the overthinking and foibles, but the true value of seeing this on my screen, is a sense of vindication, that, ah, I'm not weird after all, we're just ALL like this. 😅

I know I said last episode that I was glad that Yumi got herself that flower festival date with Ugi, but this episode, while watching that date, I found myself bracing again and again, because I just knew in my gut, that this was going to go very wrong, somehow.

First of all, though, I just wanna say, I'm so tickled by Fashion Cell and how she became a felon cell and got thrown into prison, for making Yumi blow 3 months' salary, all because of a 70,000 won dress. Ahaha. I love it.

I have to sheepishly admit that I did stupid things like this too, when I was in my Fashion Phase. You buy one thing, and suddenly you need 1,000 other things to go with it (ok, not literally 1,000 things. More like.. 10 things. But you get the idea). The worst part is, you might never even wear or use that one thing; you just have the satisfaction that if you ever need it, you have an entire matching set, sitting in your closet - until it completely goes out of style, by which time you need a New Thing. 😂

I love how excited all the cells are, for Yumi's flower festival date. I feel like that's possibly a representation for when you're so excited about something, that it feels like your entire body, ie, all your cells, are just tingling?

Honestly, though, the more excited all the cells got, the more I braced for failure, because it's basically written in the stars, that Yumi and Ugi are no go, and the happier everyone got, the more I felt like things would crash and burn in a big way.

I have to admit, the way the cells have Yumi literally sprinting through the flower garden, to get away from Ruby (who's there to gatecrash the date, wow), and the way Yumi displays all sorts of weird behavior along with, I'm actually rather relieved that Ugi has no romantic interest in Yumi. I mean, with how weird Yumi's acting, I feel like it would be extra embarrassing for all that to be experienced by someone with an actual romantic interest in her. This way, at least Ugi's interest in Yumi remains the same? 😅 Does that make any sense at all?

On a tangent, I must say, I'm impressed by how Kim Go Eun really throws herself into the physicality that this whole sprint-and-escape sequence demands. It's all kinds of extreme and bizarre, but it's entertaining to watch, and I'm just rather impressed by Kim Go Eun's athleticism and general gung-ho spirit, what with Yumi pulling that duck-and-slide move, to avoid that frisbee.

And yet, through it all, Kim Go Eun still manages to infuse Yumi with a sense of awkward fragility. Really nicely done, I say.

I feel really bad for Yumi, after all she's been through, and the rollercoaster her emotions have been on, when she realizes what Ugi is saying to her; that he wants to introduce her to someone else, via a blind date, and is therefore not personally interested in her. That bursting of the heart balloon, along with its rapid deflation, as all the cells reel in shock, really encapsulates how Yumi must feel, as she processes this new information.

I love the detail, that it starts to rain in Cell Town, even though Yumi isn't crying in front of Ugi. Without Show having to spell it out, it's already clear to see that Yumi's crying on the inside.

Trust that it's Reason, who tries his best to manage the Expressions Lever for as long as he can. Because of course it would be Yumi's sense of reason that dictates that it would be best to at least pretend to be ok for as long as possible, in order to protect Yumi's pride. It's perfect. Emotion wouldn't care about this in this moment, but Reason does.

Kim Go Eun's delivery of Yumi's struggle to keep up her "I'm ok" face is so well done. Her smiles are tinged with just enough ticks like an awkward swallow, an aversion of her gaze; I can literally feel Yumi struggle to keep her smile on. And this meshes perfectly with how the cells are doing their best to manage that Expressions Lever for Yumi, but struggling to succeed.

And it makes so much sense, that as Yumi grows more and more distressed on the inside, that it's a tidal wave of inside tears, that washes the cells, and that Emotions Lever, into oblivion - which is when Yumi has to have a cry break, alone in the bathroom.

I also find it so on point, that the Expressions Lever completely breaks - and that's when Yumi can't keep up a false front anymore. It's so true, that sometimes, you reach your breaking point, and just can't pretend that you're ok anymore.

Also, the reveal that Ugi's gay, makes a lot of sense. That's why he's extra considerate and empathetic, and  yet so completely unmoved by female attention. I also like how Show explains his ability to remember Yumi's cellphone number, by making him good with numbers in general.

This episode, we're finally introduced to our male lead Goo Woong, and I am extremely tickled that Ahn Bo Hyun in this beach bum sort of character, reminds me a great deal of a friend of mine, down to the slippers, tanned muscular frame, and long unkempt hair. Ahaha. My friend went through a total phase for several years, and Ahn Bo Hyun's bringing it all back to me. 😂

So far, I like that Goo Woong seems like a straightforward sort of guy, who's generally uncalculating and quite open to new experiences and people. That's what I get from him agreeing so readily to the blind date when Ugi calls, but refusing to just treat it lightly like Sae Yi tells him to.

Of course, I agree with Ugi, that Sae Yi's kind of into Goo Woong, but not enough to actually want to date him - but she likes him too much to let him date someone else. Ugh. That's the worst, honestly. What does she expect him to do, just hang around her his whole life, until she decides that she has no further use for him? 🙄

In the meantime, I am extremely tickled by the cells breaking out Yumi's emergency tool, the reaction puppet aptly named Reaction Number One. Watching the puppet in action, I so identify with how it gets the job done in dealing with social situations, but without subtlety or believability. 😂 Writer-nim really has spent a lot of time analyzing emotions and how they translate into behavior. I love it.

When I'd started on this show, I'd assumed that we'd only become acquainted with Yumi's cells, since that's the whole title of the show. So I'm extremely tickled that we get insight into Woong's cells too, where there's this whole other Cell Town, with a whole bunch of other cells attempting to help Woong. That's really cute.

I do love that Woong is so taken with Yumi at first sight, that he completely blanks out, thus sending his cells into a panic. I'm amused by this, and it's somehow gratifying to witness someone be so mesmerized by Yumi, after she's felt so rejected in love, for so long. I just like the idea that for the first time in a long time, someone seems to really, really like her.

Unfortunately for Woong, Yumi and her cells aren't at all impressed with his behavior - including his humor! - so far, and just want to go home. Oops. I do love Woong's humor cell though. He somehow reminds me of Yo Na, from Kill Me, Heal Me. Flamboyant, vain, and utterly over-confident, I love it. 😂

Gosh, I can't wait to see how the rest of this blind date goes. 😁

Next episode notes will be out on: Sunday, 17 Oct 2021!