Early Access: Yumi's Cells 2 E3 (Patreon)

E3. Ahh. This was a great episode - though I really shouldn't be surprised by now, given Show's excellent track record.

I'd been wondering what Yumi would do, to stop that blind date from happening - but more true to real life, Yumi doesn't actually attempt to stop the blind date from happening.

Instead, she pretends not to care, while being hyperaware of every. little. thing. related to Babi and his blind date - and his ex-girlfriend.

That is so very relatable! I can totally see myself doing something like that, if I were in Yumi's shoes, coz I'm likely not brave enough to actually blurt out, as they do in so many kdramas, "Don't go on that blind date." 😁

The way Yumi rants inwardly about Ruby being completely useless, is hilarious to me, but also, very understandable, since all of this blind date nonsense wouldn't even be a thing, if Ruby would just leave Babi alone.

The argument between Emotion and Reason also makes perfect sense, where Emotion gets all upset at Love cell for telling Babi that they should be friends, and Reason argues that if they're not going to date, then this was the proper thing to do.

I can totally imagine this warring of logic and emotion going on in Yumi, and I love how Show conceptualizes that so well, by making it an argument between Reason and Emotion.

Emotion admitting that it's true she'd had the hardest time when Yumi and Woong had broken up, but that it's Babi who's the one who makes it possible for her to forget, is so relatable.

Of course Babi would be the one soothing Yumi's emotions, with his sweet, thoughtful vibe and general caring attitude towards her.

And of course all of these internal arguments would put Yumi in an annoyed funk, ha.

It was a bit of an emotional rollercoaster, when Yumi gets all excited about the text coming in from Babi about meeting her to return her umbrella - only to realize that he'd texted while she'd been asleep, and it's now 2:20am.

BUT THENNN. Babi's still awake, and responds to her text. Ahhh! How exciting!

I can see why Yumi would decide that this is the opportunity that she needs to grab, and that she should go all out and dress up for the occasion, never mind about doing an effortless look.

How awkward, though, when it backfires, with Babi not only dressed in sweats, but assuming that she's got somewhere to be.

Egad. The secondhand embarrassing is real, as Yumi grasps at straws, and offers to buy Babi a cup of coffee, to take on his morning run.

The rollercoaster feels even more precarious, as we see that in Cell Town, Emotion's basically running rampage with crazy eyes, making decisions, while flagrantly overriding any and all of Reason's arguments.

Gah. I watched this wondering just how much trouble Emotion would get Yumi into, eep.

Thank goodness for Decorum cell, who puts her foot down and insists that Yumi needs to find out what happened on the blind date first, before anything can possibly happen.

But how very interesting, that Babi tells Yumi that he went for the blind date (to Yumi's great disappointment), only for Yumi to find out later from Ruby, that Babi had canceled the blind date, in the end. Ooh.

That realization, that Babi had done that, so that Yumi wouldn't feel burdened, even though he still has feelings for her, is the thing that sets Emotion on fire, so to speak, and I can totally see why.

I mean, that's really selfless and considerate of Babi, to put Yumi's comfort first, even though he would rather not move on.

The whole concept of heart fever is so cool, so amusing and so spot-on, all at the same time.

It makes sense that now that something has gripped Yumi's emotions so much, that Emotion would take over, and cause Yumi to act in ways that she wouldn't ordinarily.

That's so perfect, as is the fact that heart fever is intense, but temporary; that given some time, it wears off, and Reason takes over again.

That whole sequence, of Yumi running through the park again, is such a great callback to Season 1, when she'd run through the park to get to Wugi.

That flashforward to a possible future is also so reminiscent of Season 1, when Show had pulled a similar thing, before pulling us back to the present, where Yumi's galvanized into a different course of action, based on the possible future that she's imagined.

In this case, she's so triggered by the idea of receiving a wedding invitation from Babi at some point in the future, that Emotion manages to squeeze out another burst of heart fever. I love it, it feels so true to human behavior, truly.

And, I do kinda love that Emotion is so persistent, that she just keeps squeezing out heart fever energy, until Yumi finally tells Babi that she likes him too. Eee!

Show really had me going there for a bit, with the flash-forward to the next day, where Yumi and Babi are behaving in such a distant, formal manner with each other. That made me think that perhaps Yumi's confession hadn't gone well, and that Babi had ended up rejecting her.

BUTTT. Instead, Show makes it out to be simply Babi and Yumi's strategy for keeping their new dating status a secret at work. Ahhh.

I gotta say, I'm giving Show a mild side-eye for this, but only a mild one, because Show doesn't actually drag out the ruse for very long at all.

How cute, that all of Babi's advances, are portrayed as giant curve balls (of giant rocks!) that basically end up destroying the Gate of Heart, and causing Yumi's Cell Town to collapse.

Yes, I can see how all of Babi's moves have basically broken down all of Yumi's defenses. 😁

I am admittedly a little wary about the way Love cell is portrayed as accepting Babi so reluctantly.. Does this mean that Yumi's positive feelings for Babi are doomed to stay shallow..? Because Love isn't fully supportive..?

So far, though, I have to say that I very much enjoy the scenes of Babi and Yumi dating, and getting used to being a new couple.

There's just something so warm and safe about the vibe that Babi gives off, that I feel like Yumi's heart is in safe hands.

That scene where Yumi hesitates to let Babi know that she likes eating the organs, when they're at the sundae stall, works out so nicely.

I like that Yumi fights the urge to pretend that she doesn't eat them, and instead, chooses to be honest that she likes them - but is fine not to eat them, if Babi doesn't prefer them.

Aw. That's a nice compromise, and it works out super well, since, as it turns out, Babi really likes the organs too.

Ahh. I like how this relationship is going the honest route, from the beginning.

The way Show builds up the physical hyperawareness between Babi and Yumi is pitch perfect.

That tropey fall down the stairs, where Babi catches Yumi in a dip, is so tongue-in-cheek amusing, and yet, the message is starkly clear: both Babi and Yumi are suddenly very, very discombobulated by the sudden hyperproximity. Hee.

Also, can I just say how tickled I am, by Tongue cell?

Ahaha, the way Tongue cell rubs that mint all over himself, like he's taking a shower with a bar of soap, is so funny, and it really is reminiscent of how one would roll a mint around one's mouth, with one's tongue.

How is this show so well thought-out and conceptualized?? 🤩

Naughty cell taking that mint thing, and convincing everyone in Cell Town, that Babi's going to kiss Yumi, leading Yumi to become even more hyperaware of Babi, is such delicious, tingly stuff.

I have to admit to feeling a little surprised at the fact that Babi does, in fact, move in to kiss Yumi - mostly because this is a kdrama, and this mostly doesn't happen so early in a relationship, in kdramas.

But the way Babi plays it, it feels like the perfect balance between sweet and considerate, and intent and hungry.

The way he leans in to kiss Yumi is so gentle, and there's confidence, but there's also a tentativeness in there, which makes me feel that he's being very alert to Yumi's reactions.

And then the way he reaches over to pull her nearer to him, by the wrist, feels gentle too, like Yumi would be able to easily pull herself away, if she wanted to.

But she doesn't, and the following kisses are tender, and exploratory, while tinged with wonder and hunger, at the same time. Mmm. This feels incredibly romantic and my inner fangirl is fainting a little bit, not gonna lie. 😍

The best surprise of all, however, is when Love cell goes through the wormhole, to find out about Babi's Cell Town, only to be met with a full-on party in her honor.

It's adorable that it's all so lively, and everyone tells Love cell so earnestly, that they've been wanting to meet her, for a long time. Awww. Isn't that the most adorable thing?? 😍

Guh. As Babi and Yumi drown in kisses (flail), I can't wait to see more of Babi's Cell Town, and meet the cells that make him tick.

Next episode notes will be out on: Sunday, 26 June 2022!