[INTERVIEW] 'Yumi's Cells' creators say series redraws lines for TV adaptations

From left are director Lee Sang-yeob and co-writers Song Jae-jeong and Kim Kyung-ran who created the series adaptation of the popular webcomic "Yumi's Cells." Courtesy of Tving

Tving's series follows romance, work life of single woman in 30s

By Lee Gyu-lee

When news of the live adaptation of the smash-hit webcomic "Yumi's Cells" was announced, many of its fans had mixed reactions, both welcoming the series adaptation and showing concerns about its animated depiction of the cell characters.

However, despite the concerns, the series has proven itself capable of winning viewers' hearts with its fusion of live action and animation as well as compelling storytelling delivered through the lead actor Kim Go-eun's performance.

"I feel this series expanded the scope of the genres that a series can tackle. At first, no one could imagine how (the series) would come out to be. Everyone was like, 'Is it possible?' and we showed that it is possible to have both live action and animation," Song Jae-jeong, the co-writer of the series, said in a recent interview with The Korea Times. "As a writer, this series is meaningful as I've had a chance to dwell on finding the appropriate line (in making an adaptation)."

The original series of Tving revolves around Yumi (Kim), a single woman in her 30s whose life is masterminded by different functioning cells. With the help of her cells, portrayed as human-like figures, she goes on a journey in search of happiness in her personal life, romance and work.

Actress Kim Go-eun plays the title role of Yumi in the series "Yumi's Cells." Courtesy of Tving

Following its first season last September, the series started work on its second season, which started streaming on July 22. It picked up on Yumi's new romance with her co-worker Babi (Park Jin-young) while taking off with her new career path as a writer.

The latest season was a success on the streaming platform, bringing in the highest amount of new subscribers since Tving's launch. It also garnered popularity overseas, streaming to over 160 regions through the global platform Rakuten Viki.

The creators ― director Lee Sang-yeob and co-writers Kim Kyung-ran and Song ― expressed excitement for the series' success.

"It's very exciting that a lot of people are responding (to the series). I was able to grasp (the popularity) more with season 2 than with season 1. We talked about how viewers abroad might also like it when we were making the animation. And we're glad to hear praises," Kim said.

The director shared that he wanted to deliver a message on love through Yumi's story.

"This is a personal but a universal story. The series follows a universal story, but it can be very special (because it's personal). I wanted to deliver a message in a new way that anyone can meet someone to love regardless of your age, nationality or sex," he said.

"As the title itself is 'Yumi's Cells,' I wanted the message to show that Yumi's life is hers. Although she went through a lot, I wanted to encourage her that 'you might make mistakes and have regrets but you are doing well.' It might be directed at myself or viewers."

Actors Park Jin-young, left, and Kim Go-eun in a scene from the series "Yumi's Cells" / Courtesy of Tving

Song shared that adapting a popular webcomic had clear pros and cons. "The best thing about adopting 'Yumi's Cells' was that the original webtoon was such an outstanding work to remake. But the bad thing was that it was too popular so it didn't have any surprise factors," Song said.

She added while season 1 was about creating the imagery of the cells and bringing the webcomic into live action, the second season was about developing the series' original plot of Yumi and Babi's romance story.

In the original webcomic, the two break up after Babi cheats on Yumi. But the series took out the cheating part and portrays a more subtle melodrama between the two, as a couple trying to save their relationship from falling apart.

"I felt that it would be boring to take the same pattern for season 2. Since Babi has been hated by many fans (of the webcomic), it felt like viewers would feel they have nothing to look forward to in season 2," Song said. "So we needed to make a lot of changes to unfold the story as it gives hope that (Yumi and Babi) might work out."

The second season of the series "Yumi's Cells" ended in late July. Courtesy of Tving

The creators shared that the original webcomic's creator Lee Dong-geon greenlighted them to have creative freedom in adapting the story.

"Creator Lee Dong-geon left (the adaptation) completely up to us, so we were able to work smoothly. Most of the things we asked for approval were about Babi because it changes the layers of the story," Song said. "We asked if we could change the ending of Babi and Yumi for the series' viewers and Lee said, 'I don't mind. You can do whatever you want.'"

The original comics' plot continues after Yumi and Babi's breakup, featuring Yumi finding her happy ending with another new character, Soon-rok. When asked about the series' third season to wrap up the story as the webcomic did, the director said nothing has been decided yet.

"There's not much to tell you since no decision has been made. But first, the actors and production team need to rest as we've all been working for a while (on the series)," he said. "We've joked about how we should have (a big star) like Timothee Chalamet for the new character, because Ahn Bo-hyun has done so well in season 1 and Park Jin-young for season 2."