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🇰🇷 South Korea /Culture & Society

'Yumi's Cells' musical opens, bringing popular webtoon to the stage

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Context piece
  • The popular South Korean webtoon 'Yumi's Cells' has been adapted into a musical, premiering in Seoul and extending its reach beyond webtoons, games, and dramas.
  • The musical offers a 'total perspective of the cells,' reimagining the story from the cells' viewpoint and introducing a new character, 'Apprentice Cell 109.'
  • This adaptation highlights the growing trend of webtoon intellectual property being transformed into various media formats, including stage productions, showcasing the enduring appeal of relatable everyday emotions visualized through unique storytelling.

The beloved South Korean webtoon 'Yumi's Cells,' known for its unique visualization of everyday emotions through the inner workings of its protagonist's mind, has now been brought to life on stage as a musical. Premiering at the CJ Towol Theater at the Seoul Arts Center on July 30th and running until August 23rd, this production marks another expansion for the intellectual property, which has already spawned games, dramas, and animations since its serialization from 2015 to 2020.

It was not an easy challenge to present it as a musical because the original work is excellent and fun as both a webtoon and a drama.

— Yang Jung-woongDirector Yang Jung-woong on the challenges of adapting 'Yumi's Cells' into a musical.

The musical presents a novel approach, adopting an 'omniscient cell perspective,' which reframes the narrative through the eyes of Yumi's various cells rather than Yumi herself. Adding to the intrigue, a new original character, 'Apprentice Cell 109,' makes its debut in this stage adaptation. The cast features Tiffany Young and Kim Ye-won as Yumi, Choi Jae-rim and Jung Taek-woon as Cell 109, and Kim So-hyang and Yoo Ria as the prime 'Love' cell, promising dynamic performances.

show a new fantasy through music, dance, and stage mechanisms.

— Yang Jung-woongDirector Yang Jung-woong on his artistic vision for the musical.

Director Yang Jung-woong acknowledged the challenge of adapting such a successful webtoon and drama, stating, "It was not an easy challenge to present it as a musical because the original work is excellent and fun as both a webtoon and a drama." He expressed his intention to "show a new fantasy through music, dance, and stage mechanisms." Tiffany Young, playing Yumi, added that while she uses the webtoon and drama versions as a blueprint, she is "finding the stage Yumi within the music and lyrics."

finding the stage Yumi within the music and lyrics.

— Tiffany YoungActress Tiffany Young on her process of embodying the character Yumi on stage.

According to a Naver Webtoon representative, the webtoon's ability to resonate across different formats lies in its "unique worldview of visualizing everyday life and romantic emotions through the activity of cells in the mind." This distinct approach ensures that the original charm remains intact regardless of the medium. The success of 'Yumi's Cells' is a prime example of how webtoon and web novel IPs are becoming central source content for the performance industry, extending far beyond films and dramas.

unique worldview of visualizing everyday life and romantic emotions through the activity of cells in the mind.

— Naver Webtoon representativeExplaining the reason behind the webtoon's successful adaptation across various media.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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