"Though we don't know who you are
Each of us will work real hard!
All of us together are
supporting you with all of our hearts!"
-The Cast performing "Mission! Health comes First" (English Version), Season 1 opening to Cells at Work!
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So, You're an Anime Fan, Huh?!
So, you're an anime fan, huh?! Well, didja ever watch Cells at Work?!
Welcome back Young and Young-at-Heart otakus to So You're an Anime Fan Huh?! The show where we dive deep into Japan's animation industry, taking a look at some of the most unique hidden (or not so hidden) gems of the medium. One's that either haven't gotten the love they deserve-even as anime becomes more and more mainstream-or were loved for a brief period of time before being forgotten quickly by this fast-moving world.
Today, we will be dealing with the latter case, as we take a look at a title that those who've been following seasonal anime for the past several years will probably be vaguely familiar. One that's a bit more casual compared to our last few outings, as it takes the form of a nice little workplace sitcom. One that takes place on the inside of a human body! That show is Cells at Work!
Originally releasing its anime adaptation in 2018, Cells at Work follows the daily grind of an entire human immune system's worth of anthropomorphized human cells. And all of the risky challenges that come from protecting the human body. We follow uniformed versions of every major cell in the human body, including Red Blood Cells that carry crates full of oxygen, White Blood Cells that fight off invading bacteria-with knives-platelets that help fix wounds, and many more.
We particularly follow the story of two cells, one red and one white, both of whom become involved in a will-they won't-they relationship while performing their respective duties, often getting involved in comedic shenanigans or high-stakes battles along the way. Indeed, this show has a little bit of everything for everyone. Be it romance, comedy, or even surprisingly well-done action sequences, Cells at Work has a little bit of everything to keep anyone entertained.
Cells at Work is truly a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to entertainment, and it even utilizes a smart-and at times, surprisingly educational-premise to elevate itself. It notably even works actual diseases into its narrative, explaining the actual science behind how they happen and operate. True, parts of the human body being humanized may not be the most unique concept out there, as the likes of Inside Out and Osmosis Jones will tell you. But this show still manages to stand on its own merit thanks to its lovable main leads and ability to balance multiple different genres without getting too lost in the shuffle, not to mention it's surprisingly accurate educational value.
It's a show that's sure to put anybody in a good mood, and if nothing else, it'll definitely change the way you look at your body, like most similar works would! And it's also a show that's not afraid to get visually creative, with memorable designs for both the characters and the mise-en-scene. You'll definitely want to take care of your body after watching this show!
So, make sure you roll up your sleeves, and if you're good, we'll give you a lollipop! It's time to watch some Cells at Work!
Throwing Stones at a Glass Moon
Cells at Work takes place in a human body that some promotional material (and the theme song) hints is meant to be the viewer's. The show boasts a large main cast; appropriate considering that the human body is made up of around 37 trillion cells, something else that the theme song points out! Granted, most of these cells do usually play the role of mere background characters.
Only a few of these cells actually serve as the true main cast of the series. In particular, our two main leads are a female red blood cell designated as "AE3803" (voiced by Kana Hanazawa in the original Japanese version and the always adorable Cherami Leigh in the English dub), and a handsome male White Blood Cell dubbed "U-1146" (voiced in Japanese by Tomoaki Maeno and in English by the sadly taken from us too soon Billy Kametz). These two are depicted in-universe as a having a long history together, with U-1146 having saved AE3803's life back from a pneumococcus bacterium back when they were both still kids. They continue to run into each other as they perform their usual duties across the human body, and often end up being caught right in the middle of whatever disease-oriented misadventures come their way.
Other notable characters include the macho Killer T Cell (Daisuke Ono/Robbie Daymond), who acts as a drill sergeant to a group of cells in training, the cocky and brash NK Cell (Toa Yukinari/Morgan Berry), who has a sibling-like rivalry with Killer T, the battle maid Macrophage (Kikuko Inoue/Laura Post), and the identical childlike platelets (Maria Naganawa/Xanthe Huynh), who provide plenty of moe cuteness for the series while repairing damaged body parts.. As the series progresses, we are also introduced to Regulatory T Cell (Saori Hayami/Erica Mendez), Helper T Cell (Takahiro Sakurai/Ray Chase), Dendritic Cell (Nobuhiko Okamoto/Griffin Burns), and many others.
During the course of the series, we see the normally mundane lives of get turned upside-down as a real-life disorder or disease suddenly comes about, bringing visual havoc and mayhem to the world of the human body-with a classic anime twist, of course. Examples include a bout with influenza that causes several cells in the body to morph into B-movie-esque zombies, an allergic reaction to cedar bringing giant blobs in to rampage, and even a brief bout with living cancer cells. Plus, plenty of bacteria to exterminate and fight off.
And of course, we also get to check into the private lives of our cast, including their relationships with each other, and even a surprising number of flashbacks that allow us to glimpse into their past. All of which serve to help make this cast of lovable characters even more lovable.
Thicker Than Water
Much like a lot of major anime, Cells at Work originally began life on the printed page as a manga. It was written and illustrated by artist Akane Shimizu, and was serialized initially in Japan in the magazine Monthly Shonen Sirius, published by the prolific Kodansha. It ran in that magazine between 2015 and 2021, with the entire series being published in 6 tankoban manga books. Kodansha's own USA branch localized the series in English.
The anime adaptation was first announced in early 2018, only months before it's official premiere. The anime was produced by David Production, the same company that brought us the meme factory that is Jojo's Bizarre Adventure! It first premiered in Japan on July 7, where it aired on Tokyo MX and several affiliated channels. The English Dub of the series followed a year later, and was produced by Aniplex of America.
On producing the anime series, Aniplex producer Yuma Takahashi stated that the company had a great amount of challenge adapting the source material to television animation. "Among the many challenges we had, there were two in particular that were very troublesome. " He noted. "First, each and every panel in the manga is very dense, so trying to maintain that intricacy while making it move was a big challenge. Second, the battles in the episode require lots of work, so figuring out how to overcome that was a big challenge."
The series was considered successful enough to garner a second season, which aired in early 2021. Several streaming services distributed the series outside of Japan, with Crunchyroll simulcasting both seasons in the United States. Elsewhere, the series could be found on the now-defunct AnimeLab in Oceania, among others.
The series was produced while the manga was still in production, though it's second season did air close to the end of its run. As a result, there were several elements that were changed from the source material. It most notably left the last few chapters completely unadapted, including the closing chapter, where the cells actually do battle with COVID-19!
A Body of Work
But the quirky story of the working society of cells doesn't end with the manga and anime. No, for several years, Cells at Work actually became a very popular franchise, with several spin-offs and adaptations being produced. And no, you aren't seeing things, that is a still from a live-action movie adaptation for the series! The film was produced by Warner Bros' Japanese division, and went into theaters on December 13th, 2024. And the film was actually quite popular, breaking multiple box office records in Japan. It also had a few notable differences from the source material, as it took place in not one, but two human bodies. And these bodies were identified as a high schooler named Niko and her father Shigeru.
As stage play was also produced in Japan around the same time as the anime's first season in 2018. It ran at Tokyo's Theater 1010 from November 16-25 that year, and it's final performance also received live distribution. A tower defense mobile game-Always Cells at Work-was also released that same year, though its servers were ultimately shut down in 2020.
Even in it's original form on the printed page, several spin-offs ran rampart. Multiple spin-off manga were released, including Cells at Work Baby, depicting the cells of an infant gestating in the womb, and Cells at Work Cat, which, as the name implies, takes place inside the body of a pet cat. However, perhaps the most notable spin-off came in the form of Cells at Work Code Black, a much darker spin-off taking place inside the body of an overstressed human. This manga received its own anime adaptation in 2021, and characters from that manga notably appeared in the live-action film!
The series has also established a massive cult following in medical fields, with several real-life physicians and biology teachers praising the series for incorporating real-world biology into it's narrative. Dr. Satoru Otsuka, a postdoctoral fellow in the molecular neuro-oncology department of Atlanta's Emory University school of medicine, particularly praised episode 7 of the series, depicting the aforementioned cancer cell battle. It was also a favorite amongst biology teachers affiliated with China's Southwest University, so much so that they would actually assign viewing the series as homework for students.
Furthermore, as mentioned earlier, the manga series ended with an encounter with COVID-19, as final chapter was in production during the height of the pandemic in Japan, which also negatively affected Tokyo's Summer Olympic Games at the time. Well, around the time the chapter was released, the COVID vaccines started to roll out, and Japan's Health Ministry would actually collab with Kodansha to create a series of bonus chapters surrounding the vaccine!
A Not-so Hard Cell
So, as you can see, Cells at Work is a series that has managed to establish quite a name for itself. It has spawned a small, though still surprisingly prolific franchise in a short time. And I of all people should know that it's truly not hard to see why! While it's concept may not be the most unique, it's still a show that manages to squeeze a little bit of everything into it.
It's a series that has plenty of endearing characters to fall for, with the main due in particular serving as a very cute couple. It also manages to balance all of these characters very well, with every major named character in the show getting their chance to shine throughout the series. As mentioned before, we even get to see several episodes dealing with the pasts of certain characters, many of which allow us to
It's also one of the few series to masterfully combine romance and action. Granted, much of the romance mostly boils down to a few cute reactions between our main leads, but when they do happen, it's honestly hard to not smile with their hilarious interactions. And as for the action, it's just as sharp and fun as any anime action should be. And the battles can be quite intense (and bloody) as well-surprisingly so for a normally light-hearted show!
It's also a series that isn't afraid to get a little creative with its settings and character designs. The world of the show is beautifully drawn, and the characters each have their own design quirks that help accentuate their individual personalities. The White Blood Cells, for instance, perfectly match their stone-cold killer attitude with their pale faces and blank eyes, a design philosophy that only makes U-1146's comical moments even more hilarious. Also, AE3803's cute expressions and casual clothing give off a nice girl next door vibe that make her even more endearing. Though perhaps the real winners in the design department are the many bacterium and diseases that our characters run into. Every one of them has a distinctive design that ranges from comical to terrifying to even somewhere in between, perfectly reflecting each of their individual personalities!
But above all, it's a show that's not afraid to use its premise in an inventive way. We see many disorders and allergens come about throughout the series, and the show manages to craft many unique and zany plotlines with each. Stories can range from comical to surprisingly dramatic, with no two episodes being quite alike. It also adds in a little bit of education to its entertainment via its knowledge of the human body.
This franchise is actually one that I've followed from front to back, as it's one of the few anime whose manga I've actually read all the way through. I brought all 6 volumes from a sadly now closed comic shop located about a half-hour from my home in New Jersey, and I have found memories of reading them on the bus ride home from college. I ended up loving the series so much, I did not hesitate to watch the anime adaptation when it was added to Netflix a while back. And it only made me love this IP even more!
Rose McGowan Award for Leading Lady
AE3803
Now comes arguably the most important part of So You're an Anime Fan, Huh?! The part of the show where we honor the best characters of our topic of the day with our prestigious awards. Ones that show how awesome they truly are!
For now, ladies first! It's time to present our Rose McGowan Award for Leading Lady. This award goes out to our favorite lady of the show, be they the most well-developed, most engrossing, most likeable or just most entertaining watch of the series (though not necessarily the prettiest, though that helps too!)
For Cells at Work, our award goes to main female lead AE3803!
AE3803 is a newcomer to the field of nutrient delivery, often stumbling and getting lost while making her rounds. We follow her the most out of all the characters, seeing her day-to-day reactions to everything from sudden disorders to her own co-workers.
And she truly fills her duty as a lovable female protagonist well. AE3803 gets involved with some of the show's most wholesome moments, and her design and personality help make her a truly relatable protagonist, especially to those who've worked a crappy 9 to 5; in other words, pretty much everyone! Cherami Leigh's performance in the English dub also perfectly fits her personality and quirkiness.
AE3803 also turns out to be a badass in disguise, managing to weather freezing conditions in order to deliver nutrients as the body enters a state of true disarray during one episode.
Bruce Campell Award for Best Bro
Killer T Cell
And next, our Bruce Campbell Award for Best Bro! The award that goes out to the most entertaining, coolest, or most engrossing male character of the series in question. The guy in the cast who I'd gladly have a nice hang out session with, be it going to the gym, heading out to the movies, or simply playing a nice game of Smash Bros with!
For Cells at Work, we have a surprise winner in the Killer T Cell!
While U-1146 does work as a compelling male protagonist and an excellent foil to AE3803, Killer T edges him out in terms of pure bravado and entertainment factor. His over-the-top machismo makes him a hoot to watch throughout the series, especially with his humorous sibling-esque rivalry with NK Cell.
His stern command over the Naive T Cells also shows signs of a truly can-do leader, and his dedication to his craft is truly second to none!
He also gets one of the most detailed backstories with his own episode, which shows how truly far he has come as an individual. And it gives hope and inspiration for those lagging behind in life.
A Bloody Good Time
So, in the end, Cells at Work is a delightful show that's certainly worth having in your collection. And with it being one of the only anime whose manga I own in its entirety, it's a very important part of my personal otaku fandom! And it's a show that truly has enough fun for everybody.
It manages to throw plenty of genres-rom-com, workplace sitcom, action, drama, and bits and pieces of sci-fi-into a blender and somehow manages to equally distribute all of these ingredients to create a show that's a bit more than the sum of its parts. It's got plenty of cute laughs and romance for the real softies in the audience, but also a surprising amount of action and adventure for those who want a little more excitement in their diets!
It's also a show that's memorably designed, with plenty of cute girls, manly men, and diabolical germs and diseases filling up the character sheet. And what good character designs would be complete without backgrounds to stand in? Well, Cells at Work provides in that department as well, with plenty of bright colors and quirky set pieces providing to its whimsical tone.
And above all, Cells at Work is a show that enjoys being clever. It incorporates several real-world diseases and disorders in order to tell its series of zany and over-the-top-but surprisingly serious on occasion-storylines. And it does so in a surprisingly faithful style that's managed to catch the eyes of real-life biology experts! And it's also at these moments where the show gets its most creative. It's no wonder why it's quickly become a minor franchise with many spinoffs to choose from as well!
Overall, Cells at Work is an enjoyable watch that's well worth your time, and thanks to its biological knowledge, may even leave you feeling a bit smarter afterwards. Plus, since it's still Valentine's season, this month is the perfect time to binge-watch it with your otaku partner!
But that is just my humble opinion, of course! What about yours? Did you watch Cells at Work upon its release? Are you interested in checking it out after hearing my thoughts on it? Are you interested in seeing more anime that teaches educational stuff? Share your thoughts in the comment section below, share this article with your friends on social media, and don't be afraid to spread the word of Something Niche! Also, don't forget to take care of yourself, because you may have plenty of AE3803s and U-1146s in your body right now, fighting to keep you safe!
Dedicated to Billy Kametz
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