"The human body is the best work of art." - Jess C. Scott
Science is the study of everything around us. From the early stages of our universe, to the ancient civilizations in the past that leads us to our modern and technological society. Then we come to society. What makes a society even? The people. Humanity have transcended and evolved for generations and generations and will continue evolving like an endless cycle of life.
What does a human compose of? Cells, organs, organ system, tissues, atoms, molecules, ions and so on and so forth. This things, particularly the cells, are the ones that keeps on giving
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humanity life as we know it. From RBCs transporting oxygen throughout the body, to the WBCs fighting and defending our body against foreign invaders. Truly, the human body is indeed the best work of art. And then an anime based on this heroic beings finally aired this Summer 2018 as being one of the unique anime this season.
Story:
This anime "Cells At Work." doesn't have a chronological order in terms of the plot because, as we know it, the story of it is about the cells of our body. What they do against diseases, injuries and other life-threatening phenomenons that can happen to our body. Each character or cells of the story contributes on every episode because of their functionality. For example, the Blood Circulation episode which is of course mainly for Red Blood Cell, while the Thymocytes episode is about the childhood life of Killer, Regular, and Helper T Cell. We get to know on each episode how artistic, beautiful and smart the author of Cells At Work manga (which the anime based on) in plotting out different things about the cells different capabilities based on their real life counterpart. It is honestly very hard to make a manga or anime out of this characters as cells on our body are really hard to describe on, draw to different anime characters and have traits on them contributing to a anime world full of cells. For example, White Blood Cell (Neutrophil) is killing those bacteria, viruses or any type of foreign invaders with a knife and sprayin them afterwards. That is one of the smart moves I've seen that the author applied to be on an anime character because if they base it on the real WBC then it will just look.... weird and hideous as the WBC on our body actually engulfs and then digests the invader with enzymes, powerful enough to kill it (Phagocytosis). Another example of how the anime presented White Blood Cells' migration process to being like them passing through pipes and killing the enemy. Another smart move of the author is the settings and environment of the story. I love how each place whether it is the heart, lungs, or even the stomach have details that we viewers can understand and is accurate to the real life progression of this organs. From the heart being like a temple/shrine depicting how holy or important it is to the normal places where cells are on their apartment buildings, its easy to say the artist of the anime or manga really work so hard on this anime. We also cannot forget how the anime have some comedic elements revolving the adventures of the Red Blood Cell. This element is not that important but if you look at it, it does as it makes the show more entertaining not overall being a show to present only what cells are doing. It also have dramatic elements from the fight scenes and especially the Cancer episode. Who would've thought some of us audience gets pity on cancer just because how dramatic the scene was. Another great factor of Cells At Work is that it is an educational anime where everyone can watch it even though you have a failing grade in Biology or you just hate it. It provides small and summarized text about a certain cell, method, disease and pathogens which makes it very informative not only fun to watch. Overall, the story's accuracy comparing it to the real life cells and systems are just a masterpiece to look at as well as its representation of the cells on their role on any biological terms (or the episodes).
Characters:
In terms of characters, we get to see alot of characters here since this is literally about your body which comprimises of trillions of cells. Its diversity of characters, fitting them all together with no one being as important as any one because of their functions makes the show a worth to watch if you're interest is Biology. We have the RBC's who carry oxygen through our body, WBC that defends us from pathogens as well as Macrophages, T-Cells, B-Cell and NK-Cell. (there are alot more so I ain't going to list those cells). Then the pathogens either a virus, bacteria or even cancer have roles to the story depending on the episode where they shine to be the antagonist threatening our human body. What I like about the characters is that even though they all have different purposes, on some instances everyone needs to be there, working out together to counter either a scrape wound, virus attack or cancer. I can say as well that we humans are the hidden characters as well on the story. Why? Because if you take a look at the episodes of Cells At Work, on some instances, our cells cannot do anything on their own. For example, the heat stroke episode, where every cell in the body are already dying of heat and just praying for the heavens to rain and then suddenly a big tube coming from the heavens showed up to provide a solution to our body (Transfusion). Hence, characters in Cells At Work is literally just your heroic cells but turn into a more artistic view on TV.
Art:
Since the producer of this anime is David Production, which is the company that made Jojo's art phenomenal, I can see some instances that the art is reflected to Jojos'. For example is the faces of the Killer T-Cells and White Blood Cell, especially when Naive T-Cell turned into a bulky man. The visuals of the anime are really well-done and fits its theme. Who knew Platelets can be this cute?.. Aside from it being well-done, the art of the settings like I said earlier are a genius way to represent the human body systems in a manner that everyone can understand. Not like showing some microscopic things that we the audience that are not professionals on the field of Biology cannot understand at all. Its creativity on everything along with the character designs already a worth to watch anime.
Sound:
I cannot stress out how much I love the Opening and Ending of this show. The opening is really catchy. Having lyrics about the cells on how they work and work and we see them doing their functions on the opening is a great way to start or introduce the characters. The ending song is probably my most favorite by ClaRiS so far. It is a song where you can sing along (well you can try even if you don't know japanese) and it makes you feel really joyful. It is also a song to take away your stress. No issues at all on the background music as they all fit the sequence.
Overall thoughts and Enjoyment:
As a student who loves studying Biology, I totally enjoyed this show. The fact that anime can transcend even into our bloodstream is just amazing when you look at it. I always have the moment of excitement when I watch this because I can relate some of what's happening because of Biology class. It is very creative, very well-done and a masterpiece. This shows that anime can literally make everything good. Overall, I really really love this show and it is such a fine work of art as well as a masterpiece. I recommend you to watch this if you like a summarize version of what's happening on our human body everyday.
Alternative Titles
Japanese: はたらく細胞
More titlesInformation
Type:
TV
Episodes:
13
Status:
Finished Airing
Aired:
Jul 8, 2018 to Sep 30, 2018
Premiered:
Summer 2018
Broadcast:
Sundays at 00:00 (JST)
Licensors:
Aniplex of America
Studios:
David Production
Source:
Manga
Genre:
Comedy
Demographic:
Shounen
Duration:
23 min. per ep.
Rating:
PG-13 - Teens 13 or older
Statistics
Ranked:
#17072
2
based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.
Popularity:
#323
Members:
648,550
Favorites:
2,331
Available AtResourcesStreaming Platforms | Reviews
Filtered Results: 132 / 133
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Your Feelings Categories Sep 29, 2018
"The human body is the best work of art." - Jess C. Scott
Science is the study of everything around us. From the early stages of our universe, to the ancient civilizations in the past that leads us to our modern and technological society. Then we come to society. What makes a society even? The people. Humanity have transcended and evolved for generations and generations and will continue evolving like an endless cycle of life. What does a human compose of? Cells, organs, organ system, tissues, atoms, molecules, ions and so on and so forth. This things, particularly the cells, are the ones that keeps on giving ... Jul 28, 2018
Cells At Work is an educational series about how the human body functions on cellular level. Its source material was originally released in the Japanese science magazine called Gross Biological Stuff and Geeky Nerdy Shit Weekly, now made into an anime format to ensure the misinformation of this shonen comedy reaches a wider audience.
I refuse to use the reddit meme phrase ""as a" biology major" to back up my rhetoric with titles -- moreover, majoring biology requires bit more than reading 3 wikipedia articles about cells -- so instead I will say this series has a pretty interesting take on something that could be ... Jul 28, 2018
(I’ll only be keeping my review short and brief as only 4 episodes have been released as I write this)
As a nursing student who has had to take microbiology, anatomy, and immunology classes and such I have to say I'm quite surprised as to how accurate and informative this anime is whilst being able to have a laugh at the way they portray formed elements and bacteria as characters and the landscape of the different transportation systems and organs in the body. This anime is great and I highly recommend it to anyone, especially if you're looking to learn about cell biology-although I believe it'd ... Sep 29, 2018
Hataraku Saibou or Cells at Work has been highly praised despite his lack of story and the lack of characters just because it's unique and innovative.
If Hataraku Saibou can do something is to show that originality is not a guarantee of a good anime. The show lacks something that i still cannot precisely explain. After the initial shock you quickly realize that despite its originality this anime is incredibly generic (does that make sense? i dunno but thats how i felt while watching this). Story: There is no story, this is kind of a simpsons slice of life where at the end of the day everything is ... Sep 29, 2018
It’s almost impossible to ignore biology when it comes to the human body. Hataraku Saibou (Cells at Work!) has the confidence to be its own series. It’s like you take the cartoony Osmosis & Jones and turns it into an educational exploration. The human body is complex and that alone really made me wonder how this show could capture its magic.
I’d say making this show takes a creative mind and the audience should feel connected when watching this anime. Right from the start, the show reveals the human body and what it’s made up of which is essentially red blood cells. It takes place in ... Sep 29, 2018
This series was one of the most unique ones that most have been anticipating since the start of the year, and when it arrived in the lackluster Summer season, aside from the certainty that does not disappoint, it is entertaining to the mildest degree, while having a lot of *pokes* at the function of the most important system: us human beings.
Now, I don't care that whether you have studied subjects that are close to this, but I'm fairly certain that no matter our background as people whom have learned about cells in one way or another, Hataraku Saibou, or Cells at Work!, will definitely please ... Aug 4, 2018
The first episode and the community hype gives you a lot of hope. But other than the interesting concept (well, it's not that new, even Osmosis Jones did it), the show is very cliché, has no story (more slice of life), and the characters are all basic.
Before you go on hating this review because this show is your new favourite anime, please give it a minute. There have been 5 episodes, and they all have the same storyline. Something harmful enters the body. Scares the Red Blood Cell girl. The White Blood Cell guy comes to save her. The enemy is stronger than expected (some biological explanation). Some new ... Sep 29, 2018
The Summer season of 2018 seemed to rely heavily on original adaptations when compared to the previous seasons of the same year, especially Spring, when more than half of the top ten most popular anime on this site were sequels. Various well-received returning and continuing anime fought for the position of best show of the cour, all of them with very high ratings; but new releases also held up competently, bringing both classic manga and recent visual and light novels to the screen, along with its fair share of originals. Among the new names of Summer 2018, Hataraku Saibou (Cells at Work!) deservedly warranted much
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Aug 26, 2018
This is one of the laziest shows I've ever seen.
Lazy characters. The main characters are each one of the cells of your immune system: red blood cell, white blood cell, etc. There is little reason to care about any of them, because they act similarly to their comrades and lack any defining traits that separates them from the trillions of cells like them. And any minuscule defining traits these characters show are being incompetent at their jobs or having backstories that don't matter in the slightest in regards to their development. Lazy setting. Before we stray too far away from the topic of how many cells ... Apr 7, 2019
Hataraku Saibou is an abstract interpretation of how the human body operates as a system, portraying the human body as a society of people (or rather cells) in which all these people have certain tasks to do. This system is constantly under attack, with the main drive of the series being to showcase how this society endures all of the threats placed upon it. There's not exactly a market for this type of show since biology, an exact science, represented as an abstract concept, by being rebuilt into a system that retains the basic notions within the exat science and changed into something else, is
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Jul 30, 2018
This is my first review so it's probably not going to be that good, but I'll try.
First off I'd like to say that I've always had a love for media that takes a concept and personifies it, and I also have a fascination for biology, so this anime was already perfect for me. The comedy is hilarious and I found myself laughing a lot of times, which I don't tend to do with most comedies. Story: 9 There isn't much of a standard story, of course, the basic is that we follow the cells in our body, working in their special fields, in a city-like setting. But the ... Oct 6, 2018
While there is no denying that Hataraku Saibou is unique and innovative, people seem to believe this, by itself, makes it a great anime. It does not.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed this anime, and thought it would be a great idea to teach kids about biology, but the anime itself is lackluster. Story: 4/10 A slice of life anime that follows the daily activities of a red and white blood cell. We get to see in detail how the body reacts to different problems and learn more about how the body works. HS gets points for accurate biology and for a novel idea, but unlike your ... Jul 29, 2018
Cells at Work is a mediocre/slightly above-average show that gets by solely on it's gimmick, that gimmick being that it takes place in the body and follows the various biological functions, but with personified cells.
When you first go through the show you might find that it's plenty of fun. The mere gimmick itself got me to episode 4, but the show's writing wouldn't find itself out of place in a stereotypical 5/10 shounen show. It becomes so cliche at point that I found myself cringing a bit, especially in this fourth episode. The show does a lot of fun things with it's setting but ... Jul 29, 2018
Like always when i write a review i Make it clear i don't speak Englsih i have mistake like a person that only learn English alone and help of nobady
WELL WE STAR WITH REVIEW. Hataraku Saibou is a nime that form is one of the best of this season because is very funny , learn about my body , i did learn about on the function of white blood cells, hemoglobins, spleen, etc. In just 4 episodes so it goes something I never learned in 5 months in my school . Each day i'm more than studying medicine xD Good about characters my favorite is U-1146 because ... Jul 28, 2018
This anime tells the story of red blood cell AE3803, Red blood cell U-1146, and many other cells all working together to keep your body safe. Through explanation and dramatic scenes it will teach you how your body works and draw you into a fascinating tales of cells at work.
This anime will completely change the way you view your cells, and how you live your daily life. It will tell you stories of all the cells as they help to heal you, and to protect you from germs, all the while entertaining you with adorable and unique characters, all with their own charm. I am fully ... Aug 19, 2018
Nearly ignorant of biology,I’m much obliged to はたらく細胞 for imparting me those biological knowledge about our body ,cells and innards,etc in such a colourful ,informative and appealing way.As for me,I don’t agree this anime should be categorized into pseudo-science.Because there is no convincing evidence showing its presentation of biological education is erroneous as yet.Abd we are still not too retarded to be devoid of the faculty for identifying the practice of anthropomorphism,that is to say,we certainly know the silhouette of cells are not human-like,and bacteria are not actually into the way like the intellectual aliens.If an anime bound up with science education could manage to
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Mar 12, 2022
This is my first review here on MAL and this anime deserves it (:
"Stuff like this is always happening around me!" -Red Blood Cell. This is an awesome anime that teaches you about what goes inside your body at all times, it will leave you wondering how strong your body really is and how many different kinds of mechanisms it has to keep YOU safe. It might seem like a boring idea at first but fight scenes are incredibly well done and they leave you wondering how it will turn out, because sometimes it looks like the bad guys are stronger than the good ones. It's not only ... Aug 19, 2018
It's "Once Upon a Time... Life" + genocides&kawaii, all made by the JoJo animation team.
You don't need anything else. No kidding, whatever I'm gonna write from now on is pointless, since I've already given you all the reasons to watch it. You remember that french cartoon that used to teach us how the human body was, from muscles to viruses, from vaccines to leukemia? "Siamo Fatti Così/Esplorando il Corpo umano" in Italy, "Il était une fois... la Vie" in France, "Érase una vez... la Vida/Érase una vez... el cuerpo humano" in the hispanic world, "Es war einmal … das Leben" in Germany, "人體大奇航" in China. Unless you're too ... Oct 14, 2018
Hataraku Saibou might be one of if not the best educational anime out there. While feeding you information on a pretty wide variety of biology and anatomy related topic it managed to mix it with a healthy dose of comedy, action and drama without feeling any of those feeling tacked on.
The show revolves around a human body being represented as one huge city, inside which the human looking cells diligently go about doing their jobs the keep everything in good condition. Just from this it should be clear that there’s plenty of artistic license taken when it comes to depicting a human body and everything ... Apr 1, 2020
I don't think I've ever seen a more average anime than Cells at Work. The art is average, the sound is average, the writing is average (from a literary perspective), the characters are average, the themes are average, just everything.
Obviously, I wasn't expecting Legend of the Galactic Heroes when I started watching Cells at Work though, so I can't complain about its average-ness. I didn't watch it for the plot. The highlight of Cells at Work is its educational content. Cells at work entertainingly teaches you microbiology. It should win a Nobel Prize for doing that. Cells at work teaches the viewer the essential ... |