Hataraku Saibou!!

I feel like this show needs no introduction for the myriad of you who've watched Season 1 way back in 2018. The TL;DR is this: our favorite body cells are back at it again, resuscitating a healthy body from many of the immune diseases as inspired and suffering from real life, but giving it the anime flare and feel that's basically one and the same from Season 1.

The only reason why we have a Season 2 in times like now, is because the spin-off (which is Hataraku Saibou Black, or Cells at Work: Code Black) is chosen to air in Winter 2021, so both mangaka ... Akane Shimizu and David Production had the perfect idea to release them both at the very same time in Japan, leading to that 1-hour back-to-back TV broadcast, and that by itself is a great call to advertise more of the mangaka's works.

The main gripe that I have with Season 2 is that while nothing has changed (and to be honest, this works for the better), it's more of the same to push the near-perfect body back to health through different means of immunities and diseases, and with only 8 episodes, I'd feel it's the right length to finish off this show, along with all the translated manga chapters so far (as of the time of this review). In a nutshell, you can tell that mangaka Akane Shimizu spends MORE time on her part supervising the countless spin-offs (which are far more interesting) than progressing the main series, and that by itself is kind of both a blessing and a curse. Not to say that it's all bad, but generally a creative mix of ideas from different mangakas is a good way to establish the main series further, however in turn, trades off for a solid foundation of "returning the series to its roots" and leaves no room for more creativity of what the main series could have offered as potential.

But rest assured: if you like or love Season 1, this sequel is a good follow-up of the countless adventures of the main character cast of cells working together to alleviate naughty, bad cells and old enemies from raging within the body. OST is pretty much the same atmosphere as the previous season, so at least there is consistency in an otherwise well-known series.

If you're wondering about the movie that was released before Season 2 came out, save your money (if you're intending to watch it), as it covers the 2nd half of the show in its entirety (from Episodes 4 to 8) for another TL;DR, you're welcome. I'd thought that the movie itself would compensate for the remainder of 2 hours (or 5 episodes equally) worth of new content, but it wasn't meant to be, so, oh well.

All in all, while Season 2 was just as bombarding as a marketing gimmick, it should come as no surprise that it's still worth watching all the way through. Not as amazing as how Season 1 landed the expectations, but hey, that's OK.

P.S. Watch the spin-off Code Black, it's reverse gender-bender, but better.

We're not getting JUST Cells at work this season, it feels like we've gotten double the fun. When it comes to season two, and Black. Which can only mean double the interest and fun when it comes to this show in general.

Story and characters:
Cells s2 kicks off right where we left off really, with another problem for the body that we're in, following it's usual formula which made it great the first time round, and it's doing it so good this time round as well, as much as we're used to. The lovable characters within the show make the story of dealing with usual body ... functions seem oh so good. As it's what pushes Cells along, from our lovable Red blood cell trying her best, to our serious, and sometimes a bit dim witted white blood cell protecting them from dangers/viruses within the body, to all sorts of colourful cast of characters that are lovely in their own regard, it'll feel like you're still watching the first season just more so all over again which is good to see.

Art and sound
The art style is still super fitting as the previous season. Compared to Black, s2 has a much more colourful and bright style, while still being a little dark in areas, in case things really get heated. It's really well done in that department, with the sounds still being super fitting for each and every scene and nothing wrong from either side there.

Cells s2 is really good, and you should be watching it! If you liked the first series, you'll love this, if you haven't you should watch first series too!

Season 2 is out and does it still hold up to season 1?
Short awnser:"Yes, yes it does". Its still kinda surprising how many people havent talked about this anime, like I know that Aot and JJK are airing but I did expect a bit more popularity but that doesnt really matter, because I like underated shows, so lets talk about the anime....

I am going to talk about season 1 and 2
"This review is spoiler-free"

Story-

The story is verry simple but verry compelling and fun to watch. It is a story about 2 bloodcells doing their work and talking to eachother and always have fun with eachother. ... They arent in love with eachother(I believe) so its rather a slice of life instead of a romance. So there isnt really a story because its a slice of life but if you just want to see something refreshing I think you will like this anime, the anime also gives you information about the human body and its verry intressting....

Characters-

The characters in this show are mostly well written and have all their small arcs like Assanation classroom for example. They all share a great chemistry and I never get tired of the dialouge, not all characters are well written but for a slice of life that doesnt really matter, if you just like to see 2 bloodcells to be friends with eachother then you should give it a fair shot. Oh and dont worry, it mostly focused on them.

Sound-
The second Op was fine but not as good as the first one, the ending was cute but nothing really special...

Art/animation-
It does look cheap sometimes but for the most part it looks good. The shading in this anime was in my opinion unique and the animation is just fluid and looks good.

Enjoyment-
Its a fun slice of life/comendy anime that provides alot of information about the body. Some episodes are more fun to watch then others but if you have nothing else to do then try this show out. Its verry enjoyable and relaxing to watch.

Although I really liked the first season of Hataraku Saibou, I never really expected the second season to be able to top it. Surprisingly enough, it did.

I'm not sure if it was the comedy or the story moving forward that made me enjoy this more than the first season. This one felt much more relaxing and nice to watch and that could be because of the contrast between it and black. The stories about childhood embarassing pics, the cute helpful bacterium and the end of the whole cancer cells arc. The whole thing was wholesome and cute which in turn made me want to ... love watching it. Even after leaving 2-3 episodes and watching them in a row thinking I wouldn't enjoy it, I was surprised at how wrong I was. The anime's comedy was great and the story progressed much better that left me happy to see the conclusion of a great series.

Art, Animation and overall directing of the whole thing was Perfect. NK Cell Best Girl.

Overall, I would give it a 9/10. A great anime and a great series as a whole. Sad to see the end of it or at least the current version of it. Very helpful anime as well as it made me want to take care of myself more and know my body and what it is doing for me.
Would recommend the whole series to anyone. A must watch imo just for the information it provides.

The anime does not get to innovate so much in comparison to the first season. It reinforces again the importance of being healthy with the constant difficulties faced by our body.

As I didn't write anything about the first season, I will describe more clearly my idea of ​​both seasons. It injects the “animated japonizing ray” into our body to talk about this more biological and preventive topic. This is an obvious idea, but not a simple one. I see no problem with some of the more common choices that anime makes. For example, the character design of the characters, which is more generic, their personalities ... and even the narrative structure is entirely designed to bring the viewer closer to the theme through personalities we already know.

Anime even subverts some things that (theoretically) don't work in other works. Deus ex machina are made in a very inventive way, when the characters are losing in some way and are saved by a medicine or a blood transfusion, it is something genius. Perhaps, he comes closer to a “shounen” structure to enact these ideas.

Hataraku Saibou!! It has 8 episodes. 5 of them to reinforce the existence of good bacteria that exist in our body, and the remaining 3 episodes show an enemy that arises from our body, which is cancer. It is clearly visible that the anime exalts the importance of having a strong and healthy body to fight a strong enemy that may appear unexpectedly. And you don't have to watch Hataraku Saibou to know that cancer is something to be feared. All villains have a frightening appearance, but in their degree of importance. The cancer cell also has a characteristic tau, but with its importance enhanced by our subconscious that knows that it is something really terrible and almost irreversible. In my experience, a feeling of fear and concern about the topic was soon aroused, and this soon changed my way of thinking and acting a little. That, until I watch Hataraku Saibou Black (◑_◑)

Well if you enjoyed season 1 then I'm assuming this is the reason why you're around here watching season 2. It isn't any real difference from season 1 to 2 as they are just a bunch of different events happening as you know, it's the human body and who knows what we do on a regular bases to our body.

There isn't much difference beside mainly focusing more on White Blood Cell this season then it did in the first which focus more on our main girl. Yes she's still around, but I feel like the focus is less on her and her misadventure through ... the body as we focus on different characters. Now is that good or bad? Really depends on who you like or don't, personally I didn't care for the "ordinary cell" guy. But I'm a fan of the trio lol... the big THREE!

Watch it if you enjoyed season 1 and like how it structure it's plot and characters. If you didn't, why even waste your time here as if you're expecting a sudden change. It is enjoyable for what it present.

It's not a anime I would say have a high rewatch value but it's a anime worth checking out if you just want to continue season 2. It's not something I would watch again though, but this is me personally speaking. It's enjoyable enough.

So, aside for my love for anime, i watched it for the science. And honestly, this time i was kinda disappointed.

Don't get me wrong, if you enjoyed the first season, you'll still enjoy this one. The anime is great i guess I'm just nitpicking. The thing is, I loved the simple way the topics wee explained in the first season, but this season, it seemed like more drama, less science to me. I also felt like that the science was more difficult to understand than last time, although it could just be because the topics they handled this time were slightly more complicated.

All in all, ... its basically the same format as last season, with the focus moving from RBC to WBC. if you want to enjoy some anime and learn biology at the same time, this is your stop!

As someone who really enjoyed the first season of Cells At Work, I was looking forward to the second season. While on the short side, I enjoyed the second season just as much as the first.

Story: 7
The story is nothing special by itself. But what I like about the franchise in particular is the educational content it has to offer. I really enjoy biology and learning about the human body, and this cour of episodes gives us a whole new slew of medical scenarios to observe and learn from.

Art: 8
With David Production at the helm, the art looks just as crisp and great ... as ever. They did a great job in all the episodes with character drawings and animation. All the shows they produce are eye candy.

Sound: 6
The sound effects and voice acting are good. The soundtrack is pretty lacking in my opinion. Nothing notable in that department.

Character: 8
The characters from S1 are back with some notable newcomers that stole the show in a couple episodes. The personification of the cells and bodily functions is creative and super fun. There's a few characters that I wish got some more screen time, though.

Enjoyment: 8
Watching the issues the cells go through is a super enjoyable experience. I have a blast learning about the biology behind everything. The fights are pretty great and entertaining as well, with some of them having a decent amount of emotion in them.

Overall: 8
I really enjoy the Cells At Work series. If you had fun watching the first season or enjoy educational television, check it out!

I think we’re really stretching what constitutes as a ‘season’ now. Like…it’s usually supposed to be 12 or 13 episodes. We’ve established this. This has nothing to do with how it impacts the quality or anything else with the storytelling, but rather a PSA on the fact that it seems like the definition of ‘season’ now is ‘whatever the showrunners want it to be’. I guess.

Story:

While I’m tempted replicate Mamiko Noto’s narration spiel about how the body has 37 trillion cells that all work hard to keep a human body alive, I’m instead going to just let everyone know that this season is essentially the ... intestine and digestion system season since that, broadly speaking, eats up a greater majority of the show’s runtime. Compared to the first season’s multitude of episodic romps that end in one or two multi-episode arcs to cap off the season, season two by comparison starts off with a multitude of half-episode episodic romps before transforming into a larger narrative picture that ends in a single multi-episode arc. Very similar on paper, but different in execution.

For starters, season two feels like it flows a little better once it’s past the half episode romps. This is largely due to the fact that the series introduces four little plot devices that help move the story along. Which plays into the larger scope of the intestine’s role in the body, as well as the rest of the smaller minisodes that occur while our characters are stationed in the intestine. By contrast, the beginning parts of the season feel more awkwardly paced than everything that comes after that. Primarily due to the fact that the show plays out like Saturday morning cartoons where each episodic plot is only eleven or so minutes long. Which as a result, create some really choppy stories that narratively don’t really mesh well with each other or the other two-thirds of the runtime that’s dedicated to the digestion system. This is in part due to the fact that each of those short form stories are focused solely on various immunity cells that we’ve met in the past, but also because each of these stories are vastly different from one another since each cell’s job is different. And featuring two polar opposite short stories next to each other in a thirty minute timeframe can create a bit of whiplash.

I’ve also learned that because the body is so indecisive and dangerous to itself, the plots that come out of this show, while biologically correct…need a surprising amount of suspension of disbelief to be taken into consideration. Which I guess is part of the charm with Cells at Work given its anthropomorphizing of human cells to show off the kind of harrowing crap we humans put our bodies through every day. Unfortunately, this leads to the series seeing a little nonsensical at times with some philosophy and deeper meaning that personally I don’t think needs to be there since just the concept of this show is wild to begin with. And making the cells think about their place in the world and why they’re in this perpetual cycle of work and death is a bit too meta for this mostly educational show to handle methinks.

Characters:

Compared to Season 1 where it seemed like our resident air-headed red blood cell got all of the attention, this season seemed to shift the focus off to our resident White blood cell and his line of work in protecting various parts of the body. (Aka just the intestine for a majority of the show.) This is partly due to the fact that every episode tackles a greater problem that the characters are notified of prior compared to the first season where our resident RBC just kind of stumbled into every major situation that occurred, screaming her way into next week running for her life while clutching onto her precious deliveries. While I’m happy the show swapped its perspective to give us the ‘other’ perspective so to speak, so too comes the philosophical aspect of Cells at Work which in my opinion is shaky at best. Which comes to play only because the story demands that the Neutrophil that’s designed only to take out foreign contaminants has human thoughts and emotions. And questions the validity of their job when they’re supposed to take out all foreign threats, but doesn’t in favor of giving alternate parties the benefit of the doubt.

By contrast, we have Ordinary Cell, a normal cell that lives in the throat who wishes to be something more than just someone who gets free deliveries and is meant to just proliferate so the body can grow. His character arc feels a lot more fulfilling by comparison because he kind of has his own hero’s journey that has both a sense of pacing and closure that’s well contained within the span of his time in the show. While also contributing to the greater scope of the series by essentially being the gateway for the larger span of the show without intruding on things too much. All around probably the best aspect of the show that was also one of its most surprising aspects too.

As for the rest of the character cast, the most that the various immunity or bodily function cells get are a few important scenes or an entire half episode to explain a process or function they have. And what happens if that function isn’t done or executed. All the while Mamiko Noto is in the background narrating everything that’s happening as if she’s reading off of a college grade biology textbook. They’re certainly characters that get their time of day when it happens, but serve less plot prominence beyond that.

Aesthetics:

David Production taking the reins for Cells at Work again wasn’t something that I thought wasn’t going to happen, and I’m glad they kept the license for it even if Black is being handled by a different production studio. Compared to the first season, the vibrancy and amount of hue we get with the color palette in the show is a lot more intense than I remember it being. It’s not all that different from Season 1, but there’s enough of one that I feel like it’s worth mentioning. This also works in tandem with the darker areas of the show where the characters appear a lot more…sinister than I feel like they should. Which creates some incredible contrast where we have bright and cheerful clashing with dark and edgy. There’s also some CGI used but it’s not that big a deal considering how rare it is.

But that’s not all. Now, when I talked about the fact that Cells at Work was made by the ‘Jojo people’ in my first review, I said it really only in reference to David Production’s most popular work currently so people kinda knew who they were. I didn’t expect to have actual jojo references in this godforsaken show. This is by no means a bad thing, but it’s clear that the animators working on this wanted to do something stupid or fun, so while I’m not sure that this was their ultimate intention, I feel like someone definitely wanted to throw in a few references in there. (The lactic acid bacterium literally did the Oraoraoraora. You cannot tell me that someone didn’t want to make a jojo reference here.)

“Go! Go! Saibou Festa” sung by a greater majority of the ‘important’ cells in the series is not exactly the kind of song I thought would be featured in this series, but hey, I’m not against it. Personally I think the first season OP is a lot better because that one sounded like it had the urgency of working to it whereas this one kinda just has everyone sing about their jobs. With occasional ‘Nyus’ for obvious reasons when watching the show. ClariS’s “Fight” by comparison is a song that’s much more lax and personally not one I’m too thrilled about personally. A good feel good song, but nothing that’s noteworthy enough to get an individual listen to on its own. Good tracks, but nothing immensely worthwhile.

Final Thoughts:

Cells at Work 2 was a show that surprised me in many ways, mostly because I didn’t really think that’d we actually get a sequel to the series, and we would only have the one season to show off the novelty of the concept. But because season 2 is actually a thing, I guess we have more of that novelty given form.

Truth be told, the novelty is what I think gives Cells at Work a greater majority of its intrigue. It’s a very non-committal show, focusing primarily on education and the imagining of what the human body would look like if it was actually a sprawling society. Beyond that and the body’s relationship to various pathogens that attempt to infiltrate it, there wasn’t really a lot to say about the show when it first came out and the same holds true here. Cells at Work to me is one of those really good novelty shows that works to its strengths and offers what’s on the box, but does little else beyond that. A show that’s worthy of recommendation, but mostly because it’s good, non-offensive fluff that you can learn something from.

Also the show is only eight episodes. So if you got a busy schedule but want to finish a decent show, it’s here for you.

I'll be going over this series as a whole.

This is the type of show I usually stay away from. From what I gathered of the cringe fanservice of the platelets and the overall ridiculousness of the theme, it didn't seem very interesting.

Well, honestly, it's not that cringy. I only watched it off of recommendations, but overall, it's a pretty decent show. it showcases the human body in self sentient anthropomorphic cells, and it serves as a comedic but also sort of educational show. Yes, if you took college level courses, you're not going to learn anything. But, for an anime, this is quite a ... bit of information. As someone that hasn't done these courses, I have learned a bit from the show. Obviously, you're better off just reading a biology textbook if you really want to know about the human body, since this show simplifies a lot of concepts, but this show does a good job of introducing biological ideas and concepts into a viewer friendly and entertaining fashion.

It shows good humor, and doesn't take itself too seriously. Overall, a lot better than you'd expect. The way these cells are depicted are pretty funny, and the amount of creativity to pull it off is worth my commendation.

Quick take: Cells at Work!! is clearly meant for a young crowd. It is an anime I look forward to sharing with my young child for it's educational aspect. If you liked CaW1, you'll enjoy CaW2.

Compared to the first part, I would say part two is nearly equivalent except that there seems to be more depth to each story and a a bit more over arching plot lines. Yet, when it comes to the storyline of this anime, it's all surface. In other words, what you see is what you get. There still isn't a ton of depth and very little to no ... subplot. Despite that, the anime storyline isn't bad. I enjoyed the way it handled each episode and how an educational aspect was tied in. Despite knowing most of the information, I didn't find it boring at all.

Comedy is present and isn't overbearing. I could stand to use a bit more though, as each time a pun or situational humor was presented, it was actually funny, but felt like I might get one per episode.

Art and sound are average. That is to say, there isn't anything noteworthy both good nor bad. English acting was very good.

Characters are about equivalent to the storyline, that is to say there isn't a ton of interesting depth to them, albeit more than in the storyline. However, I never felt as though I was missing something. They all felt and seemed natural. There seems to be a missed connection between the Red Blood Cell and White Blood Cell. They hinted at liking each other, but all you ever get is a bit of blushing and awkward moments.

I'd recommend Cells at Work for an easy-to-watch show that doesn't require you to be glued at every turn. Each episode is easily digestible with a bit of comedy and education intertwined, that aren't linked to the next per se. Highly looking forward to introducing my kid to this show in a decade or so.

This is my favorite anime. First of all, I would like to say a special thanks to the author of the story and the studio of this anime who has presented a very interesting anime.

Just like the previous season, this anime tells of the cells in the human body that are described as humans (to make it interesting) who struggle to eradicate and fight bacteria and viruses in the body. some viruses and bacteria that were not previously featured in this season. the most interesting is where there is a scene where the vaccine enters the body, which is closely related to the current pandemic ... era, as knowledge to the audience.

In essence, this anime is full of science that is packaged in an interesting way with various character designs, characteristics, explanation processes, plots, and contains elements of comedy. This anime can also be a lesson for everyone, be it teenagers or adults.
This anime also teaches us to protect the body from various diseases, and to think about the power of God who has created the human body in such detail, where each part has its own function and use (always remember God and don't be arrogant to Him and to humans).