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The following doesn't contain spoilers.

The first half of this special is kinda of meh compared to the best they've presented us in the show, but it was still funny. But the second half... it was simply the best riddle of the series, I was left completely dumbfounded at the end by the brilliance of it. It really should've been part of the season in my opinion.

So, if you've enjoyed this series, or really just enjoy riddles and/or science in general, this special is absolutely mandatory! A 9/10 for me.

Disclaimer: If you figure it out before they reveal the answer, it might not be as ... enjoyable for you as it was for me.

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”
― Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities

Whoa, not so fast Dickens. While yes, the first half of this series was certainly one the best times I've ever had in anime, the second wasn't nearly as bad as some of the worst stuff I've seen. However, it was probably the worst disappointment I've ever had, so I still think the sentence fits. As such, what follows is an analysis of the first half of this show (which wasn't exactly a 10/10 just because of episode 5, the only 'mid' one), followed by a quick ... rundown of what made the second half a sad ~6.

1st half (eps 1-7):

Whether it is the Ara Ara lady Macrophage, the shonen MC Naive T cell, the rom com pairing of White Blood Cell and Red Blood Cell, the adorableness of the Platelets, or the villain-with-a-character-arc Cancer Cell, this half is masterful at taking the tropes we all know and love in anime and weave them seamlessly into the setting. What really gets me every time is precisely this juxtaposition of these classic anime archetypes with the completely real inner workings of our body, is just genius really, and made me laugh every episode.

Also, it is not only that they take and insert these tropes, they master them. It is not just an appropriation of the romance genre, it's one of the finest pairings I've ever seen. It is not just a copy of the shonen empowerment episode, it's one of the best shonen empowerment episodes! And how are you even allowed to have that freaking thriller-like plot twist? In a scientific comedy!!!

Regarding the setting/plot, unlike any other kind of world in anime, even works based on the real world, we know all the rules for the human body, or rather, we know that everything we are seeing is based on a scientific fact. Therefore, in the 1st half of Hataraku Saibou there is never a moment where you scratch your head or are at a loss in reaction to the plot progression or how a character acts, which is an almost impossible to achieve utopic trait for any other anime (or work of fiction for that matter).

Finally, the music. This is by far the most surprising aspect of this show (this aspect still applies to the 2nd half), and you could say it is in fact the cherry on top of the cake. It is just flexing from David Production at this point, since your show would already be exceptional with all of the above, but hiring Suehiro (composer of the outstanding Re:zero soundtrack), and having him create your score is what establishes Hataraku Saibou as a masterpiece. Seriously, I should not literally get up from my seat in excitement from watching generic villains I just met fight our heroes in this kind of show with stakes that are not taken very seriously, but that's what "This World Will Never End" made me do.

2nd half (eps 8-13):

Why are we watching another teenage training backstory? Why are we watching once again the same enemy, only this time in XL?? And by God, why are we spending an ENTIRE episode just following Red Blood Cell around??? And the last 3 episodes are just a disgrace in terms of building tension and achieving resolution.

Remember what I said about never being at a loss about the plot progression? Scratch that for this half, because here, while you don't question why something is happening, you will certainly ask yourself why would anyone think this is interesting to follow. There even were some pretty interesting episode ideas, like Heat Stroke, but the author completely failed at adapting them in an interesting fashion. Also, to make matters even worse, I'm pretty sure the animation goes on a downward spiral in this half.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So there you go, the best of times, and the most disappointing of times. Globally, it should average to an 8, but since the first half does also have a weak episode, and the order of the halfs is from best to worst, I personally graded it as a 7.5.

[[This review doesn't contain any spoilers until the P.S.]]

The main downsides in this show I can see as detractors for viewers that would otherwise like this sort of anime are:

- The mecha genre;
- The Naruto "believe-it" syndrome of the characters;
- Some fanservice;
- Some unexplained mechanics and out-of-nowhere "saves" during the story.

While all of the above would in other cases make me rate this series a lot lower, for me the following points ended up more or less successfully addressing these issues:
...
- Aside from Gurren Lagann, whose typical Megazord-like design was the biggest visual downside for me, the other mechas felt well embedded in the setting of the show, and even in the case of Gurren Lagann, you have the encompassment of the drill mechanic that is somewhat creative and enjoyable (mostly from a childish perspective, but enjoyable nonetheless).
- While the "power of belief" thematic caused a lot of annoyance and eye-rolls, it becomes bearable once you accept that that is the nature of the show. It also really helps that two of the characters that suffered the most from this (Kamina and Nia) had unexpected progressing and, for one of them, a moment where it emotionally actually paid off.
- When it is not widespread, and the character where it is being brought upon justifies it (personality-wise), fanservice usually doesn't detract too much from the enjoyment of a show, and that was indeed the case here. This doesn't, however, completely excuse the creators, as Yoko's "assets" are overly distracting sometimes and Nia's sexualization during her first arc was also slightly off-putting considering her supposed age.
- Like I mentioned in the second note, once you accept the childish ingenuity of the show, you don't really come to expect a lot of explanations coming your way, so this ends up becoming a plus, since when some of them (sort of) happen, it's a pleasant surprise. But of course, there'll be still moments that will once again make you roll your eyes.

Adding to these "defenses", for me the series has these undisputed pluses:

- The story progression is akin to a lot of anime, namely shonens that deal with growing like Naruto, Dragon Ball, etc, but with a major difference: what takes those anime hundreds of episodes is done here in 27, which comes with the added benefit of the following point:
- Aside from one or two episodes, the animation is very stable across the entire show in terms of its amazing quality, and the climaxes of the series manage to even surpass that into the heavens of sakuga.
- Solid soundtrack.
- The "drill" theme is present from the beginning to the ending of the series, both physically and symbolically, and it's a joy to watch all the ways the creators dealt with this seemly vulgar object.
- Aside from the naturally enthralling "shonen" climaxes of the fighting scenes, the series has beautiful chill inducing moments.
- You just end up loving some of the characters, even those you rolled your eyes at in the beginning.

So yeah, that's in "sum" why this anime was a 9 for me. It could never be a 10 because even with all the tolerance I quickly forced myself to gather, some ex machina moments were really silly, and there weren't any interesting character personalities or a truly original idea of a plot. Yet I couldn't bring myself to give it an 8 because the way they executed this not-so-original story and made otherwise flat characters so appealing in the end (somewhat by "force") deserved more.



P.S.: SPOILERS below


For those that have finished it and want to know my complete opinions:

- The way they begin at a cave and end up figthing in galaxies... the plot and setting progression (in so few episodes) are simply some of the best, if not the best, I've seen in anime.
- The time skip was utterly unexpected and I just had the biggest grin on my face as I watched adult Simon and Nia in the first seconds of the third opening.
- You can't possibly not ship Simon and Nia during this final arc, which is why I momentarily entered literal depression when she died. I ended up partially accepting it (and subsequently not downgrading the rating) because at least they spent 7 years together and got married.
- The surprising Kamina and Nia moments I refer in the review are of course Kamina's death, and, in the case of Nia, the scene inside the moon where she out of nowhere breaks free from the anti-spiral spell and returns to her old self (with all the annoying "I believe in Simon" that the creators forced us to swallow, it ended up paying off because of that chill inducing moment)
- The other chill inducing scenes mentioned are in the first episode, when they burst out from the underground to the skies (I felt like I was actually outside and was also immediately smitten by the song that played at that moment), Kittan's death and the subsequent rise of the Super Galaxy GL (not so much for the scene in itself but for the amazing opera rap combo), and Viral's dream sequence.
- One of the most notorious "eye-roll" moments I refer to so much in the review is without a doubt the "reveal" that Boota had levels of spiral power rivaling those of Simon... I mean... what? Of course, the reason why Simon has so much spiral power is never revealed either (but at least there aren't any stupid prophecies or "chosen one" shenanigans).