Welcome to the inside of an UNHEALTHY human body. Home to many cells that work tirelessly to keep the body going.
If you watched the OG TV series of Cells at Work! then one thing you'll IMMEDIATELY notice is the TONE of the show is VASTLY darker in its art direction, story and content it shows and tells but it tells a VERY important message in the story it tells. Where as the OG show took place in a healthy human body and showed what the job of many Cells and body parts were, it didn't cover everything and certainly couldn't cover an environment thats bad. Code Black takes place in an unhealthy body. A body that smokes, drinks too much alcohol, doesn't get enough sleep. Doesn't exercise, has poor nutrition (Unhealthy eating) and is stressed and a body which has other health problems, a lot of which attributed due to the other stuff I just mentioned.
While the OG TV series never felt like it was trying to educate you and was also easy to watch even for those like myself that have a hard time learning about the body and seeing blood and body parts and worry easily about the body, Code Black ALSO doesn't feel like it's trying to educate you about the body however, it DOES feel often times like it's trying to warn you about whats going to happen to your body if you do not take care of it and this did make it hard to watch but a WORTH WHILE WATCH if you can watch it I'd highly recommend doing so to the end of Code Black. How does it try to warn you? It tries to relate in ways you likely know already. Over time at work, a bad environment. and other ways to try to relate, and it does so in brilliant ways but in my opinion, never to try to be mean about it. Sometimes it can feel like its a "Don't do this message" but that is part of the warning its leading up to at the end of Code Black, which I will not spoil.
The art style is more mature too, darker in color and tone and less kiddie looking. Even the cheerful announcer from the OG TV series is not here, instead we get a differnet announcer whose tone in voice is mroe serious which is very fitting and pairs well with Code Black as a whole. A GREAT example of this is the germs, while we don't see many of the same germs that we saw in the OG TV series, the two we DO see, look much more evil, vicious, monster like and darker/scarier looking, despite having the same design but less chibi, less bright in color and NOT cute looking at all. Its amazing how you can make the same character look so different with just a different style in the art direction and darker shade of colors and backgrounds. Speaking of thats the other way, the environment is horrible looking, unlike in the OG TV series, in Code Black we see first hand just how bad this is and the sad truth is, this is exactly what happens when you do the things the person is doing to their body in Code Black. We also see this reflected in the Cells themselves. Each Cell working overly hard, pushing themselves to the breaking point at times, due to the state of the body. This is another way it was hard for me to watch, not just in seeing and knowing what could go wrong, but seeing how the Cells themselves were being killed, suffering and working so hard. The OG TV series wasn't hard at all to watch, didn't cause me to worry. Despite this I watched to the end and am GLAD I did. It inspired me to write this review for Code Black and to try and help those reading to give Code Black a chance as it's your life sure, but YOU don't live solely for yourself, you have trillions of Cells inside you, doing their best for you, the body they call home and of course, themselves too and each of those Cells just like you, can feel things and has a life of their own too. If not for yourself, then watch if you can for the Cells inside you. Just remember to take care fo yourself as that helps the trillions inside you too.
Another way Code Black is different is it lacks comedy. Where as the OG TV series had plenty of light hearted and comedy based moments, this one is very different and you won't find much if any of that here. Each episode is a DIRE episode, they spare no time wasting with fluff. Even the episodes where a change in direction happens, still have serious matters to show and tell. But what's a story without the cast am I right? Like the OG TV series, we get to meet a lot of familiar Cells, albeit not the same Cells from the OG TV series as Code Black takes place in a different human body. So Macrophages , T-Cells, White and Red Blood Cells, and more here but different and even the Platelets are here too and where as you can still find some cuteness in these new platelets, they are more mature than the ones we see presented in the OG TV series, to ya know, match the setting with Code Black. Its worth pointing out we do NOT get to see every Cell that we saw in the OG TV series and likewise we get to see Cells that weren't shown in the OG TV series. (Least at the time of this review) Cells like ones involving the stomach (Which thankfully they made it look like a soup and or a Volcano so I wasn't grossed out) and the Liver and other organs that the OG TV series didn't cover.
We also get to see something else and this is something I have to warn any Teachers/Parents about... if it wasn't already apparent by now let me make this VERY crystal clear... Code Balck is NOT for kids. Do NOT show Code Black to a child who hasn't started puberty and had the "talk" that comes with that as Code Black is NOT for all ages, unlike the OG TV series which I'd say was for all ages, Code Black has plenty of material that you shouldn't show to kids who're too young and this includes showing and talking about the male reproductive organs which the OG TV series didn't even cover, much less show which this show does cover, talk about and show. Not to mention the stuff Code Balck covers can scar someone for life in an unhealthy way if you don't walk them through it if they're too young.
Going back to familiar Cells, it's really great that they kept the same (albeit still different because they're not the same Cells) dynamic of having a red and a white blood Cell meeting up with each other most episodes and I really like Miss white blood Cell and the red blood Cell boy and his friend from Enucleation. (I may've misspelled that...) This helped to propel the story immensely and even in subtle ways more than the OG TV series did and as for the other Cells, like the OG TV series, it was great seeing the Cells doing their best to work together to keep the body functioning, even if it was hard at times to see them be overworked, and going through so much throughout the show. Each Cell is working hard for you!
Lastly before we come to the rating and the end of this review, I want to point out that both the OG TV series and Code Black take place inside a MALE human body. I'd REALLY LIKE to see the inside of a female human body and see it go through pregnancy and all other matters that's different from a male human body so hopefully the creator(s) make that happen someday in anime form as that's the only way I'd get into it is via anime as I don't read books, just not my thing.
On that note, it's time to review Code Black... I have to say this, as a work of art and for the story it told, which I can appreciate, it deserves an 8.0 out of 10 and that's the official rating i give it however, after the credits rolled, they showed a new scene which made me have to give it a love rating (A rating of mine that is only present when my feelings for the anime conflict with the rating for said anime thus making two different ratings, see my profile for more info on it) as I was not happy with the way they ended Code Black, but I get WHY they may've ended it that way... even so, this is why I give it a love rating of 7.5 out of 10. Will Code Black have a happy ending or will it not? Watch and find out for yourself! The answer may take you by surprise! That's all I can say...
With all this said, this review was written in hopes it helps you to watch Code Black and with hope that watching that will help you and the Cells inside of you to have a better life. Ultimately it's up to you to make any of that happen, but, only watch Cell at Work! Code Black if you're mentally able to do so, no shame in not being able to, its not an easy thing to watch after all. Hopefully whether you watch or not you'll make choices in life that will help you, your body and the Cells inside of you out instead of going down the path told in Code Black...
