Anime Review: Cells at Work! Episode 1

Cells at Work! Episode 1

Studio: David Production

Genre: Comedy, Shounen

Stream: Crunchyroll

So far, Cells at Work! is shaping up to be my favorite show this season. From the studio that brought us the magical gift that is JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure comes another animated adaptation of a manga. In this anime, the entire plot involves the daily activities of cells within the human body.

Our protagonist is a Red Blood Cell, which in this world are reimagined as cutesy mailpersons who deliver oxygen and nutrients throughout the body. In this episode, we are also introduced to White Blood Cells (or specifically Neutrophils) who mercilessly and comically target and kill all germs or viruses in the vicinity, Killer T Cells that are sent in to combat especially dangerous pathogens (and in this world are portrayed as burly men dressed in black with hats that read “KILL”), Helper T Cell who sets the course of action for the Killer T Cells, and the Platelets the cells that repair damaged body parts (and are adorably portrayed as children due to the cell’s small size. The main characters we follow are Red Blood Cell and Neutrophil, but each character that appears onscreen has a quirky and distinct personality to go along with the type of cell they are.

This first episode follows our lead Red Blood Cell as she attempts to deliver her “package” to the lungs. Along the way, she gets caught up in an invasion of Pneumococcus, which is the virus responsible for pneumonia. Along the way, she meets up with other blood cells and antics ensue. It’s a simple premise, but the execution is fun and enjoyable throughout the episode. The show is a mix of biology class and an episode of shounen anime, and yet it works so well that all the science knowledge dump the show drops whenever it’s explaining a cell’s function don’t even get in the way.

David Production already showed me its animation prowess with its four iterations of JoJo, and this show continues to deliver the quality that I’d come to expect from the studio. The world of Cells at Work! is fun and vibrant, and each of the character’s designs are interesting and unique (and even each of the individual Red and White cells are unique in slight ways).

Overall, a solid first episode. I’m fully invested in the series now and I’m already anticipating next week’s episode. If you haven’t already, I highly recommend you add this one to your queue.