Inside a human body, a Erythrocyte / Red Blood Cell designated c often gets lost inside the complicated pathways of the bloodstream trying to deliver oxygen and nutrients and often stumbles across various common human ailments such as colds, flus, scrapes, allergy attacks, and even food poisoning which when seen from the point of view of a cell are almost the level of natural disasters. AE3803 often crosses paths with Neutrophil/White Blood Cell designated U-1146 who despite his friendly softspoken demeanor and amicable relationship with AE3803 goes full force on any and all threats to the body and fights alongside Macrophages, Killer T-Cells, NK Cells, and a host of other bodily defenses to protect the body and the cells within.
Based on a manga by Akane Shimizu, Cells at Work follows the adventures of various cells in the human body who are anthropomorphized as Humanoids with urban settings and locales standing in as representation for the body and its functions. The series has been quite popular spawning a number of spin-offs including light novels, plays and mobile apps, and has received praise from not only the general public but also the scientific and medical community. The anime adaptation effortlessly continues that sense of fun, action, humor, and education quite successfully.
For those who recall the show Bill Nye: The Science Guy, a sketch in a 1994 episode of the show titled "Blood & Circulation" featured a parody o the tv show Cops appropriately titled Cops in Your Bloodstream which being roughly a minute or so in length gave a very abridged view of the role of white blood cells and their function in the body. In a way you can see Cells at Work as an expansion on that sketch or even the premise of 2001's Osmosis Jones which also gave the setup of a buddy-cop action film inside a human body. Because Cells at Work is an episodic TV series this gives Cells at Work an advantage over the The Science Guy Sketch or Osmosis Jones which really used the premise mostly for window dressing more than any thorough examination of the subject (not a slight against Osmosis Jones, simply a statement of fact) and Cells at Work uses its episodic nature to go through not only the functions of white blood cells, but also the functions of other defensive or operational cells including but not limited to Dendritic Cells, Helper T-Cells, Mast Cells, and Platelets who are all anthropomorphized and given personalities and character traits that make them endearing and funny as well as working within the context of the world the show creates.
The show is also action packed with lots of high intensity fights between the white blood cells as well as the invading parasites and pathogens that fill up the show's "monster of the day" quota, and despite being an educational series the fight scenes are no holds barred skirmished where the germs and viruses are anthropomorphized like the cells (albeit with aesthetics similar to villains in a sentai show) and are painfully dealt with as they are shot, stabbed, or other by the white blood cells with few details spared. So yeah, this show is surprisingly more violent than you'd probably think, but since the violence is in service of the story and the situation and it's in the context of white blood cells vs. Germs it's not "too" objectionable.
Cells at Work is a fun ride through the human body. With on point humor, engaging action, and deep dives into the functions and workings of the various cells of the human body, you'd be hard pressed to find a show that strikes the balance of informative and entertaining like this one.
