Being the basic anime bitch that I am, as a new anime season begins, I endeavour to search out the series the most people are talking about and watch just that, giving myself a minimal chance of watching something that might be trash. This time I get into the first episode of Cells At Work!
A show that personifies the inner working of the human body, turning it into a huge city populated with anime people. We follow the cute and clumsy red blood cell girl, working her job to deliver oxygen and carbon dioxide to various parts of the body. She seems majorly incompetent at her job, but its okay because she is adorable.
Her working day is interrupted by the invasion of Pneumococci germs into the body. Luckily she is quickly saved by the other main character, the Jotaro Kujo looking killer white blood cell (Neutrophil) who dispatches all but one of the germs as it manages to sneak away. The danger seemingly passed, the pair go about their work, trying to keep Billy Murray alive. However, Red Blood Cell’s ditzy anime protagonist luck causes her to immediately run back into the germ, as it too is lost on its way to the lungs.
Luckily, she is saved again by White Blood Cell (I’m debating just shortening his name to Phil) and the pair decide to stick together as they both head towards the lungs. Along the way we get to meet some more anthropomorphisms including the T-Cells who all look like jockish private security and the platelets, who all seem like sickeningly cute young children.
There’s something about small children competently operating heavy machinery that just brings me some degree of joy.
The pair eventually make their way to the lungs, only to find the germ has been hiding out in the Red Cell’s delivery box the whole time. A fight ensues between Pneumococci and Phil Cell. The germ has build some immunites since they last fought and gains the upper hand. Through some quick thinking and luck the germ is dispelled from the body via sneeze, and all is well.
I liked this first episode. The plot and characters are incredibly simple so far, but the setting and premise of the show alone is enough to keep me interested. The actual biology terminology used, as well as background signs that use body puns in a city setting are fun also.
Whether this will get any deeper than a monster of the week kind of show, and if the twinkling of a romance between the main two characters will go anywhere remands to be seen. I like both characters and their vastly different personalities interacting. In a pretty barren summer, I glad I found something new I like already.
A Richard Wood Text Adventure 