I found myself wondering, after watching the first episode for this show, would Cells at Work! primarily be a monster of the week type of show. Throwing situations at the two main characters and having them react with little actual development outside of that. This second episode seems to confirm that assumption, but it’s just so damn cute!
“Scrape Wound” begins with our main Red Blood Cell girl once again utterly lost and unable to perform her vital function as a personification of blood. During this minor issue, we are treated to an extended sequence of the adorable little children that represent the platelets hauling some heavy equipment down a small stairway.
It’s cute. So cute that any major issues are quickly forgotten.
That it until Bill Murray manages to injure himself, specifically he grazes himself at the exact point our main character just so happens to currently occupy. The abrasion is represented as cataclysmic destruction in the city and a vast hole appearing in the ground, one that sucks the blood cells towards it.
Our recognisable faces manage to survive thanks to the incredibly unlikely reappearance of the Jojo White Blood cell, who even said the chances of them running into one another again were astronomical at the end of the previous episode. Then bacteria invade through the wound. Rinse and repeat the events of the previous episode.
the major difference being the Platelets are the ones to save they day as they seal the wound to prevent the germs from getting anymore backup. The episode ends with thousands of red and white blood cells being jammed into the whole to from a scab.
In what is a pretty underwhelming season for original anime, I am getting a lot of enjoyment out of Cells at Work! despite my sarcastic comments. The designs of the characters, specifically the germs are great. They look weirdly alien, which they technically are given the giant metaphor that is this show. Plus, the writers do seem to have done their research in creating analogies between the this shows premise and the functions of the human body.
It’s light and fluffy, and yet contains surprising amount of blood, dismemberment and cataclysmic destruction. It also pushes the kinda-romance between the two main characters again, but the fact that JoPhil seems to be having none of it leads me to believe that it’s going to be a point of comedy rather than anything substantial.
This specific episode focuses on the platelets, while they were already established in the first episode, I’m not going to complain about them getting more focus here because they’re weaponised cute. I am getting the impression that there isn’t going to be a through line, nor continued story in this show, and the more I come to terms with that, the more I can just enjoy the visuals and “edutertainment” approach to this show.
After watching both episodes 3 and 4, I’ve decided not to continue reviewing Cells at Work! While I am still enjoying the show, it’s light and fluffy enough that I can’t find enough to say about it week to week without majorly repeating myself. Rest assured, I will speak about the show again, but it’ll probably have to wait until the season is over.
A Richard Wood Text Adventure 