Hataraku Saibou!!

Cells at Work!!

はたらく細胞!!

Comedy
7.48 episodesFinished Airingwinter 2021

Studio: David Production

Synopsis

The cells of the human body never rest for too long; there is always something new to do and learn every day. At least, that is what Hakkekkyuu U-1146 feels as he rushes to and fro, searching for any pathogens that could cause harm to the body. Despite his dangerous line of work, it is all worth it to protect the happy smiles of Sekkekkyuu AE3803, the platelet crew, his fellow neutrophils, and the other cells he meets along the way. In his latest pathogen-hunting adventures, Hakkekkyuu U-1146 discovers how important cells can sometimes make mistakes, and that not all bacteria are actually bad. Everybody has their bad days, but everything eventually works out when their comrades have their backs. In the end, it is just another normal day for these hardworking cells! [Written by MAL Rewrite]

Characters & Voice Actors

Hakkekkyuu U-1146

Hakkekkyuu U-1146

Main

VA: Maeno, Tomoaki

Ippan Saibou 1

Ippan Saibou 1

Main

VA: Kobayashi, Yuusuke

Sekkekkyuu AE3803

Sekkekkyuu AE3803

Main

VA: Hanazawa, Kana

Acne Bacteria

Acne Bacteria

Supporting

VA: Matsushige, Shin

B Saibou

B Saibou

Supporting

VA: Chiba, Shouya

Campylobacter

Campylobacter

Supporting

VA: Winckler, Brandon

Clostridium

Clostridium

Supporting

VA: Matsuoka, Yoshitsugu

Gan Saibou

Gan Saibou

Supporting

VA: Ishida, Akira

Hakkekkyuu 2048

Hakkekkyuu 2048

Supporting

VA: Hébrant, Sébastien

Hakkekkyuu 2626

Hakkekkyuu 2626

Supporting

VA: Lemaire, Brieuc

Hakkekkyuu 4989

Hakkekkyuu 4989

Supporting

VA: Le Bec, Pierre

Helper T Saibou

Helper T Saibou

Supporting

VA: Sakurai, Takahiro

Reviews

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TLDR: if you liked the first season - you will most likely like this one. If you did not - don't waste time. Story: basically it is more of the same stuff, out cells doing their work and overcoming different situations. It is really nothing much to speak about, considering this season is only 2/3 of a normal season in length. Art, sound: the same as S1, solid but nothing stellar. Characters: once again, more of the same. Most of the characters were already established in the first season (or at least had episodical role), so you know what to expect. No real character progression if bychance you expected any. Enjoyment: like I said, you will like it if you liked S1. I sure did and I kinda enjoyed S2, but without novelty of S1 it felt kinda stale and due to being only 8 episodes it also felt short. Overall I don't regret the time I spent on it, but there sure are more interesting things to watch.

Mixed Feelings
KANLen09KANLen097

I feel like this show needs no introduction for the myriad of you who've watched Season 1 way back in 2018. The TL;DR is this: our favorite body cells are back at it again, resuscitating a healthy body from many of the immune diseases as inspired and suffering from real life, but giving it the anime flare and feel that's basically one and the same from Season 1. The only reason why we have a Season 2 in times like now, is because the spin-off (which is Hataraku Saibou Black, or Cells at Work: Code Black) is chosen to air in Winter 2021, so both mangakaAkane Shimizu and David Production had the perfect idea to release them both at the very same time in Japan, leading to that 1-hour back-to-back TV broadcast, and that by itself is a great call to advertise more of the mangaka's works. The main gripe that I have with Season 2 is that while nothing has changed (and to be honest, this works for the better), it's more of the same to push the near-perfect body back to health through different means of immunities and diseases, and with only 8 episodes, I'd feel it's the right length to finish off this show, along with all the translated manga chapters so far (as of the time of this review). In a nutshell, you can tell that mangaka Akane Shimizu spends MORE time on her part supervising the countless spin-offs (which are far more interesting) than progressing the main series, and that by itself is kind of both a blessing and a curse. Not to say that it's all bad, but generally a creative mix of ideas from different mangakas is a good way to establish the main series further, however in turn, trades off for a solid foundation of "returning the series to its roots" and leaves no room for more creativity of what the main series could have offered as potential. But rest assured: if you like or love Season 1, this sequel is a good follow-up of the countless adventures of the main character cast of cells working together to alleviate naughty, bad cells and old enemies from raging within the body. OST is pretty much the same atmosphere as the previous season, so at least there is consistency in an otherwise well-known series. If you're wondering about the movie that was released before Season 2 came out, save your money (if you're intending to watch it), as it covers the 2nd half of the show in its entirety (from Episodes 4 to 8) for another TL;DR, you're welcome. I'd thought that the movie itself would compensate for the remainder of 2 hours (or 5 episodes equally) worth of new content, but it wasn't meant to be, so, oh well. All in all, while Season 2 was just as bombarding as a marketing gimmick, it should come as no surprise that it's still worth watching all the way through. Not as amazing as how Season 1 landed the expectations, but hey, that's OK. P.S. Watch the spin-off Code Black, it's reverse gender-bender, but better.

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