Cells at Work! Insane, Yes. Joyful? Also. And Surprisingly Moving.
Hello, lovely reader! 👋
How are you?
This past weekend, I finally got to watch a film that I’d been looking forward to for quite a while: Takeuchi Hideki’s Cells at Work!.
I’m sure you’ve heard of Cells at Work!, a massive manga hit created by the ingenious Shimizu Akane with dozens of spin-offs and a beloved, two-season anime series. Takeuchi’s feature marks the first live-action adaptation of the story, blending elements from its original run, Cells at Work!, and its most popular spin-off, Cells at Work! Code Black.
The film, which was released in Japan last December and broke the six billion yen (around $40 million) mark at the box office (a huge success by Japanese standards), was added to the Netflix catalogue on June 13th. Considering the time Japanese films take to reach international streaming services, I’d say this fairly quick release goes to prove the series’s popularity.
[As I haven’t watched the anime or read the manga (yet — the film makes a solid case for the premise), I’ll be discussing the film only. This review is spoiler-free!]
Cells at Work! takes place inside the human body, illustrating its inner workings through the tireless efforts of its trillions of cells. Among this humongous cast, we follow a rookie red blood cell AE3803 (Nagano Mei) and a skilled white blood cell U-1146 (Satoh Takeru) up close, as they work to keep Niko (Ashida Mana), a kind teenager, healthy.
Cells at Work! is an adventure: one that is, at the same time, bizarre, comical — and surprisingly heartwarming. By establishing a solid drama inside and outside Niko’s body and introducing classic good characters you can easily root for, the film delivers a rewarding journey that is greater than the sum of its parts.
First, how creative does one have to be to transform the work of our cells into a dramedy that makes you laugh and cry?
Incredibly creative, I’d say.
So, Shimizu Akane’s premise deserves a lot of credit for devising such a clever and imaginative universe. The science behind it is also amazingly accurate so the film plays an informative role too (had I had Cells at Work! back at school, I wouldn’t have struggled with my Biology lessons so much, that’s for sure!).
Screenwriter Tokunaga Yuichi does an excellent job of bringing this premise to life in live-action format, and Director Takeuchi and D.P. Tanigawa Shohei give it three-dimensionality. Actually, the film’s visuals are stunning, establishing an environment that transforms our body into a magical and colourful distant land from a Disney fairytale.
By blending visual effects that work very well throughout and carefully realised production design, Cells at Work! has an irresistible pull to it, an immersive quality that allows you to follow the story despite the constant explanations and biological terms.
The film creates comedy out of silliness and absurdity (believe it or not, there’s even a sequence about defecation that could’ve been shorter) but finds its heart in the connection between characters.
Cells at Work! makes use of parallel storylines to enrich its thematic and emotional depth, weaving two different narratives that resonate with equal strength. Half of the feature is full of eccentric shenanigans inside Niko’s and her father’s (Sadawo Abe) bodies and in their daily routine. What happens outside reflects on the inside and vice versa. It’s fun, humorous, and even a tad too offbeat at times. Most importantly, it successfully introduces us to these two different stories and sets them up for their dramatic conclusion.
The second half of the film allows both storylines to shed their goofy skin and embrace their more moving, more humane aspects. Themes of family, resilience, and togetherness come to the surface, highlighting the beauty of a father-daughter relationship and of teamwork towards a common goal.
“Everyone matters and every little helps.” “If we all work together, we’ll be victorious.”
These are simple yet heartfelt ideas that resound throughout the film as we see Niko, her father, AE3803, and U-1146 emerge victorious thanks to the support, care, and dedication they all offer each other in working towards their shared objectives.
Fighting infections and bacteria obviously requires a lot of very well-choreographed action sequences. But, my fellow gore-averse viewers, fear not: Cells at Work! may be full of blood cells but it isn’t bloody at all. Most of these fighting scenes aren’t heavily violent and play a very clear role in the narrative. Like most of its villains, fighting has a theatrical flair in Cells at Work!, emphasising the film’s fantastical quality.
Finally, we have to mention this star-studded cast that makes the comedy, the action, and the drama work. My heart was overjoyed to see Nagano Mei and Satoh Takeru together again after NHK’s adorable Half, Blue. Cells at Work! also brings Abe Sadawo, Yamamoto Koji and Naka Riisa to the same project after TBS’s unique Extremely Inappropriate!.
A celebration of the human body as well as the human heart, Cells at Work! might be too silly to some, but it definitely offers a joyful, heartwarming, and fairly educational journey to those looking for a quirky fantastical dramedy — or to the biology-aficionados out there.
Cells at Work! is available on Netflix.
Have you watched Cells at Work! on Netflix? I hope you share your own ideas in the comments!
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Shall We Take A Stroll Around the World of Japanese & Korean Media?
1. Cinema
I was happy to read Mark Schilling’s view on the Korean historical drama Harbin, which came out in Korea last year but has just arrived in Japan. Writing for The Japan Times, Schilling’s “‘Harbin’: Somber historical drama sees act of mercy lead to bloodshed” definitely makes for a great read and paints a very clear picture of this award-winning, Hyun Bin-led feature.
Another read that inspired me last week was Cezary Jan Strusiewicz’s essay (for the TokyoWeekender) about Isao Takahata’s Grave of the Fireflies, the first Ghibli film to be released on streaming in Japan. In “Grave of the Fireflies: The First Ghibli Movie To Stream in Japan Is Also Its Angriest,” Strusiewicz discusses how the feature is a “virulently furious message about what happens when a society neglects its most vulnerable members.” After finishing the piece, I couldn’t help but re-watch Takahata’s unforgettable film.
Taiwanese cinema isn’t my forte, but I have to share this one with you all. I really enjoyed “Taiwanese film ‘The Uniform’ brings back memories of youth,” a lovely introduction to Chuang Ching-shen’s feature by The Korea Times. The Uniform, a coming-of-age story that premiered at the Busan International Film Festival last year and was released in Korea last Friday, has resonated with audiences in Korea. The article covers the Korean press conference for the film — and definitely persuades you to give it a shot. I hope The Uniform is released internationally soon so we can all enjoy it!
And since we are talking about festivals, here’s some good news for Korean & Japanese cinema. The Korea Times has announced that “Korean actor Shim Eun-kyung’s latest film, the Japanese production ‘Two Seasons, Two Strangers,’ has been officially invited to the International Competition section of the 78th Locarno Film Festival.” Two Seasons, Two Strangers was directed by the talented Sho Miyake (Small, Slow But Steady) and is led by Shim and Tsutsumi Shinichi. This year’s Locarno Film Festival will take place from the 6th to the 16th of August. You can read more about the film here.
This Friday, the 18th of July, marks the release of Kim Tae-joon’s new horror-thriller Wall to Wall on Netflix. If you haven’t decided whether to give the film a shot, you could give “'Wall to Wall' to tackle horrors of inter-floor noise” a read. The article from The Korea Times includes interviews with the director and (the incredible) cast, clarifying what we can expect from the feature. I’d like to watch Wall to Wall and discuss it with you all in the next few weeks!
To my fellow DAY6 fans, here’s a bit of joy to brighten up your day. In August, the band is releasing 6DAYS, a “music road movie” (as described by The Korea Times) in the cinemas. As part of their 10th anniversary celebration, this cinematic project follows the DAY6 members as they embark on a spontaneous road trip across America. Release dates across Asia have already been announced — but we have yet to hear about Europe, Africa, and the Americas.
2. Television
I thought we’d be done with Squid Game by now, but it seems that I underestimated the show’s influence. The Hollywood Reporter published another two excellent features last week: “‘Squid Game’ Star Reflects on Casting Criticism and Character’s Selfless Fate” with Park Sung-hoon and “‘Squid Game’ Hero Lee Jung-jae on Letting Go of Player 456, His Final Thoughts on Show’s Urgent Message” with the show’s main star. They both make for amazing reads if you’re a fan of the show or if you’re still processing the messages behind the show’s last season.
Believe it or not, several successful reality TV series in America and the UK are actually remakes of famous Japanese game and comedy shows. A bit of this history is explored in Tokyo Weekender’s “How Japanese Reality TV Went Global,” a very curious article if you’re a fan of Japanese television.
3. Literature & Theatre
I love talking about different ways to tell stories, especially the ones that reflect the world around us. So when I heard about A Story of Man and Wife, the project immediately attracted my attention. Let me tell you why: Composed by Ryu Jeajoon with lyrics by Bong Joon-soo, A Story of Man and Wife is a “music drama that offers a candid reflection on housing, marriage and parenting.” Picture something like… a kind of opera with songs about “high housing prices, interest rates, exhausting marriage preparations, child care allowances.” Interesting, right? This incredible project is running at the Jayu Theatre of the Seoul Arts Centre and is performed by bass-baritone Han Hae-yeol and soprano Lee Sang-eun. If you want to learn more about it, I’d recommend “‘A Story of Man and Wife’ conveys Korean realities via classical vocals,” an article from The Korea Herald that explains how this idea came to be.
The Korea Herald also announced that Penguin Publishing Group has acquired the publishing rights for Seen Aromi’s solo-living memoir So What If I Love My Single Life?. The book should come out in the UK in the next couple of years. If you follow Seen Aromi online or would like to know more about her bestselling book, make sure to read “Korean bestseller on single life lands six-figure English rights deal.”
For those following the crisis in the Korean film industry with me, here’s a thought-provoking article for you. Journalist Baek Byung-yeul, writing for The Korea Times, published an excellent essay on the complexity of President Lee Jae-myung’s search for a new Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism. “Lee Jae Myung’s search for minister highlights K-culture's paradox” introduces us to the vital role this position will play in the current (and future) scenario of K-culture — a very curious read.
Meanwhile, on The Blossom Review:
Have you heard of TBS’s Who Does Housework Anymore? If you haven’t, that’s understandable since the show hasn’t been released through standard streaming services internationally. But I think this is such a hidden gem of 2025 Japanese television that I decided to talk about it — maybe we can convince Netflix or Viki to pick it up? 😉 If you want to know more about it, you can read our review here or watch our video essay here!
And make sure to stop by The Blossom Review this week for a brand-new article on Japanese and Korean television. We’ll be comparing the Japanese and Korean versions of a recently finished remake… can you guess which one we’re talking about? 🤔
I hope you have a wonderful day today and a fantastic week ahead. Take very good care of yourself, okay? ✨