Cells at Work! Code Black

Alternate Titles

はたらく細胞BLACK
Hataraku Saibo Black

Synopsis

Learn about the human body and the roughly 37 trillion cells that work hard every day to keep you healthy with the anthropomorphic cast of Cells at Work!! Set inside the human body, which is depicted as cities where cells work together tirelessly to keep things running efficiently. Together, they endlessly work to keep you healthy, whether delivering oxygen and other nutrients or dealing with hostile invaders! But what happens when they have to work in a harmful, unhealthy environment due to drinking, smoking, stress, and lack of sleep?

Background

Cells at Work! is a manga series written and illustrated by Akane Shimizu that has been serialized in Kodansha's Monthly Shonen Sirius magazine since January 2015. The series has spawned a handful of spin-off manga to date including Cells at Work!: Bacteria!, Cells NOT at Work!, Cells at Work! Code Black. Cells at Work and Friends!, Cells at Work!: Platelets!, Cells at Work!: Baby!, and Cells at Work!: Lady!.

The series has also spawned several adaptations into other media including a light novel written by Yui Tokiumi and illustrated by Akane Shimizu that is published by Kodansha, a stage play that was performed at Tokyo's Theatre 1010 in November 2018, and a mobile game app titled Always Cells at Work (Itsudemo Hataraku Saibo).

A TV anime adaptation of the spin-off manga Cells at Work! Code Black was announced in April 2020 in the 20th issue of Morning magazine. The animation is being produced by LIDEN FILMS with Hideyo Yamamoto directing, Hayashi Mori handling series composition and scripts, Eiji Abiko handling character designs, Yoshihiro Ujiie handling mechanical designs, and Yugo Kanno composing the music. The opening theme song is "Hashire!" by POLYSICS featuring Seiya Yamasaki on vocals, and the ending theme song is “Ue o Mukaite Hakobo” by POLYSICS featuring Red Blood Cell AA2153 and White Blood Cell 1196 on vocals. The anime premiered on Jan. 9, 2021 Tokyo MX, BS11, and MBS, and it is broadcasting consecutively with the second season of the main anime. It is available to stream online in North America through Funimation.

Characters

Red Blood Cell AA2153 (Voiced by: Junya Enoki)
A newbie red blood cell who works tirelessly to deliver oxygen throughout the body and carbon dioxide to the lungs. He is naive and idealistic and becomes overwhelmed by the state of the body he has to work in on his very first day.

White Blood Cell 1196 (Voiced by: Yoko Hikasa)
An assassin who eliminates bacteria and other foreign invaders that have entered the body, 1196 saves AA2153 from a group of Pneumococcus bacteria.

Red Blood Cell AC1677 (Voiced by: KENN)
A newbie red blood cell who works together with AA2153, he has a bit of a goody two-shoes vibe.

White Blood Cell 8787 (Voiced by: Lynn)
White Blood Cell 1196’s junior, she is good friends with 1212 and the two are always together.

White Blood Cell 1212 (Voiced by: Yumi Uchiyama)
White Blood Cell 1196’s junior, she has short hair that sticks out. She is good friends with 8787 and is always together with her.

Chief Cell (Voiced by: Takashi Narumi)
Chief Cell is in charge of the cells of the stomach that secrete pepsinogen, the source of the digestive enzyme pepsin, and digest food.

Liver Cell (Voiced by: Sarah Emi Bridcutt)
Liver Cell is one of the cells that make up 70-80% of the liver. She is responsible for metabolism and detoxification.

Narrator (Voiced by: Kenjiro Tsuda)

Music

• Opening Theme Song: "Hashire!" by POLYSICS feat. Seiya Yamasaki
• Ending Theme Song: “Ue o Muite Hakobo by POLYSICS feat. Red Blood Cell AA2153 and White Blood Cell 1196

International Streaming

Funimation

• Anime Site (Japanese)
• Twitter (Japanese)

• Original Creator: Akane Shimizu, Issei Hatsuyoshiya, Shigemitsu Harada
• Director: Hideyo Yamamoto
• Series Composition/Script: Hayashi Mori
• Character Design: Eiji Abiko
• Mechanical Design: Yoshihiro Ujiie
• Action Animation Director: Tomohiro Kamitani
• Art Director: Chiaki Tsukahara, Masahiro Sato
• Assistant Art Director: Mayuka Ota
• Color Design: Ryoko Oka
• 3D Director: Kazuaki Hara (Asahi Production)
• Director of Photography: Junpei Takatsu
• Assistant Director of Photography: Masami Takamura
• Editing: Mai Hasegawa
• Sound Director: Ryoshi Tanaka
• Sound Production: Studio Mausu
• Music: Yugo Kanno
• Music Production: Aniplex
• Animation Production: LIDEN FILMS