It is always great when you get to the end of the episode and feel like no time at all has past. You were just so caught up in what was going on it didn’t feel like any time at all. Cells at Work episode 13 manages that and for a season final it was pretty great.
While the body is going through a fairly big catastrophe this episode having suffered a head wound and major bleeding last week, this episode is incredibly solid. For an episodic anime it is regularly hard to have a big climax because other than doing the same again but bigger, there isn’t really a way to have a big finish. Cells at Work manages it by giving the body its toughest challenge yet and then it narrows its focus right down to the Red Blood Cell and her role in all of this. Rather than trying to show us what every cell is doing all the time, we see the disaster almost entirely from the perspective of Red trying valiantly to do her job and deliver oxygen as the world falls apart around her and even her kouhai ends up turning on her. It’s a fantastic way to end the season and it keeps you on the edge of your seat.
Similarly, the episode manages that really great balance of entertainment and education. We once again learn about the body, about what happens when we lose too much blood, the impact on our systems and the remaining blood cells, and then we learn about blood transfusions. Right until the end the edutainment is held up and they don’t ditch information for the sake of a more dramatic finish as they clearly know exactly what this story’s identity is.
We do however get interaction with the platelets, white blood cell, and a montage of all the cells we’ve met really trying to hold things together as things look like they are getting bleak. So again, it really does bring us that feeling that the show is coming to an end. With so many anime failing to land their final episodes, Cells at Work steps up beautifully and delivers a solid final episode that left me with a smile on my face and real if momentary desire to take better care of myself.
Previous Reviews:
- Episode 1: The Adorable Edutainment Entry
- Episode 2: The Adventures of a Directionally Challenged Red-Blood Cell Continue
- Episode 3: The Zombie Horde of Flu-Ridden Cells
- Episode 4: Everyone Has Their Own Job
- Episode 5: Maybe They Should Rewrite The Manual?
- Episode 6: The Cute Before The Storm
- Episode 7: Born To Die
- Episode 8: Be Your Best You
- Episode 9: Do I Admit Now I’m Only Watching for the Cute?
- Episode 10: Back To Formula
- Episode 11: This Episode is Hot
- Episode 12: Red Gets a Kohai – And It’s the End of the World
Thanks for reading.
Karandi James
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Gonna catch up next week, and despite your lukewarm expectations, I’m glad to see you ended up loving it!
As good as this series has been, the finale was better than it deserved to be.
Still not enough Platelets…
But seriously, I agree on all your points. This was a solid way to go!
Yes, I really feel we need a spin off that just follows the platelets and nothing else. It could work as a short form anime with 5 – 6 minutes an episode and just adorable platelets in action.
Personally, I’m hoping for an OVA at the very least. Someone in the production commitee make it happen!
I hope there is a second series of this show. Did you watch that video with the doctor? 🙂
Not yet. Got distracted by new releases today. It is in my watch list so I might get a chance layer tonight.
I had to pause the scene when the Microphages(macrophages?! Am I completely wrong?! HAVE I LEARNED NOTHING?!) are cooking those dead flea looking insects in pots of boiling water XD
Like everyone is doing their best to keep the body alive and then they are just making soup from the flesh of their enemy… smothered in blood and wearing sadistic smiles of ecstasy… at the end of the world…
It was so metal LOL
It is amazing that for how fun this show was there were definitely some dark moments scattered along the way. They were hidden under a lot of cute but they were definitely dark.
Like you I really enjoyed this final episode myself as well. There was a lot of tension (and even quite a few moments where I thought that they were not going to make it) and it was nice to see Red Blood Cell become a real strong heroine that really stepped up to the plate(let😂) It really was a great season finale. One can only hope that they bring this show back for a second season but even if that doesn’t happen, it might be a series that I will give a rewatch again at some point😊
Fairly solid closing effort and I’m glad they still managed to bring some tension despite the episodic nature. Looking forward to a full series review of this one.
I definitely look forward to that post as well! 😊😊