Despite enjoying this episode, part of me couldn’t help but wonder if perhaps this was a missed opportunity to go further. Then again, watching the impact of cancer that had already taken off in the body would probably be a little traumatising so maybe it is just as well we stuck with the body dealing with a cancer cell that was just getting started.
The question viewers were asking themselves all week was how this show would tackle a complex issue like cancer without ending up depressing its audience and the answer is simple – don’t plunge the body into dealing with the results of cancer but rather the initial cancer cell that might cause the problem. It is a much smaller scale problem and one the body deals with all the time rather than the actual condition people end up in when cancer has taken hold and requires plenty of external assistance if the body is going to recover. That said, it makes you wonder if they didn’t go there because they were worried about how dark it would get, or did they not go there because for the cells to end up being the heroes here they really needed them to ultimately deal with the situation.
But while there might have been a lost opportunity to deal with a fairly heavy subject like prolonged cancer suffering, Cells at Work didn’t shy away from dealing with the notion of cancer cells themselves. Born in the body like any other cell but gotten rid of because they are flawed. The idea of personifying a cancer cell like a B Grade villain who is getting his revenge for nearly being annihilated at birth is pretty well done as is the genuine sympathy the White Blood Cell ultimately feels for him. What really works, is despite that sympathy, the White Blood Cell does his job. Feelings aren’t relevant here and the cancer cell may or may not have intended harm but it can’t stay.
However, in case you are thinking it is all doom and gloom and fighting, we get a small dose of the Red Blood Cell being her usual ditsy self and just for fun a short encounter with the platelets which is too adorable for words (as the platelets always are).
Overall, this anime remains pretty solid and highly entertaining.
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
Thanks for reading.
Karandi James
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I was surprised that this was a single episode affair given the severity and prevalence of cancer in modern life. the message apparently sent here is that cancer can be quite easily beaten when we all know otherwise.
I am glad that they managed to find a balance in the humour and the gravity of the situation, and didn’t undermine either by being too bleak or compensating by going overboard with the comedy.
I hope this isn’t the last we see of NK cell either! 😛
I don’t think the message was about cancer being easily beaten so much as the fact that our bodies produced cancer cells quite regularly without necessarily leading to cancer which is something a lot of people don’t realise. That said, I would have liked to have seen this get a bit more into the negative side of things, but at the same time I’m glad this show stayed true to its overall tone.
I guess you are right.
The general “light” tone of the show made me infer this to be an oversimplified version of the fight against cancer. My father successfully beat prostate cancer so I am aware it can be vanquished, yet my aunt died suddenly of lung cancer (and she was a non-smoker), so there are two sides to this tale.
I suppose it would be too dark for this show to explore the full destruction of this ravaging disease, unless that is the plot for the final arc.
I am seriously loving this series. The balance of thematic elements, the consistent delivery of comedy. All of it.
Ultimately, this is a healthy body, and far too early in the season to introduce serious cancer complications to end it all. Catching it in the early stages makes sense from a narrative perspective. It seems like cancer may come back though. That cell spoke some rather ominous words near the end.
There’s a lot of speculation about cancer coming back. I’d be happy enough for it not to, though if they want to get more into the long term impact that could be interesting.
This was really dark.
As I said before…I’m surprised that they even went down this road in the first place, as it really felt pretty dark. But in the end it in my book they did just right, and it was an interesting episode 😊 As for the platelets…that small scene was pretty much the cutest scene of the entire show…up until now! 😊
I’m really loving this series, and it’s certainly been one of the best ones of this season.
Update on Angels of Death as promised: well…never thought I would start caring about what happens to Zack…but they did succeed in making me care. 😊😊 It was another pretty decent episode..and…it had a vibe which was just as creepy as the first episode 😊 All in all…it’s still enjoyable 😊
Oh fine, I’ll do a catch up watch. You and Irina have done a fine job of making me wonder if I dropped it too early.
That and I can’t wait for the next platelet scene. Every time I think we’ve seen the cutest thing ever they do something cuter. It’s like Mii-kun all over again.
Lol…OOOPSS…sorry about that lol 😓😓😓😂😂😂(secretly happy that you are going to be doing a catch up watch 😂😂).
Haha..Yeah, I remember Mii-kun…still haven’t seen that one…Oh well…maybe in Anime theme month…(oops…spoiler alert…well since I never properly finished Anime theme month, I’m going to be doing a new anime theme month in September. I figured since I have been slacking a bit on that department, it would be fun to do it justice and just declare September as anime month….again 😊😊).
Isn’t every month anime month? Oh wait, that’s just my life.
Honestly, you aren’t missing much by not watching the anime How To Keep a Mummy. Just google gifs of Mii Kun and you’ve literally seen the best part. It isn’t bad, but other than the cute factor there isn’t a lot to it.
Haha…well, I just have a bit of guilty feeling to my anime readersthese past few weeks, as I haven’t done anything really major when it comes to anime. So…that’s going to change in September.
Okay…I will stick to the google gifs 😂😂
“But while there might have been a lost opportunity to deal with a fairly heavy subject like prolonged cancer suffering”
But consistent with the rest of the show… Which deals with things on the personal, low, level rather than higher more systematic view.
Agreed. It was consistent with the rest of the show and it was pretty enjoyable. That said, I kind of wanted to see this go a bit further. Still, I understand while they didn’t.
That pretty much sums up my reaction, too. Though given the hint that cancer may return, I wonder if the series will climax with a systemic cancer attack… which would be pretty dark, admittedly, but I’m impressed at how the writers have handled (or smoothly papered over) the difficulties one would encounter in this kind of story.
It does make you wonder what the show intends to do as a climax. Or maybe it will just be another episodic adventure. Curious now.
I’m curious all the time: Curious(ly) is my first name! 😀
For me, this episode was a darker delve into the human body that i wanted. I’m surprised about how it made me feel sympathy for a cancer cell though. I belive that Cells at Work Black would likely show the long term effects of cancer, so I think this episode did what it needed. Also yes, the platelets are too cute for words, they need to be protected.
There was a very fine balancing act going on here with showing us something a bit darker without compromising on the overall tone of the series. The platelet break definitely helped.