Cells at Work! TV Review
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Educational Value
Each episode explains a different biological process with accurate, academic language.
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Positive Messages
Themes include: Take it slow and learn step by step. Nobody starts out strong; you grow with experience. Working together yields better, faster results.
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Positive Role Models
Red Blood Cell is resilient, persistent, and brave. White Blood Cell protects others in danger. Dendritic Cell and Senpai Red Blood Cell are patient, encouraging, and kind mentors to other cells.
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Diverse Representations
There are mixed messages around gender roles, especially for men. The Killer T Cells, who are portrayed as male, look down on peers who are weak, afraid, or not aggressive. Some male-presenting cells display gentleness and crying, but these are not the norm and those same cells make excuses for the Killer T Cells’ behavior.
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Violence & Scariness
Cells fight bacteria that look like fantasy monsters; battles are bloody and involve weapons. The Killer T Cells are portrayed as a militaristic team; they verbally berate a new, younger member. Cells and bacteria yell about killing each other.
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Sex, Romance & Nudity
Red Blood Cell is implied to have a small crush on White Blood Cell, but it’s not central to the plot.
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Language
Language includes profanity (“bastard,” “sucker,” “damn”) and verbal threats (“torture you to death,” “gonna kill you”) between cells and invasive infections. Killer T Cells yell at Naive T Cell and tell him to “man up.”
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Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Cells at Work! is an educational action anime about the inner workings of the human body. Cells take human forms as they work in a factory-like environment fighting monstrous versions of bacteria and viruses. Cartoon battles get violent with weapons, lots of blood spurts, and humanoid cells facing constant danger. A narrator uses academic vocabulary to explain the biological processes occurring in each fight. Language involves profanity, verbal threats, and gendered put-downs based on stereotypes. The Killer T Cells equate masculinity with aggression; they berate Naive T Cell (voiced in English dub by Laura Stahl) until he becomes more muscular and willing to be violent. Dendritic Cell (voiced by Griffin Burns), who counsels Naive T Cells, contrasts this with gentleness and emotional sensitivity. However, he ultimately condones the Killer T Cells’ behavior by explaining their bullying as a way of helping Naive T Cell. In addition to the science, the show teaches themes of resilience, bravery, teamwork, and personal growth.
