So much nostalgia in this series. It's short only 6 volumes or 2 omnibus'. It's informative as it describes and explains real things that happen to the body in an entertaining fashion.

Cells at Work was a very educational manga about the science of the human body. It painted an awesome picture of personifying the blood cells in the body as manga characters. The book even gave definitions of the different cells and their uses throughout the body. The illustrations were very realistic. I enjoyed this book

Thank you to Kodansha Comics and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this manga. Essentially this is several episodes of the anime introducing all of the characters and a couple of viruses that happen. Truly like the anime I love the concept and how it is written. However, it can be a bit dense, and the anime may be more palatable. Because of these points, I have to give this a 4 out of 5 stars.

I absolutely LOVE Cells at Work! It's a unique look at the different systems and intricacies of the human body and how we fend off disease and other invasive viruses. I would highly recommend this for Science classes, and for students who may need a different approach to learning material for different standardized tests, as well. The art is also amazing! My favorite is the little Platelet.

An educational yet entertaining series about the cells in our body!

I just know I would have loved something like this, back when I was studying the human body for school. In fact I recommended this series to a friend of mine, who's also a science teacher, and she often plays clips of the anime for her biology class! If that isn't a testament to how accurate the science is I don't know what is (and the kids love it!)

Now about the series itself: I absolutely adored the different characters/cells and they were each so loveable in their unique ways! (The red/white blood cells and tiny platelets have my heart) You can really see just how much research must have gone into the making of this manga. From the descriptions of each cell to the explanations of their jobs, Akane Shimizu manages to tie in the facts in such a seamless manner, that there's hardly a break from the main story-line.

I'm definitely curious to continue the series and learn more about the red and white blood cells as kids! On to volume 2!


— Thank you Netgalley and Kodansha Comics for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I remember watching the anime after classes. I am so glad to have found the manga and relieve the enjoyable work. Aside from the good artwork, it is also very informative. Fun and informative - this is how I would describe this work. The translation is also good and the images are very clear.

This is a genius concept that was executed incredibly well. I would recommend this manga to anyone and everyone; if I was a high school science teacher, I would be looking into the ability to make it required reading. The inner workings of the human body are complex and interesting, but rather dry to learn about. By anthropomorphizing the cells, the human body has been turned into a workplace drama in the best way possible. This manga succeeds on multiple levels; it stands on its own entirely as a piece of entertainment but also it is amazingly educational (and accurate!). The science education is clearly explained such that anyone can follow along, but also detailed enough to teach to a high-level of knowledge.

The story includes an ensemble cast that covers all kinds of cells and characters as they go about their lives and allows the story to include all sorts of folks. The main story follows a red blood cell that is clumsy and new to the job as she tries to bumble her way through (but steadily gets better!), a white blood cell who is righteous in his defense of the body, and their frequent interactions as they cross paths and help each other. Each chapter features a new issue facing the body and teaches us about various diseases and ailments while our characters work to protect their world.

The story succeeds at being surprisingly emotional and drawing you into the characters and their struggles. Primarily a comedy with a lot of cute and funny moments, there is also a lot of action (white blood cells “fight” viruses and bacteria after all) that is somehow both incredibly gory without being off-putting at all. The platelets are my hands-down favorite (a common opinion I believe) and are unfairly cute.

The fact that this version includes multiple volumes is also a bonus. One issue I find with manga is that you need to find and buy many volumes to get the whole story; having it all in one place is the perfect solution!

A.... Surprisingly hilarious look into how the cells of the human body work?

This novel is so mind bending for me to understand as a concept, I enjoyed the art style and in a way you could say it was...... Quite educational! I had so much fun reading this one honestly if you want a short easy funny read this is your manga.

Today is RBC’s first day at work. She’s just delivering a package when a bunch of alien-looking weirdos pop up from the ground and threaten to kill everybody - but then a knight in a white uniform appears and kills them instead, saving her at the very last moment. So far, typical shonen fare, right? WRONG. Because RBC is a Red Blood Cell - and she’s just one of the billion employees that work in the humongous metropolis of a human body! “Cells at Work!” is an educational manga (oh no) for adults (OH NO) that paints the picture of a body under attack from various pathogens, like pneumococcus bacteria, cedar pollen, the influenza virus or staphylococcus aureus. The basic structure is the same in all chapters: event (i.e. scraping a knee) > effect (i.e. broken blood vessel, RBC is in danger of dropping off her world, then bacteria like staphylococcus appear) > fight (i.e. white cells combat bacteria, blood vases shrink, platelets help coagulation) > temporary victory (i.e. the plague is repaired, blood stops leaking). Even if the story is dramatic and the poor protagonists have to tackle one crisis after another, it’s still got relaxed, funny moments, and quite a few romantic ones too :) The educational side of this manga is mostly optional, but I really enjoyed reading all the small-font explanations - some of them even have practical applications. Overall, a great first volume that felt weird at the beginning, but quickly became interesting, tense, and once I finally got to care about RBC and WBC and their colleagues, I got hooked. Unfortunately, even reading too much manga has negative effects on the body, so I’ll take a break… and return for volume 2!

Disclaimer: I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. This didn't influence my opinion in any way.

Cells at work Vol 1. (Listing states omnibus 1 vols 1-3 but I was only given access to vol 1; therfore, this review will only be for vol 1).

Cells at work provides a very informative, educational, and visual of how different Cells work throughout different disease or body processes. As a nurse, this was a great review and I throughly enjoyed it. I have watched the anime and enjoyed that, so I am happy to see the Manga is just as good. Would definitely recommend this to readers of all ages.

(THE FOLLOWING IS A REVIEW OF ITS FIRST VOLUME)

There are trillions of cells living within one person. So it should come as no surprise that a story would humanize the likes of red & white blood cells, platelets, and macrophages. Of course, the first to do it were the Farrelly Brothers in the 1998 film Osmosis Jones. However, author Akane Shimizu was known to do it much better in their series Cells at Work!

Most of the focus in Cells at Work! is on a Red Blood Cell and a White Blood Cell. Living inside of the human body, Red Blood Cell spends her days carrying oxygen through every aspect of the person. White Blood Cell, on the other hand, spends his days fighting bacteria and disease, destroying them in the most vicious of ways. But the paths of Red and White often cross one another, as there isn’t a single dull day to be had living inside of the human body. However, living in the human body can be a dangerous thing, especially when germs come in wave.

Much of Cells at Work! uses humor to educate its readers about how the body works. Whether it’s oxygen being carried in delivery packages, adorable platelets aiding in healing certain wounds, or B cells using explosives to deal with deadly germs, everything is exaggerated in order to both entertain and teach. Even the germs are showcased like they’re supervillains, with germs looking like aliens and influenza viruses acting like zombies. It’s all done with delightful wackiness, even if the action can get pretty violent in places.

The first volume of the series focuses on four different kinds of ailments. Its premiere chapter acts as a way to introduce this world and its key players. However, not only does it do a great job with educating readers with human body tidbits, but it does so with a plethora of unexpected humor. One of the funnier gags involves the ridding of Pneumococcus, as a rocket launches and causes the human body to sneeze them out.

These gags continue with the introduction of Cedar Pollen, who look like blobby ghosts. The amount of chaos they create is both terrifying and hilarious, as the cells panic whilst noses become stuffy and tears literally flood the area. A Naive T Cell takes center stage when an influenza outbreak occurs, as the weak cell takes the time to grow into a strong (and violent) ally against the zombie hoard. When a knee becomes scraped, the adorable platelets are the ones to save the day thanks to their useful (and incredibly sticky) nets used to close up wounds.

Education, action, and comedy go hand-in-hand with Cells at Work!, and it works to many degrees. You feel like you’re learning something about the human body, while your brain becomes entertained by the madness that happens in these pages. The premise may seem silly at first, but Cells at Work! finds many ways to be both informative and fun to read. In its own way, it showcases the importance of a healthy human body, and why a clean bill of heath is necessary to fight off even the weakest of germs out there.

This volume contains vol. 1, 2, and 3 of this manga series.
if i remember correctly, this is season 1 of the anime.
I first watched the anime, and I love it, I'm so glad I picked up the manga it gave me time to read the little notes about every character (cell, bacteria, etc). It is so funny to imagine little people running trying to keep us alive. I can't believe the author manages to make so many plots for things like allergies. Also, it gets a little dark in some parts because being sick sucks for the body, but at the same time, it's really funny. I love how the white and red cells have history together even though they said there are too many of them, so meeting again would be hard.

My favorite characters are always going to be the little platelet they're so cute ♡

Thank you, NetGalley, for the free copy of this manga.

being a bit of a biology nerd, i absolutely loved this manga! it presents everything, from the immune cells, to the bacteria and viruses, to the body as one huge city, in such an interesting and clever way that it makes you love it instantly. i loved the personification of all of the body’s cells and i’m not gonna lie i am hoping for a little bit of a love story between red and white blood cell.
the art is super cute as well, and i can’t wait to see where this story goes. it presents everything super easily and i wish i had this when i was taking biology because it makes it so much more fun to learn about.

I snagged this as I had watched the anime and adored it!

I forgot how terminology dense Cells at Work is, and I truly think this could be used to help someone learn about the different ways cells function in the human body. It is thorough and extremely detailed. With the amount of detail though I actually found it harder to follow on the page than I did on the screen (perhaps due to the lack of color?).

This was still fun, but with the dense terminology it is one that I would definitely pick-up in print or use a larger screen to read.

3.5⭐
I can see this being used in classes or by younger people in general cause it teaches them about the inside of the human body, how cells work together and how the body reacts to certain stuff in an entertaining way. It was nice, funny and informative.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I've already watched the anime and suspected it stayed true to its original material but I can't believe how true that is. Cells at work is a workplace comedy filled with science facts and jokes that go under your radar until a specialist points it out. I learned a lot about my body and my cells while having an enjoyable time just reading a manga. Top 10 mangas of all time for me.

The excerpt provided by Netgalley and Kodansha comics had only volume 1. This series is a fantasy, scientifically accurate, cute and funny. Very entertaining as well as informative.
For information there is also an amazing anime.

Thank you NetGalley for the early access to this title!

I have loved the Cells at Work! anime for years! I even used clips to help teach my Human Anatomy class last year! So you can imagine how excited I was to read the manga. It has been on my TBR for a while now, but I haven't yet started purchasing it. The new omnibus may be a good way to buy this manga. I love the art style. I love how accurate it is without being too difficult to understand. Cells at Work! is a unique manga experience if you want something more adult without losing the fun that manga offers.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kodansha Comics, and Akane Shimizu for the opportunity to read this manga in exchange for an honest review.

While I have read a number of the Cells At Work spinoff series, this is my first experience with the original, and the omnibus is the way to go!

I love the vision the artist has in visually demonstrating what the cells and interior working of the human body might be. Similar to the animated classic, Osmosis Jones, Cells At Work follows a red blood cell and her knack for having trouble find her wherever she goes in the body. W white blood cell seems to encounter her often, as it is the white cells that fight off foreign entities.

Some examples of how cells operate with the body through the vision of Cells at Work are how oxygen is moved around the body, how bacterium are fought off before an outbreak can occur, how the body reacts to allergens, viruses, and abrasive injuries.

Cells At Work! is an enjoyable manga that teaches human biology in an artistically intriguing way. I love the educational aspect to this series!

Cells at Work volume 1 follows the story of a red blood cell as she works in her delivery job and encounters other cells along the way. I thought that the concept of cells being personified as delivery workers and soldiers was incredibly clever and I learned so much throughout the story as there were small boxes of text with information on cell processes and diseases. I am eager to read more from this series as it was very well written and made facts about biology clear and concise. This would be perfect for anyone studying this in school because it has a very fun and engaging way of explaining the terms and processes of the human body, from things such as bacteria and viruses, cuts and scrapes, and allergies. I would definitely recommend this to any fans of manga and/or biology!