"Cells at Work! BLACK" is scheduled to be adapted into an anime in 2021. The story revolves around the struggles of cells working in a brutal workplace, and the plot is much more serious than the original "Cells at Work!" So, what exactly is "Cells at Work! BLACK"? This article provides a synopsis and spoilers for the anime.
What is "Cells at Work! BLACK"?
"Cells at Work! BLACK" is set in the body of a man who works at a brutal company. The cells inside his body also endure harsh working conditions in a brutal workplace. The protagonist, a red blood cell, is a rookie, but the story depicts his growth despite facing various challenges. He sometimes witnesses the deaths of his colleagues, and sometimes receives help from the heroine, a white blood cell.
Theme: The Social Issue of "Black Companies"
It's worth noting that "Cells at Work" addresses the social issue of "black companies." Men working at black companies naturally experience increasing stress with each passing day. Stress alone is bad for the body, but to relieve stress, they turn to alcohol, smoking, and sleep deprivation. If you continue to strain your body like this, your condition will only get worse.
Synopsis/Spoiler 1: Smoking for the First Time in 10 Years
In the first episode of "Cells at Work! BLACK," the body's owner starts smoking for the first time in 10 years, causing a dire internal state. The body is already under extreme stress, and the cells themselves are working under harsh conditions. Some of the team members are even unable to endure the daily verbal abuse from their superiors and the recurring internal problems. Their veins are ragged, their feet are weak, and their bodies are oxidizing, resulting in the illegal dumping of cholesterol.
Hemoglobin binds to carbon monoxide
The protagonist here discovers that red blood cells are binding to carbon monoxide. Red blood cells contain a lot of hemoglobin, which easily binds to carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide-bound red blood cells are unable to transport oxygen, resulting in oxygen deficiency in the body. Heart rate increases, blood pressure rises, and capillaries shrink. At such a difficult time, bacteria even enter the bloodstream.
Pneumococcus invades!?
The pneumococcus bacteria that suddenly appeared were almost eliminated by white blood cells. How did such bacteria get into the body? It was due to smoking. What's more, the body's owner hadn't smoked in 10 years. The protagonist despairs, wondering why he would deliberately inject such poison into his body, but it was actually due to stress. To make matters worse, cigarettes are addictive, meaning the same thing will happen to this body again and again in the future.
Synopsis & Spoiler Introduction 2: Alcohol
One day, a mysterious liquid begins to sprinkle from the sprinkler inside Aruko's body. The liquid is actually alcohol. While the veteran Red Blood Cell is used to alcohol always raining down after periods of intense stress, the rookie protagonist finds himself getting drunk. The protagonist and his friends are taken to a busy entertainment district known as "Liver."
Having the alcohol removed
In this work, the protagonist is revived by having the alcohol removed by liver cells, which act like hostesses. While downtown areas are typically places for drinking, this is the liver, which needs to break down the alcohol into acetaldehyde, and then break down the acetaldehyde into acetic acid. The red blood cells receive enzymes from the stem cells and are completely healed. Incidentally, the protagonist, who happened to be seen leaving the bar by a white blood cell, seemed a little jealous.
Synopsis & Spoiler Introduction 3: Ejaculation
Since "Cells at Work! BLACK" is originally intended for adults, it delves into themes not explored in the main "Cells at Work!" series. This theme explores in detail what happens inside the human body during reproductive activity. The cells have a strong sense of mission and are determined to ensure the reproductive act is successful. Their ultimate goal is to ejaculate a child (or fairy?) named "Sperm-chan." Sperm-chan is also looking forward to meeting Egg-chan.
The Cells' Efforts Are in Vain
After each struggle, the cells finally manage to have sex. The protagonist is relieved and calls out to his senior, "I hope the sperm reach the egg safely, right?" However, his senior explains that not all sexual activity is for the purpose of reproduction, and that in fact, it's more likely not. The red blood cells are dejected, wondering if their efforts have been in vain. While this is true, it's a heartbreaking scene.
It Doesn't End There! Surprisingly...
But it doesn't end there. The sexual act introduces "gonococcus" into the body. The host is now infected with a sexually transmitted disease. The cells are finally facing a crisis.
Synopsis & Spoiler Introduction 4: Gonorrhea
Once gonorrhea has invaded the body, the body faces a dire crisis. Reliable white blood cells are at the forefront of the fight, but the gonorrhea regenerates at a much faster rate than the white blood cells, making it impossible to keep up. Even among the white blood cells, there are considerable casualties. Its combat abilities are also exceptional, regenerating immediately after being attacked and multiplying, leaving no option for further action.
A desperate situation, but...
With the white blood cells also under severe attack, the gonorrhea's cell wall suddenly began to break down. The cause was penicillin. Penicillin is an antibiotic that entered the body when the host took it. Penicillin, which destroys the bacterial cell wall and eliminates it, saved the gonorrhea just in time.
Antibiotics save the day
Antibiotics save these cells from peril. While they can be helpful in these cases, antibiotics are not always beneficial. They can kill normal bacteria, which are essential to the body, and they can even lead to the development of resistant bacteria.
Synopsis/Spoiler Introduction 5: Hair Loss
Working for a black company causes the owner of this body to accumulate considerable stress. This stress doesn't subside even with smoking, drinking, or sexual activity. As a result, the body develops alopecia areata. This story clearly illustrates the relationship between alopecia areata and stress. It shows that alopecia areata can happen to anyone, regardless of whether they're male, female, or elderly.
Excessive Stress Makes It Impaired the Ability to Make Straight Decisions
When the body is exposed to excessive stress, cells are unable to make rational decisions. The helper T cells, which give instructions to the cells, also become unable to make correct decisions and give incorrect instructions to the killer T cells. As a result, the killer T cells attack their natural allies, the hair follicles, resulting in alopecia areata.
Stopped by Steroids
When the host takes steroids, the helper T cells return to normal, halting the killer T cell attacks. As a result, the progression of alopecia areata is also halted.
[Cells at Work! BLACK] Summary and Spoilers!
This concludes the summary and spoilers for "Cells at Work!" What did you think? As it's a work aimed at adults, it mercilessly touches on themes that really hit home for adults. Some depictions make it seem like it might be difficult to adapt it into an anime, but if it were to air, it would likely be in a late-night slot. We look forward to seeing the exploits of the cells that continue to work in such a harsh environment.
