# Cells at Work! CODE BLACK (2021)

> Personified red and white blood cells struggle through a body ravaged by alcohol, smoking, and stress in a grittier spinoff of Cells at Work!.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/85435

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 13
- Episode runtime: 24 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: animation, action, science fiction
- Network: Gunma TV, TOKYO MX, BS11, ABEMA
- Cast: Junya Enoki, Yoko Hikasa, Kenjiro Tsuda, KENN, Lynn, Yumi Uchiyama, Takashi Narumi, Yurika Kubo
- TMDB rating: 7.5/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12150836/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: mild
- Tone: gritty, somber, tense, earnest, wondrous

## What critics say

Audiences rate this spin-off positively, praising its gritty take on the body's cellular work and its sharper, more intense tone than the original.

## Synopsis

Cells at Work! CODE BLACK (2021) is a Japanese anime series created for TOKYO MX, a seinen spinoff of the educational franchise adapted from manga. Narrated by Kenjiro Tsuda, it follows Red Blood Cell AA2153, voiced by Junya Enoki, who must learn to deliver oxygen and collect carbon dioxide in dangerous conditions after a severe staffing shortage. Alongside her, White Blood Cell U-1196, voiced by Yoko Hikasa, battles germs and viruses during life-threatening crises. Across a single season of thirteen episodes, each about twenty-four minutes long, the drama is built from concrete bodily emergencies triggered by alcohol, smoking, and chronic stress, with the cells forced to coordinate under constant pressure. The tone is gritty and somber, with an undercurrent of exhaustion and dread, yet it keeps the wonder of its anatomical premise. Its approach resembles a darker take on Cells at Work! as well as the survival-driven workplace feel of Attack on Titan, appealing to viewers who enjoy science-flavored anime with a sense of duty and sacrifice.

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