The live-action film “Cells at Work” will be released in theaters on December 13, 2024. Here we will introduce the plot, cast, and more.
The original work of “Cells at Work” is a manga serialized in Kodansha’s “Monthly Shonen Sirius” by Akane Shimizu, which attracted much attention for its innovative and unique setting of anthropomorphizing cells. In 2017, it was selected by the French newspaper “Le Monde” as part of its “Recommended Books for This Summer” list, attracting attention not only from within Japan but also from around the world. The boom further heated up with the anime adaptation in 2018, and the series has become a mega-hit with a total circulation of over 10 million copies.
This film is based on Shimizu’s “Cells at Work” and the spin-off “Cells at Work BLACK” supervised by Shimizu and produced by Harada Shigemitsu and Hatsugaya Issei, and will be the first live-action film in the series to depict the “human world.” It will depict the “world’s smallest story” that takes place inside the human body on the largest scale in Japanese cinema.
The smallest protagonist in the history of film… his name is a cell! There are 37 trillion cells in the human body. Red blood cells that carry oxygen, white blood cells that fight pathogens, and countless other cells work day and night to the best of their ability to protect your health and life.
High school student Hito Urushizaki lives with his father Shigeru. Hito has a serious personality and healthy lifestyle, so the cells in his body are always working happily.
Meanwhile, inside Shigeru’s body, exhausted from his brutal working conditions, the cells in his body are constantly complaining. Even though they are father and son, there is a big difference between their bodies.
The happy family lives a lively daily life, but pathogens begin to move, aiming to invade their bodies…
The future of the Urushizaki family is at stake as the cells’ “biological greatest battle in history” begins!
The blood circulation carries oxygen to the body and carbon dioxide to the lungs.
Eliminates foreign substances such as bacteria and viruses that enter the body from the outside.
A healthy and earnest high school student. He lost his mother at an early age and lives with his father.
My father loves junk food, alcohol, and cigarettes and lives an extremely unhealthy lifestyle.
A type of lymphocyte. The main force of immune cells with strong killing power.
As their names suggest, Natural (N) and Killer (K) are born killers, and as soon as they find foreign bodies such as cancer cells or virus-infected cells, they will singlehandedly lead the charge in the attack.
A type of immune cell. It captures and kills foreign substances such as bacteria, and finds antigens and immune information. It also plays a role in clearing dead cells and bacteria and preventing bacterial infections.
Like red blood cells and white blood cells, they are one of the formed elements in blood. When blood vessels are damaged, they gather together to seal the wound and stop bleeding. They are smaller than other cells.
A commander who decides on a strategy to attack accurately based on information about foreign invaders such as bacteria and enemies.
As a red blood cell working in a harsh internal environment, it struggles to deliver oxygen to each organ in the body every day.
A reliable presence who guides new red blood cells in a challenging environment.
A senior whom Urushizaki Hikko admires and has feelings for.
As cells that make up 70-80% of the liver, they are responsible for metabolizing and detoxifying substances.
A highly toxic bacterium that can cause pneumonia.
It is a common, common bacteria that lives in the throat, digestive tract, skin, etc., but can cause a variety of diseases.
A highly toxic bacterium that is normally present on the skin and in pores, and can enter the body through wounds and cause superficial skin infections, food poisoning, pneumonia, tendonitis, sepsis, etc.
Shrouded in mystery, the cells’ strongest enemy.
Original story: Akane Shimizu “Cells at Work” (published in Kodansha’s “Monthly Shonen Sirius”)
Shigemitsu Harada, Issei Hatsugaya, Akane Shimizu “Cells at Work BLACK” (published in Kodansha’s “Morning”)
Director: Hideki Takeuchi
Screenplay: Yuichi Tokunaga
Music: Face 2 fAKE
Production: “Cells at Work” Film Production Committee
Production company: Twins Japan
Distribution: Warner Bros. Pictures
Official Hige Dandism “50%” (IRORI Records / PONY CANYON Inc.)
(C) Akane Shimizu / Kodansha (C) Shigemitsu Harada, Issei Hatsugaya, Akane Shimizu / Kodansha (C) 2024 “Cells at Work” Film Production Committee
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