Hataraku saibó - Season 1

"One of the best things about this anime series is the fact that it will give you cancer." I read in the discussion about one of the episodes, and I can basically agree because the episode with the cancer cells was one of the best (along with the two-part finale). Anyway, I think it was a great idea to make a purposeful anime series that teaches audiences a lot about their bodies, and if it makes at least one person take better care of their body, then I consider it a job well done. However, this is nothing new of course (which I fully realize, unlike some of the people discussing it on various forums in America and Asia), because I loved and devoured every episode of the French animated series Once Upon a Time... Life when I was a child, so I simply cannot avoid the obvious comparisons. Both of the shows have their own charm and many likable characters, both of the shows provide a lot of information (although this anime series is much more factual due to its explanations and descriptions), both shows depict a lot of normal bodily functions and also some unusual experiences. Of course, the French show is the one which I would be more likely to let my (imaginary) child watch, as it is much less violent and probably more enchanting overall. This anime series is aimed more at a more mature audience, and I would happily watch it as a supplement to biology and human anatomy classes in high school for example. I definitely want to highlight the ending among the positive aspects of this show, as it is really adorable (and so it immediately went into my anime music collection) and of course, I would like to also mention how incredibly cute the blood platelets are (which just had to end up being part of my profile). Still, even though Cells at Work! is undoubtedly one of the best anime series of anime season Summer 2018, the fact is that Once Upon a Time... Life still somehow wins out for me in the end (because this anime series rekindled my youthful desire to become a doctor, which I had lost when I first saw footage of real-life heart surgery...) and leads me to be unable to award it more than 8.3/10. (07.01.2021)