Live-action adaptations of manga and anime can be hits and misses. So when they announced the live-action movie adaptation of Cells at Work!, I was a bit skeptical because this series has quite a bit of a fantastic element to it. But it also features a cast of famous actors and actresses in Japan, so I did my best to finish up work and make time to see the movie.
The story shuttles between the actual persons where the cells are working--Niko, a high school girl played by Ashida Mana living with her widowed father--as well as the cells within Niko and her father. I find the overall flow to be very well done. There is the overarching story of Niko as she goes about her life, with different things happening to her. As something happens, you then see the inner workings of the cells inside her. You get to see the red blood cells transporting oxygen and carbon dioxide from place to play, and the white blood cells fighting off germs. Niko's father shows the "Black" side of this series that is found in Cells at Work! Code Black. There is also an arc about cancer cells.
While the movie features a stellar cast, most of them actually have their faces painted in all kinds of colours (Sato Takeru's face is white because he plays a white blood cells, while it was difficult to figure out who were playing the different germs since their faces were painted in different colours). But the kids playing the blood platelets were just as cute as portrayed in the anime (I have not read the manga).
The movie also managed to make my eyes teary, I really don't know why. Maybe it was the great acting of Ashida Mana.
Another thing to note is that the "black" part of the movie shows what happens when Niko's father consumes alcohol, which shows this "liver cabaret" scene... it could be a bit too, erm, "adult" for younger audiences. And this movie had a younger audience. When I went to see the movie, there were parents who brought along their kids, some as young as kindergarten age while others were in lower grades of elementary school.
I left the theatre feeling quite happy at having watched a nice movie that successfully adapted a mange into live action. It is not often that you see such successes, but the movie was able to capture the key elements of Cells at Work! and skillfully used computer graphics to create some of the more fantastic elements, blending them with real people. I really recommend this movie, which is able to stand on its own even if you have never read the manga or watched the anime.
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