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はたらく細胞BLACK / Cells at Work CODE BLACK #2

はたらく細胞BLACK 2 [Hataraku Saibou BLACK 2]

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GROWN-UP PROBLEMS The cells that keep this body running are doing their best, but there’s only so much they can do against the abuse of an unhealthy lifestyle. A simple case of athlete’s foot is one thing, but a flood of caustic acid caused by a stomach ulcer is enough to make any cell think about a career change. It turns out that there’s only so much these hard-working cells can handle before the consequences turn as serious as a heart attack…

160 pages, Paperback

First published September 21, 2018

19 people are currently reading
183 people want to read

About the author

Shigemitsu Harada

53 books12 followers
原田重光 (Harada Shigemitsu).

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5 stars
192 (45%)
4 stars
178 (41%)
3 stars
45 (10%)
2 stars
7 (1%)
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2 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
Profile Image for Lois Bujold.
Author 191 books39.3k followers
December 1, 2019
Just as delightful as Vol. 1, for a certain robust value of delightful. This volume continues and concludes the spinoff mini-series, apparently.

Recommended, but it may be better to start with the parent series, Cells at Work!, for context and continuity. (This will not be a suffering.) The anime (which is very fine) and the manga are almost interchangeable, but the manga has a few chapters that didn't make it into the anime, and unlike the anime the informational boxes sit still long enough for one to read them.

Have read this manga pair twice since I bought them, fwiw. I keep showing the original anime to friends, so I've ended up watching it multiple times. Not bored yet. Still laughing. So much meta...

Ta, L.

Later: ha, it appears 2 more volumes of this are in the pipeline. As soon as they appear in a Kindle edition, I will snatch them up.
Profile Image for The Book Dragon.
2,520 reviews38 followers
March 12, 2021
PEOPLE NEED TO READ THESE BOOKS!!!!!
The Cells at Work series are so educational and I love them!

The Code Black series speaks to me in particular because these are some of health issues that affect me personally (seriously, my blood pressure was so high once I was on the verge of a heart attack or stroke). Stress and lack of sleep are other dangers I’m facing as a student. I’ve experienced the burnout of “I can’t stop. Must work...gotta get it done” and the depression that follows when the one thing you wanna do (rest) is the one thing you can’t/won’t allow yourself to do.

This shit is real. And most people either don’t know about it or ignore it until they end up in the hospital like this body did.

TAKE CARE OF YOUR BODY! You only get one.

This series has 8 volumes.
Profile Image for tia.
239 reviews7 followers
February 14, 2021
Sleep deprivation, energy drink, caffein (I hate to said this but, really, I wanna apologize to my cell in my body T-T), not eat well as much nutrition needed. The representative is good... Especially for MI part. God, is so so something.... It's scared me to the death!
Profile Image for shea.
394 reviews13 followers
November 27, 2018
Why am I crying? God this manga is messed up.
Profile Image for Rachele Tarpani.
Author 3 books32 followers
December 20, 2018
A discapito della copertina dove sono tutti contenti... Inquieta tantissimo questo secondo volume! Sempre peggio!!
Profile Image for Jasmin.
8 reviews
October 25, 2021
This volume seemed a little rushed, and I started to lose some interest toward the end...But overall I still love the series and I enjoyed most of this manga.
Profile Image for Liza.
792 reviews61 followers
January 8, 2022
Definitely way better than volume 1 as the fanservice was toned down a lot. I will admit chapter 10 felt like the final chapter to the series rather than just the end of vol 2.
Profile Image for Somu.
570 reviews15 followers
October 23, 2021
*4.5. Super interesting volume so much happened plot wise and even character wise. I honestly wasn’t sure how it would end but I can’t wait for the next one.
Profile Image for Phoenix Gallegos.
2 reviews1 follower
December 24, 2020
Kind of inspiring

I'm not going to lie, this story is so well written. It makes me want to become a healthier person. It makes me want to take care of my body, and with the pandemic going on it makes me really want to take care of every last cell that is working so hard for me.
Profile Image for Iqra M..
595 reviews2 followers
November 23, 2024
If you're a fan of gory manga and have a curiosity about the human body, you should definitely check out Cells at Work: Code Black. This mature version of the original Cells at Work dives into the darker side of bodily functions, exploring the toll that stress, alcohol, smoking, and other pressures take on our body.

What sets Code Black apart is not just its graphic depictions of cellular battles but the lore woven throughout its narrative. The characters are AWESOME, representing the various cells battling the consequences of a chaotic lifestyle. The portrayal of these cells serves as a reminder of the toll our choices can take on our bodies, highlighting the importance of responsible living.

I scored this for only RM9 during my trip to KL! Of course I had to grab it because I already own the first volume. The cover is quite beaten, but the content is the same.

After diving into this manga, I can't help but feel incredibly grateful for all the hard-working cells in my body. It’s a reminder that we owe it to ourselves to be better hosts to our bodies. If you’re looking for a compelling mix of action, education, and a touch of gore, you’ll be sure to enjoy this series.
Profile Image for Alicia.
8,531 reviews150 followers
April 8, 2025
I don't know how I can be more obsessed with a manga series (and by extension the anime series) than I already am with this one. I'm proud to have cosplayed a red blood cell for a comic con.

In this second installment of the awesomely horrific "Code Black" series, the body is under attack from the unhealthy habits of a man who drinks and smokes and eats unhealthily leading to gout, stomach ulcers, athlete's food, and then a heart attack to name a few.

I continue to learn so much and be astounded by the creativity of providing scientific information in the form of emotional anthropomorphic body systems like that a foveolar cell is one that secretes mucus to prevent the stomach from being damaged by stomach acid and pepsin and that the platelets that I've donated several times are one of the components of blood that gather where blood vessels have been damaged to seal the wound to stop bleeding.
Profile Image for Nightwings81.
76 reviews3 followers
February 29, 2020
Another adorable RBC main character. Unlike the female protagonist of the original series, this one is a male, with glasses, adding to the squee factor. Unfortunately for him, he lives in a body that just couldn't care less about health. This doesn't hold back the punches as cells die off left and right, bringing the poor hero to the brink of despair. You can definitely feel for the little guy, who is essentially just a cog in a machine run by bigger powers. He has no choice in his job and his working conditions get worse and worse each day. It seems very much like giant corporations run on the work of thousands/millions of employees who are paid nominal fees for their constant devotion to a job that under appreciates them.
Profile Image for Bill.
626 reviews16 followers
December 31, 2020
This is quickly becoming a much better series than the core "Cells at Work!" series. Both revolve around anthropomorphic cells doing their work around the body, but this side-series focuses on the despair and hope of cells in a VERY unhealthy body. The main character, a rookie red blood cell, goes through a serious crisis of confidence, but pulls it together even under the worst possible circumstances. This being a "darker and edgier" series, issues like cell death, chronic conditions, and even near-death experiences can be handled without pulling any punches. I want to keep reading, but I'm worried about how much worse it's going to get for these poor hard-working cells.
Profile Image for Giuls.
528 reviews106 followers
January 4, 2019
OMG CHE VOLUME 😭
Fantastico, bellissimo, meraviglioso, un ansiolitico vivente ma quell'ultimo capitolo è stato tipo la gioia più grande che potesse esserci. Adoro questa serie ❤️.
Alcune delle cose che pensavo sarebbero accadute sono realmente successe, mi darei una pacca sulla spalla se non fosse che... beh... per come era ridotto questo tipo era assolutamente inevitabile XD. Forse questa serie mi piace più dell'originale, non so... ne riparliamo al nuovo volume della serie non black XD.
Da quello che ho capito dovrebbe esserci un terzo volume, speriamo 🙏🏻.
Profile Image for Jillian -always aspiring-.
1,870 reviews535 followers
February 20, 2020
2020 Read #222

3.5 stars

I’m a big fan of the Cells at Work! franchise, and this volume was really engrossing in showing how a body breaks down and how the cells within that body lose their sense of purpose in their environment. Even so, hope manages to prevail in small doses. The cells may not have full autonomy with where they live as far as control, but they work hard despite that knowledge. It’s also intriguing how this manga in particular can be a metaphor for Japan’s overworked society where working overtime is a badge of honor and any free time is kept to a bare minimum.
Profile Image for Gita Karmani.
431 reviews15 followers
June 6, 2025
Covernya kyk last volume di komik2 pd umumnya tp ternyata ceritanya masih berlanjut 😂
Kyknya semua hal yg dibahas di komik ini emang hal-hal yg pasti akan dialami tubuh, mulai dr ejakulasi (sedih sih ini kalo liat dr pov nya sel sperma), asam urat, dan juga serangan jantung.
Hadeh bacanya bener-bener bikin stres tp tbh penasaran sama ceritanya sekaligus keren sih ini mangakanya bisa gambarin pov bagian tubuh sbg storytellingnya.
Juga menggambarkan kalo kelangsungan hidup itu gak cuma tentang enaknya doang 😂
Profile Image for Rocky Sunico.
2,277 reviews25 followers
November 5, 2023
Okay, this volume is brilliant if only because they got to use this dark setting - a body under significant duress - to tell a very particular story. And what a striking circumstance as all the body's poor management results in an inevitable critical event. And while I don't necessarily want to wish ill for any character, but it does make for a great story and a great effort to visualize the body under such stress.
Profile Image for Rebo.
743 reviews32 followers
January 23, 2021
Thank god that was better than vol 1. Ofc the WBC still have the ridiculous design but we didn’t have the absolutely stupid fanservice in every chapter of this volume and it was closer to the original in spirit (though it still lacks the charm IMO)... but maybe now that the “exploitative” work environment has been dealt with things will get better in More ways than one as we go forward...
Profile Image for SaraKat.
1,977 reviews38 followers
July 14, 2022
This series gets a bit darker this volume. The problems associated with not taking care of your body are illustrated very well. It made me feel a bit guilty about doing some of those things to my own cells! Good incentive to make a change. :)

Content notes: suggestive clothing, adult themes, not suitable for school libraries
Profile Image for Sandra.
744 reviews7 followers
March 9, 2020
Immer noch deutlich erwachsener, als die Hauptreihe, geht es in diesem Band um Gicht, Fußpilz und vorallem den Herzinfarkt. Das Kapitel gefiel mir besonders gut und ist besonders emotional in Szene gesetzt ;) ich finde die Black-Nebenreihe regt stark zum Nachdenken an.
Profile Image for Ale Bonilla.
209 reviews13 followers
August 8, 2019
Esta versión es más para adultos hay senos al por mayor y muertes de personajes cosa que no había en su otra versión
Profile Image for Kate.
368 reviews6 followers
December 17, 2019
Pretty darn compelling argument to take better care of your health.
Profile Image for Kathleen.
3,648 reviews7 followers
December 18, 2019
Fun! Not as "adult" as the warnings make it sound, compared to the original. This body has more issues than outside invaders!
Profile Image for Sharla.
651 reviews1 follower
April 6, 2020
I adore these books. They manage to be charming and deadly in equal parts, plus they have the weird side effect of making me want to treat my body a little better...
Profile Image for Sara I.
860 reviews
January 8, 2021
Each issue features a new health problem or bodily crisis that the red blood cells encounter as they try to deliver oxygen all over the body. It's a fun read where you can learn a lot, too!
Profile Image for Sierra.
508 reviews5 followers
June 1, 2021
I like Cells at Work; super informative and fun to read. This one actually goes over heart attacks which is a really perspective to see.
Profile Image for Digi Demii.
303 reviews5 followers
September 5, 2021
3.5

It's not as good as the original series sadly.
My book also had the same story printed twice in it too..
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews

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