"EPIDERMIS 300 μm"
Hello!
I've come to deliver your oxygen and nutrients!
Boy, have I been waiting for these! I'm starving!
"CELL" Thank you for your patience! Here you go!
"FRAGILE" "CONDENSED GAS" "CELL" Thank you for your patience! Here you go!
Thanks!
My pleasure!
It's so nice out today. Maybe I'll have it right here on the porch.
"METAL DETECTED"
That's not good!
Harmful materials detected near the epidermis!
"HISTAMINE HANDLING MANUAL"
Let's see.
For this amount, I should turn the dial to... about this much, right?
Time to dig in!
"FULL COURSE"
Harmful materials detected nearby.
"FULL COURSE" Now releasing histamines.
"FULL COURSE" Huh? No way! Just like that?
Confirming histamine response.
Now dilating blood vessels.
Everything just got short-circuited!
The itch nerves got short-circuited! Itchy!
What's going on?
"WHITE BLOOD CELL"
Where's the antigen?
"WHITE BLOOD CELL"
Wh-White Blood Cell! I-It's all right!
Achoo!
"EPISODE 3: DENGUE FEVER"
I take a little break, and look what happens.
Not exactly a breeze, reacting to each and every harmful material.
Well, but it is my job, I guess.
Mast Cell! Where's the antigen?
Huh? What are you talking about?
There doesn't seem to be one, White Blood Cell.
Hey, stop dumping histamine so recklessly!
It's such a huge pain in the butt for us every time!
H-Huh?
We were invaded by a harmful material, so I responded! I did what I had to do!
What do you mean, "harmful material"?
You know you were just overreacting to something trivial again!
Hey, hold up! Histamines do play a crucial role, and...
Calm down, you guys!
But...
...that's because it's my job.
Your job, your job! When have you ever done anything but make trouble for others?
All you do is create extra work for us, you hysterical cell!
Who are you calling a...
..."hysterical cell"?
Mast Cell! Please calm down!
Okay, fine! So, I'm a troublemaker who only creates extra work for you!
All right, I'm not going to do jack now!
Get out of here! All of you, get out of my sight!
That was one mind-blowing fight.
Sure, it can be hard to get along, since we each have our own roles, but...
S-Sorry! I had something on my mind and wasn't looking where I was going.
No, I'm the one who should apologize.
Langerhans Cell.
A type of Dendritic Cell found in the epidermis.
They mainly present bacteria, viruses and other foreign substances to the immune system,
alerting the brain to any invasions.
They also have a second self-protection function,
shielding the skin from ultraviolet and dryness.
But you must be careful, my dear Red Blood Cell.
We're close to the epidermis. There's no telling when outside enemies might attack.
R-Right, sir!
That's right! I have to focus on my own work!
Wh-What's that?
This sound...
What's that? A saw?
Mosquito.
A parasitic insect that sucks blood from humans, sometimes serving as a medium
for malaria protozoa.
Whoa! There's something in the air! Stay away from here, everyone! It's dangerous!
H-Huh?
I'm getting sleepy.
Wha... Wha...
Whaaaaat?
All the blood cells are being taken!
I-I'm about to be taken, too--
Hang in there, please!
Here, take my hand!
Ouch! Ugh...
They're gone.
Wh-What just happened?
I wonder what this could be.
A mask?
I don't know where it came from,
but this mask seems to have a mysterious allure.
A-Are you okay?
De-Dengue!
Whoa! The wind!
De-Dengue!
What's going on?
The Langerhans Cells are acting crazy all of a sudden!
Don't tell me these guys are virus-infected cells!
"2k REALTY ROOMS AVAILABLE WHY NOT START A NEW LIFE?" Somebody help us!
What's up with this extreme reaction? I have to release histamines!
Stop dumping histamine so recklessly!
You hysterical cell!
I-It doesn't matter.
I just have to do my job.
It would just be...
...extra work, right?
That's right.
Even if I don't release histamines now, someone will eventually show up.
Are those the cells from before?
In my eyes,
you appear to be a marionette, forced to dance by the very strings of words that shackle you.
In this world where all things intertwine, transform and vanish,
the blazing flames, chaos itself...
--Wh-Why is this showing up onscreen? --Of which this catastrophe, too, is but a fragment...
In this uncertain world, there exists but one thing that each life can control.
And that is the ego as well as the self.
Basophil, who are you speaking to?
We, who are but fragile life forms,
must affirm our reason for being through independent actions,
and make our lives complete by fulfilling our missions.
"Follow the path you believe in." Is that what you're saying?
--We must never forget that our reason for being is to prove our existence--
--Wh-What's this? --We must never forget that our reason for being is to prove our existence--
De-Dengue!
Dammit! What's taking the Immune Cells so long?
I'm sure they'll be here soon, so please stay calm!
But if they don't get here...
--De-Dengue! --...we'll be toast!
--De-Dengue! De-Dengue! --I don't care who it is!
--Just save us!
--De-Dengue! --Just save us!
Is this histamine?
Was that you again, Mast Cell?
Just shut up, sit back and watch.
Watch me work!
Confirming histamine response. Now dilating blood vessels.
--Immune Cells, please head to the site immediately.
--Where are they? --Immune Cells, please head to the site immediately.
--Just you wait! Here we come! --We're going to wipe them out and then have a tea party!
--Come on out and show your faces! --We're going to wipe them out and then have a tea party!
I'll kill you!
Target sighted!
All of you, die!
You damn infected cells!
W-We're saved.
De-Dengue!
Bye-bye, germ!
Thank you very much!
The crisis was averted in the nick of time.
Thanks to the Immune Cells who arrived on the scene...
...the virus was wiped out without proliferating.
The enemy was revealed to be the dengue virus.
This incident was triggered by the invasion of the dengue virus
when the mosquito sucked blood from the body.
They say it was a mosquito. Scary, huh?
We have to do some construction!
So, this crisis was caused by a mosquito bite, huh?
Yeah. The cells we lost won't be coming back.
But we did manage to minimize the damage.
Thanks to Mast Cell, that is.
It was because you released the histamines that we were able to rush to the scene.
Mast Cell...
Wh-What do you want?
Hey, I'm sorry.
I didn't know that histamines summoned the Immune Cells.
Looks like it was you who came to our rescue today.
Hey you! Is it true that you got tangled up in another incident?
Yes! I'm sorry!
Thanks, Mast Cell!
Sorry I called you hysterical, okay?
W-Well, I should've released the histamines sooner.
--Then, you wouldn't have had to feel scared. So, I'm... --Didn't I tell you to be careful? I'm taking your hat from you!
But that's so unfair!
...sor--
Wait, I've been telling you from the start, I've done nothing wrong!
Why should I have to apologize, too? That's so messed up!
Jeez, I was this close to apologizing!
We told you! The histamines make us so itchy!
"PLATELETS" We told you! The histamines make us so itchy!
"PLATELETS" What do I care?
An irrational life causes a gust of wind to blow, and all things transform.
Did the wind break your umbrella?
--Yes. --Why, you...
...public hazard cell!
"ACNE"
This inflammatory response...
Hair root.
The part of a hair embedded under the skin. The tissue where hair is developed.
Hey, stop slacking off!
Come on, make that sebum!
--Anyone I find slacking will get one hundred lashes!
--I-I can't go on... --Anyone I find slacking will get one hundred lashes!
Elder! Elder!
Aha! I spy a big-time slacker!
One hundred lashes--
L-Little boy, stop...
Hair Matrix Cell.
Divides to produce hair.
Don't you dare abuse the Elder!
All right, then are you ready to take that old geezer's beating for him?
Would that be a bit too cruel maybe?
Oh, but on second thought...
...a hundred lashes it is!
Die! You damn germ bastard!
I'm White Blood Cell.
I'm with the Neutrophil Division. Who are you?
We are the cells who work in this pore.
What in the world happened here?
In the past, we all carried out our own respective tasks,
like producing sebum or coloring.
But one day, the acne germs showed up and began tyrannizing us!
This is no longer a mere pore! It's a pimple!
Pimple.
An inflammatory disease of the skin.
Inflammation begins when the pores become clogged with sebum.
The parts of the body that produce excess sebum are susceptible to acne.
An outbreak is often accompanied by pus and some pain.
What's this? What's all this commotion?
It's the acne germs!
Acne germ.
Normal bacteria flora that can cause acne.
Official name is "Propionibacterium acnes."
Dislikes oxygen and loves sebum.
Huh? Y-You damn White Blood Cell! How dare you!
Acne germs? Just look at that horde!
Big Brother White Blood Cell! I'm going to help you fight!
L-Little boy! Stop it!
Big Brother!
--White Blood Cell! --Little boy!
There are no saviors here!
Now get back to your posts and work!
Where are we?
You came to?
Sorry about that! It's all my fault.
No. You've done nothing wrong. Anyway, who were those guys back there?
It all started with such a minor problem.
The pipe we use to send sebum to the epidermis got clogged with dirt...
...and the whole pore got flooded with sebum.
That's when the sebum-loving acne germs set their sights on us.
And they just kept getting stronger and stronger!
The next thing we knew, we'd been taken over...
...and they'd made us their slaves!
Why did you wait around for them to multiply like that?
Didn't my friends come to save you?
Sure they did. But... But they just...
They gave up!
All of them!
Look at that.
Wh-What is that? Pus?
My friends' corpses?
They were all brave warriors just like you.
But...
Just look at them now!
This hair root is our homeland as well as our precious workplace.
But in the overall scheme of things, it's merely a single pore.
All we have to do is submit to being wiped out.
Little boy, try to understand.
I see.
If only I had courage just like you White Blood Cells!
This is No. 1146.
I've spotted a den of acne germs in that hair root.
Requesting those nearby to come to my aid.
Gotcha! We'll be a little late!
Huh? B-B-But...
No matter how small its impact...
...so long as a germ runs rampant in this body, I can't let it go.
That's my...
That's our job.
Big Brother...
All right! A hundred lashes!
Die!
Ah, you're that White Blood Cell who should've died then. You're still alive?
How amusing!
I, the King of the Acne Germs, shall add you to my collection of White Blood Cell corpses!
You can take your place in that pus now!
I'll kill you first!
Be careful!
Try not to fall!
You can do it, Big Brother!
Die!
I'm going to smash you to pieces!
Hey, look! He has a shot at winning!
Something's off.
I'm sure you were too obese and slow to defeat all those White Blood Cells.
What kind of low methods did you stoop to, Acne Germ King or whatever?
You have no clue yet how terrifying I can be!
I'm going to give you a taste of some interminable suffering!
Just as I did your friends!
What?
"MUAH" Muah!
How do you like that? Talk about a geographical edge!
Here, we have an endless supply of our favorite food, sebum!
That's why we're able to heal over and over!
Th-This is bad!
It was futile from the start.
It was simply that man's fate to become pus.
Let us resign ourselves.
After all, what is this but a single hair?
No matter how small its impact...
...so long as a germ runs rampant in this body...
...I can't let it go.
Elder...
Elder, you...
...dummy!
"POW" ...dummy!
L-Little boy! How dare you do such a thing to the Elder!
Big Brother told me...
...that no matter how small its impact, he'd still fight it!
Because that was his job!
It may be a single hair...
...but it's still our precious homeland!
Big Brother and all the White Blood Cells who died were fighting for a single hair!
So, how can we give up on it ourselves?
L-Little boy...
Elder, I'm sorry, but...
Elder...
Elder, we feel the same way.
Now is the time...
...for us to make a stand!
Y-You people...
Not bad! Who knew you'd hang on this long? But it's all over now!
Die!
A resounding victory for me!
Now, let's get you into my collection of corpses!
--Heave-ho! Heave-ho!
--What's that I hear? --Heave-ho! Heave-ho!
Open it up all the way!
Turn it! Full throttle, now!
--This is our workplace! --And we're going to protect it ourselves!
W-Water? No, this is...
...sebum?
Full blast! Keep turning until it's open full blast!
If it's sebum you want, we'll give you sebum!
Big Brother...
My belly's so heavy! This is bad! I'm drowning!
I have to get away from here for now.
You feasted too much on sebum, slowpoke!
Die, you miserable germ!
Sir White Blood Cell, please forgive us.
Big Brother!
We don't know where that White Blood Cell went after that.
Is that right?
Who knows what became of him?
We're going to search over there!
Did I fall into the sebum pipe?
I'm shiny all over!
Big Brother!
Thank you. This single hair that you protected...
We'll always cherish it and take good care of it.
Until the day it falls out.
I'm telling you, man, you have to be kinder to yourself.
People who can't be kind to themselves can't be kind to others.
Yeah, I'll keep that in mind.
Hey, thanks.
Hey! White... Blood... Cell?
Did you, uh, switch jobs?
No, I just... you know...
Big Brother, this is for you.
It's a token of my gratitude!
"NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW"
H. pylori go, "piro-piro," so what makes a sound like, "new-new"?
"NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW" A new employee?
"NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW" The answer is...
"NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW" You'll have to look forward to the next episode!
"NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW" Next episode of Cells at Work!!...
"EPISODE 4: H. PYLORI/ANTIGENIC SHIFT" Next episode of Cells at Work!!...
"EPISODE 4: H. PYLORI/ANTIGENIC SHIFT" ..."H. Pylori/Antigenic Shift."
"EPISODE 4: H. PYLORI/ANTIGENIC SHIFT" Work hard every day!