by The live-action film “Cells at Work” will be released on December 13, 2024. This time, we have received new stills capturing the “bacteria” played by Ainosuke Kataoka, Shinya Niiro, Masaru Ozawa, and Fukase going wild, as well as the behind-the-scenes story of the casting of each cast member from Director Hideki Takeuchi.
The original work of “Cells at Work” is a manga serialized in Kodansha’s “Monthly Shonen Sirius” by Akane Shimizu. It caused a big stir with its innovative and unique setting of anthropomorphizing cells. In 2017, the French newspaper Le Monde selected it as one of the “Recommended Books for This Summer,” attracting attention from within Japan and around the world.
The boom was further fueled by 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 work “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 be the largest-scale Japanese film to illustrate the “world’s smallest story” that unfolds inside the human body.
Kataoka Ainosuke, who directed this film and left a strong impression in his role as the rough-and-tumble governor of Osaka Prefecture in “Fly Me to the Saitama: From Lake Biwa with Love,” will play the highly toxic bacterium pneumococcus, which causes pneumonia. In the main story, there is a scene where it lurks in an unexpected place inside the body and suddenly attacks the red blood cells (played by Nagano Mei) that carry oxygen. Regarding his appearance in this film, Director Takeuchi said, “Kataoka told me he wanted to work with Director Takeuchi again.
However, even though I told him, “I’m going to do ‘Cells at Work’ next,” the casting was almost decided at that point, and only the role of the bacteria remained. Kataoka said, “I still want to participate!” this prompted me to offer him the role of the pneumococcus.
However, she also said, “The role of the bacteria requires full-scale makeup and costumes that make it difficult to recognize the real face. I’m worried that, although I can recognize Kataoka, I won’t be able to tell who is playing the role… I’m worried that Kataoka might regret it now (laughs).” Shinya Niiro, who became a topic of conversation for his role as Ano Masaki in the historical drama “The 13 Lords of the Kamakura” and has also attracted attention for his appearances in the morning drama “Omusubi,” will play Streptococcus pyogenes. Streptococcus pyogenes is a prevalent type of bacteria that lives in the throat, fire extinguisher, skin, etc., but it can cause various diseases.
The bacterium stands in the way of the cells as a vicious bacterium with sharp thorns and tentacles. Director Takeuchi commented on the direction of the role of Streptococcus pyogenes, saying, “Since Niiro-san seemed to be good at squirming movements, I cast her as a sticky character with a slightly feminine atmosphere. Her indescribable sticky feeling was compatible with the CG, and she blended in well.” He praised Niiro-san’s performance, saying, “I think Niiro-san was probably predicting how the finished image would look.
This was his first time participating in the film since the drama “Lupin’s Daughter,” which I directed, and I thought he was a bold and great actor.” Ozawa Masaru, a regular in Takeuchi’s films such as “Fly Me to the Saitama” and the “Lupin’s Daughter” series, who attracts attention for her bizarre performances, plays Staphylococcus aureus.
Staphylococcus aureus is a highly toxic bacterium always present on the skin and pores. If it enters the body through a wound, it can cause epidermal infections, food poisoning, pneumonia, meningitis, and sepsis. As the name suggests, her entire body is covered in yellow spheres; her vision is pop at first glance. Still, her laughter as she watches the cells fleeing from inside her body, which has turned into a battlefield, is cold-hearted.
When Ozawa uploaded the character visual to her Instagram, the contrast with her beautiful face caused a huge reaction, and her popularity skyrocketed. Director Takeuchi confessed the circumstances of the casting, saying, “She played a crazy role in ‘Fly Me to Saitama,’ but when I saw the original Staphylococcus aureus, I intuitively decided that ‘She is the only one who can play this role!'” He revealed the casting circumstances, saying, “It seems that her child is a big fan of the original manga, and I wanted to do it because it would be helpful for his education.
