# Learn Japanese with Cells at Work!

> How hard its Japanese is, real words from it with kana and romaji, where to watch it, and what to watch before and after.

[Anime by Japanese level](https://ikkimi.app/anime-by-japanese-level/) › [N2](https://ikkimi.app/anime-by-japanese-level/#n2)

**The short answer:** Ikkimi rates **Cells at Work!** N2 for learning Japanese: biology words, labelled on screen. **Good for a beginner? Not for beginners.** It suits learners who already follow easier shows. Expect to click a lot of words at first.

Ikkimi lists Cells at Work! on Crunchyroll and Netflix. What each service carries varies by country. On Crunchyroll, Ikkimi finds a Japanese subtitle file for the episode in Jimaku’s catalogue and lines it up for you. On Netflix, turn on Japanese subtitles and every word becomes clickable.

The Ikkimi web app and Chrome extension come on one plan. The iPhone app is coming soon.

## How hard is the Japanese in Cells at Work!?

Ikkimi rates Cells at Work! at **N2** (fast talk on many topics). What sets its level: biology words, labelled on screen. Of the 192 anime Ikkimi rates by hand, 139 are easier and 15 are harder.

Levels follow the Japanese Language Proficiency Test, from N5 (easiest) to N1 (hardest). They are Ikkimi’s estimate of how hard a show’s Japanese is to follow, from how fast people talk, how many unusual words there are and how clear the voices are. They are not official JLPT ratings.

| Fact | Cells at Work! |
| --- | --- |
| Ikkimi’s level | N2 (fast talk on many topics) |
| Why | biology words, labelled on screen |
| Japanese title | はたらく細胞 |
| Format | TV series |
| Episodes | 13, about 24 minutes each |
| First aired | 2018 |
| Genres | Action, Comedy, Sci-Fi |
| Where to watch | [Crunchyroll](https://www.crunchyroll.com/search?q=Cells%20at%20Work!), [Netflix](https://www.netflix.com/search?q=Cells%20at%20Work!) |

Format, episodes, year and genres are from [AniList’s entry](https://anilist.co/anime/100977), which may cover only the first season.

## The words in the title

The Japanese title, はたらく細胞, is a first lesson in itself. Its 2 words, as a dictionary lists them:

| Word | Kana and romaji | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| はたらく N5 | はたらく hataraku | to work; to labor; to labour |
| 細胞 N1 | さいぼう saibou | cell |

## How to learn Japanese with Cells at Work!

Ikkimi lists Cells at Work! on Crunchyroll and Netflix. What each service carries varies by country. Ikkimi does not stream anything: you watch on your own account, in Chrome on a computer, and Ikkimi adds a Japanese line you can click on top of the player.

### On Crunchyroll

Crunchyroll rarely has Japanese subtitles. On a Crunchyroll episode, Ikkimi looks for a matching Japanese subtitle file in Jimaku’s public catalogue, loads it and lines it up with the episode by itself. If Jimaku has no file for an episode, you can search by hand in the Ikkimi popup or load a subtitle file from your computer.

### On Netflix

On Netflix, turn on Japanese subtitles in the player, where your country’s Netflix has them for this title, and Ikkimi makes the line clickable. If there are none, open the Ikkimi popup, choose Find Japanese subtitles, and search Jimaku’s catalogue or load a file from your computer.

1. Add Ikkimi to Chrome: Get the extension from the [Chrome Web Store](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/ikkimi-%E2%80%94-learn-japanese/kknpmodmojiodjhbgapdgpabdehpnfcb) and sign in.
2. Play an episode: Open Cells at Work! on Crunchyroll or Netflix. The Japanese line appears on top of the video.
3. Click the words you keep hearing: The video pauses and the word opens: kana, romaji, meaning, JLPT level and a recording by a native speaker where one exists (never a computer voice; otherwise the line from the show plays again). At this level, turn on the English line under the Japanese at first, and keep only the words that come back.
4. Review them later: Kept words come back as flashcards on the Ikkimi website, with the scene and the line they came from, just before you would forget them.

## Easier and harder shows

Shows within a level of Cells at Work!, with the most genres in common first.

### Easier

| Show | Level | Why | Where |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **[Dandadan](https://ikkimi.app/anime/dandadan/)** ダンダダン | N3 to N2 | very fast banter, slang | Crunchyroll, Netflix |
| **[One-Punch Man](https://ikkimi.app/anime/one-punch-man/)** ワンパンマン | N3 | deadpan casual speech, hero titles | Crunchyroll, Netflix |
| **[Gurren Lagann](https://ikkimi.app/anime/gurren-lagann/)** 天元突破グレンラガン | N3 | rough speech, shouted slogans | Crunchyroll, Netflix |

### Also N2

| Show | Level | Why | Where |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **[Dr.STONE](https://ikkimi.app/anime/dr-stone/)** | N2 | science words, shouting | Crunchyroll |
| **[Cowboy Bebop](https://ikkimi.app/anime/cowboy-bebop/)** カウボーイビバップ | N2 | cool slang, crime and space words | Crunchyroll, Netflix |
| **[Bungo Stray Dogs](https://ikkimi.app/anime/bungo-stray-dogs/)** 文豪ストレイドッグス | N2 | formal speech, writers’ names and book titles | Crunchyroll |

### Harder

| Show | Level | Why | Where |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **[Gintama](https://ikkimi.app/anime/gintama/)** 銀魂 | N2 to N1 | fast parody, wordplay, period speech | Crunchyroll |
| **[Code Geass](https://ikkimi.app/anime/code-geass/)** コードギアス 反逆のルルーシュ | N2 to N1 | formal speeches, politics and military words | Crunchyroll, Netflix |
| **[Neon Genesis Evangelion](https://ikkimi.app/anime/neon-genesis-evangelion/)** 新世紀エヴァンゲリオン | N2 to N1 | military, science and psychology words | Netflix |

See [every N2 anime](https://ikkimi.app/anime-by-japanese-level/#n2) or all 192 [anime by Japanese level](https://ikkimi.app/anime-by-japanese-level/), and read [how to learn Japanese by watching anime](https://ikkimi.app/learn-japanese-with-anime/) from zero.

## Questions

### Is Cells at Work! good for learning Japanese?

Not for beginners. Ikkimi rates it N2 (fast talk on many topics). What sets its level: biology words, labelled on screen. It suits learners who already follow easier shows. Expect to click a lot of words at first.

### What Japanese level is Cells at Work!?

N2, on Ikkimi’s scale from N5 (easiest) to N1 (hardest). Of the 192 anime Ikkimi rates by hand, 139 are easier and 15 are harder. The level is Ikkimi’s estimate, not an official JLPT rating.

### Where can I watch Cells at Work! with Japanese subtitles?

Ikkimi lists Cells at Work! on Crunchyroll and Netflix. What each service carries varies by country. Crunchyroll rarely has Japanese subtitles, so Ikkimi looks for a matching file in Jimaku’s catalogue and lines it up with the episode. On Netflix, turn on Japanese subtitles in the player where they are offered, and Ikkimi makes every word clickable.

### What does the title はたらく細胞 mean, word by word?

はたらく (hataraku) means “to work; to labor; to labour”; 細胞 (saibou) means “cell”.

### How many episodes does Cells at Work! have?

AniList’s entry lists 13 episodes of about 24 minutes, first aired in 2018. Later seasons may be listed separately.

### What should I watch before Cells at Work!?

Shows a little easier than Cells at Work!, with genres in common: Dandadan (N3 to N2), One-Punch Man (N3) and Gurren Lagann (N3).

Sources: show details from [AniList](https://anilist.co); meanings from JMdict (EDRDG, CC BY-SA 4.0); readings and word splits from kuromoji.js with IPADIC; JLPT word levels from Jonathan Waller’s unofficial lists. See [Credits](https://ikkimi.app/credits/). Spotted a mistake? Tell us at [hello@ikkimi.app](mailto:hello@ikkimi.app).

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Source: https://ikkimi.app/anime/cells-at-work/ · Updated 2026-10-30 · Contact: hello@ikkimi.app · More: https://ikkimi.app/llms.txt