Takeuchi is an old friend of Udine Far East Film Festival where was enthusiastically acclaimed for his bold screwball manga adaptations like “Thermae Romae” and “Fly Me to The Saitama”. This year he is back at Feff with his latest big-budget screen translation, “Cells at Work!”, produced by Warner Bros. Japan. More than an adaptation, the film is a complex fusion and reimagining of two original works: the manga series “Cells at Work!” by Akane Shimizu, first published in 2015, and its own spin-off “Code Black” by Shigemitsu Harada and Issei Hatsuyoshiya.

Cells at Work! is screening at Far East Film Festival

The story unfolds inside and outside two human bodies. It may sound odd, but in fact, “Cells at Work!” features the 37 trillion cells that make up our bodies, anthropomorphized and portrayed as hardworking little people, ensuring our bodily functions run as healthily as they should. We’re first transported...