It’s a typical day in CITY. No, that’s not a grammatical error; this city is named CITY. And trust me, the citizens of CITY are just as unusual as the name. Whether it’s the gullible boy who wears a skirt for the sake of his horoscope, a chef accidentally drops not one but TWO orders of crispy noodles in a customer’s bag, or a young girl trying to find out what brings her happiness, there’s no doubt that the citizens of CITY are NOT like the people in your neighborhood…or maybe they are. Cue the shenanigans!
If there’s one thing you can say about Kyoto Animation, it’s that they know what works and they know what sells! Having struck gold with their 2011 adaptation of the 4-koma Nichijou, they are now adapting another Keiichi Arawi slice-of-life manga. In many ways, City the Animation feels like it’s going to be a large-scale version of Nichijou, with eccentric characters and wacky situations interlaced with some thoughtful and heartwarming moments. This is the most blatant “We’ve seen this show before” situation this season, and for me…in this case…it’s okay! Considering all the offerings on tap this season (and those that have been inexplicably delayed…looking at you, Netflix…), City the Animation is a nice piece of candy, though it’s one that you have eaten before.
On the production side, KyoAni reminds us why they’re among the best in the animation industry. While this animation style is similar to Nichijou, it’s clear that the production staff put extra polish into this one. The show looks and feels incredibly alive while staying true to Arawi’s style. This time around, for our OP, we’re given “Hello” by Furui Riho, which is very cool! It’s a shock to see the Nichijou-style animation not accompanied by the fast-paced, almost chaotic “Hyadain no Katakata Kataomoi-C,” but I guess this is the creators’ way of separating the two shows. By comparison, the ending theme, “Lucky” by TOMOO, is very calming and peaceful, much like “Zzz” from Nichijou. Additionally, we receive a Day 1 English dub of this show, which is quite impressive and sounds prodigious. All the actors match their Japanese counterparts line for line.
So, where does that leave us with City the Animation? Simple. If you liked Nichijou, you’ll like this. If you enjoy wacky 4-koma-style shenanigans, then you’ll thoroughly enjoy this. However, as much as it pains me to say it, if you’re looking for something original and different, then you might have to skip this one. Much like life in a small city, there’s nothing groundbreaking or new here. But also like a small city, the quirks and oddities of the people in town might make things a lot more interesting. To that end, I’m willing to keep up with this one for a while longer…and at least for today, I hope I never see the word “city” again. Ugh.
City the Animation is available for streaming on Amazon Prime!
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