JacobsonCinemas

While I have been watching a lot more anime in the past decade, I’ve actually have not seen that many slice of life anime. I just prefer more action ones with overarching stories such as My Hero Academia, Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, or Gurren Lagann. I did hear about City the Animation and thought it looked nice enough so when it finally premiered, I decided to watch episode 1 and when that intro started……I absolutely fell in love this this show. City the Animation is based on the manga written and illustrated by Keiichi Arawi and animated by Kyoto Animation who are known for animating slice of life anime. It focuses on college   students Midori Nagumo, Ayumu Niikura, and Wako Izumi living together while also trying to navigate their lives in the colorful city literally named CITY. While there are a few overarching plots such as Ayumu trying to get her locket back and Eri moving, it’s mostly a slice of life anime told in mini segments showing the characters of CITY live their lives.

What makes these segments fun is that all the characters are so likable and I love every one of them. Every character has their own unique design, personality, and voice that fits them perfectly. Doug Walker once said in his Disneycember review of the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: “the characters are so likable that you really enjoy spending time with them, you can just have a conversation with anyone and feel satisfied”, and honestly the same can also apply here. The big standouts are definitely the main trio who sort of have a similar dynamic to Ed Edd n Eddy (in terms of personality). Midori is very tomboyish and reckless, and Ayumu is more responsible. Both of them are great foils and work off each other wonderfully. Wako is undoubtably my favorite character of the show. She is such a precious oddball who is extremely likable and hilarious. Other standouts include the duo Matsuri and Eri. The friendship between these two is so adorable, funny and heartwarming. You legit feel emotional for them especially when Eri moves to England and both say their goodbyes in the finale.

I’ve never seen a show that won me over immediately during the intro since Hilda. The intro song “Hello” by Riho Furui has such a bop to it that perfectly establishes the tone of this show. I also think the music helps gives the setting such a cozy, laid back summer-like atmosphere to this setting. What also helps makes this setting feel so alive is the gorgeous animation. The colors are incredibly vibrant and are amazing to look at. The show is full of many comedic expressions from the characters that are very expressive and hilarious. There’s a very impressive scene in episode 5 that involves split screens depicting numerous character plots that are happening simultaneously. It gets crazier when they then morph into these puddle-like frames which then combine into a giant Where’s Waldo like shot where you see all the characters and their plots come together at Tanabe Manor. Apparently in the manga all these plots were told separately so using this technique was an absolutely brilliant to tell everyone’s story without cutting any of them out.

City the Animation is one of the coziest and most likable shows I have ever seen and I don’t just mean anime but shows in general. It has a setting that is full of so much life thanks to its likable characters you love spending time with, and beautiful animation. It reminds me a lot of the old Ghibli films such as My Neighbor Totoro or Kiki’s Delivery Service and like I also mentioned the Winnie the Pooh film. Not only would I say this is my favorite new show of 2025, but I’d even say it is one of my favorite anime of all time. If you have Amazon Prime, please check this out.

“See you in the Summer somewhere”