CITY The Animation

Episode 11

Horny, cringe, surprising, adorable, tryhard; all of these adjectives describe both my life and episode eleven of CITY The Animation, meaning it's once again a sheer joy and landmark work in the medium from start to finish.

Nagumo and Niikura becoming content creators is apparently a running storyline, and numerous sketches in this episode revolved around the two trying to go viral. The cold open focuses on Niikura trying to be an e-girl style vlogger, and both the writing and performance are firing on all cylinders here. Of course, Niikura, who's spent much of the show hyper aware of how she comes off to other people, would gravitate towards this kind of performative content that could earn her praise and adoration. Once again, Cat Protano fully understands the assignment here and gives a performance that starts as cute and even flirty, but by the end is fully saccharine and so desperate that it's more than a little uncomfortable.

Nagumo's videos, meanwhile, are way more produced, ridiculous, and wander into deep internet shenanigans. This schism is such a great way to highlight the differences between the characters, and seeing them try to create videos together is a delight. I heard that line “that didn't look like how I thought it would” SO often while in a production club in college, and the line was often met with the exact level of vulnerability and creative rejection that Nagumo expressed in this episode. The credits sequence of the episode, being the video that Nagumo and Niikura end up producing instead of the usual ED, is also a brilliant touch, and it's exactly as stupid as a video that two early twenty-somethings would make while on summer break.

Other segments in this episode are also made infinitely more interesting and enjoyable thanks to Kyoto Animation's brilliant animation and some amazing acting choices. Wako performing the exchanges between the manga artist and editor rather than them having another sobbing match was a brilliant choice, and Brenna Larsen does a great job playing her character impersonating the other two. The barber getting gifts appraised at the antique store was made vastly more interesting thanks to the color work present in the shop owner's "appraisal vision,” and each item teeing up a mini animation sequence with some distinct visuals. Similarly, while the Shogi sequence is maybe the most Nichijou-style bit thus far in CITY The Animation, having the match commentators keep their responses muted and filtering their lines to make them sound like they're on a real public access caliber production made it work for me.

Also, as a big fan of Iggy's big episode in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders, the Mimineko focused sequence in this episode turned it from great to AMAZING. Every one-off voice acting choice made in this sequence was both inspired and perfect, and the way it escalates in both hilarity and cuteness is something that everyone who wants to make something fun and cozy should study.

While CITY The Animation isn't for everyone, it is plainly some of the best work in the medium right now in terms of animation, writing, adapting a work from one medium to another, and voice acting. I struggle to think of any other anime that's had such a specific and unique voice, while also being so cohesive across every element of its production. Between Mimineko's gruff speaking voice, the surprisingly horny samurai fic, Wako's meltdown to said smutty samurai fic, and Nagumo's incomprehensible YouTube channel, I can't help but love every bit of this episode.

Rating:

---

Lucas DeRuyter was born and raised in the middle of nowhere, Wisconsin, but will now become physically unwell if forced away from a major metropolitan area for more than a week at a time. You can read about his experiences with city livin' on his Bluesky account, and some of his best work on his portfolio. However, he does take a break from the hustle and bustle of the big city to contribute weekly to ANN's This Week and Anime column.

CITY The Animation is currently streaming on Prime Video.