CITY The Animation

Episode 13

CITY The Animation has come to a close, and this is the most a single episode of television has frustrated and emotionally devastated me in equal measure. On the one hand, this episode perfectly bookends the biggest emotional arc of the show and crystallizes the entire thesis of the show spectacularly. On the other hand, this episode also features the only instance in the show's entire run where even a single element of the production was less than lavish. Though perhaps it's appropriate that I'm torn because, as this episode demonstrates, CITY The Animation is fundamentally about finding joy in life with the people around you, even when life is hard or imperfect.

To start with the positives, Matsuri and Ecchan's goodbye was an absolute gutpunch as well as hysterical. Matsuri calling out Adatara for being weird in spite of his unshakable confidence was a delightfully unexpected gag, as was the “horse” they rode to the airport, clearly being two people in a costume, and that plot point going completely unexplained. Ecchan's refusal to say goodbye to Matsuri, often by aikido throwing her rather than acknowledging her presence, was a great way to set up Ecchan's eventual confession that she doesn't want to make her friend sad by saying goodbye.

Matsuri, of course, rebukes Ecchan's motivations for not wanting to say goodbye and makes clear that she would rather be sad with her friend than sad by herself. Considering how these two characters have been the greatest source of pure fun in all of CITY, they're the perfect means to address how friendship means sharing hardships as well as more exuberant experiences. I didn't expect their storyline to end with such a perfect encapsulation of how meaningful relationships can be, and their final scene together made me cry for the fourth or fifth time this season.

The final segment of the episode, and likely all of CITY The Animation as this season is so singularly perfect that any additional episodes would likely feel superfluous, brings together the show's ensemble cast in celebration. Makabe's Western Cuisine received a Michelin star! A song and dance number quickly breaks out that includes much of the supporting cast of CITY, and it rapidly becomes a contender for one of the best animated sequences of the show. With some amazing editing, jumps to different genres like pulp adventures, sci-fi, and Dragon Quest-inspired fantasy; and the inevitable twist that the literal star Chef Makabe got in the mail isn't a real Michelin star and instead a gift from Officer Honkan (read Officer Officer), this segment is an exercise in masterfully executed creativity.

My only issue with this otherwise amazing capstone to the season is that THEY DIDN'T DUB IT! Outside of the “Cheesberger” scene, I've watched all of CITY The Animation dubbed, as it contains some of the best English language performances and directing that I've seen in an anime in a long time. I understand that it would have been a huge undertaking to dub this sequence, as it features numerous characters singing in harmony and speaking in a rhyme scheme that would be difficult to both localize and make sound natural; but CITY is defined by how often it goes above and beyond. They were able to dub the spoken verse poetry in the animal plays earlier in the season, so I know the actors involved in this production have the chops to pull this sequence off, and it's disappointing that Deluxe, Amazon, or whatever party is ultimately responsible for this decision didn't give the same treatment to this sequence for whatever reason.

To be clear, this song not being dubbed doesn't ruin the episode by any means, but it is a choice that's especially annoying to me personally and a rare instance of this show not firing on all cylinders at all times. Still, though, CITY The Animation is nothing short of an achievement in the medium of animation and is packed with the exact kind of informed optimism that I think the world needs more of right now. If there's one central theme to CITY it's that, while life can be disappointing and full of plenty of heartache, we can still make the world a better, more fun, place by waking up every day and choosing to live our best life with the people who fill it.

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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.