Summer 2025 is packed with long-awaited sequels such as the second seasons of My Dress-Up Darling and DanDaDan, along with highly regarded new anime that have made a massive impression among audiences, including Gachiakuta, The Summer Hikaru Died, and Takopi’s Original Sin.

Amid this intense, content-rich season, one studio has chosen not to compete with the big sequels or challenge the bold originals, but instead to offer something familiar, lovable, and close to the hearts of its fans—a comedy series that’s a nostalgic nod to the past, while also serving as a spiritual legacy to Nichijou: My Ordinary Life. That series is CITY THE ANIMATION. ***

For many, it’s natural to compare CITY and Nichijou, and you wouldn’t be wrong in doing so. They share the same episode structure, the same signature humor—heck, they even have the same author. So yes, the comparison makes sense. But before diving too deep into that, it’s worth acknowledging how CITY THE ANIMATION stands out on its own, especially in terms of animation.

Compared to other anime of Summer 2025, it shines above the rest with its unique art style and its vibrant, lively use of colors. And while that art style might lead some to think it’s “kid-like,” that assumption is quickly shattered by its intensely hyper-animated sequences, down to every minute detail—sometimes even rivaling or surpassing other anime this year where animation quality was a major selling point. This is thanks to Kyoto Animation pouring all their passion into producing—if not overproducing—a series about the mundane lives of its characters.

Yes, CITY THE ANIMATION is literally just characters going about their daily lives within their own circumstances. That might be a turn-off for audiences who aren’t into slice-of-life, but it wins them back with countless sprinkles of absurd comedy, paired with its intense animation. It’s the kind of anime you can simply sit down with and enjoy, much like Nichijou.

However, one element separates it from Nichijou: its focus on character development. While Nichijou centered almost entirely on absurd comedy—just like this series—CITY takes it a step further, weaving in moments that develop its characters’ mundane lives into arcs that make you feel emotionally invested. It manages to balance absurd comedy with over-the-top animation while still giving depth to its characters, even with the limited screentime some receive.

That said, in terms of pure comedy, Nichijou still outshines CITY. In some cases, the overly animated sequences even work better in Nichijou than they do here. But since there aren’t many anime like CITY nowadays, I’m willing to give it a pass. Still, that scarcity is also one of the series’ weaknesses.

The structure of CITY THE ANIMATION mainly consists of short chapters mashed into a 27-minute episode—a format that was more popular in previous decades. Today, audience demand has shifted; many now prefer longer, more consistently connected episodes over episodic adventures. This isn’t the anime’s fault, as the source material mirrors the structure of Nichijou, which—aside from its humor—is very much a product of its time.

There’s still a solid minority of viewers who are fine with this kind of structure, but for newer audiences, the “yesteryear” format might make it harder to fully engage with the series. ***

CITY THE ANIMATION carries the spirit of Nichijou’s absurd comedy, blended with its overly animated sequences that deliver plenty of laughs and giggles—a true blast from the past in this kind of comedic format. While older anime audiences may feel right at home (or even nostalgic) watching it, newer viewers might need some time to adjust to experiencing an anime series presented this way. ***