城市:動畫以繁榮動畫，設計和音樂的另一個爆炸式結尾，以捕捉Keiichi Arawi的敏感性和快樂的主題。 Let’s take one last look at this all-timer production… and what’s next for KyoAni as well, while we’re at it.
Our first piece dedicated to CITY: The Animation was meant as an introduction to such a unique project, while the second one was a detailed chronicle of its production process, the involvement of original author Keiichi Arawi in breaking the norms, and how the team’s wildly creative choices在演出的大部分時間裡都表現出來。坦率地說，這是很多信息要處理，但是既然它已經完成了，我們可以坐下來放鬆。態度更適合城市的氛圍。
第12集由導演和故事板的手中 noriyuki kitanohara noriyuki kitanohara 。儘管他還與 Maidragon 電影一起雜耍了2024年，但他仍然是整個演出中最活躍的節目之一。同樣，如果您想精確查看工作室的生產時間表，建議您查看我們以前的城市寫作。在那裡，我們強調了一些再次變得顯而易見的東西:Kitanohara與這樣的系列非常兼容。自90年代之交以來，作為動畫師，他具有廣泛的技能，但也偏愛了激進的2D削減，他非常適合城市強調動畫師的角色，這是一個無所不包的人物，並且是Fun Bombast的意識形態。
As we’ve previously noted, during his transition to directorial roles, Kitanohara began setting aside序列具有最高卡路里的序列。只要他在一個項目中擔任過這樣的職位（這幾乎總是如此），他甚至都不會為自己的動畫動畫（原畫，Genga）而歸功於自己:這些藝術家在動畫中繪製了關鍵時刻，基本上定義了動作而沒有真正完成剪裁。動漫行業以允許這些個人藝術家的大量空間來表達自己的風格而聞名。這就是為什麼看他在數據庫中的職業可能會使他在過去的二十年中看起來並沒有吸引太多東西……儘管在京東歷史上寫下了許多令人印象深刻的序列。在他最近參加Maidragon活動的公開露面中，他取笑了他的資深朋友 tatsuya Ishihara 非常喜歡動漫，以至於他經常會講故事板斯托里板（絵コンテ，ekonte）:動畫的藍圖。一系列通常簡單的圖紙用作動漫的視覺腳本，並在特殊的紙上繪製，其中包括動畫剪切編號的字段，工作人員的筆記和對話的匹配行。更多的爆炸和其他類型的浮華，誇張的內容。當然，他的陳述中具有諷刺意味的是，對吉塔諾哈拉（Kitanohara）的人來說，這更加真實，他喜歡親自為這些事情進行動畫。雖然他沒有像前幾集那樣在＃12中所做的核能，但尼庫拉和納古莫（Niikura）和納古莫（Nagumo）的一系列荒謬，爆炸性反應等瞬間的界線感覺就像他再次親自繪製了這樣的時刻。老習慣艱難地死了。
有幾個原因，與他的前幾集相比，基塔諾哈拉（Kitanohara）並沒有將動畫猛烈地猛烈地猛烈抨擊。也就是說，根據電視動漫標準，這仍然是荒謬的，但是在城市內，它感覺屬於其他興趣。第一個應該很快脫穎而出:到目前為止，第12集的音樂性最大，因此視覺效果伴隨著音頻手牽手，而不是自己沖向前進。早期的短劇使這一明顯的重點是尼古拉（Niikura）重新遇到她一直在追逐很久以來的吊墜-那張包含納古莫（Nagumo）照片的吊墜，總是威脅要向其他所有公民露出鼓舞人心的迷戀。她的追求的怪異結局最初是在本質上沒有對話的一章中講述的，而是依靠她的內部敘述。而且由於這是城市，這意味著當她面對一個難以理解的生物時，她以某種方式暴露於她的深刻思想，以至於所有聚集在鎮上的神話都對此感到困惑。它的存在僅在她一生中最重要的任務之一中脫軌，導致了年齡的戰鬥。
鑑於，像吉塔諾哈拉這樣的導演會確保像這樣的時刻得到了很好的動畫。我們具有2D效果，體現了該節目的繪畫至上態度，而可愛的卡通表演則保留了阿拉維的最初吸引力。爆炸性的切割和令人回味的視覺概念共同運行，就像它設法將卡通倍數和不可能的跑步形式與強調身體平衡的鏡頭相結合。
最重要的是，為什麼不這樣做，事件的節奏與音樂的使用之間有一種有趣的協同作用。在這次沒有對話的冒險中，動漫邁出了下一步，也消除了尼古拉的想法，讓觀眾想知道到底發生了什麼，因為帶有古典音樂的選擇。由於City:動畫致力於使Araki手工編寫所有生產學分，因此這也意味著原始作者必須仔細編寫Bach和Franz Liszt作品的冗長標題。現在，這可能會使他聽起來非常可憐，但請考慮以下內容:我們確實知道，與系列導演導演在同一房間睡覺時:（監督，坎托克）:負責整個製作的人，無論是作為創意決策者還是最終的主管。他們超越了其餘的員工，並最終擁有最後一句話。但是，確實存在與不同級別的導演的系列-首席總監，助理主任，系列劇集總監，各種非標準角色。在這些情況下，層次結構是一個情況下的情況。 Taichi Ishide 在計劃階段，他分享了一些音樂音調，使他們倆都在晚上ck笑。因此，阿拉維（Arawi）將這項寫作作業帶到了自己。不過，值得！
以下短劇繼續體現了這些品質，這一次，節奏與該節目的BGM緊密相關。整個城市的情感過山車遵循動蕩的賽馬本身就是一個有趣的時光，尤其是有節奏的傳遞。也就是說，正是與城市的主要目標的聯繫使其成為如此出色。 Ishidate反復出現的思路之一是關於Arawi的作品在使您想像他超現實幽默背後的方式和原因的能力上，以及整個插科打naw，該節目完全關注這一點。就像在漫畫中一樣，我們甚至從未見過這次冒險的瞥見。取而代之的是，我們被迫描繪一系列荒謬的事件，隨著賭徒的反應瘋狂地搖擺，消失的騎師和馬匹實際上是不同的動物。如果您想測試與Arawi的作品的兼容性，請再次查看這一章可能是一個不錯的開始。
再次，我們只需要向前移動一個短劇，以找到另一個原因＃12劇集更受動畫控制的原因。越來越接近最後一集，尤其是將重點放在一個有可能分開系列中最接近的角色的情節上，這是曼城以前從未真正擁有過的憂鬱色調。 Matsuri和Ecchan的分離的幽靈在整個演出中都徘徊-這是使他們可愛冒險的一部分，因為您知道他們共享的時間是有限的。但是，直到現在，您才能感覺到整個情節的框架和顏色選擇，甚至在Ecchan穿過她古怪的分離儀式之前。要了解這是否真的是他們關係的結束，您將不得不調入City:Animation＃13。
在我們全面介紹最後一集之前，讓我們回顧一下它在廣播之前的日子。確切地說，我們應該談論這個結局的核心工作人員，該結局已經公開了，這一直是-以及可能使某些人感到驚訝的預覽。該系列董事董事的歸來:（監督，坎托克）:負責整個製作的人，無論是作為創意決策者還是最終主管。他們超越了其餘的員工，並最終擁有最後一句話。但是，確實存在與不同級別的導演的系列-首席總監，助理主任，系列劇集總監，各種非標準角色。在這些情況下，層次結構是一個情況下的情況。角色設計師領導最後一集。這是電視節目中的普遍做法，而Ishide則是他自己的，總是個人預訂的項目。然而，在他們的身邊還有更多的創作者。整個城市的奔跑，無論工作量多麼艱鉅，都是由一位動畫導演陪同的單一劇集導演和情節板的領導。也就是說，直到結局。 Kyoani是指在首次亮相之前，在老兵翼下學習的新手學習。該強制性步驟是我們最近在 kouhei okamura （eupho s3＃13上的助理情節導演，然後他獨自處理城市＃10）， ryo miyagi （在該節目的第五個節目中逐漸成為該節目中的第五個節目中的ISHIDADE，然後逐漸成為該計劃和紐約市的人， Ikeda的助理以及Tsurune S2＃04的助手，成為第八集的獨奏主管……而不是很久以後，設計師兼首席動畫總監我們現在正在欣賞。簡而言之，這是一個工作室實踐，與該特定情節的生產無關。
那麼，城市的結局怎麼了?雖然幾乎沒有擁擠，尤其是由於當前電視動漫的尷尬標準，但它確實有兩位導演和三位動畫主管，這使您珍視了完美的凝聚力，您可以擺脫個人的努力。當行業逐漸轉向合同的員工時，要記住的一件事是，一旦您付錢給人們與您一起工作，而不僅僅是為他們提供的服務，您就應該充分利用它們。在每個人都是全職員工的工作室，幾乎沒有為其他公司工作的工作室，這需要對工作的分配很聰明；否則，您每次都有一個月無事可做。
通常正在進行製作，但這不太可能發生。城市的員工輪換非常規律，有5個主要動畫師以完美的順序出現。與經常附屬於完全相同的關鍵動畫師的董事和主管一樣，這3個內在的小組或多或少也做了同樣的事情。但是，當5組試圖在13集的節目中旋轉時會發生什麼?到跑步結束時，其中兩個將無事可做。如果我們看一下動畫導演，並考慮到tokuyama優先滑入結局，我們意識到，將要收到一集的下一個主管將是 kayo hikiyama 和 nobuaki maruki -這是兩個加入她的城市的人。儘管導演之間有更多的波動，但第一個結束了他們分配的情節，而沒有以下任務進入 takuya yamamura 。瞧，他是陪伴決賽的依思信徒的人。幾乎就像人事管理很重要！
那是完整的故事嗎?不完全。當然，曼城很長一段時間以來一直是工作室的重點，但這並不是Kyoani創作中唯一的項目。如果他們真的想要，他們可能會在其他地方為這些突然可用的工作人員找到一些角色。坦率地說，如果這是最後一集，他們可能傾向於將他們滑入已經在製作中的某些電影中。但是，曼城什麼時候做什麼?在廣播啟動之前，工作人員和演員表演警告觀眾，某些情節簡直是在這個世界之外，通常指向第五次……以及最後一集。知道該系列具有瘋狂的標準，並且看到了他們所提到的其他劇集確實是世代相傳的，應該很容易理解，結局會很樂意利用那些值得信賴的，突然可用的退伍軍人。
第05集是一個令人髮指的概念，以至於任何觀眾都會注意到它的收益率更高，並且會在＃09上保持＃09的能力，並在＃09上保持了＃13的聲音，＃13均可競爭。這並不是一個缺點，而是他們想放在最前沿的思想和語氣的結果。原始作品中的最後一幕實際上是打開這個結局的那個場景。片刻不是轟炸和大張旗鼓，而是對Nagumo的安靜意識。事實證明，這個頑皮而認真的女孩一直著迷於追求最有趣的生活……在意識到明顯的情況下，這座城市內的忙碌生活已經很有趣。該系列的起點變化（Arawi發現這很出色）是為了使第一集已經標誌著那個簡單，迷人的角色弧的開始。當您的美學為如此隨意的美麗時，總是更容易出售這樣的時刻。
， 。可怕的分離。值得注意的是，他們的整個情節是與其他情節脫節的事實，除了它們都是紐約市搞笑生態系統的事實之外。當然，您可以足夠難以將面對未來的方式與納古莫（Nagumo）自己的追求和夢想的主題聯繫起來，但事實是，它在動漫中並沒有發揮重要作用。之所以這樣做，是因為這兩個孩子是世界上最寶貴的生物，這足以滿足。
在漫畫中，這兩個僅在最後一卷繁忙的事件中僅受到部分關注。好像並不是沒有照顧他們的最後一刻，但是動漫中有一定程度的重點使該解決方案更加有效。這很大程度上歸功於純粹的運行時間（在結局中需要不到10分鐘）和我們對Kyoani導演所期望的溫柔，情感節奏的技巧。但這也是這是城市:動畫，一個由瘋子動畫師和一個更令人癡呆的作家在耳邊竊竊私語的項目。當然，還有更多的東西。
，這就是為什麼，例如，而不是像在漫畫，Matsuri和可靠的Adatara騎馬那樣騎自行車去機場。一匹馬實際上是偽裝的人，沒有明確的解釋。但是，如果您有良好的記憶，您會記住的是，第12集比賽中敘述的事件之一是參與者被取消咬一匹馬，這是一隻凝視，不要問喉嚨。 確實是他們的steed ，這意味著這種殘酷行為背後的罪魁禍首實際上是在動物西裝中的幾個人……而且有多種原因使他們從賽馬中取消資格。令人愉悅的Arawiesque增加了事件之間不斷的聯繫，也是一個很好的藉口，以更有節奏的，有趣的活力來注入切口。
與結局材料的那些方面相反，最終的材料的擴展，其他人則出於簡單的原因被擊落了:cooherence:coohrence。改編在具體的講故事水平上做出的任何選擇都沒有真正改變了所講述的事件。稍後，稍微介入這個故事並沒有改變Nagumo在第一章中建立的就業地點，就像總結Riko的夢遊並沒有阻止它發生。我們可能沒有看到整章獻給祖母毆打幾個公民，但是在諸如豪宅和比賽之類的情節之後，我們繼續看到他們的爭執。對於焦點中的所有小改動，他們確保他們調整了構建基於其的每個後來的元素-這是Arawi與Ishidate一起負責該過程的顯而易見的原因。
該系列的最高峰是正確的。在第12集中，您已經可以發現參考選舉的海報最初結束了城市活動。這也是在結局中簡要介紹的，因此可以公平地假設它也發生在動漫的連續性中。就像以前的大規模活動一樣，迷你ARC僅作為藉口來召集大量公民進行相互聯繫的冒險。而且，作為最後一個，它使他們能夠結合多個故事。但是，鑑於它依靠在動漫的場邊保持角色之間的關係，直接的適應性不會承受太大的體重。因此，在剩下15分鐘的結局中，我們回到了一個願望:阿拉維和伊什丁的共同觀點，即動漫應該進一步升級，這是一個事實，即現在是該過程中的動畫作品。一次，儘管作者仍然像以往一樣，但這意味著這座城市:動畫選擇以完全原始的音符結論。
得到它，請注意，因為他們想出了一個音樂劇。
是一個令人髮指的想法，因為它是一個令人難以置信的想法，我對城市的反應很長，我發現了一個漫長的音樂表演。從大驚喜轉變為逗樂的一致性並不是因為上一集強調了交付的音樂性，好像是為了讓觀眾做好準備。甚至還不是由於第一集添加了一首百老匯作品的歌href=“ https://x.com/city_en_info/status/195273441167888547”>儘管生產商害怕許可過程。原因更簡單:以一個巨大的奢侈的音樂劇結束，每個怪異的公民都可以做些事情，與他人相撞是可以想像的最城市的事情。
，想像他們這樣做-大多數人像其主要創造者一樣，在該系列的這一方面都投入了大量投資！馬卡貝餐廳（Makabe Restaurant）贏得了米其林明星（或他們曾經做過?）的前提，使無數公民的集體瘋狂觸發，他們都將自己的曲調和視覺風格帶到屏幕上。演員遊行在街道上，重新設計了無數提及他們的慶祝對象，同時穿著我們在劇院戲劇中可能會看到的一系列服裝。同樣的歡樂順序以 ukiyo-e 像屏幕一樣，使我們在一個搖擺中完全不同。並以現代紋理的形式突然地裝飾它，並在視覺思想的一層層面上進行層次。同樣迅速，所有這些都可以向外走出窗外，以支持最豐富多彩的傷心島或一個偵探故事 pixel art rpg 。如此靠近末端。您可能會記得iShidate禁止在角色藝術上使用標準亮點；與他以前的作品的根本性 Violet Evergarden 實際上為動漫的常規3個州（陰影/常規/突出顯示）增添了更多音調。但是，如果我們對他自己的童話幻想幻想幻想呢?這鼓勵了藝術方向進行完整的改進，將背景更改為更像 在一本這樣的書中，並以他所愛的人的理想化為
，就好像每個音樂號碼的風格切換一樣，每個音樂數字都不夠，他們與諸如現實的角色更加偏離，因為wako survever of wako by n a wako ver 個人 cuts 。這樣的情節需要荒謬的設計工作，也需要自己的鏡頭。您可能已經聽說過，Kyoani的作品往往要比規範更高的剪裁數量（這是人們生活中對細節的痴迷的自然結果），但甚至與音樂部分中的瘋狂相比，他們的標準也蒼白，這本身就可以使它成為了這一結局，因此這是常規的，是普通的，密集的片刻。一種可以增加工作量的選擇，但也可以使他們在這次原始慶祝活動期間向漫畫點頭偷偷摸摸。什葉派（Shia）是沒有在適應中出現過多的角色之一，並且會在選舉中發揮作用，讓她的瞬間而且，如前所述，即使是選舉本身也抬起頭來在替換它的冒險中。大量序列，無論是帶有許多角色的相機穿越路徑還是無盡的舞蹈本身都非常出色，更不用說作為這個更大整體的一部分了。從概念上講，許多序列通過它們將角色連接在一起的能力而閃耀-無論是通過慣性還是敘事，音樂行為都反復強調，埃奇恩仍然是該團伙的積極組成部分。每次切割的技術交付時，對細節的關注程度與嵌入其中的幽默感相匹配。這是一個強烈鼓勵您重新觀看它的情節，以便您可以捕獲盡可能多的小寶石。您必須額外注意，注意兩隻動物在效果中短暫閃爍的朦朧形式； 非常像馬鹿
就像幾個完成作業的主管和董事以幫助幫助的方式一樣，另外兩個關鍵的動畫師也是如此-將這個大結局的總數縮小到7（+1）。非常有前途的 Ayumu Yoshida ，屬於曼城的第四個Genga單位，如果存在，該單位將處理下一集，以幫助她更著名的同齡人。但是，毫無疑問，這位工作室的大阪師和該作品的第五個單位的領導者Tatsuya Sato。當我們解釋了完全荒謬的劇集＃05甚至是可能的時，我們注意到Sato被允許將其關注的時間比以前的任何工作更長，這使他能夠繪製有史以來最密集的動漫劇集的一半。
之後，他的單位歸因於第十一集。儘管與該團隊的其他成員一起出現，但佐藤（Sato）相對膽小的角色（只有幾分鐘的動畫就脫穎而出），卻又是一個特別的露面。結局確實確實如此，這似乎已經在整個音樂節目中專門部署了他。雖然工作負載與第五集的水平不同，但他的跳高時間遍布各種表演的不同部分。
結束前，我們的提示是記住我們關於城市導演的第一件事，
一定會成為這一集的喜悅。
大約3個月前。當時是的，現在仍然如此: Ishidate喜歡自己動畫自己。他會談論一場風暴，談到方向（尤其是在他領導整個項目時）並沒有讓您有時間親自繪製整個削減，然後悄悄地繼續為自己留出複雜的序列。 City:動畫實際上是從他的手中出現的驚人切割開始的。現在，隨著這部突然音樂劇將其全部包裹起來的神化，主角又是他的筆。熟悉的動作動作和使用短線的傾向，使用微小的碎屑來增加視覺密度的使用以及時間安排本身尖叫的iShidate名稱。就像他確保在主題層面上預訂該節目一樣，他以自己令人眼花and亂的動畫進行了同樣的風格。
等等，現在已經結束了，曼城的最後收穫是什麼?即使您拒絕在任何層面上使用它，但表面上都可以使用它，您仍然留下了一種迷人，超級可愛，古怪的動畫片，這是您在商業動畫中很少遇到的類型。在Nichijou時，它確實具有顯而易見的前任，但是兩者之間的任何比較都突出了它們的對比。首先，即使改編了這個故事的變革性，也很高興被消耗為爆炸性，超現實的動畫的鬆散連接，非續訂的叮咬。儘管在交付方面給予了很多打擊，但其他人則選擇對愚蠢的氣氛和互連環境中新興的動態更加悠閒地欣賞。您經常會發現，城市與 Yokohama kaidashi kikou 之類的關係和與Nichijou一樣，這與一系列不太關心不斷引起不斷的笑聲的關注-如果任何事物，即使您灰心的想法都令人沮喪，更多地是在鼓勵您在街道上徘徊的想法。一定是關於電報的插科打s，只有一旦爆炸線降落才會有所收穫。這讓人聯想到關於喜劇和恐怖的反復對話，這是兩個相鄰的流派。 Jordan Peele 等出色的導演所利用的一個可證明的想法，但是，許多人的想法是，許多人指出，他們指出恐怖中有趣的時刻是偶然的或完全失敗。曼城在喜劇片中佔據了不同的地區，但伊斯替特（Ishidate）相信該領土的廣泛性。正如我們之前討論的那樣，他指出了Arawi吸引力的典範，而是像 Charlie Chaplin 這樣的電影製片人。也就是說，喜劇演員會以他們的hijinks觸發您的想像力，而不是以令人討厭的笑聲來阻止您的曲目。這個願景引起了作者的共鳴，導致他與工作室之間的非常緊密的合作，我們也詳細介紹了。結果在某種程度上是由阿拉維（Arawi）簡單的願望概括的:“我希望觀眾想知道創作者甚至在做什麼”。
這是演講中所需的驚喜因素的很大一部分。曼城的視覺語言及其背後的癡呆邏輯是充滿活力的，但在這個時代，每個其他標題都渴望通過密集的數字效果證明其高生產價值。儘管可以有效地執行這種執行，但這種方法已經變得如此普遍（並且經常被粗略地部署），以至於它將空氣從房間裡吸走了。城市來了，這是最受歡迎的新鮮空氣。每個組件都有有機地放置在一個無縫的整體中，這模糊了Cel動畫的戒律，這些動畫統治了所有商業作品的永恆。沒有獨特的特徵和背景層，有一個城市。 To be precise, there is one city that houses so much ridiculously intricate animation that it could make any TV project blush in shame.
One of the most interesting questions that Ishidate replied to in a social media campaign was about which episode director had surprised him the most, within a project where both young and veteran staff members have gone all out. His first instinct was to shout out Arawi himself yet again, as he’s been involved in so many iconic choices (like the mansion diorama!) that he might as well have been a director. Among KyoAni’s members, though, he shouted out the young director we’ve been most enthusiastic about as well: his pupil Ryo Miyagi. The storyboarding prowess he showed in moments like the end of episode #04 and the interconnected climax of the race is truly special.
Perhaps due to that fundamental stylistic simplicity, the sheer scale of CITY as an animation effort is hard to parse. Sure, certain bombastic sequences will get attention, but the obscenely particular craft required to bring to life such comic-like sensibilities, while still retaining certain acting precepts that make KyoAni what they are, is just otherworldly. Ishidate conceived the project as a counterattack to a trend that other renowned veterans have observed: the supposed convenience of technology is erasing fundamental abilities among animators, as more and more aspects of the process are stripped away from their workload. A growing limitation in their capacity for expression, which in practice tends to hurt the cohesion of the visuals as well.
Since its early stages, CITY’s visual philosophy became a stone meant to hit two birds; on the one hand, the attempt to capture Arawi’s original charm, and on the other, the desire to retrain younger generations of animators in skills no longer demanded of them. To achieve the latter, CITY deploys thrilling background animation, draws all effects in analog form, and even backports modern photographyPhotography (撮影, Satsuei): The marriage of elements produced by different departments into a finished picture, involving filtering to make it more harmonious. A name inherited from the past, when cameras were actually used during this process. ideas into visual concepts that had never been drawn before. It was an overwhelming workload, but fortunately, it led to a result that is more rewarding the more you pay attention to it.
All that the production has in potency, it can match with originality and boldness as well. Arawi and Ishidate’s desire to surprise led to all sorts of creative choices that spit in the face of efficiency and custom. There’s a reason why we built our previous article about the series around a detailed timeline of the making process—making it clear that it was extraordinary even by the studio’s standards, demanding many resources for a long period of time. If dedicating entire months to craft one diorama was what it truly took to embody the creative leaders’ vision, they would do it. If they thought that leaving the length of each episode (always multiple minutes above the norm) up to each director would be ideal, they wouldn’t hesitate.
For as easy as it is to wish that it had received a 2 cours adaptation like Nichijou did, allowing for the staff to cover more material, you can’t separate CITY from the way it was made. And that is, again, infinitely more cumbersome than Nichijou’s amazing yet more straightforward production. Unless they were willing to spend 6 years on it and maybe bankrupt the studio along the way, you couldn’t make twice as many episodes without compromising on the philosophy that the author and director saw as essential. We all have chapters to mourn after its unusual series compositionSeries Composition (シリーズ構成, Series Kousei): A key role given to the main writer of the series. They meet with the director (who technically still outranks them) and sometimes producers during preproduction to draft the concept of the series, come up with major events and decide to how pace it all. Not to be confused with individual scriptwriters (腳本, Kyakuhon) who generally have very little room for expression and only develop existing drafts – though of course, series composers do write scripts themselves. process, but at the same time, there are many brilliant choices in the adaptation to emphasize CITY’s interconnection through the mixing and reimagining of situations. In that sense, the two versions of this wacky story may be perfect companion pieces. I highly encourage anyone who has watched the show to go and read it now, then return to the TV series once again; frankly, it’s a series that rewards revisits in the first place.
Even the key visuals are packed with fun details that you’ll only appreciate if you return to them. One of them had a device in the background that anyone acquainted with Doraemon would recognize as a time machine. The most attentive fans were tempted to speculate about what role this original addition could play, with the ultimate twist being that it simply blows up in joyous fashion.
To some degree, it’s a given that an environment packed with technically superlative artists will often make good anime. The poignancy of the source material—if there is one in the first place—and the sensibilities of the core staff are key factors, but there’s no sense of surprise whenever KyoAni wrap up an enjoyable, impressive work.
I’d argue that CITY isn’t just that. It feels like a milestone, in the way they may not have had since Liz and the Blue Bird.
Although their recent output includes works I’ve enjoyed about as much, CITY carries a sense that you’re witnessing a once-in-a-lifetime work that those lacked. That is, on some level, quite literal; Ishidate’s commentary about the production process has been marked by awe and joy, but also, comments that certain monumental challenges like episode #05 aren’t something he plans to repeat. In a less tangible way, I also feel like the synergies between the project’s goals, Arawi’s style, and the complete disregard for financial and production common sense were a set of stars unlikely to align again. It’s lighting in a bottle, not because their reasons for success are hard to understand, but rather because they’re perfectly well-known. And as it turns out, spending ages crafting the most gorgeous bottle you’ve ever seen and then standing under lighting is not considered sensible behavior. Even more reason to be glad that they succeeded at it, I suppose.
For as well-meaning as CITY is, that unrepeatable nature makes it feel like it’ll stand as a somewhat cruel milestone. If we look back at Liz, it’s easy to see that it cast a way bigger shadow than its modest financial performance would make you believe. It’s no coincidence that MyGO/Ave Mujica writer Yuniko Ayana was interviewed alongside Euphonium’s Ayano Takeda, not only because the former is a big fan of Liz, but because it’s understood in the community that there’s a continuity between that film and the current boom of music anime (often female bands) with heightened dramatism. And what is Love Live’s attempt to dip its toes in such waters called again? Oh, right. Either way, the point is that even such a masterpiece offers aspects for others to latch onto, recognizable themes that they can incorporate into their works. Even the always brilliant Naoko Yamada might never make another Liz, but its legacy lives on in many works already.
In contrast to that, CITY is simply inaccessible. What the show is remains too tied to the way it was made, and that is seen as an anomaly within an environment that is already exceptional. The series being a quirky, way less trendy experience won’t motivate many others to even try to recreate it—but even if they wanted to, I’m not sure how you could make something that meaningfully draws from it. Instead, it’s bound to slot itself as a historical landmark for people passionate about animation to witness from afar. And you know what, that’s a sweet result as well.
While I’ve made it clear that I don’t expect CITY to be followed up on, the final look at KyoAni works always begs the question of what’s next for them; after all, they’re so isolated from the rest of the industry that one project always connects to neighboring ones. The obvious, already announced part of the answer is the theatrical recap for Eupho S3. Although that may sound like a minor project, and to some degree it is, it’s worth noting that the studio regularly produces recap films that are, by sheer mass, more original than old. For an obvious example, the recap of the previous season is a film that reframes the entire story to be more focused on the character of Asuka, granting it not just lots of new footage but an entirely new point of view. It’s not a replacement, as it gets rid of certain arcs in the process, but it turns an often-skippable offering like a theatrical recap into a rewarding experience for those who’ve already seen the show.
Mind you, I wouldn’t expect an outright reconstruction of the story like that for the third season’s retelling. What I believe will happen, though, is that they’ll expand on the original in a rather ambitious way. Considering that they’re splitting it into two film releases, and given the room left by the TV show, you should expect a lot of impressive new footage for the musical performances. Eupho S3 committed to a slowly asphyxiating experience, and that often involved denying the viewer the cathartic comfort of a successful performance being shown. While depicting those in triumphant fashion might make these films somewhat lesser as a story, it’s the type of indulgence that we’ve all earned after the stress of following that original season. And do you know who is the person in charge of Eupho’s fancy instruments? The charismatic Minoru Ota, who vanished from CITY after directing its unbelievable fifth episode. Hard at work already, it seems.
Considering the studio’s release patterns, I would expect those Eupho S3 films to drop in April 2026 and either July or September of that same year. With that, they should wrap up the series as we know it; which is to say, that I still believe in an eventual Natsuki-themed film whenever they want to revisit the franchise. In the meantime, KyoAni will also be announcing something new within the next month. After finding different formulas to connect with fans following on the tragic arson, 2025 will mark the return of the studio’s traditional events—with countless production materials exhibited and stages featuring all sorts of staff members. Among all those, one stood out as very suspicious. Its contents remained hidden for months, and it was scheduled as the Saturday equivalent of the stage dedicated to the upcoming Eupho recaps. To this day, the exact contents aren’t known, but they did indeed confirm that new work(s?) will be announced with the main staff and cast present.
That said, you might remember that we highlighted CITY’s art directorArt Director (美術監督, bijutsu kantoku): The person in charge of the background art for the series. They draw many artboards that once approved by the series director serve as reference for the backgrounds throughout the series. Coordination within the art department is a must – setting and color designers must work together to craft a coherent world. Shiori Yamasaki as the earliest, most extreme example of an individual completely dropping her responsibilities in favor of the upcoming project she had to lead. What have her peers at the art department been up to lately, then? Pretty much all of them worked on CITY, and for that matter, the Maidragon film as well. In fact, all of them but two, who skipped both projects despite remaining listed as employees. Two women who share one key characteristic: they’re up-and-coming painters who have acted as art directors in side projects, a mechanism that the studio uses to provide staff with experience before they hold those same positions in fully fledged works.
Who are they? Mao Takayama is a youngster we’ve talked about before, as a multi-talented artist who surprised the veterans from other departments as they scouted her; in their words, they had no idea that someone that skilled had remained an unknown name for a few years. Most notably, she was the art directorArt Director (美術監督, bijutsu kantoku): The person in charge of the background art for the series. They draw many artboards that once approved by the series director serve as reference for the backgrounds throughout the series. Coordination within the art department is a must – setting and color designers must work together to craft a coherent world. for the gorgeous Uji ni wa Monogatari ga Aru, an exercise in bringing their own city to life with a fantastical spin to it. While she’s got a fair amount more experience, broad audiences are similarly in the dark about the other missing painter: Momoka Hase. In her case, the awareness within the studio is understandably higher. She was entrusted with the artboards for the breathtaking Liz, and her chance to debut as an art directorArt Director (美術監督, bijutsu kantoku): The person in charge of the background art for the series. They draw many artboards that once approved by the series director serve as reference for the backgrounds throughout the series. Coordination within the art department is a must – setting and color designers must work together to craft a coherent world. for a small work already arrived in 2019 with the second Baja’s Studio OVA.
If a Denmoku anime were to come to fruition, it would feature a girl associated with the color blue, who was given a hairpin when they allowed the studio’s young staff to animate a commercial inspired by the book. By her side, it’d have a boy with spiky hair, an attitude, and highly specific clothing that fits the setting. And what is beloved baby dragon Kanna drawing in the studio’s event visual, attached to a book that—contrary to what they’ve done in previous instances—they’re making to sell after the event to keep things under wraps? Which novels are they selling at that event anyway? Just the recent ones and the two books written by Denmoku’s author? Hmmm, curious indeed. Although there are other directions I can see them taking, especially given that Osaka staff haven’t been as active as of late, there are a few too many subtle hints pointing at the 20th century right now. So I suppose that our answer about what lies in KyoAni’s future after CITY is, ironically, the past.
Support us on Patreon to help us reach our new goal to sustain the animation archive at Sakugabooru, SakugaSakuga (作畫): Technically drawing pictures but more specifically animation. Western fans have long since appropriated the word to refer to instances of particularly good animation, in the same way that a subset of Japanese fans do. Pretty integral to our sites’brand. Video on Youtube, as well as this SakugaSakuga (作畫): Technically drawing pictures but more specifically animation. Western fans have long since appropriated the word to refer to instances of particularly good animation, in the same way that a subset of Japanese fans do. Pretty integral to our sites’brand.博客。 Thanks to everyone who’s helped out so far!