City

City is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Keiichi Arawi, the creator of Nichijou. The series follows a group of university students and the eccentric residents of the fictional city in which they live. Its central characters are Midori Nagumo, Wako Izumi, and Ayumu Niikura, collectively known as the Mont Blanc Trio. Their daily lives intersect with restaurants, apartment residents, families, students, shopkeepers, artists, athletes, retired professionals, and other unusually comic citizens. The series is structured as an ensemble comedy rather than a conventional plot-driven adventure. Individual chapters frequently focus on small misunderstandings, improbable accidents, personal quirks, or sudden shifts in perspective. This format allows Arawi to build humor from the interaction of many recurring characters while presenting City as a lively social environment. The fictional setting is itself an important part of the work: the title city contains universities, schools, family businesses, apartments, sports teams, creative professionals, and neighborhood institutions that provide a broad stage for interlocking stories. Nagumo is a university sophomore who works as a waitress at Makabe's Western Bistro and lives at Mokumesei Manor. She is often mischievous and opportunistic, but is also athletic, generous, and more considerate than her tricks initially suggest. Niikura, a first-year student who wants to become a photographer, has a long friendship with Nagumo and provides a more observant perspective on their surroundings. Wako, another university student and resident of Mokumesei Manor, is impulsive and unconventional, frequently becoming involved in situations that are stranger than she intended. Together, the trio anchors the manga's exploration of friendship, everyday life, and comic chaos. Arawi's visual and comedic approach connects City with Nichijou, but City expands the focus from a relatively small group of protagonists to a much wider population. The series includes the Makabe family, who operate a Western-style restaurant; the Adatara family, who run a liquor store; students and teachers; a manga creator and editor associated with the fictional publication Weekly City; and distinctive supporting figures such as a retired police officer who rewards good deeds. Characters from Nichijou also appear, establishing that the two works occupy the same fictional universe. City began serialization in Kodansha's seinen magazine Morning in September 2016. The original run concluded in 2021 after producing 13 collected volumes, before the series returned to Morning in December 2024. The later material brought the total to 15 tankobon volumes and concluded in October 2025, according to the cited reference material. Vertical announced the English-language license in 2017, extending the work's readership beyond Japan. The property was expanded into animation through City the Animation, produced by Kyoto Animation. Announced in September 2024, the television adaptation aired in Japan from July through September 2025 for one 13-episode cour. The series used multiple short segments within many episodes, resulting in 80 segments overall. Kyoto Animation's involvement was notable because the project was described as the studio's first new, non-sequel television anime since the 2019 arson attack. ABC Animation holds global rights, while Amazon Prime Video distributes the series internationally outside Japan. City is positioned primarily as a character-driven seinen comedy and slice-of-life property. Its appeal rests on Arawi's expressive artwork, rapid visual timing, absurdist situations, interconnected cast, and continuity with Nichijou. Critical responses have generally highlighted its ability to create cheerful, approachable humor, although some reviewers have considered the slapstick repetitive or the characters deliberately difficult to like. The manga and anime together represent an important continuation of Arawi's signature comedic style in a larger urban ensemble setting.

City was created by Japanese manga artist Keiichi Arawi as a follow-up to his earlier work Nichijou. Serialization began in Kodansha's seinen magazine Morning on September 29, 2016. Rather than centering on a single linear quest, the manga developed as a networked comedy about the inhabitants of a fictional city. The main viewpoint characters are university students Midori Nagumo, Wako Izumi, and Ayumu Niikura, but the narrative regularly shifts to families, shop owners, schoolchildren, artists, athletes, and other residents. The setting supports a broad ensemble structure. Nagumo works at Makabe's Western Bistro and lives at Mokumesei Manor with Niikura and Wako. The Makabe family combines family business responsibilities with eccentric domestic situations, while the Adatara family provides another recurring social unit through its liquor store and numerous children. Other storylines involve a fictional manga publication, a local soccer team, university groups, school friendships, and citizens whose behavior gives the city its surreal tone. This emphasis on social connections distinguishes City from a narrowly focused school comedy. Arawi's earlier series Nichijou is relevant to City both stylistically and narratively. The two works share an absurdist approach to ordinary life, and City contains characters and references that place it in the same universe. At the same time, City broadens the scale of the formula by presenting a more explicitly urban community in which seemingly unrelated events can overlap. The humor often depends on abrupt escalation, physical comedy, eccentric personal logic, and the contrast between mundane routines and highly improbable outcomes. The initial serialization concluded in 2021. Kodansha collected that phase in 13 tankobon volumes. The series later returned to Morning on December 12, 2024, after a three-year break, and the additional material was collected in two further volumes. The reference material states that the second run concluded on October 16, 2025, bringing the total to 15 volumes. An online autograph contest accompanied the release of the final volume of the first serialization phase. City's international publishing profile expanded when Vertical announced an English-language license at Anime Expo 2017. This positioned the manga for North American readers and connected it with the international audience already familiar with Arawi's Nichijou. The work was also covered by specialist manga and anime critics. Responses included praise for its ability to produce a smile through compact comic situations and for its appeal to readers who enjoy Arawi's prior work. More critical reviews argued that some jokes relied too heavily on slapstick and that certain characters could be intentionally abrasive. The next major stage in the property's development was the anime adaptation City the Animation. Kyoto Animation announced the project on September 21, 2024. Taichi Ishidate directed the adaptation, with Tamami Tokuyama responsible for character designs and chief animation direction. Other credited staff included color designer Kana Miyata, art director Shiori Yamazaki, 3D director Tatsunori Kase, sound director Yota Tsuruoka, and music contributors the Piranhans. The series aired from July 7 through September 29, 2025, on Tokyo MX and other networks. It ran for 13 episodes, with many episodes divided into several short segments and 80 segments reported in total. The production was notable within Kyoto Animation's output because it was described as the studio's first non-sequel anime television project in six years and its second adaptation of an Arawi manga after the 2011 anime version of Nichijou. ABC Animation held global rights, and Amazon Prime Video streamed the series worldwide outside Japan. The adaptation retained the franchise's ensemble focus and short-form comic rhythm while bringing the city's interconnected residents to television. City therefore developed from a serialized manga into a broader cross-media property while remaining centered on Arawi's core creative identity. Its principal value is not a conventional product line or corporate brand architecture, but a recognizable fictional world, cast, visual style, and comedic method that support manga publication, translated editions, and anime distribution.

• 2025

  Television anime broadcasts

  [1]City (manga)en.wikipedia.org

  City the Animation airs in Japan from July through September as a 13-episode series.

• 2025

  Manga concludes again

  [1]City (manga)en.wikipedia.org

  The resumed serialization ends in October, with the reference material reporting 15 collected volumes overall.

• 2024

  Anime adaptation announced

  [1]City (manga)en.wikipedia.org

  Kyoto Animation announces City the Animation on September 21.

• 2024

  Manga serialization resumes

  [1]City (manga)en.wikipedia.org

  City returns to Morning in December after a three-year publication break.

• 2021

  Initial serialization concludes

  [1]City (manga)en.wikipedia.org

  The first publication phase ends after Kodansha has collected the manga in 13 volumes.

• 2017

  North American English license announced

  [1]City (manga)en.wikipedia.org

  Vertical announces the English-language publishing license at Anime Expo.

• 2016

  Manga serialization begins

  [1]City (manga)en.wikipedia.org

  City begins publication in Kodansha's Morning magazine in September under Keiichi Arawi's authorship and artwork.

A character-led Japanese seinen comedy and slice-of-life franchise centered on eccentric urban communities, ensemble storytelling, and Keiichi Arawi's distinctive absurdist humor.

• Manga series · 2016

  City

  The original Japanese manga written and illustrated by Keiichi Arawi. It is an ensemble comedy set in a fictional city and follows university students, families, workers, artists, and other residents whose everyday routines repeatedly become absurd. The series was serialized in Morning, initially concluded in 2021, returned in 2024, and reached 15 tankobon volumes according to the cited reference material.

• Television anime · 2025

  City the Animation

  A Kyoto Animation television adaptation of the manga. Directed by Taichi Ishidate, it uses short comic segments to portray the Mont Blanc Trio and the wider population of City. The 13-episode series aired in Japan from July to September 2025, with 80 segments reported across the broadcast.

• 2021Final-volume autograph contest

  Japan

  An online autograph contest was held in connection with the release of the final volume of the manga's initial publication phase.

  Outcome. The contest supported promotion of the first serialization conclusion.

  Source

• 2024

  Commission a television anime adaptationProduct launch

  Background

  The manga's ensemble comedy and connection to Nichijou provided the basis for a new animated adaptation.

  Action taken

  Kyoto Animation announced City the Animation, directed by Taichi Ishidate.

  Aftermath

  The property expanded from manga publishing into television anime and international streaming distribution.

  Source

• 2024

  Resume manga serialization after a hiatusStrategy

  Background

  The initial manga run had ended in 2021 after 13 collected volumes.

  Action taken

  City returned to Kodansha's Morning magazine in December 2024.

  Aftermath

  The resumed run added two further volumes before the reported conclusion in October 2025.

  Source

• 2017

  Expand City into North American publishingStrategy

  Background

  The manga had established a Japanese serialization and was presented to an international audience at Anime Expo.

  Action taken

  Vertical announced an English-language license for City.

  Aftermath

  The license made the series accessible to English-language readers in North America.

  Source

• 2021.02.08

  Reported2021.02.08

  Honda Cars India announces February vehicle discounts[5]Honda Cars India宣布2月汽车优惠carandbike.com

  Honda Cars India announced February discounts and other purchase benefits on selected BS6 models, including the Amaze, City, WR-V and Jazz. The offers were valid through February 28, 2021, or while stocks lasted.

Read more

1. 1City (manga)en.wikipedia.org
2. 2City official manga website at Morningmorning.kodansha.co.jp
3. 3City official anime websitecity-the-animation.com
4. 4City at Anime News Network's encyclopediaanimenewsnetwork.com
5. 5Honda Cars India宣布2月汽车优惠carandbike.com
6. 6Honda India announces cash discounts for customers on Baisakhi, Gudi Padwa - BusinessTodaybusinesstoday.in