In a world with so much anime, it feels as though there just isn't enough time to watch all of it. Not when the average incredible piece of anime ranges with hundreds of episodes. In this day and age, the average binging audience might not have enough free time to dedicate to watching an anime with so many episodes.
For all of the busy bees out there looking for a short but sweet anime recommendation, thankfully there are still plenty to choose from. Not every anime collects a mountain of episodes to its name. Some anime have a comfortably short run that either hits just right or has the viewer begging for more once the end credits roll for the final time.
10 The Devil Is A Part-Timer Is As Absurd As Its Title
While this definitely isn't the only short anime with a devilish title, The Devil is a Part-Timer is by far the most absurd and funniest to be mentioned. The story follows Lord Beelzebub himself, only instead of raising Hell in, well, Hell, Satan walks among the living after staring down the face of defeat. Now, he's forced to work in an anime version of McDonald's.
Out of that comes a comedy of error that pulls double duty as an astute commentary on what it's like working minimum wage and how it can feel like a living Hell right among the living.
9 Berserk Is A Comprehensive, Yet Incomplete Anime
Anyone who has experienced Berserk either in anime form or manga form knows that it is one of the darkest, most depraved stories anyone could hope to come across, which is all the more ironic knowing that the same animation studio that made this also animated the original Pokémon series.
Behind the story's necessary depravity that gives life to a poetic storyline, the core of Berserk focuses on the blossoming and eventual demise of a friendship between the gruff, but vulnerable Guts and the beautifully angelic, but secretly sinister Griffith. The studio only had the chance to animate the Golden Age Arc and some of the Black Swordsman before production ceased, only giving fans 25 episodes before ending on a heart-dropping cliffhanger. However, if anyone wanted to get a visual introduction to the ongoing manga, the 1997 anime is a good starting point.
8 Baccano Is A Definitive Westernized Anime
There is a lot of anime out there that heavily borrows elements from mainstream western (aka made in the USA) pop culture entertainment. Shows like Attack on Titan or Cowboy Bebop fit this sort of narrative. But none of them feel as perfectly western and American quite like Baccano does.
For new American anime fans especially, it could be hard to get immersed in an anime that has a culture so vastly different from their own. To solve that problem, something like Baccano serves as a great starting point, and an easy one at that with only 16 episodes to worry about.
7 A Place Further Than The Universe Is Wholesome
Sometimes, when time is sparse, someone may just want to crash on the couch to watch something wholesome—something that simply exists to put a smile on their face. If that's the case, there's no better place to go than A Place Further Than The Universe.
It's a 13-episode anime following four high school girls trying to win a trip to Antarctica, one of which wants to go because her mother went missing in the Arctic long ago. It's simple, straight, and to the point, but it showcases a heartwarming message about people who desperately work hard for what they want. It's poignant, so the tear-jerking moments laced in between amusing wholesomeness might sneak up on viewers.
6 Erased Is Sci-Fi With A Dash Of True Crime
Everyone loves a good mystery in an era where true crime documentaries are all the rage now, but placing such a story in the vein of science fiction is when things get interesting. This is what Erased manages to accomplish in just 12 episodes.
The high concept anime stars 29-year old Satoru Fujinuma who experiences a phenomenon called The Revival that causes him to travel back in time to prevent tragedies. When he discovers the body of his mother and is accused of killing her, the story becomes a detective drama when he travels back to his childhood at 10-years old to find the true culprit.
5 Hellsing Ultimate Satisfies The Diehard Supernatural Fan
For CW fans out there still looking for something new to fill in the hole that Supernatural used to fill for 15 years, Hellsing Ultimate might be their best bet at a solid replacement.
Clocking in at only 10 episodes (all running around 40 minutes each, similar to the average Supernatural episode runtime), the story follows an organization founded by Van Helsing himself as they try to fulfill their duties to take down vampires, demons, and just about everything else that goes bump in the night.
4 Blood Lad Is Anime's Twilight
In the same way that western audiences fell in love with human-vampire love stories like those between Bella and Edward from Twilight or Buffy and Angel, Japan dabbled in the vampire love sub-genre in the form of Blood Lad, a story about a vampire who falls in love with a human who inexplicably dies and becomes a ghost. That's when Staz makes it his mission to help Fuyumi get resurrected.
In only 10 episodes and an OVA, Blood Lad doesn't get the chance to replicate its manga predecessor's satisfying ending, but for what it is, this is charming.
3 Devilman Crybaby Has A Bold, Dark Ending
Despite what its title may suggest, Devilman Crybaby still manages to be deceptively dark. Upon first glance at the animation and even a bit of the first episode, it looks like a standard anime that's heavy on action with some lighthearted fantasy and a dash of humor. All with the quote-on-quote "friendship" between Akira and Ryo lying at the heart of it all.
It doesn't take long before Devilman Crybaby takes a dark turn into more nihilistic ideas that result in war, death, bigotry, gore, and a bittersweet ending. And it impressively does so all in a span of 10 episodes.
2 Psycho-Pass Is A Beautiful Mix Of Genres
Short anime series come in all different genres, but it can be difficult to decide where to start. That's where something like Psycho-Pass comes into play, a vast mix of different genres compiled together ranging from drama, thriller, psychological drama, sci-fi, to even cyberpunk.
Sporting 22 episodes and a morally ambiguous antagonist who even the director related to in an Otaku News interview, this story focuses on a Minority Report-esque future where it's possible for inspectors to evaluate how probable it is for someone to commit a crime via what is referred to as their Psycho-Pass.
1 Cowboy Bebop Had A Huge Impact With Small Episode Run
It is astonishing to imagine how much of an endearing legacy and cult following that Cowboy Bebop managed to create with only 26 episodes to its name. It's still considered worldwide among one of the greatest anime series to ever hit the screen, now with a forthcoming Netflix live-action adaptation on the horizon starring John Cho as Spike.
A lesser series could not possibly have held up such a strong and devoted fanbase in such a short number of episodes, but thanks to some impeccable writing and memorable characters with excellent chemistry, this became an instant and surprisingly impactful classic.
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