Best Short Anime Series to Binge

It’s no secret that some of the greatest, most well-known anime out there are long – in some cases, we’re talking unreasonably long. Anime has become associated with shows that boast hundreds, sometimes thousands, of episodes – the likes of Naruto and One Piece come to mind. This means that some people feel like anime as a medium is closed to them, simply not having the time or patience to commit to such gargantuan series. However, an anime doesn’t always have to have a triple-digit episode count to be great.

Telling a compelling story in a tiny amount of episodes is no small feat, and yet, there’s plenty of anime series out there that have managed to do just that. Whether you’re looking for a quick new anime show to binge, or if you’re looking to get into anime by starting small, we’ve got you covered! Today, we’re going to be listing some of the best short anime series of all time – each of the shows below are only one season in length, and clock in at below 20 episodes, yet manage to use that limited time to leave a real mark on their viewers. Without further ado, let’s get into the list!

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Erased (12 Episodes)

Image by A-1 Pictures

Erased is an anime best experienced in one viewing session, and coming in at only 12 episodes, that’s definitely doable on a lazy weekend. Airing back in 2016, Erased took the anime world by storm with its compelling storyline filled with mystery, tragedy, and time travel. The anime became such a hit that it was shortly followed up with a live-action film adaptation, a Netflix mini-series, and a spin-off novel, all following the same central story told in the original manga and subsequent anime.

Erased follows a young man named Satoru Fujinuma who, in typical isekai fashion, discovers he has the ability to travel back in time. When his mother is murdered, he travels back in time to when he was a child, in order to prevent not only her murder, but the abduction and murder of three of his childhood friends, particularly that of a young girl named Kayo Hinazuki. As you can likely tell, Erased is a heavy story, but its mystery and crime elements, mixed with the sci-fi time travel element, creates a beautiful blend that will keep you on the edge of your seat throughout all 12 episodes. If all that wasn’t enough, the anime’s opening, ‘Re:Re:’ by Asian Kung-Fu Generation, is one of the greatest anime openings of all time – if you’re binging this series, it may be too painful to bring yourself to skip it.

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Baccano! (16 Episodes)

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To put it bluntly, Baccano! is an incredible, highly addictive, disgustingly underrated anime – however, it’s definitely not for everyone. The series, based in a fictionalized version of the United States during the Prohibition era, follows over 20 different main characters, all of whom have their own storylines going on in their respective lives. However, when they all board a singular transcontinental train, all of their stories and interests collide when they are dragged into a conspiracy involving thieves, thugs, and an immortality elixir.

Baccano! is a show that thrives on chaos, which is why not everyone will mesh with the anime, especially if they go in unprepared. The series jumps between multiple time periods, perspectives, and narratives, and often makes these jumps non-sequentially. The chronology of what is actually happening is left for the viewer to determine, which means that the best way to experience the show is actually to get lost in its chaos, and simply enjoy the train ride from hell that the show spends most of its time on. It can be easy to get lost in the madness, but that’s honestly just part of the journey – so if you do decide to experience Baccano! for yourself, strap-in and enjoy one of anime’s most chaotic rollercoaster rides.

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Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day (11 Episodes)

Image by A-1 Pictures

A word of warning – Anohana is a devastatingly sad anime, and often comes to mind when anime fans discuss what series should take the title of the saddest anime series of all time. A second word of warning – the first episode of this series is a little strange. Anime often employ some questionable tactics to draw certain viewers in during the pilot episode of shows, and unfortunately, Anohana falls victim to such a marketing scheme. I would implore you, however, to see the show through, past this first episode as, beyond that, it’s a great series.

Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day tells the tale of a young group of friends who are torn apart when one of their members, a young girl named Menma, tragically drowns in a river. Five years later, one of the group members, Jintan, is visited by Menma’s ghost, who follows him around and insists that she cannot pass on to the afterlife until he grants a wish for her – however, neither she nor he is aware of what exactly the wish is. Though the show is heartbreaking throughout, Anohana is also a great analogy for the grieving process, and beautifully explores how people can move forward with their lives after experiencing a tragic loss, while still keeping a person’s memory alive in their heart.

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A Place Further than the Universe (13 Episodes)

Image by Madhouse

It seems like a lot of anime series based on manga are insistent on exploring some sort of misery and/or trauma. So, it’s nice to sometimes look into some original anime series to find a little wholesome content, and when it comes to wholesome content, A Place Further than the Universe is one of your best bets. This is still an anime, so there’ll always be some tears, but this series is undoubtedly the happiest on our list, and tells a really enjoyable story of exploration in a really short amount of time.

The story follows a young girl named Mari who wants to make the most out of her youth, but is afraid to take a chance on life and break out of her daily routine. However, she soon meets a young girl who is planning a trip to Antarctica, and finds herself whisked up into a journey to the end of the earth alongside her newfound friends. There is a tinge of sadness to the reason that the trip to Antarctica is pursued, but for the most part, A Place Further than the Universe will have a smile on your face throughout all 13 episodes.

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Cyberpunk: Edgerunners (10 Episodes)

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Cyberpunk 2077 had a bit of a disastrous launch, and so many fans were never expecting the Cyberpunk franchise to emerge from the rubble, much less so in the form of an anime series distributed by Netflix 2 years after the game debuted. However, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners was such an excellent series that many fans actually decided to revisit the original game after watching it, bringing a little life back to the world of Cyberpunk. A prequel to the original game, Edgerunners follows the life of David Martinez, a young street kid growing up in the poorest area of Night City.

The series is explosively stylish, has some amazing action scenes, and manages to compile an enjoyable cast of characters in a very short amount of time. After experiencing a tragedy, David decides to explore life on the wrong side of the law, and the show becomes a cautionary tale against choosing a life of crime and revenge in the wake of devastation. Despite its very short length, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners will stick with you, and has one of the most memorable finale episodes in recent years – definitely check this one out if you’re looking for a short, dystopian journey.

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Violet Evergarden (13 Episodes)

Image by Kyoto Animation

One of my favourite anime series of all time, there’s more Violet Evergarden to go around than just the core 13 episodes, but personally, I think that a lot of the OVAs and movie content based around the series is mostly forgettable. The best way to experience Violet Evergarden is to watch only the 13-episode series, which is incredibly well-paced, and tells a magical story of emotion, processing trauma, and life in the aftermath of war. The depth of storytelling that this series manages to reach in only 13 episodes is truly impressive.

The story follows Violet Evergarden, a young girl raised from birth to be a war machine, eventually developing no understanding for human emotions. After the war, she begins to work at a postal company, and through writing letters for her clients, she begins to understand the expression of human feeling, and eventually pursues understanding of the final words left behind for her from the person dearest to her – ‘I love you’. Violet Evergarden is both heartwarming and heartbreaking, and, ironically enough for a show about exploring emotions, you’ll feel all of them across the span of its 13 episodes. A must-watch series for any anime fan, regardless of genre preferences.

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Astra Lost in Space (12 Episodes)

Image by Lerche

As far as hidden gem anime go, this is one of the standouts – an incredible sci-fi tale that’s never really gotten the love it should get outside of its own core fanbase. The series also has some nice LGBTQ+ representation, especially in the anime scene, where such representation is unfortunately scarce. The series is only 12-episodes long, but do be warned – the first and last episodes are both 1-hour long specials, so really, it’s closer to 16 episodes in usual anime runtime.

The series takes place in 2063, where a group of students are attacked by a sphere of light that teleports them into distant space. Together, the students must find their way home, surviving by visiting alien planets along the way. Beyond this, the plot gets fairly mind-boggling, so I’ll leave the rest for you to explore when you watch the series for yourself. Anime rarely commits to genre elements as much as this series does, so for all the sci-fi fans out there, this one is an absolute must. A truly underrated masterpiece, and one that still hasn’t managed to garner the reputation it deserves amongst the anime community.

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Death Parade (12 Episodes)

Image by Madhouse

The final entry on our list, Death Parade, is actually the only series on here that’s far too short for its own good. While all of the other shows on this list can brag about how great of a story they can tell in a short amount of time, the potential of Death Parade far exceeded the limits of its 12-episode run. However, the story that it does manage to tell within this runtime is still incredible, and still manages to be one of my favourite anime series, despite its early cut-off.

Death Parade applies its own laws regarding entry to the afterlife – when two people die at the same time, they are sent to the Quindecim bar, where they must compete in a game against one another to determine which of the two is sent to Heaven, and which of the two is sent to Hell. For the sake of the show, the two sent to the bar are often directly linked in life, and the show uses each episode to show not only their game, but their relationship while they were alive, how this influences how they play their game, and what leads to their often untimely deaths. Death Parade does end a bit prematurely, but the content we do have is absolutely incredible – a definite recommendation for fans of series that explore death and the afterlife.

See also: Best Anime Debuts of Winter 2025

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Conclusion

There are plenty of anime series out there that don’t require a huge time commitment to enjoy, and many beyond those we’ve listed today. What’s your favourite short anime series to binge? Did we list it here, or do we have a new recommendation on our hands? Be sure to let us know in the comments, and thanks for reading!

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