Anime is a bit interesting when you have a list of anime you can binge in a short time. Then you can watch an entire anime season in a day, and as action-packed as it gets, then it doesn’t leave you hanging and waiting for the next episode like those long-running anime does. So we will be looking at the best short anime to binge-watch. They have lots of action, and most people will find them interesting, so we have binge-worthy recommendations. The best short anime to binge-watch are also the most interesting thing ever.
This means that we will also look at what are the best anime with only 12 episodes. What anime has the shortest episodes that you can go and watch? This can make one big extensive list because there are many anime out there, so it can be difficult to figure out what is the best shortest anime to watch. Looking through all the suggestions, we have the following anime you should consider for your Best Short Anime To Binge Watch list.
Prison School: 12 Episodes
Prison School anime is about Hachimitsu Academy, and as one of the strictest girls’ academies in Tokyo, it has decided to admit boys into its system. Kiyoshi Fujino is amongst the accepted boys, but he discovers that together with his four friends, they are the only male students among 1000 girls. The laws still in place at the school are even worse as they punish even the most minor infractions with a start in the school’s prison. As the boys commit voyeurism in this school’s bathing area with the lecherous philosophy of “all for one, one for all.”
Prison School anime has 12 episodes and one OVA and ran from October to December 2015. So it is one of the best short anime that you can start and finish in just one day. The underground student council’s capture and arrest of Kiyoshi and Fujino caused five boys to be given an ultimatum. They either have to stay a month in the prison block or get expelled. They are then incarcerated in the prison block together. Kiyosi is overwhelmed by the discovery that the other boys are masochists who revel in the punishments handed to them by their attractive vicious supervisors.
Charlotte: 12 Episodes
It is another one of the shortest anime you can try, and it has an interesting background as well. Most short anime has 12 episodes or less, and some could even go to only five episodes, as we have seen from anime like Gukoshufudou. Charlotte anime made its debut in July up until September 2015. It follows the story of four students in an alternate reality based on Hoshinoumi Academy, which was founded to protect children who developed special abilities during puberty. They also search for and protect others like them all over Japan.
The students in the search team include Yu Otosaka, who has the power to control other people, but the ability lasts for only 5 seconds, and he has to directly look at his target for his powers to take effect. Nao Tomori is also amongst them and has the power to become invisible to only one person. She chooses to convince others to listen to her. Then Jojiro Takajo has the power to move very fast, and it could be mistaken for teleportation. Yusa Nishimori is usually possessed by her late sister, who is deceased due to her ability as a medium.
Darwin’s Game: 11 Episodes
Darwin’s game anime quickly became a popular anime as it was interesting and fully met all the requirements of modern-day anime. This makes Darwin’s Game one of the best short anime you can watch and finish quickly. Darwin’s Game has 11 episodes and made its debut in January until March 2020. It is about a 17-year-old high school boy Kaname Sudo who is in his sophomore year and has accepted an online invitation by his friend to play an app game called Darwin’s Game.
Unbeknownst to him, the game involves a fight between life and death. Those who are involved in the game are given a Sigil. An ability that differs from player to player and as he is trapped in this game of relentless conquest and murder. Sude is determined to clear the game and seek out the game master to kill him. It took a long since we had the debut season of Darwin’s game and based on the popularity that it has received. Most fans thought that we would get a second season soon, but now it has been over 2 years as the wait for Darwin’s Game Season 2 continues.
Death Parade: 12 Episodes
If you are looking for the best short anime to watch, then Death Parade is one of the anime you can check out. Death Parade anime made its debut in January 2015 and ran until March of the same year. The anime follows the story of Decim, the lone bartender of the bar who received corps at the same time of death. It is known as the Quindecim bar, and Decim has been working with his friend.
In Death Parade anime, whenever someone dies, they are sent to one of many mysterious bars run by bartenders who serve as judges inside a tower in the afterlife. While there, they are to compete in death games with their souls on the line. The result of their games has revealed the secrets that have led them to their situation and determined their fate afterward. The arbiter judges if their souls will be sent for reincarnation or banished into the void.
Elfen Lied: 13 Episodes
Elfen Lied is one of the classic anime that gained popularity during its time. To date, it is still a good anime to watch and is not that long as you can watch it and finish within a day. Elfen Lied anime has 13 episodes and one OVA, so it debuted in July 2004 and ran until October. Elfen’s lied plot revolves around the interactions, views, emotions, and discrimination between humans and Diclonius, a mutant species similar to humans in appearance.
Diclonius are also distinguishable by their two cat ear-like horns and transparent arms, which can go through any object at high speed. A teenage Diclonius girl named Lucy is said to be the first Diclonius, but as humans reject her, she starts a murderous vengeance on them. While she is busy with these slaughters, she also created slipelits, girls who are born like her, as she means to spread their mutation and displace the human race worldwide. Elfen Lied anime is also one of the best short anime that you might want to consider.
Plastic Neesan: 12 Episodes
Plastic Neesan anime has 12 episodes, and it made its debut in May 2011 and ran until July 2012. It is about a high school student known as Genma, often called “Elder Sister,” even though she is short. Genma became the president of her high school model club and is dedicated to building plastic models of various objects like boats, cars, and even robots.
She works together with her two underclassmen, and Hozuki is the violent one amongst them. Alongside them are Kamoto and the rational Sakamaki. This small group aims to carry out their club duties but is often sidelined by different distractions, including battles between club members and lessons about how one can confess to their crush. The three of them got caught in wacky and downright outrageous situations.
Watamote: No Matter How I Look At It, It’s You Guys’ Fault I’m Unpopular
Watamote anime is one of the early anime considering the era that modern anime has taken. In the day, anime names were simple and would not have longer sentences. Look at other classic anime like Dragon Ball, Naruto, and even the likes of Bleach. But lately, anime names are getting longer and longer such that the name itself can be considered a sentence. The good thing is that such names are good, and fans would not mind either way.
Watamote anime has 12 episodes and one ova, and it ran from July to September 2013. It is about a 15-year-old Tomoko Kuroki who believes that she will become popular once she enters high school since she has become well-versed in otome games. The reality was that she found out that she had become a reclusive loner. Even though she still forces herself to apply what she has learned to achieve popularity. She managed to progress through high school and attempt to prove her social status. Standing at only 12 episodes, Watamote is one of the best short anime you can watch.
Interspecies Reviewers: 12 Episodes
Interspecies reviewers anime has 12 episodes, and it made its debut on January 11 until March 2020. It is one of the unique anime you can watch and finish in one go. Interspecies reviewers anime takes place in a world where many different humanoid species live, and prostitution is legal. There are various brothels for each kind of species, and it is run by Succu girls who have succubus blood running through them. Each species has its own opinions on how each Succu girl will work.
If you are into Ecchi anime, then Iterspecies reviewers are one of the best short anime that you can watch. In various brothels in the anime, the visitors have become reviewers rating their experiences with various succus girls and posting them at local taverns. The anime largely revolves around a human known as Stunk, an elf known as Zel, and a range named Crimvael.
House of Five Leaves: 12 Episodes
House of Five Leaves anime started in April 2010 and released new episodes weekly until July 2010. The anime is set during the Edo period in Japan, and it is about the life of Masanosuke Akitsu, a wandering Samurai and a skilled swordsman. His timid personality would cause him to be expelled by his employers. One day he came across Yaichi, the charismatic leader of a bandit group known as “Five Leaves.” He is offered a job as Yaichi’s bodyguard, and this is where his journey starts.
At first, he was worried about the Five Leaves’ intentions, but he was also intrigued by their group and agreed to work with them. This anime is about the Samurai and their way of life, so if you are into this kind of anime, you should check it out as you can even watch all episodes and finish them in a day.
The Comic Artist and His Assistants: 12 Episodes
If you are looking for another one of the best short anime to watch, you should add “The Comic Artist and his Assistants” to your list. It only has 12 episodes and ran from April to June 2014. Interestingly, the anime is about a manga artist Yuki Aito who is a perverted man, and his main love and desire are to love everyone close to him. His assistant, Asishu would, constantly find herself in an awkward situation and is forced to cope with Aito’s doings.
Surrounded by beautiful assistants, Yuki Aito could hardly concentrate on his work, forcing his managing editor to push him to reach the deadlines for his work. The new busty and ditsy Rinna Fuwa and a skilled but money-loving Sena Kuroi join him as one of his assistants. Yuki’s life became more of a harem than a manga studio. So the anime focuses n the day-to-day challenges that Yuki has to go through.
Grand Blue: 12 Episodes
In July, Grand Blue anime made its debut and ran until September 2018, releasing 12 episodes. The anime is about Iori Kitahara, looking forward to his new life within the Izu Peninsula. He prepares to start his college life while staying there in a room above his uncle’s diving shop known as Grand Blue. He was quite shocked when he met the local diving club, full of buff men who spend more time drinking and partying.
Iori Kitahara and his crew spend time stripping naked than doing their diving duties. At the same time, Iori tried to distance himself from this group. He quickly gets swept up in their antics, and his cousins have tried to show him diving techniques into the ocean and seeing. There seem to be quite the temptations for Iori, and since he is passionate about diving, he will have to find a way not to be swayed from his dreams.
Another: 12 Episodes
Another anime made its debut in January 2012 and ran for 12 episodes until March of the same year. It is set in 1972 when a popular student Misaki, a middle schooler at Yomiyama North Middle school, suddenly dies partway through the school year. This loss devasted the students, and together with the teachers, they decided to behave as if Misaki was still alive. This led to a strange presence in the graduation photo.
Later in the spring of 1988, Koichi Sakakibara transferred into Yomiyama’s class, where he ended up meeting Mei Misaki, a quiet student whom the teachers and the students ignored. The class was then caught up in a strange phenomenon where students and relatives started to die gruesomely. The death seems to be related to the Misaki of 1972, while Koichi and Mei try to stop it before killing more of their classmates. This anime is for those who love horror and thriller anime, and it would make the best short anime you can watch on your list.
Baccano: 16 Episodes
Baccano anime has different unrelated plots throughout each of its series. The main storyline of Baccano takes place in ancient times when the ship Advena is carrying a group of alchemists trying to summon a demon to get eternal life. The demon grants them an elixir of immortality and the method of ending their existence through devouring one another. Maza, the summoner, was given the elixir formula, and Maiza and the other alchemists decided that no one else must become immortal.
Szilard was the only one opposing this, and during the same night, the alchemist began to disappear and was devoured by Szilard, only to realize that the threat posed by staying together would lead to most death. So they decided to scatter across the world. Baccano anime is not that long as it stands at 16 episodes. It is one short anime that you can watch if you are looking for something you haven’t tried yet.
No Game No Life: 12 Episodes
No Game no Life anime is about Sora and Shiro, who are shut-in NEET siblings and the online gamer duo and are the ones behind the legendary username known as Blank. They think the real world is just another lousy game, but everything changes when a strange e-mail challenges them to a chess match. They are teleported into an otherworldly realm where they meet Tet, the God of Games.
The god then welcomes them to a world known as Disboard, where all forms of conflict, as low as petty squabbles to the fate of countries and kingdoms, are settled through a way of high stake games instead of conflicts. The system works well due to a fundamental rule that says each party wager something they deem to be equal to the other party’s wager. It is a strange land where the very idea of humanity is reduced to child’s play. The genius gamer duo of Shiro and Sora finally found a real reason to keep playing games.
Barakamon: 18 Episodes
Standing at 18 episodes, Barakamon is on the upper strand of the episode continuum. It came close to being classified as a long anime, but given that we have seen other anime with 25 episodes, this anime is still watchable, and you can still finish it in a day if you manage to find it to your interest. Barakamon anime is about Seishu Handa, a professional calligrapher despite his young age. When the elderly curator of an exhibition criticizes his calligraphy for being unoriginal, he gets angry and punches him.
Due to his violent actions, his father sends him off for a retreat on Goto Island near Kyushu. Upon his arrival, he meets the colorful villagers and interacts with them as he starts to find his role. Barakamon still stands amongst the best short anime you can watch while you wait for new seasons of other anime or while you wat for weekly releases of new episodes of your favorite ongoing anime.
Erased: 12 Episodes
Erased anime made its debut in January 2016 and ran until March of the same year producing 12 episodes. So it is one of the short anime that you can consider as you get to complete the episodes and know what goes on within the same day. In Erased anime, Satoru Fujima is a young man who lives in Chiba and possesses an ability known as Revival that can send him back in time moments before a life-threatening incident.
This power allows Fujinuma to prevent death from causing events to happen again. When an unknown assailant murdered his mother in his home, he used his ability to go back 18 years ago, and he was allowed to save his mother and stop a kidnapping incident that affected his life and led to the death of his best friends.
Zankyo No Terror: 11 Episodes
Also known as Terror in Resonance, Zankyo No Terror anime made its debut in July 2014 and kept on going until September of the same year producing 11 episodes. The anime takes place in an alternative iteration of the modern-day. Two boys going by Nine and Twelve steal a prototype atomic bomb in an apparent terrorist attack. They call themselves Sphinx, and they upload a video on their internet threatening to destroy Tokyo city unless a cryptic riddle is solved.
They have survived a secret experiment by other Rising Peace academies to develop orphaned children with Savant Syndrom into human weapons. They befriend Lisa, a lonely schoolgirl, and she becomes caught up in other plans to expose the nefarious activities of the organization. Zankyo no Terror anime also received positive reviews from various critics. Most fans wonder why Zankyo no Terror or The Terror of Resonance anime is banned in China. This is due to the series having scenes of violence, terrorism, crime, and pornography.
Angel Beats: 13 Episodes
Angel Beats is set in a high school environment in the afterlife, a type of limbo for people who have stumbled through hardships and trauma in life as they must overcome them before passing on and being reincarnated. Angel Beats anime is a slice of life anime and one of the best short anime for the romance and slice of life anime lovers.
The story is centered around Yozuru Otonashi, a boy with amnesia who ends up in the afterlife. He ended up meeting Yuri Nakamura. She invited him to join the Afterlife Battlefront, an organization she founded, and led him to rebel against an unseen god for their unfair circumstances in life.
Also Read: 10 Best Anime On Funimation Right Now That You Shouldn’t Miss
