When you have a hectic schedule, you lose out on a lot of things such as watching anime. That’s when our best short anime list comes in handy. These titles have a small number of episodes and may be watched in one sitting within a day. As a result, they are ideal for any of your weekends.
Contents
- Top 10 Best Short Anime For Beginners
- 1. FLCL (6 episodes) – Best Short Anime Series Of All Time
- 2. Gunbuster & Diebuster (6 episodes) – Best Short Horror Anime
- 3. Erased (12 episodes)
- 4. The Promised Neverland (12 episodes) – Best Short Adventure Anime
- 5. Beastars (12 episodes)
- 6. Katanagatari (12 episodes)
- 7. Puella Magi Madoka Magica (12 episodes)
- 8. Haibane Renmei (13 episodes)
- 9. Charlotte (13 episodes)
- 10. Death Note (37 episodes) – Best Short Dark Anime
- Final Words
Top 10 Best Short Anime For Beginners
1. FLCL (6 episodes) – Best Short Anime Series Of All Time
FLCL is the first worthy mention in our list of the best short anime series of all time.
In this slapstick comedy, Naota Nandaba is a regular sixth-grader who lives in a normal city where nothing out of the ordinary ever appears to happen.
After his big brother moved to America to play baseball, Naota takes on the responsibility of looking after everything that he left behind, even Mamimi Samejima – his ex-girlfriend, who keeps clinging to Naota since Tasuku departed.
Naota, on the other hand, has no idea that his boring existence is about to alter forever: runs into Haruko Haruhara, a bass guitar-wielding, Vespa-riding, with light-pinkish hair. Her first contact with Naota results in tire marks on his back and a big horn on his head.
Despite his desire for a peaceful and quiet life, when Haruko moves into his parents’ house, Naota is drawn into the midst of the biggest war for domination that Earth – and probably the whole universe – has ever seen.
2. Gunbuster & Diebuster (6 episodes) – Best Short Horror Anime
Gunbuster & Diebuster is an ideal choice for horror fans. In the not-too-distant future, mankind has taken its initial steps toward exploring the outer reaches of the cosmos. They uncover “Space Monsters” – a massive insectoid extraterrestrial race of aliens – as a result of their efforts.
As they get closer to discovering Earth, these aliens appear to be hell-bent on annihilating humanity. In retaliation, humanity creates massive combat robots operated by hand-picked teenagers from throughout the world.
Shortly after the aliens are discovered, Noriko Takaya, whose father is a famous space captain but being killed, enrolls in a training school despite her dubious abilities as a pilot.
At school, she meets the lovely and brilliant Kazumi Amano, her polar opposite, and is forced to work with her as they try to overcome both the pain of war and their own emotions.
3. Erased (12 episodes)
Satoru Fujinuma, a disconnected 29-year-old manga artist, finds himself returning back a few minutes before a tragic disaster occurs when the accident happens. With such power, the man has saved numerous lives by utilizing this strong yet inexplicable phenomenon, which he refers to as “Revival.”
However, Satoru is taken back to the past once more after he wrongly stands accused of murdering someone important to him, this time to 1988, 18 years ago.
He soon discovers that the murder might be linked to the kidnapping and murder that happened to a student in his class, the isolated and enigmatic Kayo Hinazuki when he was a youngster. This is his opportunity to put things right.
Erased follows Satoru on his quest to learn the truth about what happened 18 years ago and avert the death of a classmate while also safeguarding those he loves about now.
4. The Promised Neverland (12 episodes) – Best Short Adventure Anime
The Promised Neverland is arguably the best short adventure anime. The Grace Field House, which is surrounded by a guarded entry and endless wood, is home to a large family of orphans who are cared for by Isabella, their “Mama”.
Although they must take daily tests, the children can freely do whatever they want all day long, generally playing outside, as long as they do not leave the orphanage – a requirement that they must adhere to at all times.
However, all good things must come to an end, as each one is adopted by a family and sent to their new home, then no one ever hears about them again.
The three biggest children, on the other hand, are curious about what is going on at their orphanage, and they finally find out the awful fate that awaits the children at Grace Field, including Mama’s twisted personality.
5. Beastars (12 episodes)
An unpleasant tension arises between predators and herbivores in a civilized civilization among anthropomorphic animals. The tension peaks at Cherryton Academy when Tem, a male alpaca student, was murdered in the theater club.
Legoshi, a gray wolf in the stage crew and one of Tem’s friends, has lived his entire existence in dread and distrust. In the immediate aftermath of the disaster, he continues to hide his terrifying characteristics, despite the chagrin of his senpai, Louis – a deer, who is the drama club’s head actor and also a potential candidate for the Beastar title.
Legoshi is placed on lookout duty when he sneaky goes into the theatre in order to train Tem’s replacement for the next show. Legoshi had a momentous encounter with a white dwarf rabbit named Haru, who is despised by her classmates, that very night.
His increasing affections for Haru, which are exacerbated by his predatory inclinations, lead him to confront his actual nature, the circumstances behind his friend’s murder and the world’s underlying violence.
6. Katanagatari (12 episodes)
Katanagatari is an action and romance anime. During the Edo era in Japan, there were various methods of sword-fighting. Shichika Yasuri performs Kyotouryuu, which is the most special technique that utilizes the practitioner’s body as the blade.
Since exiled, he and Nanami, his sister, have lived peacefully for a long time until Togame bursts into their lives. The newcomer asks Shichika for help to get the 12 Deviant blades. Despite his apathy towards politics, he is intrigued by Togame and accepts her request. So, they start a new adventure together.
Standing in the way are powerful people who use these legendary swords and others who want to stop Togame’s objective. This means that the two must be invincible duos on a journey full of uncertainty and danger.
Check more: Top 10 Most Underrated Anime Series
7. Puella Magi Madoka Magica (12 episodes)
The good short anime, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, is an ideal choice for fans of magic and fantasy titles.
After having a weird dream, Madoka Kaname meets a magical being called Kyube. Madoka and Sayaka Miki, who is Madoka’s friend, are given the chance to have magic if they sign the dotted line with Kyube. He also turns their wish come true.
In return, they’ll have to use their magical powers to fight witches who are a source of despair in their living areas, even though they aren’t visible to humans. Mami Tomoe, a friend of Kyube, gets to know the 2 human girls and motivates them to sign the contract.
On the contrary, Homura Akemi, a young girl with magical powers, wants to stop Madoka from making the deal even though the real reason has yet been revealed.
8. Haibane Renmei (13 episodes)
Haibane Renmei is suitable for those who like mystery or emotional anime. Emerging from a cocoon and devoiding of her memories, Haibane – a being who looks like a fairy with grey wings – wakes up in Old Home and doesn’t understand what is going on around her.
She is called Rakka because of the dream in which she fell while being unconscious in the cocoon. Then, she quickly adjusts to her new life inside the foreign town. On the other hand, the Haibane are bound by rigorous laws, such as not leaving the village and approaching the walls that encircle it.
These rules and strange disappearances of the Haibane members on “Day of Flight” have raised some serious questions for Rakka & others because they know very little about their own species.
9. Charlotte (13 episodes)
Due to his power to take control of people’s minds and bodies for 5 seconds each time, Yuu Otoska has cheated to be the top student in his class and enroll in a famous high school. There he still conducts dishonest activities.
His antics are finally exposed by the fiery student president who sees right through Yuu’s deception. Nao coerces Yuu into transferring to Hoshinoumi and joining its student council. This academy is a cover school for teenagers with supernatural talents.
The function of the student council is to track down those abusing their extraordinary abilities. With the involuntary help of Yuu, the group identifies and defends new ability users.
Nevertheless, when they learn more about supernatural abilities, they’ve become embroiled in significantly more intricate issues than they could have imagined.
10. Death Note (37 episodes) – Best Short Dark Anime
Death Note is one of the best dark anime with a short length that you should certainly give a try.
The story is about Light Yagami, a brilliant 17-year-old Japanese student who shares the same belief with the cruel god of death Ryuk that both worlds of humans and death gods are corrupted.
Ryuk decides to release his “Death Note” into the world of humans for his own entertainment. Light comes upon it and laughs at the first of its rules: The person whose name is recorded in this letter will perish. Light, however, succumbs to the temptation and tries writing a random felon’s name, which uncomfortably reenacts his first murder.
Light – under the identity “Kira,” aware of the dreadful and also godlike power in his hands – follows his vicious sense of justice with the ultimate objective of purging the world of all evil-doers.
At that time, a mastermind international detective L is on his tail, but when Light’s intelligence approaches that of L’s, the epic search for Kira becomes a gripping war of wits that can only finish when one of them is dead.
Check more: Top 10 Goriest Anime Ever Created
Final Words
Lengthy animated movies are great but the best short anime can leave you with favorable impressions too. These shows are both wonderful for rapid busts of otaku pleasure and contain tales that can be completed in a few viewing sessions.