Anime fans often get unfairly stereotyped as asocial shut-ins. Well, guess what: everyone has to be an asocial shut-in now, so for the good of public health, you might as well become an otaku! While the long-running likes of One Piece and My Hero Academia might be intimidating for some viewers, fortunately, the vast majority of anime are far more digestible, running in single seasons of 26 episodes or fewer.
Here's a list of 10 of the best single-season anime available for streaming at the moment that you can binge through easily. Social distancing doesn't have to be boring!
COWBOY BEBOP
We know, it's obvious. If you're into anime, chances are you've probably seen at least some of Cowboy Bebop. But believe it or not, there somehow are people who've never seen this jazzy genre-bending classic, and this is the perfect opportunity for them to discover what they've been missing.
And even if you have seen Cowboy Bebop, why not watch it again? There's a reason Adult Swim played Bebop nearly non-stop for over a decade: it really stands up to repeat viewing, with characters you want to spend more time with even as you know their eventual fates. The series is available to stream on Hulu, FUNimation, TubiTV (sub only), and Adult Swim (dub only).
PARANOIA AGENT
A series that deserves classic status just as much as Cowboy Bebop but has been criminally underseen due to rights issues, Paranoia Agent is finally available to stream through FUNimation. Not everyone will be in the mood right now for a psychological horror series where the lines between reality and mass delusion are blurred and the ultimate message is a sobering one against the dangers of excess escapism.
But if that does sound like something you're in the mood for, director Satoshi Kon's only TV anime is going to take you on a wild journey.
PRINCESS JELLYFISH
Here's a one-season wonder that easily could have gone on longer. Josei anime (aimed at adult women) are rare, and it's a shame this one couldn't have continued to adapt the entirety of Akiko Higashimura's manga. Even with only 11 episodes, however, the Princess Jellyfish anime still manages to tell a charming, realistic story about a socially anxious jellyfish otaku inspired to break into the fashion industry by a beautiful crossdressing boy. FUNimation is currently streaming it.
SERIAL EXPERIMENTS LAIN
Now more than ever, we live our lives extremely online. Serial Experiments Lain predicted the direction our society was heading back in 1998. It takes the idea of becoming a different person on the Internet -- and of disappearing distinctions between physical and online socialization -- to the dramatic extreme.
This dark philosophical cyberpunk anime remains an inspiration decades later; NBCUniversal even went so far as to make the intellectual property "open source" to encourage fanworks! It's streaming on FUNimation at the moment.
NICHIJOU
Most of Kyoto Animation's best series have received multiple seasons, or at least had them announced (it remains to be seen if there will be more Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid following director Yasuhiro Takemoto's death). One KyoAni show which will absolutely never get a second season, however, is Nichijou, sometimes referred to by the translated title, My Ordinary Life.
The series absolutely bombed in Japanese DVD sales but, nevertheless, this cult favorite is one of the funniest anime around, with outstanding animation quality pushing its strange jokes into absolute hilarity. It's yet another FUNimation exclusive.
KILL LA KILL
One of the defining works of Studio TRIGGER and director Hiroyuki Imaishi, Kill la Kill fit what should have been years-worth of power-ups and plot developments all into one frantically-paced 24-episode season. Those who enjoy fan service anime should be delighted by the show's over-the-top sexuality.
Those who generally don't like fan service anime might still find plenty to enjoy about it anyway, from its vibrantly-directed action to its satirical comedy. Available for streaming on Crunchyroll, Hulu and Netflix.
NEON GENESIS EVANGELION
Neon Genesis Evangelion is another one of the big-name classics of anime that most fans should probably have seen by now, especially with all the hype last summer surrounding the show's streaming debut on Netflix. If you haven't, though, now is as good a time as any to check out the most controversial anime of the past 25 years, provided you're in the right headspace for it.
Though looking like a somewhat typical mecha show early on, it goes into some extremely dark territory regarding depression, especially if you watch the End of Evangelion movie right after as a proper series finale.
YURI!!! ON ICE
A second season of Yuri!!! on ICE isn't an impossibility, given the first season's immense popularity, but it grows more unlikely by the day. The Ice Adolescence movie has been delayed so many times we won't believe any release date until we're actually watching it, and after taking so long on the movie, we expect Sayo Yamamoto might want to move on to new projects.
While a continuation would be nice, Yuri!!! on ICE is a near-perfect series as is, with gorgeously choreographed skating routines, sizzling romance and a moving story about confronting anxiety. The series is streaming subbed on Crunchyroll and dubbed on FUNimation.
SARAZANMAI
If you want an 11-episode taste of just how weird anime can get, Sarazanmai, the musical anime about magical kappa boys sucking souls out of the butts of zombies created by gay otter cops, is one of the strongest "WTF" experiences you can enjoy.
Somehow, in spite of -- or perhaps because of -- all this absurdity, this show will still make you get emotionally attached to said kappa boys and otter cops as it delivers a surprisingly comprehensible message about human connection. It is streaming subbed on Crunchyroll and dubbed on FUNimation.
KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF EIZOUKEN!
Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! only just ended, but it feels pretty safe to say this is Masaaki Yuasa's best anime series yet. Considering his resume includes the likes of The Tatami Galaxy (streaming on FUNimation) and Devilman Crybaby (streaming on Netflix), that's saying something.
If you care about anime, or really any form of art, this comedy about young anime creators in training is the exact sort of burst of inspiration that will help you get through your day with a smile. The series is available on Crunchyroll.