When people think of anime, they think of long-running anime like Naruto or One Piece – stories with hundreds of episodes that feel like they'll go on forever. No matter how hardcore the audience is, not everyone is always excited to jump into a universe that will take months of devoted effort to get into.

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However, there are plenty of shorter anime series out there for people. These are shows that can be finished within a matter of a few hours at best. While the streaming company HIDIVE might not have quite as many shows as other companies, they offer plenty of series people can binge in a single day.

20 Assassin's Pride

12 Episodes

Assassin's Pride

In Assassin's Pride, humanity has dwindled to nearly nothing thanks to being hunted by lycanthropes. They exist inside a single city, Flandore, where society has stratified into commoners and nobles. The nobles have gained the ability to generate magic power, giving them the strength to fight back against the dangerous enemy destroying humanity.

In this world, Melida Angel has unfortunately been born to a noble family but cannot use magic herself. She's recently been given a tutor, Kufa Vampir, to help her unlock her powers, but Kufa is hiding a secret. If Melida can't learn how to use magic, it's Kufa's responsibility to kill her. A short action-fantasy series, Assassin's Pride pulls viewers deeper into its series with each new reveal they learn.

19 After the Rain

12 Episodes

Akira Tachibana and Masami Kondo, the protagonists of After the Rain

One of the better seinen romances, After the Rain, focuses on a high school student named Akira Tachibana, who's been forced to give up running track recently. Akira takes up working at a family restaurant after meeting its manager, Masami Kondo. Though Kondo is much older than her, Tachibana develops an infatuation with him.

However, rather than an awkward age-gap romance, After the Rain stands out by being unexpectedly wholesome. Rather than focusing on some kind of forbidden love, the series instead centers around the lives of two people who couldn't be more different but are tied together by having both given up on their passions.

18 Flying Witch

12 Episodes

Flying Witch

Flying Witch is the perfect slice-of-life iyashikei. It's not designed to leave people emotionally destroyed, but instead allows viewers to actually chill and enjoy the visual comfort food. The main character of the series is Makoto Kowata, a teenager who has just started high school in a new town.

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Unlike everyone else at her school, though, Makoto is a practicing witch. Though she can be a bit of an airhead, Makoto gradually changes the lives of her friends and family around her as they grow to understand the unique nature of magic.

17 Earl and Fairy

12 Episodes

Earl and Fairy

Earl and Fairy is a perfect fantasy-romance shoujo anime for people looking for something to do for a night or a weekend. Set during the Victorian period, the protagonist is Lydia Carlton, who's been gifted with the ability to see fairies. Though most people don't believe in her powers, her life changes when she meets Edgar Ashenbert. Edgar is known as the "Legendary Blue Knight Earl" and takes Lydia in thanks to her knowledge of fairies and their world. Though Edgar initially treats Lydia as nothing more than an employee, Lydia learns there's more to the cold-hearted Earl than meets the eye.

16 Rocket Girls

12 Episodes

light novel

Nothing better than an anime that can explain exactly what it's about from the start. Rocket Girls focuses on a trio of young girls who are pulled into joining the Solomon Space Association. The organization has just recently realized none of its rockets can launch an adult man into space, so they instead decide to train some high-school girls to handle the job.

Rocket Girls is from the era where Cute Girls Doing Things was an entire sub-genre, but even among those, the series stands out. It's got just enough of a hook thanks to one of the young girls looking to discover what happened to her father, and backs up the show's science-y aspects with well-researched work to aid the believability. People seeking a fun, semi-realistic sci-fi series will find plenty to love here.

15 Wandaba Style

12 Episodes

Wandaba Style image.

Wandaba Style is the sort of comedy anime that could have only come from the early 2000s. The series centers around Tsukumo Susumu, a teenager with dreams of finding a way to the moon without using fossil fuels. Tsukumo is a genius, so he has a chance to make it happen; he just needs some people to send into space.

Enter the pop idol group Mix JUICE. Though Mix JUICE isn't popular, they agree to help Tsukumo because they believe they can hold the first concert ever on the moon, which will surely make them popular. It's a ridiculous premise, but at only 12 episodes, it never wears out its welcome.

14 Grimoire of Zero

12 Episodes

The main cast of Grimoire of Zero anime.

Grimoire of Zero takes place in a fantasy world where humans have been at war with mages for years. This war has resulted in the creation of a new form of humanity in the "beastfallen," humans wielding incredible powers but at the cost of looking like animals. Filled with hatred for what the witches had done to them, the beastfallen generally make their money killing off the very witches who transformed them.

However, one such beastfallen, known only as "Mercenary," winds up working for a powerful witch named Zero. Zero is on the hunt for the Grimoire of Zero, a book of magic she created that could wreak havoc in anyone else's hands. Although it's a short series, Grimoire of Zero is a great fantasy anime with a likable cast and solid world-building. The big problem is that it demands people check out the light novel to see more.

13 Spy Classroom

12 Episodes

Spy Classroom image.

As a spy-in-training in Spy Classroom, Lily thinks she's finally made it when she's offered the opportunity to graduate. Asked to join a special spy group known as Lamplight, she believes she'll finally be able to help her country.

Unfortunately, when she reaches the location of Lamplight, she learns the truth: all the group members are washouts, just like her. However, they've been offered the chance to train under the greatest spy in the country, Klaus, to take on a top-ranked spy mission. This is definitely another anime that belongs in the "cute girls doing cute things" pile, though in this case, swap "cute things" with "learning how to become a spy."

12 Outbreak Company

12 Episodes

Outbreak Company​​ anime cast.

Shinichi Kanou from Outbreak Company just wound up with the easiest job in the world. After being forcibly sent to a fantasy world known as the Eldant Empire, he receives a message from the Japanese government informing him of his goal: to spread the glory of being a nerd. Literally, Shinichi is asked to become an "Otaku Missionary" and introduce otaku culture to this new world.

Fortunately for Shinichi, he's already got the help of the Princess of the Eldant Empire. Still, Shinchi's job isn't easy, as he's asked to break down barriers between different races and social statuses to bring the beauty of otaku culture to a new world.

11 A Woman Called Fujiko Mine

13 Episodes

A Woman Called Fujiko Mine image.

After years of Lupin focusing on the title character, A Woman Called Fujiko Mine allows the first lady of anime to take on the most important role. The series is "technically" a prequel, telling the story of how Fujiko meets Lupin the III, but viewers shouldn't take that too seriously.

Most of the series is focused on Fujiko, her attempt to recover her memories, and her encounters with a strange cult. It's also tonally unlike most of the older Lupin series, choosing to eschew the zany comedy of normal Lupin for a more artsy film noir. At only 13 episodes, it's perfect for a binge-watch, though people will be left wanting more.

10 Btooom!

12 Episodes

An image from Btooom! starring the main characters

Btooom! was designed for every anime fan who loves battle royale games like Fortnite or Warzone. The series follows top-tier gamer Ryota Sakamoto, known for his skill in the game Btooom! However, things change when he's pulled into a real-life version of the game and asked to survive.

Alongside his in-game wife, Himiko, Ryota must try to survive on this tropical island and make his way back. While the Btooom! manga ran for almost a decade, from 2009 to 2018, the television series is significantly shorter while still managing to keep people's attention.

9 Cobra The Animation

13 Episodes

An image from Cobra the Animation: Time Drive.

Cobra is a classic space sci-fi series with roots dating back to the late '70s when it comes to manga. In 2010, fans received a revised version of the series with Cobra the Animation; however, fans should know what to expect from this series.

Cobra the Animation is just shorter storylines about Cobra battling against threats across the galaxy. However, they're exactly the kind of episodes that would appeal to fans looking for something less story-heavy but into space opera. By the end, fans will be upset the series hasn't returned since 2010.

8 Cutie Honey Universe

12 Episodes

The women of Cutie Honey Universe.

Cutie Honey is a classic series that's been around in anime and live-action alike for several decades. Cutie Honey Universe was meant to be the 50th anniversary and a celebration of the franchise. It focuses on a young girl named Honey Kisaragi battling against the threat of a group called Panther Claw.

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Even though Honey is fighting an organization on her own, she can transform into seven different forms to help even the odds. Cutie Honey Universe is far from the best Cutie Honey series, but fans looking for something quick can easily get through this in a few hours.

7 Chance Pop Sessions

13 Episodes

Chance Pop Sessions sisters image.

Chance Pop Sessions is about a group of girls who went to see the mega pop idol Reika. After seeing Reika in concert, all three of them become inspired to get into music to become like Reika. Nowadays, it's difficult for an anime like this to stand out.

Thanks to series like Idolmaster and Love Live, which focus on idols, fans have enjoyed shows about characters training to become idols for several years now. Chance Pop Sessions has one thing going for it that the other anime don't: it can be finished in a few hours. Even better, it doesn't require people to invest in an entire universe.

6 Mezzo

13 Episodes

 An image of characters from the Mezzo anime series.

Mezzo feels like an anime series that could've only come from the 2000s. The series focuses on three members of the Danger Service Agency: Mikura, Harada, and Kurokawa. Together, the trio has one focus: completing dangerous missions and getting paid to do it.

While Mezzo can be somewhat episodic, an ongoing plot is happening throughout the series. The group has to work on stopping the person who wants to assassinate their teammate, Kurokawa. While there are plenty of action series like this, few are quite as short as Mezzo.

5 Love Stage

10 Episodes

An image of characters from the cover of Love Stage.

Love Stage was released in 2014 courtesy of the animation studio J.C.Staff. The series focused on a young teen named Izumi Sena. Since Izumi's parents were both immersed in the acting world, they expected the same of him, even having him appear in a memorable wedding magazine ad as a kid.

Ten years later, Izumi is asked to return to acting to do an anniversary edition of the ad he did when he was younger. While working on the ad, he runs into his co-star, Ryouma, who's been in love with him for a decade. While Ryouma initially believed Izumi was a girl, it hasn't really changed his feelings for him. A great queer romance series, Love Stage is short enough to feel more like a long rom-com.

4 Just Because!

12 Episodes

Just Because! anime image.

Studio Pine Jam released Just Because! in the fall of 2017. The series starts at the end of a school year for a group of third-year high school students. Even though it feels like nothing's left other than graduation, the students learn they couldn't be more wrong.

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When Eita Izumi moves back to his hometown in time to graduate, his reappearance and attempts to hang out with his old friends again change everything. Just Because! is a short series, but since it's an anime original, viewers receive a complete story.

3 Tokyo Mew Mew New

13 Episodes

An image of the Mew Mews from Tokyo Mew Mew New.

The original Tokyo Mew Mew was a fun magical girl series from the early 2000s. The series was successful enough to be revived with a complete remake along the lines of Shaman King. With Tokyo Mew Mew New, Ichigo Momomiya is once again chasing after her crush, Masaya. After she gets invited on a date to an exhibit for endangered animals, she thinks are going well for her.

However, when a strange monster suddenly attacks, Ichigo learns she's been chosen to become a powerful magical girl with cat-like abilities. Now, Ichigo is forced to balance school, learn how to use her powers to save the world, and find other girls like her before it's too late.

2 Ya Boy Kongming!

12 Episodes

Kongming and Eiko in Ya Boy Kongming!

Ya Boy Kongming! has exactly the ideas modern anime should be going for more often. The series focuses on legendary tactician Zhuge Kongming. After Kongming is defeated in battle, he wishes to return to a world that's more peaceful than before. Coming back to life hundreds of years later, Kongming returns to an unfamiliar world with all his prior memories.

Unsure of what to do in this world, Kongming takes an interest in the music industry. Even though he's a rookie, he has the help of a young singer named Eiko, and the two of them rely on each other to become a success. A short series relying on a still-running manga, Ya Boy Kongming! is a hilarious way to spend an afternoon.

1 Call Of The Night

13 Episodes

Close up of Call of the night's Nazuna and Kou looking at each other.

Call of the Night starts with a focus on Kou Yamori, a middle schooler who's struggling with insomnia. Because he can't stay focused, he spends a lot of his time at night wandering the streets of his town. Eventually, he runs into a young woman named Nazuna, who pulls him into her world.

While Nazuna claims to be a vampire and bites Kou, she reveals Kou can't be turned into a vampire without being bitten by someone he loves. This leads Kou to go on a quest to become a vampire like Nazuna. Call of the Night is a sweet romance anime that ran for a single season, and most romance fans should give it a shot.

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