15 Best Anime With Less Than 30 Episodes - CBR

It seems like there's so much anime, but not enough time to watch it. Some of the most incredible anime have hundreds of episodes. Even if an anime's story is compelling, the average binging audience might not have enough free time to dedicate to an anime with so many episodes.

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For all the busy bees out there looking for a short but sweet anime, there are plenty to choose from. Not every anime has a mountain of episodes. Some anime have a short run that either hits just right or has the viewer begging for more once the end credits roll for the final time.

Updated on May 21st, 2022 by Sarah Martin: Since this list was published in 2021, we've updated it with five more short-but-sweet titles that are perfect for busier audiences or people who just want to kick back and spend the day watching a great anime.

15 Yuri!!! On Ice Is A Short Anime About Ice Skating

Fans have been desperately waiting for the second season of Yuri!!! On Ice, but alas, it seems this title is doomed to be a one-season smash-hit. However, it's perfect for viewers who want a short anime to watch on their day off or to kill time. It's fast-paced, fun, and emotional. Even though it's just 12 episodes, the audience instantly becomes attached to almost every character.

This josei title is critically acclaimed. It even has a movie fans can watch after finishing the first season. It's full of beautifully-choreographed figure skating programs and each performance is breathtaking.

14 Given Is A Boy's Love Anime About Music

One of the most realistic romance animes that fans can watch right now is Given. This boy's love title is a step above the rest. Given isn't afraid to tackle issues such as past heartbreaks, commitment issues, and coming to terms with one's sexuality. It does so in a way that's realistic and relatable to the audience.

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On top of its top-notch queer representation, Given has an outstanding soundtrack that's impossible to not rock out to. It's not just a boy's love anime: it's a story about bonding over the love of music. This anime has 11 episodes and a movie fans can watch afterward.

13 Ouran High School Host Club Is A Classic Shojo Anime

If there's any shojo title that every anime fan should watch at least once, it's Ouran High School Host Club. Diehard fans of the series have been waiting for ages for a second season, but it seems like it's never coming. Always gaining new fans, it seems this anime will never lose its popularity.

This 26-episode title follows Haruhi Fujioka after she comes across the Host Club. Unfortunately, she breaks a vase and ends up owing a massive debt to the club. Since the members don't realize she's a woman, they end up recruiting her as the new host to pay off the debt. Tons of wacky antics ensue as Haruhi learns the ins and outs of being a host and as the members find out she's actually a girl.

12 Sk8 The Infinity Is A Fun Anime About Skateboarding

Sk8 The Infinity is only 12 episodes long, so it's perfect to binge in a day or two. This anime is fun, fast-paced, and full of exciting skateboarding action. The story follows Reki and Langa, two high schoolers who bond over their love of skateboarding.

Reki and Langa participate in "S," an underground skateboarding race. The anime has plenty of lovable characters aside from the main duo, like Miya, Cherry Blossom, and Joe. With such a great cast and nonstop comedy, there's never a dull moment in this anime.

11 Kamisama Kiss Is A High School Romance Gone Supernatural

Kamisama Kiss is a 25-episode anime, and it has two OVAs that fans can watch alongside it. This shojo anime isn't any typical high school romance. The story follows Nanami, a high school girl who got evicted from her home. Wandering the streets, a strange man makes her the land god.

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As if by chance, Nanami comes across a shrine, little does she know it's her new home. From here, plenty of supernatural antics ensue. Nanami and her familiar, Tomoe, slowly fall in love with each other. Nanami learns to adjust to the world of the supernatural, while Tomoe learns to assimilate with humans.

10 The Devil Is A Part-Timer Is As Absurd As Its Title

While this definitely isn't the only short anime with a devilish title, The Devil is a Part-Timer is by far the most absurd and funniest to be mentioned. The story follows Lord Beelzebub himself, only instead of raising Hell in, well, Hell, Satan walks among the living after staring down the face of defeat.

Now, Satan is forced to work in an anime version of McDonald's. Out of that comes a comedy of error that pulls double duty as an astute commentary on what it's like working minimum wage and how it can feel like a grueling Hell right among the living.

9 Berserk Is A Comprehensive, Yet Incomplete Anime

Anyone who has experienced Berserk either in anime or manga form knows it's one of the darkest, most depraved stories anyone could hope to come across — which is all the more ironic knowing that the same animation studio that made this also animated the original Pokémon series. Behind the story's necessary depravity that gives life to a poetic storyline, the core of Berserk focuses on the blossoming and eventual demise of a friendship between the gruff, but vulnerable Guts and the beautifully angelic, but secretly sinister Griffith.

The studio only had the chance to animate the Golden Age Arc and some of the Black Swordsman before production ceased, only giving fans 25 episodes before ending on a heart-dropping cliffhanger. However, if anyone wanted to get a visual introduction to the ongoing manga, the 1997 anime is a good starting point. Since the anime is incomplete, some fans hope Madhouse Studios will pick it up at some point.

8 Baccano Is A Definitive Westernized Anime

There's a lot of anime out there that heavily borrows elements from mainstream western (made in the USA) pop culture entertainment. Shows like Attack on Titan or Cowboy Bebop fit this sort of narrative. But none of them feel as perfectly western and American quite like Baccano does.

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For new American anime fans especially, it could be hard to get immersed in an anime that has a culture so vastly different from their own. To solve that problem, something like Baccano serves as a great starting point, with only 16 episodes to worry about.

7 A Place Further Than The Universe Is Wholesome

Sometimes, when time is sparse, someone may just want to crash on the couch to watch something wholesome — something that simply exists to put a smile on their face. If that's the case, there's no better place to go than A Place Further Than The Universe. It's a 13-episode anime following four high school girls trying to win a trip to Antarctica.

One of the high school girls wants to go to Antarctica because her mother went missing in the Arctic long ago. It's simple, and straight to the point, but it showcases a heartwarming message about people who desperately work hard for what they want. It's poignant, so the tear-jerking moments laced in between amusing wholesomeness might sneak up on viewers.

6 Erased Is Sci-Fi With A Dash Of True Crime

Everyone loves a good mystery in an era where true crime documentaries are all the rage now, but placing such a story in the vein of science fiction is when things get interesting. This is what Erased manages to accomplish in just 12 episodes.

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The high concept anime stars 29-year-old Satoru Fujinuma who experiences a phenomenon called The Revival that causes him to travel back in time to prevent tragedies. When he discovers the body of his mother and is accused of killing her, the story becomes a detective drama as he travels back to his childhood at 10-years old to find the true culprit.