Looking for something you can watch over the weekend or binge in a day? Finding good anime that completes its purpose within just 12 episodes or less can prove to be difficult since most recommendations give lists of long, famous shonen series. While they may be just as good to watch, since shonen is the top genre that rules anime, sometimes we all do need a short slice-of-life break or a compact, novel-like experience involving mystery or magic.
The likes of being a fan of anime come with a very specific problem – they can be extremely long and sometimes overwhelming. Especially when you are really into the plot and can never seem to wait for a new episode to drop. This list has put together the top 10 anime with only 12 episodes that will give you a fulfilling watching experience in the short time it lasts.
1. Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Puella Magi Madoka Magica, popularly known as Madoka Magica is a 12 episode series that follows two protagonists – Madoka Kaname and Sayaka Miki, who encounter Homura Akemi, a transfer student, and a cat-like magical familiar named Kyuubey. The familiar offers to grant them any wish – no matter how impossible it seems, in exchange for them becoming magical girls and fighting the evil of the world, witches. Homura, on the other hand, warns Madoka to not take up the offer as it will only bring her pain.
Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Madoka Magica is not like your average maho-shoujo anime as it takes a dark approach to the genre. The characters have the same cute magic girl outfits as any other show, but they all go through tragic events that come at the cost of their power. It explores the values of friendship, sacrifice, and suffering that are naturally caused as compensation for happy things.
2. No Game No Life
Siblings Sora and Shiro are two inseparable shut-ins who go by the name “Blank” and dominate different online games. Despite their digital fame, the duo believes that life is just another boring game. One day, they are abruptly sent to Disboard – a different world where everything is a game, after responding to a message from an unknown user. Tet, the mysterious sender, tells them about the rules of the universe and two are set on a journey to beat all games and ultimately dethrone the god of games itself.
No Game No Life
One of the really impressive aspects of No Game No life is its bright imagery and fluid animation that is very pleasing to the eye, the usage of color is very pretty and it’s hard to take your eyes off the screen. Every episode is completely different from the previous one with the duo encountering different situations and an abundant amount of games. The series is crisp yet elaborate isekai watch and fans have been waiting for a season 2 for years.
3. Classroom Of The Elite
If you liked Assassination Classroom, you would probably like Classroom Of The Elite too, both of the series are vastly different but they share the aspect of scheming and cutthroat high school goers that have been put in a competitive setting. The psychological-thriller story follows the perspective of Kiyotaka Ayanokōji, our shy and awkward protagonist who likes to keep his distance from people. Despite having extremely high intelligence, he is a member of Class D where the school dumps its worst students. Class D can rise to the ranks of A, but it has never been done in years.
Classroom Of The Elite
Classroom Of The Elite is an ongoing series so it has much potential to grow deeper into the plot and delve into the characters. As of now, fans love our scheming protagonist who uses great wits to survive the system of hierarchy in the school. The anime does a lot of interesting things as we delve into the minds and stories of our characters who do their best to survive in such a competitive environment.
4. Yuri!!! On Ice
Yuri!!! On Ice was an instant hit when it first premiered and the main reason was probably because of the beautiful relationship that the two main characters shared. The series is about Yuri Katsuki – once Japan’s most promising figure skater, trying to rise up the ranks after his crushing defeat at the Grand Prix Finale. When he returns home while contemplating his future, he finds himself in the spotlight after a video of him replicating a dance previously performed by Victor Nikiforov a five-time world champion as well as his biggest inspiration, goes viral. Following that, Victor actually shows up at Yuri’s residence unexpectedly and offers to mentor and help for the next Grand Prix series.
Yuri!!! On Ice
Because Yuri on Ice is about professional figure skating, it places a strong emphasis on strength, competition, and the thrill of victory. Viewers are exposed to the deepest thoughts of each skater as they perform their routine – their aspirations, dreams, insecurities, and reflections on their own actions. As a result, we get a greater sense of who each character is. The show also showcases a more gentle side of competitiveness as characters cheer and praise each other for their feats and have healthy relationships.
5. Toilet-Bound Hanako-Kun
Toilet-Bound Hanako-Kun is a comedic, light-hearted series about Yashiro Nene – who, in hopes of fixing her love life, summons the spirit of the school toilet, the urban legend Hanako of the toilet – who turns out to be a young boy. In a series of events, she is spiritually bonded to Hanako and becomes his aid, assisting him in the destruction of bad supernaturals at school and the alteration of rumors in order to maintain the balance between the spirit and human worlds. The story also takes a subtle dark turn as Nene discovers her link to the spirit world as well as the truth surrounding Hanako and his past.
Toilet-Bound Hanako-Kun
Toilet-Bound Hanako-Kun has a very loyal fan base that adores the lovable characters and the semi-mystical art style of the show. It is a fun watch as the show plays out many more Japanese urban legends and has an interesting new story to watch each episode.
6. SK8 The Infinity
SK8 the Infinity is a breath of fresh air series in a world full of similar sports anime. Although the show features a sporting prodigy, Reki the protagonist of SK8 the Infinity, is not the prodigy himself — and this distinction is crucial. After midnight in Okinawa, a group of hardcore skaters known as “S” compete in a secret, no-holds-barred race known as “S” – racing each other on skateboards down a winding track dug out of an abandoned mine and occasionally forming rivalries or rather “beefs”. Reki, a hardcore skater in high school, introduces incoming transfer student Langa to S one night and ends up dragging him into the skateboarding world.
SK8 The Infinity
SK8 the Infinity is shaping up to be a sports anime show unlike any other: one that recognizes both the joy of being able to share your talents with others and the anguish and coming to terms with the fact of knowing that you do not need to be the best at what you love. So far, SK8 has been about the various aspects of skating that people enjoy — the thrill of outdoing yourself, the recognition and respect that comes with being good — but also about how we don’t need anything fancy to be happy. All Reki needs to do is skate.
7. Erased
Erased is about Satoru Fujinuma, a 29-year old manga artist, who also works as a pizza delivery man. suddenly finds himself sent back several moments before a tragedy strikes. He saves many lives from being lost with this ability that he mysteriously obtains and calls this phenomenon ‘Revival’. Satoru is taken back to the past once more when he is wrongly accused of murdering someone important to him, this time in 1988, 18 years ago. There, he learns that the murder is in relation to the kidnapping of one of his classmates years ago when he was a child and he decides to do things right this time.
Erased
Erased is a compelling watch that will keep you wanting to know more as Satoru goes on a mission to prevent the death of his classmate and protect his loved ones. It is a psychological thriller that provides all that it promises – a good plot, time-traveling, and a great mystery to solve.
8. Blue Period
Blue Period is a Netflix original anime series centered around the life of Yatora Yaguchi – a boy with a people-pleasing personality who excels academically but suffers from inner emptiness and discontent. One day, he becomes so impressed by a painting in his high school’s art club that he decides to try his hand at painting. Later, after being encouraged by a friend, Ryuji “Yuka” Ayukawa, he joins the art club, becomes more involved, and attempts to apply to Tokyo University of the Arts as his institution of choice.
Blue Period
While having a seemingly normal plot, Blue Period might come off as your generic high school life anime series, but it differs a lot from the mainstream ideas of those shows as it concentrates on the opposite side of the educational system. It’s about the joy of loving and making art and the journey of struggles it brings that comes with loving an unconventional career choice. Blue Period also has a unique set of characters that match the modernity of our times and a simple plot line that makes it easy to watch.
9. Grand Blue Dreaming
Grand Blue Dreaming is a simple, slice-of-life anime about a new college freshman, Iori Kitahara, who is set to living a great college life on the Izu Peninsula, where he stays in a room above his uncle’s shop, Grand Blue. He soon meets the local scuba diving club which is a rowdy bunch of upperclassmen who spend most of their time drinking, partying, and stripping instead of diving. Despite his efforts to distance himself from them, he finds himself a part of them before he knows it.
Grand Blue Dreaming
The seinen anime has a comedic plot with no real basis of an end goal. Just as real college life is unpredictable and whimsical, the characters too, just go about life as it comes. Since most anime is set in a school, it is a nice break to watch something meant for a more mature audience once in a while.
10. Kyoukai No Kanata
Kyoukai no Kanata is a dark supernatural fiction series that takes a new turn by adapting the style of dark fantasy in a modern time era. The protagonist, Kanbara Akihito, is of youmu lineage – a race of creatures from the spirit realm who roam the human world in disguises. The plot starts when Akihito first meets Mirai – a spirit warrior who was sent to kill him as per her duty.
Kyoukai No Kanata
If you love a show that packs in a lot of action with a developing romance between two initially opposite characters that live through a plot of fantasy, then this is the recommendation for you. It is also known for its great art by Kyoto Animation, which does bring out a lot of emotions in the series.
This article is about the top 10 worst anime. At the same time, there are animes that are incredibly popular and known globally, dubbed in various languages. Not all works of creators manage to reach that place.
It be noted none of the animes listed are due to purely personal opinions. The list was made based on ranking made on various sites and other sources. Be that due to poor animation skills, poor dialogue, subpar or unlikable side characters or even protagonist, no character development, lack of interesting plot or nonsensical plot, garbage fighting scenes,, and so on. So here you go:
Top 10 worst animes:
EX-ARM (2021)
The police forces are using a highly advanced AI superweapon known as an “EX-ARM” for their agendas and defeating their enemies. It is later discovered that AI is the digital brain of Akira Natsume, a high school student. He finds himself awake in a mechanical body sixteen years after he dies. He meets Minami Uezeno and his android partner Alma as he adapts to his new life.
The most significant negative point about this anime is its animation. It’s not just average, it’s straight-up bad. The show tried to make this anime in 3D with CGI effects but with no margin of success. The fight scenes are horrible. In addition to being sloppy, the fight scenes have no substance. The settings are not smooth and are filled with discrepancies. Even plotwise, it doesn’t have much to offer. The characters are dull, with minimal expressions and voice changes. The characters are monotonous, with their faces,, rarely showing a change EX-ARM in action
Tenkuu Danzai Skelter+Heaven
Alta Mira Agency has to repel the extraterrestrials that suddenly threaten Tokyo. Otsuya Funagai , the story’s protagonist, has to repel the alien invasion along with his fellow members of the Battle sole unit. But his relationship with Rin Ichikawa, his fellow member, may jeopardize the entire mission.
This anime’s animation, voice acting, and plot have nothing that can beconsidered average. The characters and their story are not that attractive either.
Rin fighting
Nutshack
Two cousins, Phil and Jack, have now to live together due to the compulsion of their uncle. How will these two from different backgrounds live together under the same roof?
The central negative point about this anime is its animation. The attempts to make it comedic and humorous have only made it worse. The characters don’t have much going for them either, and the voice acting is also not good.
Phil and Jack
Pupa (2011)
A pair of orphaned brothers and sisters, Utsutsu and Yume, respectively, are to survive alone after escaping severe domestic violence. Mysteriously, the brother-sister pair contracts the pupa virus transforming the little sister Yume into a man-eating being who needs human flesh to stay alive. The big brother gains regenerative powers and offers his flesh to save his sister’s hunger and cannibalism.
Pupa is meant to be an anime with gore and horror genres, but it cannot deliver correctly due to its short episodes. The plot is heavily rushed. The sharp attacks do not allow the scenes and action to set in properly and cannot give off the necessary vibes as a horror anime. The censoring doesn’t do it any good either.
Brother comforting his sister
Island of the giant insects (2019)
Another anime with a gore genre that failed spectacularly. The insects were shown using CGI, which is not an excellent way. The manga has much more gore, but the anime lacks much of it. That only leaves a wannabe gore anime with fanservice now and then.
Getting attacked by a giant butterfly
Eiken
The show is filled with busty girls itching to show off their cleavage, and at other times, the screen is occupied with pants shots, even to the point that it takes up all space on the screen. The bikini event also seems to happen now and then. The plot is boring and makes no sense. It often portrays scenes with inappropriate stuff happening with young underage children.
Eiken club members
My sister, My writer
Aside from the obvious issue of incest that is widely looked down upon, and this isn’t Game of Thrones with its fantastic plot, which merits forgiveness to some extent, it also suggests inappropriate things regarding minors many times over the series. The characters themselves are pretty generic and dull. They do not have any attractive qualities that will pull the audience toward them to sympathize with their cause. The situation that the characters happen to come across is also quite cringy. The animes try to figure out new problems in ‘How to do your sister.’
My sister, My writer
Wonder Momo (2014)
Momoko, an aspiring idol, now fights off an alien invasion targetting Tokyo. Warudemon, the King of invading aliens, targets Momoko and her surrounding people to eliminate her. Tired of getting pushed around, Momoko has now decided to face off against the alien horde using her mysterious gifts.
The story is not able to maintain a constructive plot. The story is all over the place, making it difficult to connect the chain of events across the series. The episode length is also short, and quite a big chunk of that time is used for fan service. The character outfits have no practicality and are simply there for fan service.
Boku no Pico
Pico, a young boy working at his grandfather’s coffee shop, Café Bebe, meets Tamotsu, a white-collar worker. And they develop a sexual and romantic relationship. They meet each other as Tamotsu goes on a vacation to escape his mundane life and try out something exciting.
The worst thing about this anime is its depiction of child pornography and also suggestions for it. The anime is infamous for its ‘car scene.’ Tamotsu, in his desperation, has done many inappropriate things, like sniffing and licking Pico’s neck to making him lick the ice cream that had fallen on Tamotsu’s shirt as Pico offered him ice cream. The creator of this series has described the anime as the first shotacon anime. The anime has shota, hentai, and yaoi as its genre.
Chico on the left and Pico on the right
Diabolik lovers
Diabolik Lovers is a Japanese series by Rejet. Yui Komori is to be a sacrificial bride of six vampire half-brothers. The vampires take turns drinking her blood and torturing her.
The major failure of this anime is basically due to the female lead being a plaything and a living blood bag for the five vampire brothers. They treat her harshly and treat her worse than a toy. The brothers consider her infatuation annoying and decide to teach her a lesson about it. The watchers are not so thrilled about her attitude either. She still has lingering feelings for her crush even after being subjected to such harsh treatment and not considering her physical or mental well-being.
Diabolik Lovers anime- characters
She has developed Stockholm Syndrome towards her captors. Strong, independent women often looked up to are held high in regard and are well-received by the audience these days. A weak, naive submissive girl who cannot carry her weight is entirely the opposite of that. Despite the excellent animation and the fantastic voice-over by the VAs, Diabolik lovers have failed to deliver. The primary reason is the plot and writing. Yui’s relationship with the vampire brothers is abusive and not fun to watch.
Memes of the Day
Da Vinci-chan to Namahame Seikatsu [Ozy]
Moto Mahou Shoujo no Hikikomori Seikatsu
Rio-chan wa Otosaretai
