Anime knows how to connect with diverse demographics through eclectic genres, some of which gleefully embrace stereotypes while others strive to subvert expectations. Another way in which anime differentiate themselves is through how much content there is to explore.
Some audiences are intimidated to check out certain anime because there are hundreds–or even thousands–of episodes to get through. There’s a fine line between an anime that has an exciting amount of material and what qualifies as too much. Furthermore, there are also plenty of exceptional anime that wrap up their stories just when it feels like things are getting started.
10 Space Dandy
26 Episodes
At 26 episodes, audiences get a fairly good taste of Space Dandy and what it can accomplish through two dozen stylized genre parodies and experimental riffs on storytelling and animation. However, Space Dandy is a series with such limitless potential that 26 episodes feels like a major disservice to its scope and longevity.
Space Dandy follows a team of unconventional bounty hunters on their odd jobs across the galaxy, much in the same vein as Cowboy Bebop. Bebop benefits from brevity, but Space Dandy only grows more confident with each episode. It has the perfect ending, but so much more could be done with just even one more season.
9 Gunbuster
6 Episodes
Directed by Hideaki Anno and produced by the animation studio Gainax, Gunbuster is a six-episode mecha OVA that feels like a trial run for what this team would go on to accomplish with Neon Genesis Evangelion in the following decade. Gunbuster chronicles a bitter war between mankind and aliens where giant robust robots are the only hope for survival.
Noriko Takaya is a reluctant protagonist who selflessly pledges herself to this cause, knowing that she’ll lose any sense of a normal life in the process. Both Gunbuster and its sequel OVA series, Diebuster, are six episodes apiece, which really feels like it just scratches the surface of their darker themes.
8 Death Parade
12 Episodes
Death Parade is a psychological drama that dresses itself up as a playful anthology series revolving around recreational activities. Death Parade’s big hook is that it operates as a thoughtful character study where two deceased souls play games like billiards, darts, or air hockey for the greater fate of their souls.
In theory, there could be infinite installments of Death Parade that each reflect different imperfections in humanity that are juxtaposed against quaint games. Death Parade could run the risk of wearing out its welcome if there’s too much of it, but a dozen episodes is far too few for a series that’s designed to be free.
7 Inuyashiki
11 Episodes
Inuyashiki functions as a subversion of standard superhero stories in many respects, which is why it distills its story down to 11 powerful episodes instead of an ongoing seinen narrative. A disgruntled teen, Hiro, and a neglected 58-year-old, Inuyashiki, both become cyborg warriors after they experience the same cosmic event.
Hiro’s power-hungry killing spree makes for harrowing television, as does Inuyashiki‘s decision to combat this intimidating power. Inuyashiki makes such an impact because of its brevity, but there’s such a rewarding dynamic between Hiro and Inuyashiki that could easily fuel dozens more episodes.
6 Serial Experiments Lain
13 Episodes
Serial Experiments Lain is a 13-episode psychological horror anime from 1998 that’s highly ahead of its time, with a story that’s obsessed with the Internet, virtual avatars, and the concept of digital martyrdom. Lain, a lonely, introverted teenager becomes a virtual messiah through dark events that leave others healed—but at a dangerous cost.
The nihilistic tone to Lain makes its short run a bit of a relief, but the world that’s crafted has such rich ideas that deserve a chance to get properly explored. Serial Experiments Lain could have become an even bigger series that’s perpetually in the public consciousness, like Ghost in the Shell.
5 Terror In Resonance
11 Episodes
Shinichiro Watanabe is an anime auteur who’s responsible for extremely creative genre blends like Samurai Champloo, Cowboy Bebop, and Space Dandy. Terror in Resonance is a grittier change of pace for Watanabe and the 11-episode follows overwhelmed police as they attempt to stop devastating terrorist attacks.
Terror in Resonance features excellent character work and terrifying antagonists who feel ripped out of reality when it comes to some of their more extreme tendencies. Anime like Terror in Resonance can fumble the prospect of multiple seasons, but Watanabe channels something special here that could have easily sustained more material and gained a greater following.
4 Kaiba
12 Episodes
Masaaki Yuasa and his Science Saru animation studio are responsible for some breathtaking productions across film and television. These high-quality projects are difficult to sustain for lengthy runs, but that doesn’t mean that certain shows wouldn’t benefit from a larger runway. Kaiba is a 12-episode existential anime about the nature of memories and how they make up people’s identities.
There’s a quaint sci-fi quality to Kaiba’s world, which is so distinct that it could sustain hundreds of episodes. Kaiba definitely has closure, but the anime introduces so many curious characters on journeys that are comparable to Kaiba and would make strong material for more episodes.
3 Erased
13 Episodes
Erased is a unique combination of supernatural time travel shenanigans with a stark serial killer crime drama. Satoru has the special ability to go back in time if he’s able to reverse a bad event from taking place, but he finds himself back in his 11-year-old body as he must solve a dangerous mystery with dire repercussions in the present but contained to his younger self.
Erased has a remarkable premise, but many fans aren’t thrilled with its rushed conclusion. More episodes and a mystery that allows for greater nuance, not unlike something like Twin Peaks, could help Erased properly thrive.
2 Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!
12 Episodes
Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! is a glorious anime about the creative process that goes into the creation of animation. Three introverted high school students connect through their communal love for animation and ambitiously pledge to create their own independent artwork. The trials and tribulations that are experienced are heartwarming, but Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! also delivers visual spectacles in every installment.
The twelfth and final episode concludes on a touching, cathartic note, but it’s also right when these characters’ passion really starts to take off. These are such infectiously entertaining figures that it’s a shame to not get to continue to follow them and their desires.
1 Odd Taxi
13 Episodes
Odd Taxi is a distinct anomaly that became a cult classic for many audiences. The 2021 series indulges in slice-of-life storytelling aspects as a walrus taxi driver, Odokawa, goes through the ins and outs of his job while he listens to his passengers vent their mundane frustrations to him.
However, a surprising crime mystery starts to unravel as Odokawa learns about a missing girl and his growing curiosity puts him on the radar of some very dangerous people. Odd Taxi finishes its story across 13 episodes, but there’s no reason why more peculiar taxi sessions and reluctant rescue missions wouldn’t work.
