The Japanese anime industry is known for a few marathon-length animated series such as One Piece and Detective Conan, and other franchises like Dragon Ball and Yu-Gi-Oh! have many series and seasons to their name, too. These are all industry titans, but sometimes, short and sweet is much better.
The majority of anime series are actually just one season long, and many perfectly fine anime series never got a much-desired second season. Most fans agree that these great anime series are simply too short, and they have what it takes to shine in a second or even third season and keep delivering quality content. Or, a great anime is actually complete in one season but is so good fans would love a second season anyway.
10 Highschool Of The Dead
Highschool of the Dead has become an iconic zombie survival action anime series, but it ended rather abruptly when the original creator died. Given how long ago all that was, it seems unlikely that the HOTD anime will continue, even in reboot form.
Highschool of the Dead, true to its name, follows the brutal adventures of several high schoolers who fight to survive a widespread zombie apocalypse. The anime features crisp visuals, plenty of gory action scenes, and a notorious amount of fan service just because it can.
9 One-Punch Man
It’s true that One-Punch Man Season 2 felt underwhelming compared to the electrifying hype of Season 1. Still, the original OPM manga is a fine seinen adventure that’s still going strong, so fans may agree that there can be and should be a Season 3 and 4 soon.
One-Punch Man is far more than a parody of shonen superhero anime. It’s also surprisingly deep as a character study of one depressed but vaguely hopeful caped baldy, and Saitama’s struggles go far beyond finding a worthy foe to fight. This anime must continue so Saitama’s remarkable character arc may enter its next phase.
8 A Place Further Than The Universe
A Place Further Than the Universe is sometimes overlooked as a short but sweet anime about four high school girls who go on an exotic trip to Antarctica. It’s a “cute girls doing cute things” anime with a mild edutainment twist, plus some hard-hitting drama near the end.
This anime is only 12 episodes long, but it could have spent even more time on this once-in-a-lifetime adventure and explored the world’s coldest continent in more detail. The first handful of episodes were paced well, but the last two felt rushed, so the anime could have had more episodes overall.
7 My Dress-Up Darling
My Dress-Up Darling is a delightful romantic comedy anime that only has one 12-episode season so far. It was a huge standout in 2022, and looking back, the anime could have and should have had a 24-episode first season, despite the inherent risks.
Darling is all about the joys of cosplays and love, with the genki girl Marin Kitagawa teaming up with the dandere tailor Wakana Gojo to make some excellent costumes. Marin and Gojo have strong chemistry as friends and potential lovers, and they really complement each other’s strengths, too.
6 Grand Blue
Grand Blue is a comedy seinen anime based on the ongoing Grand Blue Dreaming manga, which is still going strong at 18 volumes and counting. The anime is quite good, as is the original material, but one season isn’t nearly enough for comedy fans.
Grand Blue has it all, from a refreshing college setting to an emphasis on SCUBA diving and beautiful natural landscapes to hilarious characters and plenty of misadventures. Even if it seems unlikely to happen, Grand Blue definitely deserves a second season to keep the comedy gold going strong.
5 Wotakoi: Love Is Hard For Otaku
Wotakoi: Love is Hard For Otaku is one of many short but sweet anime series that can easily get another season to finish the story, all without running out of steam. In fact, the original manga is complete at a brisk 11 volumes, so adapting all that into anime form should be easy.
Wotakoi is all about office life and the joyful experiences of being a 20-something, making it refreshing in a sea of rom-coms featuring teenage leads. This anime has sharply written humor, solid animation, outstanding characters, and plenty of pop culture references for fans to catch.
4 No Game No Life
By now, most anime fans consider No Game No Life as the classic example of the best anime series that urgently need, but will probably never get more material. No Game No Life has just one season, and fans have been waiting over a decade for a potential Season 2.
Even if No Game No Life is too short, it’s still a great anime that’s worth a binge-watch in an afternoon or evening. It’s a good isekai anime starring the foster brother/sister duo Sora and Shiro as they find themselves in a game world, putting their powerful minds to work in a whole new way.
3 Chainsaw Man
Most new anime series only get 12 episodes for their first season, just in case the season tanks. Still, there was massive hype built around Chainsaw Man’s anime, with a popular and well-respected manga series to back it up.
It would have been a sure bet to make Chainsaw Man’s first season 24 episodes instead of 12, and fans would have loved it. Instead, anime-only fans are stuck with a mere 12 episodes and must wait months or perhaps over a year for more shonen misadventures with Denji and Power.
2 Cells At Work!
The core Cells at Work! anime only has two seasons, with just under 24 episodes between them. It’s a great edutainment anime with creative visuals and outstanding humor and action, and given how complex the medical field is, there can easily be two or three more seasons.
It’s true that there are spinoff manga and anime series such as Cells at Work: Code BLACK and Cells at Work! Baby, but the main series is the best and doesn’t have enough anime episodes just yet. The most passionate fans, though, can certainly make do with the various manga series.
1 Black Lagoon
For casual seinen fans, there is actually plenty of Black Lagoon anime content to go around. Black Lagoon currently has a double-length season and a few OVAs to its name, with the OVAs focusing on the brutal combat maid Roberta, a fan-favorite.
More dedicated fans may agree that this excellent seinen action series is too short, and deserves twice as much content. Even if the Black Lagoon anime has experienced hiatuses, there is still enough content for 12 more much-deserved episodes in the future.
