Your Next Binge: 8 Great Anime You Can Finish in a Single Day (12 Episodes or Less)

Sometimes, you don't have time to start a 300-episode series. Enjoying anime doesn't always require a huge time commitment. Many series exist that are designed to tell a complete, high-quality story in 12 or 13 episodes (a single "season" or cour).

Watching a 12-episode series from start to finish takes approximately 4.4 hours (12 episodes x 22 minutes per episode). This is an afternoon marathon.

This list focuses on series of 12 episodes (or less) that offer a complete narrative experience. They are ideal if you are looking for a satisfying story you can start and finish in a single day.

1. As Miss Beelzebub Likes (Beelzebub-jou no Okinimesu mama)

• Episodes: 12

• Genre: Comedy, Slice of Life, Romance, Supernatural.

• Why Watch It: This is a light and relaxing comedy. The humor is derived from the gap between the main character's position (a demon king) and her actual personality (gentle and fond of adorable things).

• Summary (No Spoilers): Mullin is hired as the new personal assistant to the Demon King Beelzebub, ruler of Pandemonium. Mullin expects a terrifying leader but discovers that Beelzebub is a calm, competent girl who has an obsession with everything soft and "fluffy." The series follows their daily work life.

2. I Want You To Make a Disgusted Face and Show Me Your Underwear (Iya na Kao sare nagara Opantsu Misete Moraitai)

• Episodes: 6 (Very short episodes, ~4 minutes)

• Genre: Slice of Life, Ecchi.

• Why Watch It: This is an ONA (Original Net Animation) series with a very specific niche premise based on an artbook. Its total runtime is less than 30 minutes, making it extremely fast to watch.

• Summary (No Spoilers): The series does not have a continuous plot. Each episode features a different woman (such as a maid, a student, a nurse) in a situation where they agree to show their underwear to the viewer while verbally and facially expressing their disgust or embarrassment.

3. Devilman Crybaby

• Episodes: 10

• Genre: Action, Dark Fantasy, Horror.

• Why Watch It: It is a modern and stylized adaptation of a classic manga. Its 10 episodes tell a complete, violent, and tragic story with a unique art direction. It is a Netflix-exclusive series.

• Summary (No Spoilers): Akira Fudo, a pure-hearted young man, reunites with his childhood friend, Ryo Asuka. Ryo reveals that demons are about to return to destroy humanity. To fight them, Akira merges with a demon, becoming Devilman: a being with the power of a demon but the heart of a human.

4. Nekopara

• Episodes: 12

• Genre: Comedy, Slice of Life, Fantasy.

• Why Watch It: Based on a popular visual novel. It is a light and comedic series from the "cute girls doing cute things" (CGDCT) subgenre, centered on "Nekos" (cat girls).

• Summary (No Spoilers): Kashou Minaduki moves out to open his own pastry shop, "La Soleil." While unpacking, he discovers that two of his family's "Nekos," Chocola and Vanilla, hid in boxes to come with him. He decides to let them stay, and they begin to "help" him run the shop.

5. Bocchi the Rock!

• Episodes: 12

• Genre: Comedy, Slice of Life, Music.

• Why Watch It: It is one of the most popular and best-animated anime comedies of recent years. It focuses on social anxiety in a humorous and empathetic way. It is easy to watch and very entertaining.

• Summary (No Spoilers): Hitori Gotoh, nicknamed "Bocchi," is a girl with severe social anxiety who is a very talented guitarist on the internet but is unable to talk to people. Her dream of joining a band seems impossible until she meets Nijika Ijichi, a drummer who invites her to join her new band.

6. Our Love Has Always Been 10 Centimeters Apart (Itsudatte Bokura no Koi wa 10 cm Datta)

• Episodes: 6

• Genre: Romance, Drama, School.

• Why Watch It: It is a short 6-episode series that tells a complete and emotional romance story. It is part of a larger music project. Its short length allows the central relationship to be developed without filler.

• Summary (No Spoilers): The story centers on Miou Aida and Haruki Serizawa during their third year of high school. They are members of the art and film clubs, respectively. Although they are close, their relationship doesn't advance beyond "10 centimeters" apart, and both struggle to confess their feelings.

7. Grand Blue Dreaming

• Episodes: 12

• Genre: Comedy.

• Why Watch It: It is considered one of the funniest pure comedies in modern anime. It focuses on college life and the activities of a diving club, although most of the humor comes from its exaggerated parties and social dynamics.

• Summary (No Spoilers): Iori Kitahara moves to a coastal town for his first year of college. He stays at his uncle's diving shop, "Grand Blue." He is quickly pulled in by the members of the university's diving club, a group of hard-partying students, and his ideal college life changes drastically.

8. Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead (Season 1)

• Episodes: 12

• Genre: Comedy, Horror, Action.

• Why Watch It: It is a unique and colorful take on the zombie apocalypse. Instead of focusing on terror, it focuses on liberation. The animation is vibrant, and the premise is fun.

• Summary (No Spoilers): Akira Tendo is a 24-year-old whose spirit has been crushed by three years of work at an exploitative company. One day, he wakes up to find Tokyo has been overrun by zombies. Instead of being scared, he feels immense joy because he no longer has to go to work. He decides to create a list of 100 things he wants to do before becoming a zombie.

Conclusion

These 8 series demonstrate that a story doesn't need hundreds of episodes to be memorable. Each one offers a complete, high-quality experience that is easy to consume in a single session, making them perfect for your next marathon.