8 Best Anime Miniseries for a Quick Binge

Anime is known for using engaging stories, vivid imagery, and comprehensive world-building to create some truly incredible television. However, all that world-building often leads to complicated, multi-season arcs that can last for years. The longest-running anime is Japan’s Sazae-San, which started in 1969 and boasts 4,799 episodes.

If you love anime, but are looking for a more compact viewing experience, consider these 8 miniseries. These shows feature fewer than 20 episodes and can usually be binged over the course of a weekend. The quality is excellent, and just because each story is self-contained doesn’t mean there isn’t enough world-building and character development to keep you watching.

8

‘Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal’ (1999)

Number of Episodes: 4

Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal (Rurōni Kenshin -Meiji Kenkaku Rōman Tan- Tsuioku-hen in Japan) is a Studio Deen series based on the manga from 1994 by Nobuhiro Watsuki. Shinta’s life was spared by a master swordsman. He was then raised as the swordsman’s apprentice, becoming the assassin known as Kenshin during Japan’s Meiji Restoration. As it comes time for Kenshin to leave his teacher and embark on his own, the young swordsman grapples with how to use his skills and what impact his actions will have on those around him.

The miniseries was directed by the acclaimed Kazuhiro Furuhashi (Spy × Family) with scripts by Masashi Sogo (Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters). There are only four episodes, making it a great option for viewers who want an immersive binge but are short on time. Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal has received a lot of critical praise over the years and currently holds an 8.6/10 rating on IMDb.

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7

‘Cyberpunk: Edgerunners’ (2022)

Number of Episodes: 10

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners

Release Date

2022 – 2022

Network

Netflix

Writers

Mike Pondsmith, Yoshiki Usa, Masahiko Otsuka

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Based on the Polish video game Cyberpunk 2077, this miniseries was created by Rafal Jaki (NoName). It is set in the Cyberpunk universe devised by board game and video game designer Mike Pondsmith. The story centers on Night City, an urban area located in what was once known as California in the year 2076.

In a time and place where everyone is obsessed with technology and body modification, David Martinez decides to become a mercenary known as an Edgerunner in order to survive his teenage years. With 10 episodes, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners can be binged in an afternoon. The miniseries earned a dozen Crunchyroll Anime Award nominations in 2023. It won Anime of the Year as well as Best VA Performance (English) for Zach Aguilar, who voiced David in the dubbed version.

6

‘Puella Magi Madoka Magica’ (2011)

Number of Episodes: 11

Fans of Sailor Moon who love magical girl anime but don’t have time to embark on a 300-episode series will love Puella Magi Madoka Magica. This 11-episode dark fantasy series follows a group of middle school girls, led by Madoka Kaname, who meet a cat-like animal that offers them a unique proposition. It offers them magical powers, but in exchange, they must agree to fight witches.

The show was created by Magica Quartet, a collaborative group made up of director Akiyuki Simbo, screenwriter Gen Urobuchi, producer Atsuhiro Iwakami, and artist Ume Aoki. Puella Magi Madoka Magica won three Tokyo Anime Awards in 2012, including Best Director and Best Screenplay. It has an 8.2/10 rating on IMDB.

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5

‘Kaiba’ (2008)

Number of Episodes: 12

Kaiba

Release Date

2008 – 2007

Directors

Masaaki Yuasa

Writers

Masaaki Yuasa

This science fiction anime was created by beloved animator Masaaki Yuasa (Mind Game) at the Madhouse animation studio for Japan’s WOWOW in 2008. The show is set in a futuristic dystopia where memories are a commodity bought and sold by the elite. The story focuses on Kaiba, a quiet amnesiac with a hole in his chest who is trying to unlock his past.

With 12 episodes, Kaiba can be binged in one day or spread out over the course of a weekend. Kaiba has a soft style and visual feel that really sets it apart. The opening and closing themes are performed by actress and singer Seira Kagami. In 2008, Kaiba received the Excellence Award in the Animation Division at the 12th Japan Media Arts Festival.

4

‘Scott Pilgrim Takes Off’ (2023)

Number of Episodes: 8

Developed by Bryan Lee O’Malley (Lost at Sea) and BenDavid Grabinski (Happily), Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is an original Netflix miniseries that came out in 2023. It is based on O’Malley’s 2010 graphic novel, Scott Pilgrim, which also inspired the 2010 Edgar Wright (Last Night in Soho) film Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. The anime is an alternate retelling of the original graphic novel, where young musician Scott Pilgrim falls in love with a mysterious girl named Ramona Flowers and must then battle her seven evil exes. The twist? In this reality, Scott loses his first battle and everything changes.

In addition to being a retelling, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off is also unique because the entire cast of the 2010 film return to voice their original characters. This includes Michael Cera (Arrested Development) as Scott and Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Fargo) as Ramona. The eight-episode series won a Critics’ Choice Award for Best Animated Series in 2024. It was also nominated for a GLAAD Media Award and a Crunchyroll Anime Award for Best Romance.

3

‘Death Parade’ (2015)

Number of Episodes: 12

Death Parade is a psychological thriller created by Madhouse alum Yuzuru Tachikawa (Deca-Dence). It originally aired on Nippon TV and was actually based on Tachikawa’s 2013 short film, Death Billiards. In Death Parade, some people go to heaven and some people go to hell. But not everyone. Occasionally, the dead go to a bar in the after-life where they must compete for their very souls in something known as the Death Games. The miniseries focuses on the bar’s tender, Decim.

There’s a dark, dreamlike quality that haunts the imagery of Death Parade. Bradio performs “Flyers” as the opening theme while NoisyCell does the closing theme, “Last Theater.” Death Parade was nominated for five Anime Trending Awards in 2016, winning Original Anime of the Year, Favorite Mystery or Psychological, Favorite Original, and Favorite Opening Theme for Bradio’s “Flyers.”

2

‘Erased’ (2016)

Number of Episodes: 13

Erased

Release Date

2016 – 2016

Directors

Tomohiko Ito

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  Shinnosuke Mitsushima

  Satoru Fujinuma (29 years old)

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  Tao Tsuchiya

  Satoru Fujinuma (10 years old)

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  Minami Takayama

  Sachiko Fujinuma

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  Ben Diskin

  Satoru Fujinuma (English – 29 years old)

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Erased is an A-1 Pictures miniseries based on the manga written and illustrated by Kei Sanbe (Testarotho). It was directed by Tomohiko Itō (Occult Academy) and written by Taku Kishimoto (Bunny Drop). Manga artist Satoru Fujinuma is 29 years old when he goes back in time to prevent his mother’s death. Part time-travel adventure and part psychological thriller, Erased starts with a string of mysterious kidnappings that occurred when Satoru was in the fifth grade.

The miniseries received a lot of critical praise upon release. In 2016, Erased won an IGN award for Best Anime Series. It earned seven Crunchyroll Anime Award nominations, winning for Best Drama and Villain of the Year. Hajime Ninomae penned a spinoff novel published in 2016 called Boku Dake ga Inai Machi: Another Record, which focuses on the serial killer featured in the miniseries.

1

‘Violet Evergarden’ (2018)

Number of Episodes: 13

Violet Evergarden

Release Date

2018 – 2018

Directors

Taichi Ishidate, Haruka Fujita

Writers

Reiko Yoshida, Tatsuhiko Urahata, Taaki Suzuki

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For viewers looking for a binge that’s over five hours, there’s Violet Evergarden. This Kyoto Animation miniseries features 13 episodes, plus there are two films. Violet Evergarden is based on the Japanese light novel series written by Kana Akatsuki and illustrated by Akiko Takase. The story follows a former soldier named Violet Evergarden, who gets a postal company job as an “Auto Memory Doll” transcribing people’s inner feelings into letters.

The show was directed by Taichi Ishidate (Full Metal Panic!) and Haruka Fujita (Heavenly Delusion) with screenwriting by Reiko Yoshida (The Colors Within). Violet Evergarden won an IGN Award for Best Animation in 2018 and earned six Crunchyroll Anime Award nominations, winning for Best Animation there as well. The film Violet Evergarden: Eternity and the Auto Memory Doll came out in 2019, and Violet Evergarden: The Movie was released in 2020.