11 best short anime series you can binge-watch for instant thrills and feels

Japanese title: Desu Parēdo
Cast: Tomoaki Maeno, Asami Seto and Rumi Ōkubo
Genre: Psychological thriller
No. of episodes: 12
IMDb rating: 7.8

Synopsis: Ever wondered what happens after you die? This short anime series has the best answer to that question. Set in an enigmatic bar called Quindecim, the story revolves around Decim who is responsible for passing a judgement on souls. Two people die at the same time and they are made to play intense life-or-death games meant to reveal their true character. Decim then meets a mysterious woman who challenges his philosophy on death and his role in deciding the fate of the souls.

Japanese title: Oddo Takushī
Cast: Natsuki Hanae, Mike McFarland and Darius Marquis Johnson
Genre: Mystery
No. of episodes: 13
IMDb rating: 8.4

Synopsis: The noir-inspired anime follows Odokawa, a reclusive walrus who works as a taxi driver. He drives around passengers who are animals and unintentionally listens to their conversations that reveal many dark secrets. He soon starts connecting dots in these conversations that give him clues regarding a case of a missing person. Odokawa realises the danger is bigger than meets the eye.

Japanese title: Enjeru Biitsu!
Cast: Hiroshi Kamiya, Harumi Sakurai and Kana Hanazawa
Genre: Supernatural action Drama
No. of episodes: 13
IMDb rating: 7.6

Synopsis: Set in an afterlife high school, the anime follows Otonashi, who joins the school with no memories of his past life. He meets Yuri, the leader of ‘Afterlife Battlefront’. She leads the forces against a girl named Angel, whom they believe runs the mysterious world. As Yuri tries to defeat Angel, the story also focuses on Otonashi and his quest to regain his memories from his past life.

Japanese title: Ido:Inveideddo
Cast: Kenjirô Tsuda, Yoshimasa Hosoya and Sarah Emi Bridcutt
Genre: Sci-fi
No. of episodes: 13
IMDb rating: 7.5

Synopsis: The story explores a virtual world called ‘Id Well’ storing the fragments of criminals’ minds to give a detailed insight into their killing tendencies. Detective Akhihito works with a special police division to enter ‘Id Well’ with a new identity to learn more about it to expose criminals in the real world.

Japanese title: Planetarian: Chiisana Hoshi no Yume
Cast: Amber Lee Connors, David Matranga and Jill Harris
Genre: Post-apocalyptic sci-fi
No. of episodes: 5
IMDb rating: 7

Synopsis: After the world is destroyed by war, Kuzuya, a junker, scavengers the abandoned ruins to survive. He stumbles upon a cheery robot named Yunemi Hoshino who’s waited many years to invite a human to her show. Unbeknownst to the fallen world, the robot happily shows Kuzuya around the planetarium. Meanwhile, Kuzuya begrudgingly agrees to fix the projector, allowing the audience to explore the themes of hope and faith.

Japanese title: Vivi -Furōraito Aizu Songu
Cast: Atsumi Tanezaki, Jun Fukuyama and Cristina Valenzuela
Genre: Sci-fi
No. of episodes: 13
IMDb rating: 8

Synopsis: Set in the futuristic world, the story centres around an AI idol singer named Diva who was created to keep people happy. Her happy routine is disrupted when an AI from the future appears with a mission — to prevent a catastrophic war between AI and humans. Will they be able to accomplish the mission together in time?

Japanese title: Sora yori mo Tōi Basho
Cast: Inori Minase, Kana Hanazawa and Yuka Iguchi
Genre: Adventure
No. of episodes: 13
IMDb rating: 8.1

Synopsis: The story follows Mari Tamaki, a high school student with a dream of doing something extraordinary. She meets a determined girl named Shirase who has a goal to travel to Antarctica to find her missing mother. Along with Hinata and Yuzuki, the duo embarks on a mission to the frozen continent.

Cast: Daisuke Ono, Suzuko Hara and Nozomi Furuki
Genre: Comedy, slice of life
No. of episodes: 12
IMDb rating: 8.2

Synopsis: The story is centred around Seishuu, a talented calligrapher with a quick fuse. After an infamous incident, his father sends him to Tokyo in hopes of fixing his short temper. He meets an energetic young girl named Naru who constantly visits him. Just like destiny, the duo unknowingly impact each other’s lives by simply being themselves.

Japanese title: Fugō Keiji Baransu Anrimiteddo
Cast: Mamoru Miyano, Adam Rowe and Yûsuke Ohnuki
Genre: Comedy, detective, mystery
No. of episodes: 11
IMDb rating: 7.2

Synopsis: The story follows Daisuke, a wealthy detective with unusual methods to solve crimes like bribing, buying high-tech technology and more. His partner, Haru, who uses conventional methods, despises Daisuke’s ways of getting things done. The duo makes an odd yet successful pair in the crime-solving unit.

Japanese title: Przyrak: Rekviem po Przyrak
Cast: Miyu Irino, Newton Pittman and Ayahi Takagaki
No. of episodes: 26
Genre: Action, drama, suspense
IMDb rating: 7.5

Synopsis: A man wakes up with no memories and finds himself being kidnapped by a dangerous organisation. He is forced to become an assassin under the guidance of a skilled female assassin named Zwei. He learns to adapt to his new life but struggles to retain his humanity. The story then explores their unusual bond as they embark on missions together.

Cast: Shinshû Fuji, Yôko Hikasa and Rachel Slotky
No. of episodes: 8
Genre: Sci-fi
IMDb rating: 8.1

Synopsis: Set in a world where robots co-exist with humans, the story centres around Gesicht, a robot investigating a series of murders. The crimes are targeted against some of the most powerful robots involved in the rights of robots. In his research, he finds clues that can possibly threaten the peace between humans and robots.