10 Great Animes That You Can Binge In A Weekend

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If you’re looking for a quick anime fix, these ten shows are perfect – you can easily watch them all in a weekend! Anime is amazing, but with so much out there, it can be hard to know where to start.

Popular anime series like One Piece and Naruto can be very long, with hundreds of episodes, which can be intimidating for new viewers. It’s often easier to start with shorter, excellent anime shows and then work your way up to the longer ones. Even dedicated fans don’t always have the time to commit to extremely lengthy series.

Fortunately, these ten anime are short without sacrificing good stories or animation quality. They cover a variety of genres, giving you plenty of choices. Best of all, you can watch them all in just a couple of days – perfect for a long weekend!

Yuri!!! On Ice

Runtime: Approximately 5 Hours

Sports romances are incredibly popular right now, both in books and on TV. Romances featuring gay athletes are especially trending, boosted by the success of Heated Rivalry. For fans of the genre, Yuri!!! On Ice is a classic anime that’s a must-watch.

Okay, so I’m totally obsessed with this story! It’s about Yuri Katsuki, a figure skater who’s feeling pretty down after a competition. He’s thinking of retiring, but then everything changes when Victor Nikiforov, his skating idol and, let’s be real, crush, offers to coach him! It’s such a sweet and slow-burn romance, you guys. But it’s not just about that – Victor had originally planned to coach another skater, Yuri Plisetsky, so their partnership creates this amazing rivalry too. It’s just… perfection!

The skating sequences are beautifully animated, capturing both the skill and artistry of the sport. The show features engaging character relationships, and it’s particularly commendable for portraying a sweet and respectful gay romance. It also offers a sensitive look at men’s mental health.

Violet Evergarden

Runtime: Approximately 6 Hours

Violet Evergarden tells the story of Violet, a former soldier who struggles with her emotions. She finds work as an ‘Auto Memories Doll,’ writing letters for others. Through this job, Violet begins to understand what it means to be human and learns about love, loss, and the complexities of life.

Violet Evergarden isn’t for viewers seeking fast-paced action, but it’s one of the most emotionally impactful anime series I’ve experienced. The show focuses on Violet’s deep personal development, unfolding at a deliberate pace that encourages viewers to reflect and grow alongside her.

Beyond all that, the show is gorgeous to look at. The animation is incredibly realistic – you can practically feel the wind moving Violet’s dress and see every individual blade of grass. The colors are also beautifully done, and it really showcases why Kyoto Animation is considered one of the best in the industry.

Skull-face Bookseller Honda-san

Runtime: Approximately 3 Hours

If you’re looking for a funny and unusual workplace comedy anime, Skull-face Bookseller Honda-san is a great choice. The show centers around Honda-san, who happens to be a skeleton, and his coworkers at a bookstore—a truly quirky group that includes a knight, a plague doctor, and someone with a pumpkin for a head.

Even though the characters are quite exaggerated, the show does a surprisingly good job of portraying the challenges of working at a small bookstore. Honda-san faces common issues like frustrating staff training and the difficulties print media is facing these days.

Each episode of Skull-face Bookseller Honda-san is brief, lasting only 11 minutes. The animation style is distinctive – it resembles a hand-drawn manga rather than a typical animated series. And, the show is full of humor and relatable, sometimes salty, commentary for anyone who’s ever worked in retail.

Bloom Into You

Runtime: Approximately 5.5 Hours

While still somewhat rare, romantic anime focusing on relationships between girls – often called “yuri” – have become more popular lately. One of the earliest and most well-regarded examples is Bloom Into You, a thoughtful story about growing up and discovering romantic feelings, which offers a complex look at sexuality and attraction.

The story centers on Yuu, who longs for a relationship but struggles with the possibility that she might not experience romantic feelings. She’s shocked when Touko confesses her love and wants to be in a very affectionate relationship with Yuu – a desire Yuu can’t return.

If you’d like to continue the story beyond where the anime ends, you can find more in Volume 4 of the Bloom Into You manga.

I was so thrilled to finally see a lesbian character who clearly experiences attraction in a demisexual way! And it doesn’t stop there – Bloom Into You also includes a wonderfully written aroace boy named Maki, and tons of other queer girls. Beyond the amazing story and representation, what really blew me away was how beautifully it shows rather than tells – the visuals are incredible at moving the plot forward and really getting across what the characters are feeling. If you’re a fan, or even just curious, it’s a perfect watch to get you hyped for one of the most anticipated Yuri anime coming up soon!

Serial Experiments Lain

Runtime: Approximately 5.5 Hours

Cyberpunk is popular again, which makes now a perfect time to revisit some hidden classics. A particularly gripping and addictive one is the anime Serial Experiments Lain. It perfectly captures the cyberpunk feel of advanced technology and societal decay, but it stands out because it’s set in the present rather than a futuristic setting.

I’m completely hooked on this story about Lain, a middle schooler who gets the most shocking email ever – it’s from her classmate Chisa, who supposedly died! Chisa claims she’s now living in this incredible virtual world called The Wired and even found God there. It’s launched Lain on this wild, mind-bending journey to figure out what’s really going on with The Wired and the secrets it hides. It’s seriously captivating!

Serial Experiments Lain is a fascinating story that delves into big ideas like what makes us who we are, how we connect with others, and the feeling of being alone in today’s world. It also has a really unique and interesting visual style, mixing cyberpunk and horror elements in a fresh way.

Barakamon

Runtime: Approximately 5 Hours

While there are many feel-good comedies available, Barakamon really stands out. If you enjoy games like Animal Crossing or Stardew Valley, you’ll love this show! It’s incredibly laid-back and funny, making it a perfect relaxing watch.

I watched this story unfold about a young calligrapher, Handa Seishuu, who’s 23 and incredibly talented, but also has a bit of a temper. He ended up getting sent to live on a small island after he punched a judge at a calligraphy competition! He’s a pretty grumpy guy, and honestly, the villagers on the island are… well, let’s just say they’re a colorful bunch and always up in his business. It makes for some really funny moments, watching him try to navigate life with them.

It’s fun to see how different Handa is from everyone else on the island. All the characters are well-developed and feel like real people, not just stereotypes. What’s great is that everyone, including Handa himself, changes and grows throughout the anime’s short run.

Komi Can’t Communicate

Runtime: Approximately 10 Hours

Though not groundbreaking, Komi Can’t Communicate is a really enjoyable shojo anime. It has a charming story, lovable characters, and well-done animation, and with only 10 hours of content, it’s easy to watch all at once.

The story centers around Komi, a girl who struggles with extreme social anxiety and finds it hard to talk to people. She dreams of making 100 friends, but isn’t sure how to go about it. Fortunately, a classmate named Hitohito Tadano discovers that beneath her popular and seemingly perfect exterior, Komi actually has trouble communicating and simply wants to connect with others. He decides to help her achieve her goal.

Currently, the show has only two seasons and hasn’t been officially canceled or renewed for a third. Now’s a great time to watch it, though, since the story that inspired the show—the manga—recently concluded after many years. While a third season is still possible, fans who want to know how the story ends can now read the complete manga.

Pluto

Runtime: Approximately 8.5 Hours

Okay, so I just finished watching Netflix’s Pluto, and wow, it’s hard to talk about without giving anything away! Basically, it’s this incredibly atmospheric, futuristic detective story – think neo-noir meets sci-fi. What’s really cool is it’s based on a manga, which itself is a reimagining of a classic Astro Boy story from the 1950s. It’s a really clever and unique take on the source material.

In the world of Pluto, humans and robots coexist, but robots are considered inferior. When a series of murders begins targeting the seven most powerful robots and their human allies, a German robot detective named Gesicht takes on the investigation.

I won’t reveal any more of the story, as that would ruin the surprise. Although Astro Boy is suitable for all ages, Pluto tackles more serious and complex topics. It was a six-year wait from the initial announcement until it arrived on Netflix, but it was definitely worth it.

Haibane Renmei

Runtime: Approximately 5.5 Hours

Though released in 2002, the anime series Haibane Renmei remains surprisingly compelling. It starts slowly, but gradually develops into a richer and more meaningful story than you might initially expect.

The story begins with Rakka, who experiences a recurring dream of falling. She awakens inside a cocoon, having lost all her memories. When she breaks free, she discovers a fantastical world inhabited by the Haibane – child-like beings with wings and halos – and realizes she has become one of them.

The story takes place in Glie, a beautiful, walled city where the residents have no memory of their past. It follows Rakka as she adjusts to life as a Haibane – a being with wings – and navigates the rules and limitations of this unfamiliar world. While the pace is gentle, Haibane Renmei is a thoughtful series that tackles difficult topics like depression, suicide, and self-harm.

Erased

Runtime: Approximately 5 Hours

I first watched the anime Erased in 2016, and it quickly became one of my all-time favorites. It’s a story that has stayed with me, and I’ve rewatched it many times because of its captivating plot and meaningful themes.

The story centers around Satoru Fujinuma, a man with the unusual power to travel back in time to moments before disasters occur, allowing him to try and prevent them. When his mother is killed, he’s unexpectedly sent back 18 years with the goal of stopping a series of childhood kidnappings that are somehow linked to her death.

This show is beautifully animated and features complex characters, but it’s more than just a thrilling story. At its heart, it explores themes of childhood trauma, resilience, and the importance of friendship. While the identity of the kidnapper isn’t a huge surprise, it’s a minor issue in an otherwise nearly flawless series.

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2026-01-17 22:15