Anime as a whole has seen a rise in popularity. Whether you have been an anime fan for decades or have recently gotten into the genre, it is always fun to receive recommendations for new watches. Here is our list of five short anime recommendations in no particular order. Each series has 12 episodes and can be watched on Crunchyroll.

Short Anime Recommendations: Sk8 the Infinity

Sk8 the Infinity follows a second-year high school student named Reki Kyan and his love for skateboarding. Reki meets Langa Hasegawa, a transfer student from Canada, and teaches him how much fun skateboarding is. It’s a slice-of-life anime meets sport’s anime that does a great job of showing the importance of the bonds that connect us as we navigate our hobbies and life in general. A second season and an OVA have been announced, but there is no current release date. This gives you plenty of time to watch this one in preparation.

Short Anime Recommendations: Sasaki and Miyano

Sasaki and Miyano is a boy’s love (BL) anime that follows high school students Sasaki Shuumei and Miyano Yoshikazu and the sweet way their friendship blossoms into romance. If you are looking for tooth-rotting sweetness with almost no angst and a well-paced story, then this anime is perfect. There are only 12 episodes and an OVA. However, the manga by author Shō Harusono is still being written.

Short Anime Recommendations: Sabikui Bisco

Sabikui Bisco is a post-apocalyptic anime that is set in Japan after a rust wind destroys life and causes people to be plagued with rust themselves. It tells the story of Bisco Akaboshi, an archer and wanted criminal who seeks to find a mushroom that can remove corrosion and rust from people’s bodies. Bisco runs into Milo, a small-town doctor who works tirelessly to help people overcome a myriad of ailments, including rust. Milo joins Bisco in the search for the legendary healing mushroom. There are high stakes, plenty of epic fight scenes, and important relationships built throughout the series.

Short Anime Recommendations: Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun

Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun is a fantasy series where ghosts and mysteries abound. Hanako-kun is a toilet-bound ghost who is also tied to Nene Yashiro’s high school, Kamome Academy. Within Yashiro’s school, there are mysterious spirits and ghosts that seem to be causing trouble. Yashiro makes a wish in the bathroom for Hanako-kun to help her with her love-life, which then causes her to be in his debt. The two of them, with the help of a middle-school exorcist named Kou, work toward keeping the school ghosts from wreaking havoc on the teachers and students. The animation is stunning and the story is both heartfelt and exciting.

Short Anime Recommendations: Buddy Daddies

Buddy Daddies is a new anime on Crunchyroll that is currently airing. It’s an original anime with no manga attached to it, and it will have either 12 or 13 episodes this season. Hitmen partners Kazuki and Rei end up taking in a 4-year-old named Miri and navigate trying to balance parenthood and their dangerous jobs. As a parent, this anime is very relatable. Each episode is either heartfelt or gut-wrenching as this found-family discovers what it’s like to love each other.

Crunchyroll

Each of these anime recommendations can be found on Crunchyroll. Crunchyroll is an anime-streaming service that provides anime and manga fans across 200+ countries and territories with the content and experiences they love. Fans have their choice of free, ad-supported membership and paid membership with premium content. Crunchyroll serves the anime community across events, theatrical, games, consumer products, collectibles, and manga publishing.