Highlights:
* One-season anime series are loaded with action and intensity in the plot.
* Death Note and Cowboy Bebop only took one season to leave a lasting impression on the audience.
Watching anime doesn’t necessarily mean sitting through countless episodes, skipping fillers, and waiting for the next season. Some one-season anime series encapsulate the drama, intensity, and action of the source manga within episodes that run for half an hour or an hour at most. Unlike One Piece and Bleach, viewers don’t have to worry about not being able to finish the anime.
The Best One-Season Anime — Short Yet Captivating
There are several one-season anime series for viewers on popular streaming sites like Netflix and Crunchyroll. Even though their story ended within a season, some animes in the list such as Cowboy Bebop and Neon Genesis even got animated movies.
Death Note
| Writer | Tsugumi Ohba |
| Genre | Psychological Thriller, Mystery |
| Episodes | 37 |
Light Yagami, a brilliant student, is disillusioned by the world’s condition. His sole agenda is to make the world a better place and he gets the power to make a difference in the form of a Death Note. Acting as the judge, jury, and executioner, Light writes the names of evildoers in the book to cleanse the world of evil.
Death Note challenges a viewer’s morals, their sense of right and wrong, and their opinion of true justice. Released in October 2006, it is one of the best one-season anime, a classic that remains fresh in the memory of viewers to this day.
Parasyte: The Maxim
| Writer | Lynn Okamoto |
| Genre | Action, Psychological Thriller, Body Horror |
| Episodes | 13 |
Release in October 2014, Parasyte: The Maxim is based on the alien invasion trope. Parasites take control of humans and make them their puppets before devouring them in the goriest scenes. Under these circumstances, the protagonist, Shinichi, is lucky enough to be preyed on by a parasite who only gets control of his right arm.
Shinichi’s experience with Migi the parasite causes both to question their beliefs. The one-season anime series explores the treatment of other species by humans, and provokes the viewers to think if humanity has any values that separate them from monsters.
Neon Genesis Evangelion
| Writer | Hideaki Anno |
| Genre | Action, Psychological Thriller, Apocalyptic Mecha |
| Episodes | 26 |
First aired in 1995, Neon Genesis Evangelion is an extremely popular one-season anime series. The story is set in 2015 after a global cataclysm called the Second Impact caused Angels to attack the Earth. To combat them, humanity creates Evangelions, mechas that synchronize with the pilot’s mind.
Containing a few sci-fi elements, Neon Genesis will keep viewers hooked for 26 episodes. The protagonist, Shinji, is tasked with defeating 14 Angels to prevent another cataclysm. What follows are some incredibly animated battle scenes, emotional scenes of sacrifice, and a heartwarming ending that caps off all themes presented by the anime.
Cowboy Bebop
| Writer | Keiko Nobumoto |
| Genre | Space Adventure, Western action, Neo-noir |
| Episodes | 26 |
Cowboy Bebop is a space western anime released in June 1998 that follows the adventures of a group of bounty hunters traveling on their spaceship, the Bebop. The main characters are Spike Spiegel and Jet Black, both having different personalities and attitudes towards people. Later, they are joined by more hunters like Edward and Faye Valentine.
Bebop’s narrative is fueled by Spike’s rivalry with Vicious, a partner-turned-enemy, and their affection for the same woman, Julia. However, the highlight of the one-season anime series is the sci-fi world featuring cyborgs, spaceships, and cyberpunk cities in a noir background. Bebop also features one of the saddest endings in anime of all time.
Death Parade
| Writer | Yuzuru Tachikawa |
| Genre | Psychological thriller |
| Episodes | 12 |
Death Parade is an interesting one-season anime series that features a place between Hell and Heaven called Quindecim. People who die at the same time are sent to this place and their souls are judged by Decim. They are forced to play a game and depending on their actions, Decim passes his judgment.
Released in January 2015, Death Parade is a gripping psychological thriller that has themes of humanity and human life. People gamble with their lives. For instance, during a billiards match, the balls contain a picture of the players’ organs and it quickly becomes clear the high stakes riding on the game.
- Also Read: 5 Shonen Anime To Watch
Take your pick from these best one-season anime series. If you want more interesting animes that require less watch time, check out the 10 best short anime series.
