Most Japanese anime series are characterized by having many episodes. Large batches of chapters that allow us to get hooked for weeks or even months, as is the case with Naruto or One Piece. But not all. We can also watch some anime series in a weekend and below we recommend some that we can see in a short time, with less than 30 chapters in total and that will allow us to enjoy a marathon of Japanese cartoons on Saturday and Sunday.
Although there are many recommended anime movies that we could watch over and over again, such as Your Name or Howl’s Moving Castle, there are also options in “series” format if we want a cartoon marathon with a Japanese aesthetic. From timeless classics like Neon Genesis Evangelion or Cowboy Bebop to recently released series like Kotaro Lives Alone.
Death note
Probably one of the best anime of the last twenty years and an essential among Japanese cartoon series. Death Note is the story of Light Yagami, a model student who has found a notebook of death. A notebook in which he can write the name of any person and end his life. Light Yagami will do everything possible to do justice with his Death Note but the authorities will try to find the culprit of so many deaths. Death Note is not as such an anime series to watch in a weekend and it is the longest on this list, but we can start watching it on vacation or spend a little more time on a marathon, which will undoubtedly be worth it. A total of 37 episodes of 22 minutes that we can see on Amazon Prime Video in a brilliant series.
Watch Death Note on Amazon Prime Video
Cowboy Bebop
One of the great animation classics of all time is Cowboy Bebop, an essential anime that you can watch again today on Netflix. Released in the late 1990s, a futuristic space western anime that follows bounty hunter Spike Spiegel. Spiegel and his companions (Jet Black and later Faye Valentin and Radical Ed) will travel the galaxy looking for criminals to kill in a series with only 26 episodes of 24 minutes and with a sublime soundtrack. An essential anime of all time that you can see again today.
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Among the great classics of Japanese animation of all time is also Neon Genesis Evangelion. Like the previous one, an anime born in the nineties and one of the most relevant in history. We can see it through Netflix and it is set in a futuristic world in which an organization must protect humanity from strange beings, the “angels”. To do this, the paramilitary organization NERV has biomechanical Evas that will stop their enemies.
Assassination Classroom
One of the funniest anime series on Amazon Prime Video is Assassination Classroom. Only 22 episodes of about 23 minutes in which we can enjoy a short anime to watch in a single weekend. It is the story of a dangerous creature that has destroyed the Moon and now threatens to destroy the planet as well but before that he has given an opportunity: he is going to be a teacher for a year and the students will have the chance to kill him before that happens. The authorities offer 10,000 million yen to the student who manages to finish with the yellow monster. The anime will tell us how these classes are developed and what are the techniques used by teenagers to save the planet and to get the expected reward.
Watch Assassination Classroom on Amazon Prime Video
After the rain
Among the anime to watch in a single weekend is After the Rain, with only 13 episodes for those looking for a romantic Japanese series of a few hours. Akira Tachibana was one of the most promising athletes but an injury ends her career. At only 17 years old, he sees how his dream fades away, but his life will change when he meets the manager of a restaurant twice his age, Masami Kondo, who will make the trance much more bearable.
Watch After the Rain on Amazon Prime Video
Haikyu!!
If you are looking for an anime series to watch in a few hours, Haikyu!! It is a good option for the whole family and for all audiences if you want a Japanese sports series. Shoyo Hinata is the protagonist. A teenager who has always dreamed of being a volleyball player and will do everything possible to achieve it. He will manage to form a club in which to train, improve and achieve his dream: to become the best volleyball player in the country. A short series of only 25 episodes of 23 minutes that we can see on Amazon Prime Video and suitable for watching with children.
Watch Haikyuu on Amazon Prime Video
Inuyashiki Last Hero
Inuyashiki Last Hero is one of the science fiction anime series on Amazon Prime Video and one of the shortest if we are looking for something to watch in a few hours. Science fiction, action and technology are the keys to this anime with only eleven episodes of 23 minutes each. The protagonist is an office worker with a monotonous and boring life who has been diagnosed with cancer. But a UFO will crash into him and turn him from a powerful robot into a series of machines of destruction, science fiction and power.
Watch Inuyashiki Last Hero on Amazon Prime Video
Your Lie in April
Another of the short romantic anime to watch in a weekend is Your Lie in April. A shojo for all those who love cartoon love dramas. It is the story of Kousei, a teenage pianist who will stop playing after the death of his mother and his music teacher. The duel will take him away from his passion until he meets Kaori, a violinist who will do her best to make him change his mind. A series of 22 episodes on Netflix with 23 minutes each and in which love is talked about but also duel, suffering, trauma or facing fears.
Watch Your Lie in April on Netflix
Castlevania
If you are looking for a dark and adult series, Castlevania is one of them. It is not an anime as such, but an original Netflix series with a Japanese aesthetic. Based on the video game Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse by Konami, released at the end of the 90s, and only recommended for lovers of the sinister, of the gore. Follow Trevot Belmont who must face Vlad Dracula Tepes, who has decided to wipe out the entire population to avenge the death of his wife, accused of witchcraft. Belmont will have to do everything possible to stop the massacre in a series with 30 episodes of about 20 minutes.
Kotaro lives alone
Released in 2022 on Netflix, “Kotaro Lives Alone” is one of the animes to watch in a few hours and one of the funniest we can see on the streaming platform. Kotaro is a lonely four-year-old boy who will move into an apartment by himself. The series will follow his day to day life and how Kotaro befriends his neighbor, a penniless manga artist. Despite being an entertaining and curious comedy, the series deals with all kinds of relevant topics and reflections that make it one of the best bets for a weekend of Japanese cartoons.