Move is complete (though now I’m living out of boxes). So I feel like I can tiptoe back into the commissions game, which thanks to LiA’s #1 patron Nicc I have the chance to do. Nicc commissioned a series of short pieces for the shortest month – which just goes to show how behind I am. And the first one is a list of my 5 favorite short anime.
First we should define it. And for purposes of a list like this, that’s pretty easy in my view – anything half-length or less. So 3-12 minutes in practical terms, though there has been the odd 15-minute series here and there and I would have allowed it if any were otherwise going to make the cut. Omake series are eligible, though none made it (Houkago Shounen Hanako-kun almost did). As always with these things, the real challenge for me is all the stuff I forget about at the time of compiling.
There have been quite a few short anime I’ve really liked over the years, though for obvious reasons I tend not to cover them very often. I think there are some obvious shows that spring to everyone’s mind when this topic is raised, and I didn’t forget those – they just aren’t series I’m that personally fond of.
Let’s dive right in and, as always, these are in no particular order.
Chi’s Sweet Home – OK, maybe they are a little in order. Chi’s Sweet Home was the first show that came to mind for me here and I think it’s the best of the bunch in exemplifying what short anime can and should be. This ranking is for the “royal” CSH, including all its incarnations, though the first two and only non-CGI seasons (from Madhouse) were certainly the best. If I ever get asked to make a list of top five cat anime, this one would certainly be on that list too.
Senryuu Shoujo – as someone who loves writing haiku, this show has a real in with me. Senryuu are tonally different from haiku of course but follow the same form, and this series treats the art with respect. It’s also very funny and very sweet, and really could easily have been full-length (which is not true of everything on this list).
Tonari no Seki-kun – So what about Tonari no Seki-kun? Yeah, that probably could have been full (or at least half) length as well, but it certainly worked at 7 minutes. I loved this series from the time of the manga, and Shin-Ei – which has a particular gift with this sort of series – did it justice. Ostensibly about the goofy antics of a boy distracting a girl at school, Seki-kun is really a very smart comedy about the differences between boys and girls.
Poyopoyo Kansatsu Nikki – Another one that would for sure be on that cat anime list. Poyopoyo Kansatsu Nikki is extremely sharp about cats, cat people, and the relationships between them. Cute and witty, with a talent for extreme weirdness that you can forget exists until it slaps you in the face.
Tonkatsu DJ Aketarou – I suspect this might be the most surprising inclusion on the list. Tonkatsu DJ Agetarou is little known, but in my opinion underrated. It’s the story of a tonkatsu cook who finds himself drawn in the world of DJ-ing at clubs, and the strange characters he meets along the way. No less than Aketarou Daichi directed. Tonally it reminds me a bit of Odd Taxi, although I didn’t realize that until literally just now. It’s also a great commercial for Shibuya and an unfailingly positive experience. Should have been full-length, though.
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