An introduction to short animations
Anime
A selection of more linear and conventional story telling or just damn good art.
If you want to see how vast the anime world is and explore narratives and art styles that are not part of the mainstream, try them out.
More stacks going deeper in this world:
- Short animations getting artsy
https://myanimelist.net/stacks/29178
- Short animations getting dark
https://myanimelist.net/stacks/29194
- Short animations getting scientific
https://myanimelist.net/stacks/29216
Let me know your thoughts and suggestions for this stack :)
If you want to see how vast the anime world is and explore narratives and art styles that are not part of the mainstream, try them out.
More stacks going deeper in this world:
- Short animations getting artsy
https://myanimelist.net/stacks/29178
- Short animations getting dark
https://myanimelist.net/stacks/29194
- Short animations getting scientific
https://myanimelist.net/stacks/29216
Let me know your thoughts and suggestions for this stack :)
Movie, 2008,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:9
An old man living in a flooded town revisits the past. The House of Small Cubes is a beautiful and emotional award winning animation by Kunio Kato.
Movie, 2011,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:10
By Hiroyasu Ishida, a tad melancholic but still pretty cute, a little girl finds a friend while exploring a rainy and monochromatic town.
Movie, 2017,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:8
A beautifully animated Chinese fantasy short by Busfun and Cloud Young, Valley of White Birds is a story about a man confronting his guilt and fears.
OVA, 2019,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:7
By Yutaro Kubo and Satomi Maya, based on a story by Nagabe, The Girl From the Other Side is about a girl who got lost on the Outside World, where creatures that curse humans by mere touch lives. She is found by one and their relation transcend their incompatible natures.
ONA, 2014,
35 eps
Me:-
Author:9
Honestly my favorite collection ever, 35 shorts of all kinds: Drama, comedy, action, sci-fi, fantasy, romance... some seriously good stuff! A must watch if you want to see some alternative stories and art. Tell me which are your favorites!
Movie, 1997,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:9
A crazy fantasy adventure by Koji Morimoto with beautiful colors, animation and scenarios. Noiseman Sound Insect is an eyegasm.
OVA, 1995,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:7
Continuing on Koji Morimoto eyegasms. Open the Door is about a girl who ends up on a fantastical fantasy world right before going to sleep.
ONA, 2014,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:7
The first short animation here the is actually short, Onikiri Daughter Offer is just a very nice action piece by Rabbit Machine.
ONA, 2021,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:7
A pretty and colorful short by Hiromasa Yonebayashi, With All Our Hearts shows a woman struggling with her art but finding her passion again.
CM, 2020,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:7
By Yoshihiro Kanno, guy that was the animator director for shows like Hunter x Hunter and Bleach, this is actually an ad for a Pawn Shop, but he nailed it!
ONA, 2019,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:6
Beautiful drawing and music by syo5, Vevara in Your Dream is about a girl who finds a dream-maker in her dreams, and then she tries to make them too.
ONA, 2016,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:6
Another short by Rabbit Machine, Historical is about a girl who finds a magic rabbit that sends her back in time.
Special, 2013,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:8
By Koji Morimoto, a very nice opening for this collection of four stories that will follow on this list. I will only let out Farewell to Arms (Buki Yo Saraba), that fit better the Sci-Fi stack.
Movie, 2012,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:9
By Morita Shuhei, a man lost in the jungle seeks shelter on a temple, what happens next is hard to describe... but beautiful to watch.
Movie, 2013,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:9
By Hiroaki Ando and Katsuhito Ishii, perhaps the most out of tone here because it's a tad violent, Gambo is somewhat about the encounter of an evil spirit and a protector one. Another good quality art.
Movie, 2012,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:8
Combustible is a story by Katushiro Otomo. A mix of slice of life, romance, drama and tragedy, it's about honor, obligation and bitterness, and as the whole collection it's brilliantly animated and directed.
Movie, 2005,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:8
Let's easy up the mood. Wolf Daddy is an award winning Korean short animation by Chang Hyung-Yun, a very funny fantasy slice of life that is indescribable random.
Movie, 2014,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:6
Love is an Elevator, by Tomoki Misato, is a cute love story between two... elevators!?
ONA, 2009,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:6
By Hiroyasu Ishida, Fumiko's Confession is cute and funny short about a girl confessing to a boy.
ONA, 2004,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:7
By Jun Aoki, just some funny short slice of life in an apartment building with its diverse residents.
ONA, 2010,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:7
I'm Here is just some nice piece with nice soundtrack by Yasuo Muroi. It would be boring if I explained the character mood and realization.
ONA, 2013,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:7
A beautiful short by Mateusz Urbanowicz (yeah, some Polish guy but he lives and work in Japan) about a guy seeing stuff in the city that no one else is seeing.
PV, 2014,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:8
Despite great celebrated movie directors like Akira Kurosawa, Japan really invaded western TVs through giant monsters and giant robots and then cute anime girls with absurd stories... this frantic and colorful 40s animation by Rapparu perfectly encapsulates how I perceived Japanese culture as a children.
ONA, 2012,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:6
Another work by Rabbit Machine, how can watching a convenience store be so fantastic?
Movie, 2021,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:7
Takano Intersection it's a nice award winning animation by Hideto Nakata and Mizuki Ito, about random encounters of random strangers.
Movie, 2018,
3 eps
Me:-
Author:8
Modest Heroes is a collection of three very well made slice of life short stories.
- Kanini & Kanino by Hiromasa Yonebayashi is a fantasy adventure of a tiny underwater-fairy (I don't know what they are lol) family.
- Samurai Egg by Yoshiyuki Momose is actually a very nice and insightful piece about raising a kid with severe food allergy.
- Invisible by Akihiko Yamashita might be about how you feel.
- Kanini & Kanino by Hiromasa Yonebayashi is a fantasy adventure of a tiny underwater-fairy (I don't know what they are lol) family.
- Samurai Egg by Yoshiyuki Momose is actually a very nice and insightful piece about raising a kid with severe food allergy.
- Invisible by Akihiko Yamashita might be about how you feel.
ONA, 2014,
3 eps
Me:-
Author:8
Town Workers by Shunji Iwai might be my favorite ever slice of life piece. It's just three short rotoscoped animated stories about people on their first day at work. All characters and dialogues are very humane, everything is just so casual it's all very relatable. A look at real people and real life.
OVA, 1993,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:8
Still a bit in the slice of life theme, "9 Love Stories" title is self explanatory. The stories are all very mature, it's adult love stories (I don't mean porn), and some great pieces in this collection. I particularly like Let’s Spend the Night Together by Mamoru Hamatsu and Betrayal in the City by Tomomi Mochizuki that are more comedy, but all stories have a lot of little details in dialogues and posture revealing characters intentions and feelings.
The art style might feel a bit dated, though.
The art style might feel a bit dated, though.
Movie, 2007,
7 eps
Me:-
Author:8
A collection of seven short stories, and as all collections it has its ups and downs, but overall a lot of quality art and interesting stories.
My highlights are Doorbell by Yoji Fukuyama and Baby Blue by Shinichiro Watanabe.
My highlights are Doorbell by Yoji Fukuyama and Baby Blue by Shinichiro Watanabe.
Movie, 2008,
5 eps
Me:-
Author:9
A continuation with five new stories, I find this one better than the previous.
I like them all but my two favorites Tojin Kit by Tatsuyuki Tanaka and Dimension Bomb by Koji Morimoto might be a bit too experimental, psychedelic or crazy for this list...
I like them all but my two favorites Tojin Kit by Tatsuyuki Tanaka and Dimension Bomb by Koji Morimoto might be a bit too experimental, psychedelic or crazy for this list...
OVA, 2002,
5 eps
Me:-
Author:8
Another five stories collection, Sweat Punch is very crazy and very enjoyable.
My favorite is End of the World by Osamu Kobayashi that is a bit unorthodox. But I recommend Comedy (Kazuto Nakazawa) - that I have no idea why the hell it's called like that, Beyond (Yasushi Muraki) and Junk Town (Nobutaka Ito).
My favorite is End of the World by Osamu Kobayashi that is a bit unorthodox. But I recommend Comedy (Kazuto Nakazawa) - that I have no idea why the hell it's called like that, Beyond (Yasushi Muraki) and Junk Town (Nobutaka Ito).
TV Special, 2007,
15 eps
Me:-
Author:6
Fifteen great directors invited to make fifteen 1min long animations with themes of their choice, and some nice results.
ONA, 2003,
6 eps
Me:-
Author:9
By Kunio Kato, The Diary of Tortov Roddle are short stories of a man traveling through a fantastic world and telling about his sights and encounters. A tad melancholic but a nice iyashikei.
TV Special, 1996,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:7
By Koji Yamamura, two kids find a book left behind by a stranger, and reading it ensues chaos.
Movie, 2018,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:7
Award winning animation by Chang Seung-Wook, people and life on an idyllic town.
ONA, 2004,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:6
An award winning short by Liang Xuan, it's the embryo that twelve years later became the also award winning movie Big Fish & Begonia.
ONA, 2011,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:7
Another nicely animated action scene by Rapparu, two sword-wielding opponents fight to a stalemate.
Movie, 2014,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:7
By Megumi Ishitani. Paranoia and guilt follows a girl head after a trivial fight.
ONA, 2014,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:7
A work by Julian Frost with Momo Wang's character, just a nice short comedy piece.
ONA, 2016,
2 eps
Me:-
Author:7
By Ryo Hirano, two short pieces promoting his manga of the same name, seems very reminiscent of Adventure Time.
Movie, 2019,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:7
A silly slice of life comedy piece by Hiroyuki Ohashi and Kenji Iwaisawa. Two school friends just talking stuff.
Movie, 2010,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:7
Another slice of life comedy by Hiroyuki Ohashi and Kenji Iwaisawa. This time a fresh young adult telling about his and a friend's choices after they finished high school.
Music, 2016,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:7
A Rapparu video for the song Girl Electric by The Breakways, just thought some music here would be nice. Video clips are also original animations.
Movie, 2014,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:8
By Naoyuki Onda, at this length, Chronus is actually a featurette, but an interesting piece about a boy who can see grim reapers.
OVA, 2013,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:6
By Kazuto Nakazawa and based on Nanae Chrono, another featurette and it feels like it could have been developed in a nice movie (if perhaps dropped some of the corny humor scenes)
Movie, 2008,
1 ep
Me:-
Author:7
A collection of three stories by Korean directors, they would also qualify as featurette:
- Wanted, by Kim Woon-Ki, is about a village apparently cursed after the appearance of a strange woman.
- My Coffee Samurai, by Chang Hyung-Yun, is a funny and cute story about a warrior that wanted to have a body of steel and reincarnated as a vending machine.
- Love is Protein, by Yeon Sang-Ho, is a disturbing and random black humor piece.
- Wanted, by Kim Woon-Ki, is about a village apparently cursed after the appearance of a strange woman.
- My Coffee Samurai, by Chang Hyung-Yun, is a funny and cute story about a warrior that wanted to have a body of steel and reincarnated as a vending machine.
- Love is Protein, by Yeon Sang-Ho, is a disturbing and random black humor piece.
