Binge-watch these single-season anime to get the best out of one-and-done stories

These brisk one-and-done stories will stay with you long after the credits roll There’s an understated beauty to immersing yourself in a sprawling anime series. A thousand-episode-plus saga like One Piece might feel daunting, but investing in such an epic character journey is extremely rewarding — especially when the creators of a beloved franchise reinvent their narrative in progress midway, as JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure does with the Netflix adaptation of Steel Ball Run. That said, committing to a lengthy anime series over multiple seasons demands a significant amount of time, and it can be overwhelming to choose between all the excellent options. Sometimes you just need a one-season anime series, a dozen episodes that can be binged over a weekend, without the need to invest beyond the immediate premise. One-season titles that tell a complete, self-contained story include classic choices like Cowboy Bebop or Death Note, but there are many under-the-radar stories worth checking out as well. So if you’re in the mood for a one-and-done narrative experience, these 20 one-season anime can help scratch that itch. Ai Yazawa’s slice-of-life manga Nana has a staggering aesthetic influence.