Five 13-Episode Anime To Binge This Weekend

By Ayomide.

We've all been in that place where we're in an 'anime drought' (especially after finishing a good long-series anime) and you just can't seem to find a good anime to watch for whatever reason. I've been there several times.

However lucky for you, I have composed a list of

five, easy to watch, 13-episode anime (or less) to keep you going this weekend (or at least for a short while).

Deadman Wonderland

Rating (7/10) - 12 Episodes

Ganta Igarashi and his classmates prepare for a school trip to the prison amusement park 'Deadman Wonderland'. However, while seeming like an ordinary day, they're suddenly interrupted by a mysterious man in red who massacres the class, but leaving Ganta as the only survivor.

Days after the massacre, with Ganta being framed for this incident, he is sentenced to death at the very prison he was going to visit (which is pretty ironic). Arriving at the prison Ganta is fitted with a lethal collar, which injects poison into his bloodstream. This poison is only neutralized by candy-like medicine which is won by playing Deadman Wonderland's sadistic games.

Living in constant fear and keeping afloat from death, Ganta is joined by Shiro, who apparently seems to know him. Ganta and Shiro embark in a number of the prison's deadly games whilst trying to find the 'Red Man' in order to clear Ganta's name.

Frankly speaking, Deadman Wonderland is definitely an underrated psychological-thriller anime. I don't like throwing that word around too loosely, but this anime truly deserves more recognition. The protagonists development throughout the series is remarkable in my opinion, especially considering the situation he has been forced in. Additionally, the plot twist at the end? *chefs kiss*

Without giving away too much of the plot, this anime is so worth the watch. Containing only 12 episodes (and an OVA), I can guarantee you that you'll be on the edge of your seat binge watching episode after episode.

K

Rating (7/10) - 13 Episodes

K (also called the K Project) series is set in Japan where it is secretly ruled by Seven Clan of colour 'Kings' who have supernatural powers and are granted the ability to recruit people to their clans.

However, it is found that a member of the red clan was murdered. With this news spreading virally, Yashiro Isana, a normal high-school student was accused of committing this murder, because of his 'identical' appearance to the man who did it, even though no one knew who exactly killed the clansman.

Seeking vengeance, the Red clan undergo a manhunt for Yashiro's head. Upon the journey of proving his innocence, Yashiro comes into contact with a skilled swordsman's who is adamant of keeping the wishes of his late master, the seventh king.

This small murder unravels a chain of events leading to a full blown out war between the Seven Clan Kings.

This supernatural anime does start of slow, I'll admit that. However, the storyline quickly develops into a full action anime, while simultaneously portraying friendship and betrayal, adding more complexity to the story-line. If you want to watch an action-packed anime series that isn't overly long and relatively gets straight to the point then K is for you.

Zankyou no Terror

(Rating 8/10) - 11 Episodes

Zankyou no Terror (also known as Terror in resonance), follows two teenaged boys who go by the names Nine and Twelve. Causing a terrorist attack in Japan, they leave the government little time to respond. With the government frustrated and the general public being left clueless as to who the terrorist attack was caused by, these boys come back 6 months later, uploading a video identifying themselves as 'Sphinx'. In this video they challenge the police telling them that they'll cause destruction and mayhem across Tokyo City unless they solve their cryptic riddles.

Later befriending Lisa, a lonely high-school student, these three carry out their plans across Tokyo with the goal of exposing a particular organisation.

This anime is definitely quite unusual, by telling the story from a 'terrorists' viewpoint, but I can assure you it's much more than that, and rather unveils a very unfortunate ending. If you enjoy watching psychological-thrillers or anime with sad endings, then I definitely recommend giving Zankyou no Terror a watch.

Noragami

(Rating 7/10) - 12 Episodes

Noragami is based upon a high-school student (yes, yet another high-school student), Hiroyi Iki, who finds herself in a bus accident while trying to protect a stranger. This accident results in her soul frequently losing her physical body. While taking on the similar form, Hiyori travels around with her soul now separated from her body. Finding out the stranger was Yato, a nameless god without a shrine, she begs him to turn her back to normal. With Yato determined to make a name for himself by accepting any wish for 5-yen, he agrees to do so (well tries to anyway). Yato, his regalia Yukine (a weapon formed from a dead soul) and Hiyori embark on a series of adventures, finding the past unveiling, friendships forming and foes being revealed.

Noragami is one of my favorite super-natural anime. It does have a dark, super-natural theme, but it is occasionally balanced out with comedy. The characters are also diverse, well written and developed. Noragami is one of the few anime where the side-characters aren't cast aside or used solely for fan service, and to be quite honest, Noragami has a bit of everything. Mystery, romance, action, solid animation and comedy.

It's not a long series to commit to and the plot doesn't take too long to pick up either.

The first season of Noragami is 12 episodes (and 2-OVA's) following the second season Noragami Aragato with only 13 episodes (and also 2-OVA's).

Death Parade

(Rating 8/10) - 12 Episodes

This series is based on the short film 'Death Billiards'. Whenever someone dies, they are sent to a mysterious bar, run by bartenders serving as arbiters in the after-life. The recently deceased, totally unaware of their circumstances, are then judged in pairs by these arbiters, playing a series of death games where the results of these games will either result in their reincarnation or being banished into the void.

This series follows Decim, a lonely bartender, and his assistant, who later on in the series questions the rulings in Quindecim.

I absolutely enjoyed this anime. The dark ominous theme of the show is beautifully shown in the animation, where you'll see whirls of purple, black and blue tones, along with the very subtle CGI , making the characters movements smooth and natural.

In my opinion, this series is perfectly paced, it isn't rushed or told too-slowly. The story unveils through different themes of regret, anguish, jealousy and sadness which are additionally shown through the different characters on the show. For a 12 episode anime Death Parade is 100% worth watching.

Thank you for reading this post. Of course, this is only a very small fraction of 13-episode anime out there, but these five are my personal favorites. Let us know on our Twitter or Instagram which anime you plan on watching, or if you've already watched some of these anime, which one if your favorite?

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