Watching an anime can be a tall task when there are hundreds of episodes to consume. However, these short anime shows are ideal to check out too.

For those looking to get into anime, the sheer length of some of the medium's most famous entries can be something of a turnoff. Friends may enthusiastically recommend Naruto, One Piece, or The Legend of Galactic Heroes, but those shows, classics that they are, have hundreds of episodes, making them something of a time commitment to say the very least.

Maybe a viewer is new to anime and isn't sure that they want to sink that much time into a single piece of media, or maybe they're a longtime fan who simply doesn't have the time or patience to sit through another 70 episodes until they finally reach the story arc their friends keep raving about. Luckily for the time-pressed out there, anime has a lot of excellent shorter shows that aren't held back by their length, coming in at 13 episodes or less.

10 Katanagatari (12 Episodes)

Those who have seen Katanagatari will know that this is probably cheating because although the show is only 12 episodes long, each one runs for around 45 minutes. That's just a minor complaint though.

Adapted from a light novel by Nisio Isin (of Bakemonogatari fame), Katanagatari tells the story of an ambitious woman and her somewhat dull-headed warrior guardian on a quest through Japan to collect 12 legendary blades. The definition of "blade" is stretched somewhat here, as the duo will face living dolls and gun users as part of their quest. Featuring striking character designs, outstanding animation, and engaging dialogue; Katanagatari is not to be missed.

9 Gunbuster & Diebuster (6 Episodes)

1988's Top wo Nerae! Gunbuster is notable as being an early work from the venerable Studio Gainax, the producer of a range of classics such as Neon Genesis Evangelion and Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. Also of note is that Gunbuster is the directorial debut of Hideaki Anno; the mastermind behind Evangelion. Part campy '80s training montage, and part war story about the horrors of relativistic time during space travel, Gunbuster deserves its reputation as a classic.

Gunbuster also has a far newer sequel, also coming in at 6 episodes, in 2004's Diebuster. Although it is somewhat controversial compared to its predecessor on account of its wildly different presentation and tone, the two stories are still parts of a whole, and deserve to be considered on their own merits as well as in relation to one another.