Top 10 Anime With No Bad Episodes!
There are thousands of anime out there, but very few among them have no bad episodes. While most good anime tend to stick to their style, it is difficult to maintain a level of quality, especially for the longer series. There are many issues regarding pacing, filler episodes, and outright lousy animation. On the other hand, short anime simply get their message across in 13 or so episodes. Due to this, it is easy to maintain the quality and concentrate on the story.
In addition, short anime simply don’t have time to waste, so there’s usually never a dull moment, and every episode matters. However, this does not mean that anime with bad episodes are not worthy of being watched. For example, One Piece is exceptionally long and has slow and tedious parts. Despite that, it is regarded as a masterpiece and one of the best anime of all time.
Nonetheless, in this article, we are going to talk about series’ that are entertaining and fresh, without any dull arcs that the viewer finds themselves slogging through. These anime, while not necessarily masterpieces, are consistent and don’t have any bad episodes.
Of course, please keep in mind that while this list is a mix of the general consensus and our personal opinion, it will remain highly subjective. So with that said, let’s get right into it!
10. A Place Further Than the Universe
- Number of seasons: 1
- Year: 2008
- Watch it here: Netflix
The tenth place on this list is a relatively new anime — A Place Further Than the Universe. It is a breathtaking series that follows the captivating journey of four girls in search of something great. With grand dreams and ambitions of their own, Mari, Hinata, and Yuzuki are spurred on by Shirase’s desire to search for her mother in a place further than the universe itself 一 Antarctica.
With mere 13 episodes, the tension and sense of adventure in the show is something that’s rarely experienced in anime. From the beginning to the end, seeing the young girls overcome hurdles and learn from their hardships is emotionally impactful. The characters constantly experience something new and memorable that will profoundly affect them in the future. As these girls take their youth in their hands and decide to make the most of it, the audience continues being entertained.
A Place Further Than the Universe reaches perfection with the most cathartic and satisfying ending. It is truly an anime with no bad episodes!
9. Shirobako
- Number of seasons: 1
- Year: 2014
- Watch it here: AnimeLab, Funimation, HIDIVE
Shirobako is a wonderful anime that focuses on the hardships in the anime industry. The anime follows five best friends — Aoi Miyamori, Ema Yasuhara, Midori Imai, Shizuka Sakaki, and Misa Toudou — who discover their collective love of anime and form an animation club. After making their first amateur anime, the group vows to collectively pursue careers in the industry, aiming to work together and create their very own show one day.
In just 24 episodes, Shirobako gives us a first-hand view of the lives of these girls and the job industry in Japan. Despite wanting to work in the anime industry, only Aoi and Ema manage to land jobs at the illustrious Musashino Animation production company. On the other hand, Misa has an unsatisfying career designing 3D models for a car company, while Midori quietly tries to pursue her dream as a story writer.
Shirobako is genuinely an anime with no bad episodes. It shows us how there are many paths to success through these characters and that dreams can still be achieved through perseverance. There’s really something about grounded shows about ordinary people achieving extraordinary things that inspires the audience.
8. Cowboy Bebop
- Number of seasons: 1
- Year: 1998
- Watch it here: AnimeLab, Crunchyroll, Funimation, Hulu
Cowboy Bebop is extremely popular in the community and one of the older shows out there. The anime is set in 2071 when the space is full of bandits, people with dreams of a brighter future, and treasure seekers.
With such people venturing into space, the Bebop crew is a bounty crew that enforces the law. Spike Spiegel, one of the Bebop members, works alongside his partner, Jet Black, to take down bounties. However, Spike’s past haunts him and inches closer than ever.
Filled with action and comedy, Cowboy Bebop entertains its audience with every episode. The series constantly builds up the tension and ends with a chilling and beautiful resolution that many fans think back to even today. Cowboy Bebop maintains its reputation of being an anime with no bad episodes, as even its ending is pretty much perfect from a narrative standpoint.
7. Angel Beats
- Number of seasons: 1
- Year: 2010
- Watch it here: Crunchyroll, Funimation, Netflix
Angel Beats is an anime that will make you laugh and cry uncontrollably at the same time. The story follows Otonashi, a boy who wakes up in the “afterlife.” Immediately, he comes across a rifle-toting girl named Yuri that leads the Shinda Sekai Sensen (Afterlife Battlefront). The goal of this group is to wage war against Tenshi, a white-haired girl that they believe to be the final boss.
Unable to believe Yuri’s claims and attempts at initiating him into their group, Otonashi attempts to speak with Tenshi, except the encounter doesn’t go exactly as he intended. Soon, he decides to join the SSS but finds himself oddly drawn to their enemy. While trying to regain his memories and understand the mysterious Tenshi, Otonashi gradually unravels the mysteries of the afterlife.
Angel Beats has a unique supernatural premise where a group of dead teenagers refuses to move on to the next life. In just one season, each character’s backstory is beautifully explored, and by the end, everyone manages to find some sort of peace with the world and themselves.
6. Aria the Origination
- Number of seasons: 2
- Year: 2008
- Watch it here: Crunchyroll
Aria The Origination follows the hardships and daily lives of three young girls — Akari Mizunashi, Alice Carroll, and Aika S. Granzchesta — who are doing their best to improve as tour gondoliers in Neo-Venezia. With the help of the three best Prima Undines in Neo-Venezia — Alicia Florence, Athena Glory, and Akira E. Ferrari — the young apprentices train hard and work to overcome any hurdle they encounter.
Every episode in Aria the Origination is basically a one-shot, providing a glimpse at the utopian society of Neo-Venezia. Most episodes are character-driven with no antagonists and conflicts, at least not external. However, there is no lack of emotional build-up as there are scenes that will make the audience cry one moment and laugh the next.
The creators of the Aria built on the first season and basically took an episodic, slice-of-life show and managed to weave in an overarching coming-of-age narrative. It is indeed a great anime with a definitive and satisfying ending that wraps up almost all the loose ends.
5. The Tatami Galaxy
- Number of seasons: 1
- Year: 2010
- Watch it here: Crunchyroll, Netflix, Funimation
The smallest of events can indeed change the course of your life, and that is precisely what The Tatami Galaxy is all about. The story follows an unnamed third-year university student in Kyoto, Japan, and his many lives and misfortunes. Each episode starts with him pursuing something inane as his friend, Ozu, manages to screw everything up.
Along the protagonist’s trip across the Tatami Galaxy, the viewers are introduced to many different people, and in each life, a different story unfolds. While each story is unrelated to the other at first glance, there is a pattern revealed by the end.
The Tatami Galaxy sets the stage with brilliant characters and visuals and brings hilarious moments with meaningful messages. In just 11 episodes, the anime manages to make us laugh and think with its incredibly unique storytelling.
4. One Punch Man
- Number of seasons: 2
- Year: 2015
- Watch it here: Funimation, Hulu, AnimeLab
Gag anime never really gets boring, as something or the other is usually going on in every episode. One Punch Man undoubtedly falls under this category. The story follows Saitama, a seemingly ordinary man with a unique hobby: being a hero. After hellishly training in order to pursue his childhood dream, he is now incredibly powerful. At the simple cost of his hair, no enemy’s been able to survive one punch from Saitama.
This has led to an unexpected problem—he can no longer enjoy the thrill of battling and has become quite bored. However, with the arrival of Genos, a 19-year-old cyborg, who wishes to be Saitama’s disciple, the duo’s adventures start.
One Punch Man is beloved by the anime community, especially its first season. Every episode will leave the viewers entertained with laughs, epic fights, beautiful animation, and thrilling music.
3. Jujutsu Kaisen
- Number of seasons: 1
- Year: 2020
- Watch it here: Crunchyroll, Netflix, Apple TV
Despite being one of the newest releases, Jujutsu Kaisen had to be added to this list. The story follows Yuuji Itadori, a young boy who spends his days at either the clubroom or with his bedridden grandfather at the hospital. However, after encountering a cursed item, he finds himself suddenly thrust into the world of Curses. Even worse, after swallowing a finger belonging to the demon Sukuna Ryoumen, the “King of Curses,” Yuuji’s life is constantly under threat.
Determined to lessen the suffering of the people troubled with Curses, Itadori enters the Tokyo Metropolitan Jujutsu Technical High School and begins to walk down the path of a Jujutsu sorcerer.
Jujutsu Kaisen has become immensely popular since its recent release, and many fans have deemed it the best Shonen anime to exist. Unlike other anime, there’s no dull moment, and almost every episode leaves the audience addicted to more. With a brilliant storyline, beautiful art, and epic fight scenes, every episode of Jujutsu Kaisen feels like a finale.
2. Ping Pong The Animation
- Number of seasons: 1
- Year: 2014
- Watch it here: Crunchyroll, AnimeLab, Funimation
Ping Pong chronicles the lives of two boys, Makoto Tsukimoto and Yutaka Hoshino, and their experiences with table tennis. In just 11 episodes, we follow these two polar opposites through their high school sports careers. While the main story is about Makoto and Yutaka’s friendship, rivalry, and camaraderie, enough time is assigned to make the supporting characters shine.
Ping Pong utilizes the unordinary and implements it with finesse in just one season. Everything meshes wonderfully from start to finish, and each episode provides just the right amount of information. All the characters end up in unimaginable, but in hindsight, places that suit them. The fickle and ever-changing nature of life is spectacularly portrayed in the series.
Ping Pong is truly an anime with no bad episodes as in just one season, the characters reach the peak of their growth and end up finding their own road to happiness.
1. Mushishi
- Number of seasons: 2
- Year: 2005
- Watch it here: Funimation, Hulu
It is hard to identify any series quite as perfect as Mushishi, even with the uncountable number of anime already out there. Mushishi is essentially a series of short stories styled after East Asian legends and folktales. However, instead of gods, demons, and spirits, here we deal with “Mushi”: the most basic life forms in the world. They exist without any goals or purposes and are beyond the shackles of the words “good” and “evil.”
It is the work of Ginko, a “Mushishi,” to deal with these lifeforms. He wanders from town to town, looking for interesting cases, and lends a helping hand to the ones affected by mushi. Mushishi is episodic in nature and is not bound by an overarching plot. The self-contained stories vary in theme but are always skillfully crafted and connected with Ginko at the center. The episodes deal with human drama and familiar emotions infused with an element of the natural and alien world.
Despite each story’s briefness, the tales are original, powerful, and gripping. All in all, the series is just a joy to watch from start to finish. With its rich writing, enchanting audio, and visuals, Mushishi truly is an anime with no bad episodes.