Sometimes it can be difficult to squeeze in extra time to watch your favorite anime between work, school, or the many other responsibilities we have to deal with in a day. Luckily, there are a few series that can fit into a busy schedule without disrupting our whole day. So, here are five anime to watch during your lunch break.
Hellsing: The Dawn
- Genre: Action, Horror, Supernatural, Vampire, Seinen
- Episodes: 3
- Episode length: 10 minutes
At the height of WW II, Nazis are doing everything they can to win the war, even resorting to experimenting with artificial vampire technologies. And although they’re still far away from completing their master plan, it still possesses a severe threat to the Allies.
In an attempt to stop them, the head of the Hellsing Organization, Sir Arthur Hellsing, sends his two best agents into German-occupied Poland. These agents are Walter C. Dornes, whose skills on the battlefield earned him the nickname “The Angel of Death” and the enigmatic Alucard, an ancient vampire with unbelieve powers. Together, they must stop the progress of the Nazi’s devilish plans. However, the undead isn’t the only enemy that they would have to face.
If you’re in the mood for a quick vampire action, then Hellsing: The Dawn is the one to watch during your break. The show condenses as much action, gore, and awesome fighting sequences as possible into three short episodes. Perfect if you want to unwind with some anime while eating your lunch.
Aggretsuko
- Genre: Slice of Life, Comedy
- Episodes: 10
- Episode length: 15 minutes
What’s more perfect than enjoying an anime quickie during your lunch break? A series that’s relatable to the everyday struggles of the workplace. Aggretsuko follows 25-year-old Retsuko, a red panda who works as an office worker at her dream company. But, not everything that shines is gold.
Day in and day out, Retsuko must deal with her sexist boss and annoying coworkers. And to top it all off, she must also do their jobs. But Retsuko is diligent in her job, she doesn’t talk back nor does she stand up for herself. But with all that stress, she has to release her frustrations. So, every night after work, she heads to her favorite place and unleashes all her grievances through death metal karaoke.
Aggretsuko shows an accurate portrayal of working women in Asia, and to some extent, also men. The pent-up rage that Retsuko feels is not unfamiliar, so finding an outlet to release it can help alleviate the works stress. If you’re looking for an idea on how and when to release your anger, then check out Aggretsuko. It might not solve your workplace frustrations, but at least you will have 15 minutes of enjoyment.
The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.
- Genre: Slice of Life, Comedy, Supernatural, School, Shounen
- Episodes: 120
- Episode length: 5 minutes
Featured on our best anime of 2016 list, The Disastrous Life of Saiki K follows Kusuo Saiki, a young man who has a wide range of psychic abilities, from clairvoyance and x-ray vision to telekinesis. And while the average person would think of these abilities as a blessing, for Saiki, it’s much more of a curse as all of his powers cause nothing more than inconvenience.
He inadvertently attracts the attention of various classmates, like the empty-headed Riki Nendou and the attractive Kokomi Teruhashi. Forced to deal with all this madness, Kusuo must find a way to live an ordinary life and, if possible, eat his favorite dessert, coffee jelly.
Five minutes of pure laughter awaits you with The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. The series embraces comedy clichés and executes them flawlessly. This anime is perfect if you need a few laughs during your break.
Neo Ranga
- Genre: Adventure, Horror, Mecha
- Episodes: 48
- Episode length: 15 minutes
The Shimabara sisters, Minami, Ushio, and Yuuhi, do what they can to get by and doing meager jobs to keep a roof over their heads. But all of this changes when a strange man arrives on their doorstep with tickets to a tropical island and a message from their missing brother. It seems that the girls have become the next rulers of Barou, an island off the coast of Japan. Not only that, but they also have the island’s ancient god, Ranga, at their disposal.
However, when the sisters return to Japan, the creature decides to follow them. What ensues is total chaos involving the Japanese government, the self-defense force, and even the Shimabara’s neighbors. With no one knowing what exactly Ranga is, it will not take long for the ancient god to attract the wrong kind of attention.
Fan of big monsters, comedy, and fast-paced scenes? Then check out Neo Ranga during your break. Spanning 48 episodes with each running at 15 minutes long, the series is a satire of Japanese culture, politics, and everything in between while still developing a cohesive plot through its main characters.
Rec
- Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
- Episodes: 9
- Episode length: 13 minutes
Fumihiko Matsumaru is an average salaryman who has no luck with the ladies. When he invites his colleague, Tanaka to watch a movie, he gets stood up. About to toss the tickets away, a young woman begs him not to waste them. They end up watching the film together and grabbing dinner afterward. As a gentleman, Matsumaru walks her home and discovers that they live in the same neighborhood.
Sometime later, his neighbor’s house burned down, and it turns out that it’s the apartment of the strange girl from earlier. Having nowhere to stay, Matsumura invites her to live with him, where he finds out she’s an aspiring voice actress, Aka Onda.
Matsumaru learns at work that Aka will be working with him, so they decide to keep their relationship a secret from their employers. Will the two ever be publicly together? Or will they have to keep their “more than a friend but not yet lovers” relationship a secret?
Rec quickly gets to the point with a good mixture of both romance and comedy, without it ever being too juvenile. Perfect if you want to squeeze in a few laughs in a limited amount of time.