With around 50 new animes each season, it’s difficult to make a selection and find what to watch. Now that we are well in our way into winter, it’s time to review what’s currently getting aired!

This (first) post will talk about short anime series’! In order for an anime to be considered “short” the episodes generally last from 30 seconds to 12 minutes, compared to the standard 20+ minutes. Their short length allow anyone to enjoy an anime without taking too much time! Perfect for a break, when you’re getting ready to sleep soon and that 25min would be too long, or just to enjoy the short and light-hearted stories.

Since this is the first post of it’s kind, I’ll also talk about short anime that started in previous seasons but are still currently airing. I hope it’ll help Arama’s readers in finding nice anime to watch!

CHI’S SWEET HOME
Start: 02.10.2016 Episodes: Unknown Duration: 12 min
	Synopsis : One day, a tiny kitten lost her mother and siblings. She’s found by Yohei, his mom and his dad. The family take the kitten home and take care of the adorable animal, giving her the name of Chi. This anime follows the life of little Chii and her new family.
	Background : Chi’s Sweet Home is originally a manga in 12 volumes. It was made into a first anime in 2008 (104 episodes of 3min), a second season in 2009 (same pattern of 104 episodes of 3min) and an OAV in 2010 (10min). This 2016/2017 anime is the first time Chi is animated in 3D. It takes some stories already presented in the previous anime and add inédits stories in-between.
	Review (After 17 episodes) : I’m probably way too biased with this anime. I loved the two previous seasons and I’m enjoying reading the manga. I was excited when I first heard about a new season, as I couldn’t wait to enjoy more of this lovely Chi! I feared that the 3D would make the anime less enjoyable, but thankfully it didn’t! Still very charming. Each week, these new 10 minutes are nice “breath of fresh air” that I highly recommend! 9/10
	Trivia :  The song “Nee” by Perfume is used as the theme song

NYANBO
Start: 27.09.2016 Episodes: 26 Duration: 5 min
	Synopsis : Nyanbo are creatures which came to Earth from outer space. Tora, their leader, dreams of recreating their broken spaceship to go back to space. The story follow their small adventures on Earth and the relationship between all these lovely alien cats.
	Background : The characters of Nyanbo are *potential spoilers* in fact the cat versions of the Danbo characters within the series “Yotsuba&!” Show/hide
	Review (After 19 episodes) : First of all, Nyanbo is unique because of it’s mixing of real-life images and animation. Here again, and probably the same for most of the short anime, the characters are the center of the story. It’s hard not to find them charming. Even though the comedy sometimes falls flat, their cuteness is enough to make the viewer forgive them and enjoy watching it. 8/10

NYANKO DAYS
Start: 08.01.2017 Episodes: Unkown Duration: 2 min
	Synopsis : Konagai Tomoko, a shy high school student, owns three “cats”:The cheerful and lively Munchkin Maa, smart and responsible Russian Blue Rou and the crybaby Singapura Shii. This story follows the everyday life of Konagai Tomoko and her animals, who just so happen to have human bodies with cats ears and tails.
	Background : Nyanko Days was originally a 4-panels manga.
	Review (After 5 episodes) : After the surprise of seeing human-like cats, the story takes you into a vibrant world. The art is really nice, the characters design is well fitting and the overall ambiance of everything is a great match. However, at the time I’m writing this review, I’m having a really hard time getting captivated by the story. It’s as if they’re trying to form an interesting plot, but just don’t have the right amount of time to do so. Perhaps a regular anime series would suit it more. Anyway, if you like cute things, this anime is a must-watch! 7/10

ONE ROOM
Start: 11.01.2017 Episodes: 12 Duration: 4 min
	Synopsis : One Room tells a story between 3 girls and the viewer.
	Information : One Room is an original story. The anime is split into 3 stories lasting each 4 episodes. These stories will each focus on a different girl.
	Review (After 5 episodes) : This plot and the storytelling is most likely geared towards those who are into animated girls, that way. It’s shown as in the point of view of the viewer, with the camera moving sometimes like (perverted) eyes could do. The “you” character is never shown, nor do they have any lines. As a girl, I find myself enjoying the art and I am actually really interested in the 2 other girls we’ll get to see in episodes 5-12. The storytelling is different from what we usually see and it’s something to try at least once! It may sound a little perverted, but I’m enjoying watching it ! :) 7/10

AGGRESSIVE RETSUKO
Start: 02.04.2016 Episodes: Unknown Duration: 1 min
	Synopsis : Restuko is a hard-working red panda. However, everything isn’t going that well in her life. She seems to be at odds with her co-workers, superiors, and her friends. Once her anger has reached it’s limit, she ends up singing death metal to release her stress!
	Info : Aggressive Retsuko is airing in the TV Program “Ousama no Brunch” on TBS. She’s also a Sanrio Character, so get ready for an invasion of goodies!
	Review (After 43 episodes) : I simply love Restuko. I love Red Pandas, so I was sold before the first episode. However, after more than 40 episodes, I am still interested by this little worker and everything that happens to her! These 1 min episodes are always able to bring a smile to my face. I highly recommend this anime. 9/10

PIACE : WATASHI NO ITALIAN
Start: 11.01.2017 Episodes: 12 Duration: 5 min
	Synopsis : Morina Nanase has begun working as a part-timer in an Italian restaurant, Trattoria Festa. There, she starts learning about Italian food and interacts with her various co-workers, such as their manager, and the child prodigy chef Maro Kitahara.
	Background : Originally a Web-Manga
	Review (After 4 episodes) : To be honest, the art is not my cup of tea. It’s not terrible but it’s just a style that I can’t get into. Like many anime in the “slice of life” genre the story has some pretty funny moments, but I just can’t get myself interested in the characters. Even though I don’t have any strong feelings towards this anime, it’s still kinda enjoyable since each episode is only 5 minutes long. 6/10

CHIRURAN : NIBUN NO ICHI
Start: 10.01.2017 Episodes: Unknown Duration: 2 min
	Synopsis : Chiruran : Nibun no Ichi is a spinoff series of the manga Chiruran Shinsengumi Requiem. It presents the laid-back everyday life of the Shinsengumi warriors.
	Background : Official Spin-Off of the manga Chiruran: Shinsengumi Requiem.
	Review (After 5 episodes) : I think that the problem with this anime is that it’s better if you already know about the Shinsengumi series, and the original story. Despite that I still find it difficult to get into the series’ story in general, and I don’t really understand the fun/humor in this anime. 6/10

TSUM TSUM
Source : Official YouTube Playlist Episodes: Unknown Duration: ~2 min
	Synopsis : The Disney Tsum Tsum anime are short videos on YouTube following their life and adventures in Disneyland.
	Background : Tsum Tsum is a Japanese Disney Line game for smartphones released in February 2014. The licence took the world with a blast thanks to the game, the plushies and others merchandising are sold in Disney Stores all around the world.
	Review (After 23 episodes) : I’ve been a fan of Tsum Tsum for many years now, so naturally I love these short videos! It’s difficult to explain why, but mostly thanks to their overall cuteness, the shortness of the videos, the loveliness and innocence of the stories, and just the personal soft spot I have for them. I obviously recommend it, even more so because they’re freely accessible via Disney’s Official YouTube channel! 9/10

Also this season …

Here is a list of some other anime shorts that are currently airing, unfortunately I haven’t got a chance to watch them yet.

Overall review …

Short stories like these usually do tend to be focused on “cuteness” in general, but it seems to be even more a focus with this season! They’re going full speed into the realm of animals (Chi, Nyanko Days, Nyanbo, Aggressive Retsuko…), while also not forgetting their human counterparts (Nobunaga no Shinobi, Piace : Watashi no Italian, Chiruran : Ninbun no Ichi,…) You will definitely enjoy a lot of these if you’re looking for something simple and stress free.

However, if you aren’t really into the cute stuff you might find your happiness in the more unique type of shorts (Yami Shibai, Sengoku Choujuu Giga,..), or wait for the next season where there will hopefully be a lot of variety.

Have you already seen some of these anime shorts? Do you have a favorite anime short in general from the past? Share them below!