In my personal experience, I’ve noticed that a common misconception amongst people who are unfamiliar with anime (and even some who’ve had some experience with the medium) is that anime series run for hundreds upon hundreds of episodes. While I can understand where this confusion can arise from, since many of the more popular anime series run continuously, seemingly without end, it is important to be aware that many anime series are divided into “Cours”. Therefore, I will discuss what cours are and give some recommendations when it comes to one cour anime series.
To begin, a cour is defined as “a three-month unit of television broadcasting” and typically refers to Japanese programming (whether or not it be anime) that runs between 10 to 14 episodes long. Thus, you will commonly see anime divided into one cour, two cour or a split cour. One cour and two cour are self-explanatory but a split cour refers to a series that airs the first 10 to 14 episodes and proceeds to skip a cour before airing the second cour.
Typically these cours are 13 episodes long with series usually either 13 episodes or 26 episodes long (interestingly, some older anime such as Devilman and Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water were 39 episodes long although this number is less common today). However, it is not uncommon to see some TV channels or programming blocks adjust the number of episodes to suit their interests. An excellent example would be Noitamina, a programming block, supposedly, dedicated to airing anime series that are aimed at demographics other than your typical anime audiences. It is not uncommon to see a Noitamina series airing 11, 12, 22 or 24 episodes.
Speaking of Noitamina series, one of my favourite shows from the block is called Bunny Drop (sometimes referred to as Usagi Drop) which originally aired in 2011. Based on the manga of the same name, the story follows a 30 year old bachelor called Daikichi who attends his grandfather’s funeral and finds a 6 year old girl named Rin. After asking around, he learns that Rin is his grandfather’s love child and that the family is considering sending her to an orphanage. Outraged, Daikichi decides to take Rin home and raise her. Bunny Drop remains one of the most heartwarming anime series that I have ever seen and I love how the series tackles a topic (raising a child) that many anime series forgo (avoid the manga though).
Another excellent one cour series is from the legendary director Satoshi Kon in the form of Paranoia Agent. The story sees a series of attacks on unsuspecting citizens from a perpetrator who appears to be a young boy wielding a baseball bat and wearing rollerblades. After the first attack, two policemen (who as far as I’m concerned are the protagonists of the series although it’s debatable) are assigned to look into the attacks. As rumours spread about the boy, who comes to be known as Lil’ Slugger, a wide cast of characters begin to suffer from fear and paranoia. While I don’t think the series is perfect by any means (episode 5 stands out to me as feeling subpar compared to the rest of the series), I was surprised at the depth and themes explored within its 13 episodes and I often find myself thinking about some of the stories in the series even many years later.
Finally, to finish my recommendations, and it should come as no surprise to those familiar with me, I would like to recommend a one cour anime series called Puella Magi Madoka Magica. The story follows a girl called Madoka Kaname who, along with her friend Sayaka Miki, meet a creature called Kyubey who can grant any wish they might have in return for becoming magical girls and fighting beings called Witches. While seemingly a typical magical girl series, the show steadily grows darker and darker as the writer, Gen Urobuchi, decides to deconstruct and reinterpret various magical girl tropes. With one of the best endings I have ever seen in an anime, excellent animation that often borders on the psychedelic and an incredible soundtrack, I am proud to say that Puella Magi Madoka Magica is my favourite anime series of all time.
It remains interesting to me how the misconception that all anime series are hundreds of episodes long remains surprisingly prevalent amongst those unfamiliar with the production and distribution of the medium. Let me know any interesting stories you have of people thinking anime series run longer than they often do, your thoughts on cours, my one cour anime series recommendations, other great one cour anime series and any additional information you have on the topic.
Hopefully you have found this article interesting and informative and, if you wish to seek any of the works I mentioned, don’t hesitate to use amazon.co.uk or amazon.com for all of your needs!