Not quite movie-length episodes, but some of these come close.
Do you think anime series could do much more if they weren’t limited to episodes that are 22-25 minutes long? You’re not alone! While that format is prevalent because of Japanese TV standards, it’s not like we’ve never had exceptions.
Here are 5 anime series with longer episodes — and some of them even aired on TV.
Pluto, written by Naoki Urasawa (the mangaka of Monster), is a spinoff to the iconic Astro Boy (Tetsuwan Atom) by Osamu Tezuka. It is a far darker and more mature take on the premise, though.
An average episode of Pluto is about an hour long, making you feel like you’re watching short movies instead. Sadly, don’t expect the anime to go on for long: it’s just eight episodes long, but it is very good nonetheless.
Katanagatari
Nisio Isin is famous for his involvement with the Monogatari series. Katanagatari is also written by him, yet, despite a similar name, has nothing to do with it. Instead, it focuses on a duo of protagonists collecting twelve swords across the land. Of course, it’s not as easy as it sounds.
The anime aired one episode per month — and has a highly unusual art style. Don’t let this scare you, though: this allowed for some gorgeous animation, as even with episodes being double-length, the studio had much more time to work on them.
Hellsing was one of the most iconic manga and anime — but there was just one problem with its first adaptation. It caught up with its source material and had an anime-original ending.
Years later we got Hellsing Ultimate — a series of 40-50 minute long OVAs (the last one is even longer) that adapts the manga faithfully. It took many years for all of it to be released, but once it was finished, fans instantly recognized it as a superior adaptation.
Black Jack
Kuroo Hazama, also known as Black Jack, is one of the most iconic Osamu Tezuka characters. A doctor who can treat anyone and anything — and will charge you according to your wealth, not according to the difficulty of the operation, he has been the main character for multiple manga and anime.
By far the most successful one was the series of Black Jack OVAs from the 90s (with two more episodes released in 2011). The anime combines medical drama and mystery elements — and tells a new story each episode, all of which are around 50 minutes in length.
Just like Katanagatari, Figure 17: Tsubasa & Hikaru aired one episode per year. For an anime from 2003, it looks absolutely gorgeous — the backgrounds especially are still some of the best in all of anime.
The anime itself is a slice-of-life coming of age story with a sci-fi action side — and if you think these things can’t be combined, it will prove you wrong.
Not quite movie-length episodes, but some of these come close.
Do you think anime series could do much more if they weren’t limited to episodes that are 22-25 minutes long? You’re not alone! While that format is prevalent because of Japanese TV standards, it’s not like we’ve never had exceptions.
Here are 5 anime series with longer episodes — and some of them even aired on TV.
Pluto, written by Naoki Urasawa (the mangaka of Monster), is a spinoff to the iconic Astro Boy (Tetsuwan Atom) by Osamu Tezuka. It is a far darker and more mature take on the premise, though.
An average episode of Pluto is about an hour long, making you feel like you’re watching short movies instead. Sadly, don’t expect the anime to go on for long: it’s just eight episodes long, but it is very good nonetheless.
Katanagatari
Nisio Isin is famous for his involvement with the Monogatari series. Katanagatari is also written by him, yet, despite a similar name, has nothing to do with it. Instead, it focuses on a duo of protagonists collecting twelve swords across the land. Of course, it’s not as easy as it sounds.
The anime aired one episode per month — and has a highly unusual art style. Don’t let this scare you, though: this allowed for some gorgeous animation, as even with episodes being double-length, the studio had much more time to work on them.
Hellsing was one of the most iconic manga and anime — but there was just one problem with its first adaptation. It caught up with its source material and had an anime-original ending.
Years later we got Hellsing Ultimate — a series of 40-50 minute long OVAs (the last one is even longer) that adapts the manga faithfully. It took many years for all of it to be released, but once it was finished, fans instantly recognized it as a superior adaptation.
Black Jack
Kuroo Hazama, also known as Black Jack, is one of the most iconic Osamu Tezuka characters. A doctor who can treat anyone and anything — and will charge you according to your wealth, not according to the difficulty of the operation, he has been the main character for multiple manga and anime.
By far the most successful one was the series of Black Jack OVAs from the 90s (with two more episodes released in 2011). The anime combines medical drama and mystery elements — and tells a new story each episode, all of which are around 50 minutes in length.
Just like Katanagatari, Figure 17: Tsubasa & Hikaru aired one episode per year. For an anime from 2003, it looks absolutely gorgeous — the backgrounds especially are still some of the best in all of anime.
The anime itself is a slice-of-life coming of age story with a sci-fi action side — and if you think these things can’t be combined, it will prove you wrong.
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