The animes to watch in one sitting.

[Tougarashi]

Following are the animes that are so engaging that I have to watch them in one sitting.

Chihayafuru (S1)
Serei no Moribito
Kamisama Hajimemashita

I would like to know if there are any animes like them that I could watch the whole series in one sitting without being bored.

Please help.

[Witch of Uncertainty]

Well,
Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica
Code Geass
Fate/Zero

[Sackett]

Madoka Magica is the obvious one.

Maybe Crest of the Stars

[Tougarashi]

I'm adding Madoka Magica and Crest of the Stars to my watch list.

[SeijiSensei]

Here are a few more based on your list:

Twelve Kingdoms - Starts slow, but becomes very compelling after about episode six. The first 39 episodes form a complete story. There are an additional six episodes which were intended to be a new season, but the novelist took ill and they were compressed into a short coda as a result. Similar to Moribito in terms of setting, fantasy kingdoms with supernatural forces at work.

You might also take a look at Kemono no Sou-ja Erin a longer series (50 episodes) by Moribito's author, the anthropologist Uehashi Nahoko. It targets a slightly younger audience than Moribito, but the story and presentation are still top-notch. One other show in the same genre is Saiunkoku Monogatari with two 39-episode series. This show was licensed for a while but went out-of-print when Geneon USA pulled up stakes. Fansubs exist for both seasons. It features one of my favorite performances by a female seiyuu, Kuwashima Houko, in the lead role.

Claymore - Beautiful blond women use enormous swords to fight demonic beasts. The ending is inconclusive because the manga was ongoing, but most of the show is very compelling. 26 episodes with another excellent star turn by Kuwashima as Clare and with Paku Romi as Teresa.

Hikaru no Go - I hesitate to list a series with over 70 episodes as something you might watch in one sitting, but the show is so well designed with cliffhangers that you cannot help but watch the next episode. Similar to Chihayafuru, except the focus is on individual achievement rather than team play. Shion no Ou at 22 episodes might be another option in the game/sport genre along with Cross Game (50 episodes). I came to appreciate that Tomatsu Haruka was more than just a pretty face after hearing her performance as Aoba.

If you can handle Hikaru, then I'll toss Monster (74 episodes) into the mix as well. That show kept me up way past my bedtime on a couple of successive nights. It's unlike any of the shows you listed, being a drama set in Eastern Europe soon after the fall of the Berlin Wall. I put Monster in my all-time list of favorite television shows including both live-action and animated works.

Now for a couple of other suggestions. First I'll recommend Nodame Cantabile, a story about aspiring classical musicians set in a Tokyo conservatory. With a manga, an 23-episode anime with two 12-episode sequels, a live-action version, and two live-action movies, Nodame is a veritable franchise in Japan. The first season is streamed with a decent dub by Ocean on Crackle, or you can watch the fansubs. I see you listed Nodame in the other thread here.

Finally here are two science-fiction stories that you might find compelling. One is Dennou Coil where kids live in a virtual reality world visible through special glasses. (Sound familiar?) An entirely original work by Iso Matsuo with, surprise, Kuwashima as one of the two main girls, "Isako." (She was once described by someone on this site as the "hottest ten-year-old" in anime.)

The other is Noein, another original work by Akane Kazuki which uses the controversial "many-worlds" interpretation of quantum theory to imagine a conflict among alternate universes. Following anime conventions, a 12-year-old girl from Hokkaido lies at the center of the conflict. The licensor, Manga Entertainment, streams the dubbed version on its YouTube channel, but I can't watch more than a few minutes of it without cringing at the voices and acting. Both of these have 26 episodes and some excellent animation.

[Tougarashi]

Thank you so much jiiji, I will definitely watch Kemono no Sou-ja Erin since I like Serei no Moribito. Twelve Kingdom after that! I watched Claymore, Denno Coil and Noein already. I like all the female leads in those animes. The last one will be "Moster", I hope that will keep me till midnight in the weekdays too. Thanks again jiiji.

[Kotohono]

Originally Posted by Witch of Uncertainty

Well,
Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica
Code Geass
Fate/Zero

Agreed 2nding those.


And of course 2nding Twelve Kingdoms.

[chocolatemilkgod]

I've actually only watched one anime in one sitting before, and it was sort of by accident, and that was Muv Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse. It was less because the anime was engrossing and more because I was having a massive nostalgiagasm remembering the world of Muv Luv Alternative from the visual novel. That AND I was procrastinating and trying to avoid doing a particularly painful bit of data analysis that day. Take you pick as to which is the more prevalent reason.

[kitten320]

That really depends on taste. Some of the famous titles like Gurren Lagan did not fit me at all.

But if I have to name my own, it would be the following:
Baccano! - what kept my interest was a unique style of story telling. It builds story in segments by showing bits from here and there. Some of them make no sense at first but later you are able to put all pieces together and see a full picture of what is happening.
A simple train robbery was turned into quiet a ride.

Ga-Rei Zero - first episode had a massive impact on me. All my expectations were proven completely wrong and I had my jaw open for a while. I forced my sister to watch it and she had same expression. Anime managed to deliver lots of surprises for me and was a very emotional ride. One of my top faves.

Ghost Hunt - I love ghosts and detective settings and these a great mix of both. Re-watched series many times and yet every time it feels like first. I love the tension it builds and small pieces of information it gives us about ghosts and ghost hunting. Character are fun as well.

Great Teacher Onizuka - classic which should be watched by everyone. Seems like a weird comedy at first but it has an entertaining story that deal with lost of daily problems to which a lot of people could relate.
Main hero is an ex-gang member who wants to become a top teacher in Japan. He is a sighed to the most troublesome class at the school. Gradually he learn about student problems and tries his best to help them. His methods are not something you would expect yet something you want to see more off.

Kokoro Connect - this series have a lot of problems that I didn't like. However, I couldn't help but get engaged and want to see more. To learn more about the characters and learn how this whole mess will end. If you likes key works like Clannad, Kanon and so on, it is worth a try.

Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica - not what me and many others expected. It looks like another silly magical show but it is not. There deep dark secrets that will get you curious and emotional. Episode 3 is where series reveal its true colors and where we see ED for the first time which shows and tells us in what exactly we got involved.

Mai HiME - one of the first anime series I watched and the first one that left a massive impression on me. It's been about 4-5 years now but I still keep coming back to it.
It has its problems but I loved the characters and drama in second half. Besides it is one of the bases on which famous Madoka series were based and inspired from.

Major - sport series about baseball. Never was interested in baseball but always loved sport and sport orientated series. These anime touched me a lot about the world of baseball.
It is predictable at times but it gets me pumped up every time. Main hero Goro can seem like a real prick at first but gradually throughout the series and seasons he grows into a character that deserves the admiration.

Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom - another fave of mine. Series focus on a guy who lost his memories and is caught by a mafia organization. His choice is to die or become an assassin and get trained by the best one known as Phantom.
Series focus on a lot of struggles both physical and mental. It kept me on the edge almost every episode. Series are divided in 2 arcs and each one gives different vibes. I love 1st arc!
3rd is the weakest in my opinion but still good in its own way.

Psycho-Pass - just finished airing. Watched it as it aired but have huge urge to re-watch whole thing in one go.
Action/drama/suspense/conspiracy/mystery... almost everything you need to keep you entertained.

Rainbow: Nisha Rokubou no Shichinin - emotionally strong and inspiring series that won't leave you emotionless.

Shiki - same author as Ghost Hunt. Villagers suddenly start to die and epidemic is suspected, but is it really the case? And who is a real monster here?

Steins;Gate - very slow beginning but very enjoyable and engaging second part. It shows how tiny changes in the past could cause massive differences in the present.

Hope this helps.

[Tougarashi]

I'm adding Muv Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse,Ga-Rei Zero,Rainbow: Nisha Rokubou no Shichinin and Baccano! to my watch list. Thank you Konakaga,chocolatemilkgod and kitten320.

[chocolatemilkgod]

If you are going to watch total eclipse, I'd recommend playing the visual novel series first, if you haven't done so, otherwise the anime will be significantly less interesting. There's a reason that Muv Luv Alternative is the highest ranked VN on vndb and my personal favourite as well (although you have to attempt to play unlimted and extra first...).

On a related note, have you watched Wolf's Rain? I haven't, but according to my friend he swears by it and watched in one sitting. I cannot attest to it, but you can give it a shot, if you want.

[Tougarashi]

Hi,chocolatemilkgod. Sure I will read Muv Luv alternative vn before I dig anime. I already watched Woft-Rain. It's really good.

[mit7059]

Ookiku Furikabutte, it starts a little slow but once it gets going it's the most engaging anime I've ever watched.

[Tougarashi]

Hi mit7059, before I watch that I think I might need to learn and understand the baseball. I don't know how to play baseball.

[kitten320]

Major is a good start. I knew nothing about baseball until I started to watch those series.
Series are engaging and give lots of information.

[SeijiSensei]

Originally Posted by Tougarashi

Hi mit7059, before I watch that I think I might need to learn and understand the baseball. I don't know how to play baseball.

http://www.howstuffworks.com/baseball.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebNt7inXL5M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9m85Y...B840F03FA03978

[Tougarashi]

Sure I will study them first. Then will watch Major

[mit7059]

Originally Posted by Tougarashi

Sure I will study them first. Then will watch Major

I might actually go to Ookiku Furikabutte before I watch Major. Major is about baseball in the same way Naruto is about martial arts; they use it as a medium to tell a story but when you finish watching Major you've got about as much real knowledge about baseball as you would about Kung Fu if you were watching Naruto.

Ookiku Furikabutte actually can teach you about how baseball is actually played; I've watched baseball for years but never really played it; when I watched Oofuri I felt like I actually learned things about the game that I didn't know before.

[AnimeFangirl]

Originally Posted by mit7059

Ookiku Furikabutte, it starts a little slow but once it gets going it's the most engaging anime I've ever watched.

I watched this in two sittings, and I didn't know anything about baseball either. I didn't mean to watch so much of it, but somehow I couldn't stop.

Originally Posted by Tougarashi

Hi mit7059, before I watch that I think I might need to learn and understand the baseball. I don't know how to play baseball.

Yeah, it helps to understand baseball. At the very least how scoring works. I enjoyed it anyway, but I was seriously confused at times.

My advice is: watch the first 2 or 3 episodes of either this or Major. If it looks like something you might be interested in, go learn about baseball. Otherwise abort, abort, abort.

[Tougarashi]

I watched Psycho Pass in one sitting. It was just wonderful. It took me the whole Saturday night to watch, I had to watch till 6:00 AM in the morning.

Now watching Ookiku Furikabutte as everyone suggested.