I watched all 160+ anime short films released in 2025, here are the best of the best!

With the r/anime awards around the corner, and for the first time ever separating "short film" and "music video" into separate categories, I wanted to give every eligible short film its fair shake and have watched them all. If you're not sure what to nominate when nominations open on January 1st, here's a great list of things to check out! I've divided them into a few categories myself: comedic indie films, dramatic indie films, and studio productions.

Comedic indie short films:

* PIROPIROPUU [\[link\]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tGL4VlYUnA)
* Desktop Adventure [\[link\]](https://youtu.be/KjdpsGwnu9M?si=F5qor2xESA23Bg5J)
* THE COLLISION [\[link\]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erULarjaRwQ)
* Lights Outlaw [\[link\]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYzOgDXE24c)
* Long Long Ago [\[link\]](https://youtu.be/MtXzpU3r4xQ?si=oBZXGnzo158hpCB8)
* Methodology of Opening Jars [\[link\]](https://youtu.be/VbIEX0iGgdM?si=anjT90z-xO2AoeR3)
* Mamiko’s Poop [\[link\]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEAFgHtuOIk)
* Rolling Stones [](https://youtu.be/CLDHoshF84o?si=mJoockB66b8zhxU3)[\[link\]](https://youtu.be/CLDHoshF84o?si=mJoockB66b8zhxU3)
* Milky Subway: The Galactic Limited Express [\[link\]](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2erzV0ZmZKca9UHllZ2DObnwC56ffwqH) (short series)

Dramatic indie short films (warning: many of the films in this category deal with heavy subject matter):

* LULLABY [\[link\]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dE0JqMmIEr4)
* Find Me [\[link\]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_l_NN00t7hw)
* Carrots Don’t Wait [\[link\]](https://youtu.be/QbGzm2NAWkw?si=2j1FtbSACPSXj2R_) (Contains flashing/strobing)
* To the Moon and Back [\[link\]](https://youtu.be/KjAyWTgwNT0?si=5VDF0ECJU36v_jYt)
* Life is Like a Poem by a Psychopath [\[link\]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9J62mS6rmI)
* The Hole [\[link\]](https://youtu.be/FRF0AGMaWqs?si=Ipjzz691BQEjRvgF)
* Sign [\[link\]](https://youtu.be/M5D-ebUF7VI?si=oFJ2COYClYzNG45v)
* Untitled Nagomi Ueno short about family and souls [\[link\]](https://x.com/mo_nirvana_ka/status/1939749008131727452)
* Agent Blue [\[link\]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzQ1AMMdQTE)
* Just. So. Itchy. [\[link\]](https://youtu.be/1MMiN6ILS20?si=4lOFRnjBps_GbE3d)
* Sou [\[link\]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNguRxS5VCg)
* CREATIVE? [\[link\]](https://youtu.be/vmQabQd58Lc?si=flV_t6Rqw-WgXFO9)
* Echoes of Memory [\[link\]](https://youtu.be/ZKt412fev-s?si=cWQuLKnTkhnbZiA8)

Studio productions:

* Nomo no Kuni [\[link\]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2puErJ6wnmU)
* Tamagawa Wants to be a Cat (Only available through unofficial means)
* Milgram: 2 shorts and 3 music videos from Milgram are eligible this year, which only really make sense in the context of the (pretty great) webseries. You can check it out here: [\[link\]](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLec8MkdskfQqXafx3pfAJhcJteQu-Eyzt)

One final note: if you're looking to watch a feature-length anime film, I highly recommend Cocoon: Aru Natsu no Shoujo-tachi yori, a 1-hour film by former Studio Ghibli animators with similar themes to Grave of the Fireflies. It is only available through unofficial means.

Short films are such an underrated form of anime, and I always love seeing them get their recognition at the end of the year during the r/anime awards! If anyone has any recommendations for 2025 anime music videos, I haven't watched those (aside from the Milgram ones) and would love some recs in return :)

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Commentaires

Zesauruss2025-12-28 00:29

Interesting. Nice to have someone break them down so we can actually dive in. Good job & thank you.

Mr_Rock-haley2025-12-28 00:52

Damn, Mamiko's Poop is crazy!

It starts as a drama about romantic betrayal, then as a comedy about poop, and ends with a fight on the level of OPM season 1 or JJK

Salty1452025-12-28 01:45

You bastard. Now I've got a whole roster of short films I need to watch.

NormalGrinn2025-12-28 03:30

Small correction, but currently it is planned for public nomination voting to open January 2nd.

minnieboss2025-12-28 04:36

Gotcha, looking forward to it!

minnieboss2026-01-04 06:38

Is there a new date for when nominations open? Just curious because it's January 4th and I'm so excited to nominate!

NormalGrinn2026-01-04 09:12

Yeah we had some troubles, so it's gonna be the 9th now.

RodrickJasperHeffley2025-12-28 05:10

i am not that active in this sub for some time now so why am i not seeing the yearly infographic posts on the best animes of the year ? did they stop doing that?

minnieboss2025-12-28 05:30

That'll be more common in early-to-mid January!

Infodump_Ibis2025-12-28 15:11

The [anime awards google doc thingny](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1wEi6tj3GvirQ7ARmwuSsLSF6gT96EPHVracLJ1PlGnc/edit?gid=1275872180#gid=1275872180) for those who want more.

I don't want to get all meta and be like, why is Galaxy Apartment★Cosmo Hills a maybe? (It's been fansubbed and is a short) Then again of the same Young animator training project year TRUST currently has no subs while Dive In (no dialogue) and is Sora and the big tree (fansubbed) don't seem to be eligible.

> If anyone has any recommendations for 2025 anime music videos

I've hardly watched these but enjoyed the mixed media fun of [Muri Muri Evolution](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4OsvOqHnZM), [Chase the Day](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9UFr5RyZeE) is probably the highest end CGI in the MV category, as a contrast [Ai♡Scream!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1mFVp9IM9c) is low colour depth, low frame rate (10 fps), low resolution. Finally, [Magical Syndrome](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvDkY-yabC4) has Chiikawa being bumped on the noggin' and other magical girl cliches (encapsulating the simple charm of kaiwaii mascots like Chiikawa).

minnieboss2025-12-28 17:04

Thank you so much for the recs!!