5 Underrated Crunchyroll Anime You Can Binge-Watch This Thanksgiving Weekend (Nov 27-30)

Thanksgiving is the perfect time to enjoy good food and company with those closest to you. But why not take the time to enjoy some great anime as well?

Crunchyroll has a massive catalog of anime that can make this Thanksgiving weekend a blast. There are tons of shorter anime on the platform that are great for binge-watching over the weekend, with a little bit of something for anime fans of all tastes. These often-overlooked anime would be a great way to kick off and end this Thanksgiving weekend.

Punch Line

MAPPA might be known for titles like Attack on Titan, Jujutsu Kaisen, Vinland Saga, and Chainsaw Man today, but back in 2015, the studio put out what might be the most entertainingly absurd anime you’ll ever come across. Written by Kotaro Uchikoshi, the man behind the Infinity and Zero Escape series, Punch Line follows Yuta Iridatsu, who finds himself separated from his body following a bus hijacking. Now with strange new powers and guided by a cat spirit named Chiranosuke, Yuta learns that his abilities increase significantly when he sees women’s underwear. However, there’s a caveat: if he sees two pairs of underwear while in spirit form, an asteroid will come crashing down and destroy the earth.

Armed with this ridiculous new power, Yuta sets out to learn more about the mysterious residents in his apartment building, while trying to fend off a mysterious organization set on ending the world. This is an absolute blast to watch if you just turn your brain off and go in expecting the unexpected. While it doesn’t share much with Uchikoshi’s other works, Punch Line still has a quality story underneath all of its absurdity that you can easily get through in a weekend.

Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead

After a promising start to his life, 24-year-old Akira Tendo is in a rut. Working for an exploitative company that’s zapped all the joy out of his life, things change when a zombie apocalypse turns everything upside down. Now free of his responsibilities, Akira sets out to complete a bucket list of 100 things he wants to do before the apocalypse takes him too.

This is an incredibly fun series that has some great character development and underrated visuals courtesy of the talented staff at Bug Films, who are handling the upcoming Witch Hat Atelier adaptation. Zom 100 was one of the best-received anime of 2023, and, despite its quality, it doesn’t seem to get the attention it deserves. If you’re looking for a fun twist on the tired-out zombie apocalypse formula, this is a great watch.

Full Metal Panic! is a great anime that often gets overlooked by modern fans. The series follows two main protagonists, Sousuke Sagara and Kaname Chidori, the former being a member of an anti-terrorist organization and the latter a seemingly regular high school student with mysterious powers who Sousuke is tasked with protecting. Sousuke and Kaname’s dynamic carries the series, with their often comedic and sometimes tender interactions a highlight of the strong writing Full Metal Panic! has to offer.

Season 1 of Full Metal Panic! comes in at 24 episodes. You can absolutely get through that in a weekend, but if you’re feeling ambitious, you can also go ahead and watch the more comedic spin-off, Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu, as well as Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid, and Full Metal Panic! Invisible Victory to finish off the series.

Steins;Gate

Oftentimes, anime adaptations of popular visual novels fall flat, with the animated product not living up to fan expectations. But among the myriad of visual novel updates out there, White Fox’s 2011 adaptation of Steins; Gate stands out as one of the best.

Set in 2010 in Tokyo’s Akihabara neighborhood, the series follows self-proclaimed mad scientist Rintaro Okabe and the rest of the members of the “Future Gadget Laboratory”, which initially consists of Rintaro’s childhood friend Mayuri and his close friend Daru. When Rintaro discovers the dead body of a young research scientist named Kurisu Makise, he messages Daru about it, only to learn that Kurisu is still alive and that his message was sent back in time. Having seemingly stumbled across time travel, Kurisu joins the group as they experiment with the new technology.

Steins; Gate tells a great story with tons of intrigue and a great cast of characters. It’s an easy series to binge and should be a blast to get through this weekend.

As far as spin-offs go, Today’s Menu for the Emiya Family is an unexpected but welcome addition to the Fate ​​​​​​franchise. The series is set in an alternate universe where Shiro Emiya and the rest of the Fate/stay night and Fate/hollow ataraxia cast lead peaceful everyday lives. It focuses on cooking, with each episode highlighting different kinds of Japanese cuisine enjoyed by Shiro and his friends.

This is a great slice-of-life series for fans of the franchise, but you can also tune in and enjoy it if you aren’t all that familiar with Fate without missing too much. It’s a cozy, easy watch that anime fans of all ages and preferences will absolutely love.