Nobody talks about this one. Biriken is a 32-episode comedy short from 1988 that moves like a wind-up toy, quick, cheerful, built entirely on the pleasure of watching characters get into small, ridiculous situations and somehow stumble out the other side. There's no plot architecture holding it up, no emotional payoff waiting at the end, just the clean warmth of a show that knows its job is to make you smile during a quiet afternoon. It's the kind of anime you put on when you've burned out on everything trying to mean something, and you just want to exist in a space where the worst thing that can happen is minor chaos and everyone walks it off laughing. The pacing is relentless but never exhausting. You'll never think about it after you finish, and that's exactly the point.

Shown on TV Asahi as part of "Fujiko Fujio A World," this comedy short is adapted from Fujiko Fujio A's manga.