Tanaka-kun wa Itsumo Kedaruge

Mmm I may have wished to be falling asleep after watching this... It is a good and relaxing one. Maybe it is because I am relating to the character. A good comedy. It is nice that the "romance" did not sprout, so to speak. A change in pace. The art is very calming colours, and the side bits transitional are funny. However, it needs more development on the side characters. The tidbits of classical piano at the beginning of episodes is a warm welcome. Deducted points due to the character develop. A side remark: I never heard the word "listless" to describe a lazy person, haha Just tonote, there is close to no plot. So if it does not attract or relate after Episode 1 or 2, simply drop it.

While scrolling down the Spring 2016 anime list I encountered Tanaka-kun is Always Listless. It seemed like an anime with no presence and no one would've cared about it. I was wrong. The anime is actually really good overall and people started noticing it because it was actually good. I feel this is really underrated because of the unusual synopsis and such. The story is about Tanaka and his friends around him, basically like the usual high school girl with the conflicts with the outside connections between the main MCs. This is the lowest point because, it is extraordinary in a way but the plot didn't really getto me. The story is cute though so it's okay. The art backgrounds were very beautiful in my opinion. Character designs were unique in a way. I really liked the art for Tanaka-kun for some reason, what a relaxing sight. The sound was also well made. I don't understand Japanese, but the upbeat tune with the cool, jazzy music works well with the anime I love the characters so much. They are so different from most other anime characters which are bold with no intentions at all. Basically they all have a reason for acting the way they do. This doesn't seem to be a anime with character development but it still does. Overall I give this a 9 and I enjoyed this very much. Please give this underrated anime a try!

This is an anime that was FULL of potential. I started it without many expectations, but the first two or three episodes managed to raise them, and make me think of this as the possible gem of the season. From summaries and reviews, one might be thinking Tanaka-kun defies mainstream narrative clichés, and that the overall product tends towards a certain general calm feeling. The truth is: Tanaka-kun had the potential to be that. It had the potential to tell an entertaining, relaxing, non-stereotypical story, while having an upbeat general tone and characters. Then it became... something else. There were a lot of harem hints, and alot of moe that didn't really add anything of value to the story, and also a lot (A LOT) of unnecessary emphasis on the romantic feelings from one of the characters towards Tanaka. Does this suck in general? Not really. If you're watching something from a romantic, moe, or harem genre, then you're expecting this. If you're not, and you've come here looking for some nice gen slice of life, or have been bought over by the first episodes, then you'll feel like me, which can be summed up as: :/ I feel like Tanaka-kun dropped the ball. It could've been something incredibly engaging and somewhat original, but instead it chose to be... basically the same as the 1000 harem, school life anime that came before it. All that said, there ARE some episodes that are funny and entertaining, and some of the characters are GOLDEN (Miyano, Ecchan and Ohta). The art style isn't anything groundbreaking or particularly remarkable, but it accompanies the general atmosphere and feel of the story, and the coloring is really, really nice. The animation is okay most of the time. Just that. Okay. It gets below average, but never above. The sound is one of its best points, to me, since there are moments where really interesting things happen, diegetically. The opening song is really fitting.

Tanaka-kun is Always Listless is a show I didn’t expect to like a lot. Initially, the show didn’t really click with me because it just felt so dull and boring. The refreshing art was the only redeeming factor I saw. I asked to myself, “How can a show about a listless individual be of any good?” I didn’t want to see every episode to be just Tanaka lazing around and ramble on how it feels nice to be listless. There must be more to the premise than this. But as a person who upholds the “no dropping” rule, I kept watching if it gets betteror worse. A few episodes later, it ended up shattering my initial impression. I misinterpreted the premise of the show. It’s not about simply promoting listlessness, it’s about how others react to it. The main theme is listlessness and the show does a good job of revolving around that theme well. The show gives us situations that puts Tanaka’s listlessness to the test, and make other characters respond to it with such hilariousness and tact. As the show progressed, it kept introducing other characters that became vital in making the show charming. We start with the tall and reliable Ohta who likes sweet things, the hyper and cute Miyano who looks up to Tanaka as her master, the athletic tomboy Echizen who acts like a deliquent but loves cute things, the charming and responsible Shiraishi who everyone looks up to, and the list goes on. Truly, the strongest point of this show is character interaction and how their different personalities mingle in such a fun and amusing manner. The show really blends the comedy and slice-of-life elements well. It borrows conventional school tropes and clichés but with the listlessness twist that works really well. The laid-back atmosphere was initially too dull to be relaxing but the charming cast breathes life into it. The comedy is easy-going and relies on character reactions whenever an awkward situation happens. The reactions are not extremely exaggerated like in rapid slapstick comedies, they are timed pretty well and are given ample time for the audience to react as well. For example, the show usually starts its episodes with a short situational skit and when the awkward situation kicks in, the characters involved freezes for a while with their respective reactions. Just because they freeze up, doesn’t mean their surrounding does as well. You can still hear background noises and you can see the surroundings still moving despite the situation. Then about 5 seconds after the freeze, the opening sequence starts. The main protagonist Tanaka is a double-edged sword, he can either make the show better or worse. The show can’t stand on its own if it only focuses on Tanaka, giving less screen-time or even scrapping the other characters. Tanaka is uninspired and his listlessness delusions are absurd, but that is exactly why he works well when surrounded by a reoccurring cast that deals and reacts to his personality. The show is self-aware that listlessness has its problems but as long as you have someone to help you out then it becomes fine. What if Tanaka grows up to become an adult? Will his listlessness ruin his life? That leaves to another discussion, the show could have expanded on that aspect but that might ruin the show’s lighthearted charm by taking itself too seriously. Overall, the show is fun as a laid-back slice-of-life with a refreshing approach to comedy. Not everyone might find the show appealing due to its listlessness factor, but it’s definitely rewarding to those who just want to watch something relaxing yet hilarious during a chill evening.

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