Shelf Life

Tanaka-kun is Always Listless

Tanaka-kun is Always Listless belongs to a particular category of anime comedies that seems to have picked up steam in recent years. Perhaps best represented by Haven't You Heard I'm Sakamoto and also including shows like Handa-kun and Clean Freak! Aoyama kun, these titles revolve around one eccentric main character who pulls other cast members into his orbit. This approach can be hit or miss depending on whether or not the protagonist is interesting enough to carry that central role, and in that context this series takes a real risk with its premise. Instead of being impossibly cool, hilariously paranoid, or unique in some other way that naturally lends itself to comedic situations, Tanaka is just listless.

To be more specific, Tanaka is naturally, wholeheartedly, and single-mindedly committed to getting through life as lazily and comfortably as possible. He takes naps in class, during lunch, and pretty much any other time he can get away with it. He avoids fast food restaurants because he doesn't want to be pressured into ordering quickly, and he would rather go hungry than walk to the school cafeteria. That total lack of motivation has made Tanaka into something of a celebrity in his class, so he gradually attracts a supporting cast full of equally quirky people.

As is often the case with these “extraordinary protagonist” shows, much of the humor comes from simply watching Tanaka be himself. He's self-aware enough to realize that he's not exactly normal, but he has no intention of changing his way of life. That acceptance of his own flaws allows Tanaka to be amusingly self-deprecating whenever he describes his lifestyle, and there's something wonderfully absurd about the lengths to which he'll go to avoid a minor inconvenience. As the series builds up its supporting cast, their reactions to Tanaka's listlessness add a new dimension to the comedy. Gentle giant Ohta just naturally accepts that he's going to be the one who drags Tanaka from one class to the next, while self-declared delinquent Echizen struggles to maintain her composure when Tanaka refuses to compete with her on the grounds that it'd require too much effort. The show's writing is clever enough to use Tanaka as a kind of mirror, revealing other characters' personalities through the way they react to him.

Over time, that supporting cast also develops to the point where Tanaka no longer has to carry the series single-handedly. There's a running theme of appearances that don't match personalities: Ohta loves sweet food despite being an imposing giant, Echizen's aggressive attitude hides a weakness for cute things, and so on. Tanaka's pint-sized classmate Miyano may be the most amusing of the bunch, as she wants to act cool and detached like Tanaka despite being full of energy and enthusiasm. She pleads her way into becoming his unofficial apprentice, promising to do her best to not do her best. There's something delightfully insane about the whole situation, and it has the fun side effect of annoying Tanaka to no end. While the series always comes back to its core formula of having Ohta and Tanaka chat about how listless Tanaka is, being able to rotate other characters in and out keeps things fresh enough over the course of this twelve-episode season.

The low-key comedy alone is enough to make this show worth watching once, but what gives it staying power (and bumps it up into Shelf Worthy territory for me) is its ability to sneak in little moments of insight. Because he never really does anything, Tanaka is able to sit back and observe the people around him. This occasionally leads him to say something profound about other characters' personalities or about the nature of their relationships with him. Most of these observations are simple enough: Echizen is a far kinder person than she claims to be, Miyano should just be herself instead of trying to imitate Tanaka, and class rep Shiraishi doesn't need to force herself to be perfect just to make friends. Even though these little insights aren't deep or complex, there's a kind of honesty to them that lends the series an emotional backbone to support its humor.

While I wasn't blown away by the animation in Tanaka-kun is Always Listless, it's a decent-looking show with a visual style that fits its tone and content. The opening theme is also noteworthy for being well-matched to the show's atmosphere, and it sets the mood for each episode quite nicely. This standard version of the set lacks the physical extras of the limited edition, but it does feature on-disc extras including some fun animated shorts. The English dub does a solid job of matching voice actors to their roles, with Blake Shepard and Monica Rial sounding particularly on-point as Tanaka and Miyano, respectively. My only gripe with the dub is that the dialogue sometimes sounds too formal for a group of high school kids, but it's still a solid option for folks who prefer English audio.

Tanaka-kun is Always Listless is remarkably laid-back for a comedy about an eccentric main character, but it makes that premise work. It finds its groove after a couple episodes, and the characters develop into a nicely balanced cast. It's the kind of series that I can see myself rewatching on (appropriately enough) a lazy afternoon. If you're looking for a character-driven comedy but don't necessarily want all the yelling and energy that often comes with the genre, Tanaka might just be your guy.
-Paul[TOP]