Anime Review: Tanaka-kun is Always Listless

[Watch it on Crunchyroll]

TL;DR

Come for lighthearted, low-key comedy vibes. Stay because you wish your high school looked this and because you're too lazy to get up. No wait, you're actually asleep there on the couch! Didn't you want to see the rest of this episode?

School Sets

Tanaka-kun is Always Listless is worth watching if only just to drool over the cool and interesting sets. I don't know much about architectural styles and the cultural movements that motivate them, but the sets in this show make me wish I did. Halfway through my high school career our school district built a brand new high school building and moved us all into it. Aside from the pervasive-to-the-point-of-distracting sound of rushing air created by the new, apparently over-provisioned ventilation system, I thought our new school was "nice" at the time. But now I know it's a wet, musty cave compared to the light, airy, modern high school utopia these kids go to.

Who wouldn't want to curl up for a nap on the bench made of sky and clouds, or have a lazy daydream on that breezy rooftop terrace? Other shows also have school set that look cool, like Owarimonogatari, for example. but the entire setting of Owarimonogatari is supposed to be a little surreal, whereas Tanaka-kun sells its sets as if they should be considered normal, mundane even. For me, at least, the warm, enlightened feel of the sets served to lull me into a sense of easy relaxation. As if everything was calm and right with the world, and there's nothing left to do but take a nice long nap.

Napping Glamorized

This show should come with a warning; you might not be able to resist taking a nap once you start an episode. The clean, pleasant sets are a big part of setting a care-free tone, but then there are also a lot of glamour shots of the sky and clouds, which reminds you of laying down outside. And then there's Tanaka-kun himself, the star of the show, who aspires to be a champion of the lazy path in life. You go into the show thinking this half-ridiculous quest to be the most listless person who ever lived is all in good fun, but by the end of each episode you find yourself buying a little bit more into the wisdom of the snooze master.

Whether or not you ultimately decide to fully commit to the path, one thing is for sure; napping never felt this good!