Tanaka-kun Wa Itsumo Kedaruge

Feeling… Lazy… To… Watch… This… Series… Yawn… Feeling sleepy… Hold my horses! I know I am a lazy person but I am not this lethargic! Boy, this series almost really influenced me there. Hehehe… You see, Tanaka-kun Wa Itsumo Kedaruge has its titular character with a very ‘unique’ trait for a main character. He is listless. Lethargic. Languid. Sluggish. Tired. Weary. All the time. And I am very sure this is not energy conservation mode. He is so listless that he can just doze off in the middle of anything. Anything! Is this talent or what? How can a main character of a series be so lazy and keep us entertained for a dozen episodes? This I got to see. Maybe I can learn a thing or two from him and apply it in my working life without the risk of getting fired. Oops!

Episode 1
Tanaka is sleeping at the school garden and even falls asleep when his friend Oota talks to him halfway! As usual, Oota carries him back to class where he continues sleeping. Even finding a position to sleep at his desk is tough. If not careful, he might fall off and bang his head on the wall. There is one time he is so comfortable letting the breeze from the window blow him that he just slips off his seat. Like as though he melted. Surprisingly he takes part in PE in hopes of acquiring some strength so his limbs won’t fall asleep. He sees Oota smashing in badminton and wants to emulate. Unfortunately the racket slips off his hand and almost kills the opponent! So as he sits out and Oota plays for his part, Tanaka thinks the world should have a system where the sleeping partner gets the credit too when the active partner works on his behalf. Uhm, isn’t that what is happening too in some parts of the world? While taking break during lunch, Tanaka is so weak that the French bread he eats stabs his mouth and he starts bleeding! Observing how cool, active and attractive Oota is, Tanaka is even willing to give his life to him! Oota knows how listless Tanaka is so when he has a new pose, could he be double listless today? So listless that his mouth misses the water fountain and wets his hair. Even when he is hungry, he is so lazy to eat. Another surprise is that Tanaka can play the piano well! But soon it turns into a creepy tune that scars everyone. When the teacher sees something on his face and wants to pick it, Tanaka screeches at her like a cat! OMG! The most ferocious face he has ever put up?! So lazy this dude that he doesn’t want to go home at the end of school. Oota comes to pick him up and that is when he sees notes for him to go to the dentist. He realizes all the events that has happened that contributed to his behaviour. Oota carries him to a dentist to extract his cavity. Despite his poker face, Tanaka is annoyed. At least he learns his lesson to take care of his teeth properly to avoid having cavities again. Some things you can’t just slack off.

Episode 2
Tanaka prays at a shrine so his life would be peaceful. But God must be f*cking with him because suddenly this small petite girl, Miyano wants to become his apprentice! And she is the very active kind. Seriously, Tanaka doesn’t need this sh*t but she still insists. Surprisingly he agrees to take her as an apprentice since it will take more effort to resist her. She will do her best but ironically she shouldn’t. Is she listening? Yeah, it is not getting to her. She tries observing and acting like him but looks scary and obviously fails. The turning point came when she sees him drinking green tea and also wants one. But it hurt her so much because she prefers strawberry milk that she starts crying. Huh? Even worse when Tanaka changes his drink just to appease her, that same listless look bothers her as she runs away in tears. Huh? What? She then does her research on being listless and presents it to him. He doesn’t understand. Failed? Tanaka tells her being lethargic isn’t for her. She shouldn’t try so hard to be someone she isn’t. Miyano reveals there is someone she likes and although she treats her kindly, she thought she would like to become mature for that person. Tanaka replies that if so he would like her for who she is. So be yourself. Then one day, Miyano suddenly becomes listless! OMG! She is so pro in it that she may have surpassed Tanaka! Really unbelievable. Did her crush dump her? Not even strawberry milk can appease her. So listless that she almost walked into a no entry zone. Luckily the guys take her away and think the sign was too high for her. That is when Miyano returns to her usual active mind. She is now relieved. Apparently with so many mascots appearing on television, she got scared thinking if there was a plot to conquer humans. Her thinking got out of hand that she couldn’t sleep at night. Then she realizes that there must be short people like her in it. Phew. What a relief. So that is what is bugging her? Worse, she didn’t realize she was lethargic all the while. She feels so wasted that she is going to create something new to stress over and try again! Don’t bother… After Tanaka prays to the shrine again for a peaceful (even threatening the deity?), looks like God decides to f*ck up his life again because there is a letter of challenge in his shoe box.

Episode 3
Tanaka is so lazy that Oota had to debone his fish for him! What a good friend! But as he clears his tray, he collapses! Did he eat something allergic? Actually he ate too full that he is feeling way too sleepy. It’s like overcharging a battery? Oota reminds him about the challenge letter. He pretends that never happened. Apparently the person who wrote the challenge letter, Echizen is furious that he never showed up. Now she has found him and wants to fight. He ignores her… Echizen and Oota know each other as they were neighbours, in the same kindergarten and hang out with the same gang. Since Tanaka is too lethargic, Echizen scales down her fight to… A board game? Although she wins in Go, she feels Tanaka won because he made a word from the stone positions. Then they play cards but the wind blew them away. Echizen blows her top and reveals her friend respected him and so she wanted to test him out only to be disappointed he is so bloody weak. When Miyano is here, Echizen happily greets her. So it’s safe to say these 2 are good friends. Tanaka tells Echizen she doesn’t need to worry about Miyano as she has no talent for being listless and he has already excommunicated her. Although relieved, Echizen still wants to beat him up for making her look like a fool. With Miyano praising Tanaka, this only fuels Echizen’s will for a rematch. One day, Miyano and Echizen got into a fight. The latter forces Tanaka to hear her out. Miyano baked cute cookies for her. In fact, too cute to eat so it moulded. This hurt Miyano’s feelings. Tanaka suggests she should have taken a photo of it but she has no handphone. Tanaka is forced to set them up to talk but Miyano gives her the cold shoulder. She tries writing a letter but it sounded like a challenge letter that only fuels Miyano’s anger. Echizen asks about Tanaka and Oota if they ever fight. Obviously they never since being angry takes too much energy and tiring. Besides, dragging out an awkward situation and being stubborn is just silly. Miyano heard that too so she apologizes to Echizen. She reveals the person she is in love with is Echizen. Now they are best friends again. Or lovers? So to stem this problem, Miyano makes chocolates that aren’t cute so she can eat. Macho man chocolates? Echizen sure can but I don’t think the guys want to eat this…

Episode 4
As usual when Oota and Tanaka are running late for class, they bump into their class rep, Shiraishi and ruin her printouts. Now, Shiraishi is one of those perfect and polite girls. The kind that has their own fan-boys-cum-bodyguards. They aren’t taking this lightly but Shiraishi easily diffuses the tension. Tanaka feels guilty like a water flea so this forces Shiraishi to accept their offer to let them help her redo the printouts. So we see the usual Tanaka laziness as he uses the warmth of the printed paper and wants to be its paperweight. Tanaka runs out of steam halfway so Oota has to take him and leave. Once they do, Shiraishi couldn’t be more relieved. She takes away her contacts, puts on her glasses, changes her hairstyle and prolongs her skirt. In short, she looks more like a nerd and is comfortable in this form. Flashback reveals she has always been one but vowed to have a new image upon entering high school as she was always a loner. It was a success. However she realized putting up this idol image is too tiring. Fearing backlash from her friends, she continued to put up this fake front. As Shiraishi starts relaxing, Oota returns to retrieve Tanaka’s forgotten bag. Busted? An awkward silence as Oota takes the bag and leaves.

Next day, she is worried if her identity is found out. While other students treat her as normal, she is wary of the duo. I mean, when Tanaka says she is always shining and doesn’t she get tired of it, she thinks he is on to her. She further observes them like how Oota ties up his hair to avoid mixing with the chemicals. The hairstyle looks so similar that she thinks he is mocking her. As they talk to their friends who ask about the duo staying behind to help Shiraishi, just when Oota is going to reveal the truth, turns out he thought there was another person using the room and not Shiraishi. So her worries were unfounded? Shiraishi then changes to her new looks as an experiment to see if anyone recognizes her. None. Yes! Now she can relax without being stressed out putting up her facade. But when she passes Tanaka, he immediately recognizes her! Busted! That is when she reveals the truth to them. However Tanaka tells her she is productive and inspires others unlike himself who is useless scum to society and gives in to his laziness. Oota tells her to have more confidence in herself. They agree to keep her other identity a secret. Tanaka is relieved that she isn’t perfect and has a secret. Because if she is shinning so brightly, he can’t go near her and it hurts his eyes. Shiraishi tosses away her contacts for glasses and her friends accept her new look. She wonders how Tanaka was the only one who recognized her. This is the truth that she would be better off not knowing: No matter how a girl covers up her looks, she can’t hide her chest size. Tanaka you dog… So you’re using your lethargic to hide your keen observation?

Episode 5
Tanaka needs Oota’s help not only to buy groceries, but he needs to figure out what Tanaka’s sister told him to buy! Obviously Oota gets the wrong idea that Oota’s sister is the same as him and that the family isn’t eating well. Rest assured, his sister is self sufficient. We see Oota knowing his trade very well so much so the housewives start to admire him! Some even want him in their family or marry their daughter! At the end of the day, Oota feels something amiss because why would his sister send her slacking brother to do an errand? What could it be so important today that she needs him to do it? Then he sees a pancake truck outside the store and today is the last day. This must be it! Case solved. Next day, Oota wonders why Tanaka has such strong odour. Apparently it wasn’t pancakes she wanted. It was some pipe cleaner. He got an earful for buying unnecessary groceries and she made them all into his dinner. Parmesan cheese mixed with papaya, parsley and paprika… Yuck… Shiraishi realizes she has been enjoying herself more after Tanaka made her realize. When she notices she can’t help stalk him, she realizes she is in love with him! She confides in her friends. They’re pretty cool about it. Although they are worried about her bodyguards who won’t take likely to it, they support her. First, she tries thinking of ways to get close to him. Eventually she asks Oota if Tanaka is in love with someone. I’m sure Oota even shocked himself thinking he is most suitable person for Tanaka to fall in love! I know, right? She gets her hopes up when he has no girlfriend yet. As she goes to talk to him in class, she sees Miyano being scatterbrain with him. She never realized they were this close. Miyano then catches her starring at them. She runs away. Her worst fear comes true when Miyano confronts her and knows she was watching. Miyano takes her hand so that she could go talk to Tanaka. As she panics, she soon realizes Miyano mistakes Shiraishi’s intention of wanting to be Tanaka’s listless apprentice! They can train together! Tanaka brushes all that off, breaking the heart of a certain petite girl. Shiraishi then sums up her courage to ask him to be her friend. Aren’t they already friends? She couldn’t be more relieved. They exchange emails. Miyano sends a message to her saying that she will support her in secret. I guess she knows after all. To be a disciple, that is.

Episode 6
Tanaka is all drenched from the rain because he doesn’t want to use the umbrella. When he left home, it was just light. But as it got heavier and heavier he thought he could make it. Obviously he didn’t. Then he thought he could evolve to have some rain barrier just by standing out in the rain! Even the next day he comes to school drenched despite it was already raining heavily. He thought he could dodge the drops. Failed. When Shiraishi shares an umbrella with him, she gets very conscious. Too bad half of Tanaka’s side is exposed to the rain. Because of that he gets sick. Since talking is a pain, Tanaka communicates via writing in his notebook. When he forgot his history textbook, it is suggested to borrow from Echizen. Unfortunately he finds her name hard to write so he writes to suggest changing her name to Tanaka or Oota. She misinterprets this as a marriage proposal and rejects him! When Tanaka is well, he continues wearing the mask because he gets to make funny faces that everyone couldn’t see. Echizen is now a conscious girl thinking Tanaka and/or Oota likes her. I wonder if she can take it all without getting a heart attack each time the guys are near her. The deeper she thinks about it, the more she thinks about beating them up out of embarrassment and anger. Asking Miyano’s suggestion what she would call her if she changed her name only yielded embarrassing results. When Echizen trips on her skirt and Oota saves her, she runs away in embarrassment. The more he tries to get close, the clumsier she gets as she ends up hurting herself even more. When the guys confront her about her strange behaviour, she reveals about that name change thingy. She thinks they are playing dumb as they still don’t understand what is going on. But when Tanaka remembers that textbook incident, he misinterprets that Echizen is fond and proud of her surname. He apologizes for taking it lightly as he was sick then and was too lazy to write all the strokes. Echizen is both mad and embarrassed she got this whole thing wrong. Making it worse, the guys suggests calling her an easier way: Ecchan. It sounds so dirty…

Episode 7
Somebody put high quality Valentine chocolates in Tanaka’s bag. He is afraid not of the chocolates but rather the responsibility to return the feelings. Oota also has one but is a very low quality. Oh, the vast difference. There is also a letter with Tanaka’s chocolates. But it is made out of newspaper cuttings ambiguously arranged as “I’m watching you all the time!”. Oh sh*t! Thinking it is Miyano who gave the chocolates, that theory dissipates when they heard that she forgot to make for them because she doesn’t see them as boys but God and Buddha! They try out the chocolates. Oota is dark chocolate. He doesn’t like it as it is bitter. Unlike Tanaka’s chocolates that are very sweet. Thinking it could be from Shiraishi, apparently it isn’t her too since she spent her time as a loner too long that she didn’t realize today is Valentine’s Day. On the way home, a voice recorder falls out from Tanaka’s bag. This is serious. Then they bump into Tanaka’s sister, Rino. What a splitting image. Rino admits the voice recorder is hers. She tapes it in class lessons not to review it later but to blackmail the teacher of the mistakes he made and correct them. Oota is invited to their home. He is served black coffee, much to his dismay and Rino won’t allow him to add sugar. Oota observes her diligence and they talk about Tanaka. When the guys remember they have chocolates to go with the black coffee and how they ate them, Rino has a slight change in tone but soon reminds them to leave before it is dark. It is revealed Rino made those chocolates. She made the dark chocolate one to be mean and invited him here to know about her brother’s high school life but instead hears him bragging about how close he is. She is mad that nobody is to be closer to her brother than her. Tanaka has a feeling the chocolates from Rino. He thinks the chocolates are leftover samples from the batch she made for the boy she likes and for him to taste (isn’t that Tanaka himself?). The dark chocolate for Oota was probably as thanks for taking care of him. He knows after realizing her reaction. Rino continues about how much effort she put in the wrapping and was embarrassed if her brother found out it was from her and thus the newspaper cutting. She is upset that Oota ate most of Tanaka’s chocolates. As consolation she thinks she could hear Tanaka’s voice from the voice recorder. Unfortunately he is too soft and all she heard is Oota’s voice.

Episode 8
Oota is absent so Tanaka is tasked to send printouts to his home. Instead he hopes Echizen to do it since she lives next to him. After getting an earful for the best friend he is, at least Echizen will help guide him there. Along the way, a punk wants to pay back Echizen. Actually he pays back her money! What a nice guy. Tanaka observes the many people thanking Echizen for her help. Oota is surprised when he sees Tanaka at the doorstep. Echizen doesn’t want to take any credit since Oota looks so happy to see him. After Echizen goes home, Tanaka wonders why she became a delinquent. Oota manages to return to school but his foot is sprained after helping an old lady. The first concern his classmates have is who will take care of Tanaka! Tanaka says it is his turn to take care of him but I doubt with his strength he could. This guy even gets tired halfway buying bread for his friend that he ate his share just to return to class. Don’t worry. Echizen bought extra so he can have hers. Till Miyano reveals she went all the way to the store just to get him this ‘gift’. During the self study session, as usual Tanaka is being lethargic. But he needs to finish a set of problems or he’ll be in trouble later. He is so lazy in thinking in English so Oota mentions it is important to master English since 80 countries speak it. Tanaka gets lazier thinking it would be just easy for those countries to make Japanese their first language. When they hit a problem they don’t understand, they can’t disturb Shiraishi since she is so into her problem. The boys are fooling around and Miyano is just struggling. Better not bother her and solve it themselves. A fire drill is held. Because the other friends carry Oota, they realize Tanaka is missing. He soon arrives at the field late because he got lost. Usually it is Oota who always carries him. I guess this makes Oota vow to be careful not to injure himself in the future. Later as Oota thanks Tanaka for being considerate, Tanaka thought of making today Oota’s Day to honour him. However he thinks he might forget it next year and doesn’t bother with it. But he makes coupons that will have him do things himself. Oota uses one. When the next class is about to start and Tanaka is taking his sweet time, Oota just carries him and rushes to class. Made it just in time.

Episode 9
The fast food joint waitress, Saionji dreads serving Tanaka and thinks this might take a while. She is surprised he gets energetic ordering his combo meal. Unfortunately that toy is out. He becomes depressed, cancels his order and just orders a milkshake. She is so scared he might make a scene that she will even bring the milkshake to him. Because Tanaka lacks strength in sucking the milkshake, Saionji misinterprets his struggle as some sort of evil aura! Tanaka and Oota talk good about this joint but again she misinterprets their evil stare. She even seeks the manager’s help to get that toy. Her life depends on it! When they leave, she cowers in fear. But when they praise the food and service, she is confused that they could be nice guys. Her fear comes back again when the duo return the next day. Oota remembers he left his handphone in class and leaves to get it. At that point Rino and her best friend, Saya are also here when they see Tanaka. Saya panics thinking she saw Rino’s double! This familiar reaction is pissing off Rino. Saya is so shy and reserved that Rino has to speak on her behalf. Rino is happy this is a rare chance to be with her brother and for some reason that stupid Oota is not around. Yes! It could have been better if Saya doesn’t ruin the mood by panicking over how to get over this awkward silence. When Rino goes get milkshake (Saionji thinking he came back with a vengeance now dressed as a girl!), the awkwardness grows between Saya left alone with Tanaka. Even more awkward, when Tanaka asks her about her brother’s gorilla level. WTF?! Tanaka is glad to hear her honest answer because he deems himself useless to Rino. But Saya disagrees as she knows how much Rino cares about her brother as she often hears her talking good about him. When Oota finally returns, he is surprised to see his sister Saya here. Rino’s day is ruined just seeing him. But learning this is her best friend’s brother, all the more weird and confused she feels. Unfortunately Rino’s hate for Oota can only increase because when she cooks dinner, Tanaka is so full from lunch with Oota that he can’t join her. Curse you, Oota! Saya showers her brother with love by cooking a big serving of dinner. Eat up.

Episode 10
In the hot summer, Tanaka and Oota are at the pool. Tanaka is so weak that the slightest warm up exercise, his muscle cramps! So weak that he got bullied by a couple of kids in the pool but Oota’s scary face was enough for them to apologize. Tanaka’s float deflates but he can float on water like natural! So soothing… The rest also try it out… So soothing… The kids are impressed and view the duo as their master. At the end of the day, all that swimming made them tired. This means Tanaka has got to wait till Oota regains his strength before he carries him back. Next day, the kids happily tell them how the teacher of their swimming class is teaching the same floating technique. Did they open a can of worms for the future generation’s swimming? Because Miyano is going to see the fireworks festival with Echizen, she needs to grow taller and act mature. Tanaka has the simplest solution: Don’t go and stay home in your cool room and watch TV. Brilliant idea! But still feeling the need to get a yukata, the guys along with Shiraishi tag along to help her. Will sandals help Miyano seem taller? Nah. When Miyano tries on her yukata, it is so over-sized that no matter how many sandals she wears can save her. But she is jealous by the fact the yukata made Shiraishi boobs stand out more. Lost the will to live? That’s the Tanaka spirit! But don’t worry, Shiraishi is good in sewing and can make some adjustments for her. At the festival, lots of best friend hugs and kisses between Miyano and Echizen. I guess the guys have to dismiss their sexy and mature image of Echizen in a yukata since she is wearing a matching set of cute floral patterns as Miyano. Echizen flusters when Oota comments good about her yukata. That romantic mood is ruined when the guys go get some shaved ice cream. Echizen is so mad that she pours the entire bucket over Oota’s head! You don’t cut off a woman when she is talking good about you! The magnificent fireworks start. Everyone has a nice view of it. Except for Miyano. Her short stature is making her miss everything. Curse you, shortness!

Episode 11
It is the cultural festival and Tanaka dreads it. That is why he has learnt to be in stealth mode to avoid being noticed. Unfortunately Shiraishi knows him and has already roped him in as a ghost since their class is doing haunted house. Tanaka doesn’t want to help out and he thought of going into stealth mode again. Because looks like a real deal ghost, his friends think he is best for the job! So we see the friends testing out Tanaka’s scary level as a ghost in a well. He is already pretty scary without putting on the wardrobe. During the test run, Tanaka’s lethargy makes him a natural scary ghost. Oota is supposed to be the grand final scare but it is soon revealed that Oota is afraid of ghosts. He didn’t turn down the part since he thought it would be irresponsible to shove the duty to others but since he is so scared that he can’t move, they have to scramble to find a replacement. Miyano does the honours but her cat ghost is more cute than scary. It seems this is all part of the plan to turn this into a comic relief haunted house. A survey shows Tanaka is the scariest ghost. Because he looks real for the part despite literally sleeping on the job! SCARY!!! Tanaka goes to have a break. He passes by Echizen doing her cute maid cafe greeting. Obviously he ignores her but that embarrassment makes her want to kill him if not for a friend restraining her. The toilet might be the only place he can find his peace and quiet but somebody is making out there! OMG! The most scandalous thing ever in this series?! He finds a quiet spot in a box on the top of the stairs. Oota needs to find him before he gets lost. Tanaka responds to his call and from Oota’s point of view, Tanaka looks like a ghost crawling out!!! So scary that he passes out! Tanaka has no choice but to stay by his side till he wakes up. The day ends with a success and the class celebrates. Next day, Oota hears the school’s ghost story rumours. He has taken extreme taboo measures. Like a mountain plate of salt.

Episode 12
Tanaka is being superstitious seeing today the class will have their seats rearranged. Too bad he ends up in the worst possible seat. Right in front of the teacher and he is sleeping! As bad as him is Miyano who is at the back and being blocked by towering Oota. When Oota offers to swap, suddenly Tanaka is faster than Sonic to offer the switch! Ah, now he can sleep behind the great wall without being noticed known as Oota’s back. This swap is also beneficial for Shiraishi as Tanaka is seated next to her. She tries to talk to him but he is either sleeping or taken away by Oota. No chance. He doesn’t even notice her sex appeal and even when sharing stuffs, Oota always got him covered. Grrr! Now you know how Rino feels, right? Shiraishi laments her fate alone. Miyano is unsure what is going on but gives her confidence by supporting her. However her plan backfires when Tanaka says he prefers being alone. Her lament continues but Tanaka adds that it is okay to fail since it isn’t the end of the world. Because life is short and even if you can’t do anything about it now, it’ll work out in the end. For a lethargic guy, he has pretty good words. When Tanaka and Shiraishi walk back together, their friends spot them. As Shiraishi is in a different hairstyle, they didn’t recognize her and think she is Tanaka’s girlfriend.

They bug him about it the next day. Tanaka remembers Shiraishi’s promise not to expose her secret so he maintains she is his friend. But his friends remain adamant that they are an item. Even Oota believes so! He won’t bother him from now on. Shiraishi feels bad about this mix up but as she tries to restore order, she ends up taking tips from them on how men think. Oh look, Miyano is mad too. Not another annoyance. If Tanaka concealed her girlfriend so well from others, so what is her problem? What has she got to do with it? So Miyano takes Shiraishi ‘drinking’ for a broken hearts club? Echizen soon finds out about Tanaka’s girlfriend via Oota. She gets the wrong idea Oota wants to make a move on her but he requests to carry her since he feels empty. All he got is a punch in the gut. Tanaka walks home alone and bumps into all the ‘obstacles’. He realizes how his friends are valuable in getting him out in such situations. He wants to relax alone but for some reason he can’t. The guys tail him but didn’t see his girlfriend. It is then it occurred to Oota who this girlfriend is. He lies that girl is Tanaka’s friend and his personal mentor, Master Macaron! The next day, his friends apologize profusely and Tanaka accepts it. They are glad he continues to be their friends and all Tanaka wants is for them to be as they are. Shiraishi apologizes for causing lots of trouble but this ultimately kills it. Because Tanaka thinks that having a girlfriend will cause so much drama, he will not have one! Gasp! But luckily Shiraishi isn’t going to rush and will take her time.

Specials

These are short web specials in showcasing Tanaka being the master of lethargy. Don’t worry, it won’t take up much of your time since well, each special is only 30 seconds long. The memorable ones are Tanaka had a wonderful dream but he can’t remember it so he goes back to sleep to take a look at it; Tanaka is in the train and while texting back to Oota, he falls asleep and thus his text messages are sent jumbled up; Tanaka is so weak poking a straw into the packet that the just gives up; If Tanaka were to play an RPG game, he would prefer to become a stationary NPC; Tanaka’s time standard differs from our normal time standard because 3 minutes is like 2 hours and his noodles are already soggy; Tanaka is having a hard time licking the melting popsicles so he vows to buy ice cream only in cups next time; Oota and friends suggesting new carrying methods for Tanaka which are all very dangerous; Tanaka using his handphone’s vibration as massage and thus not answering Oota’s call; Tanaka doesn’t even need to count sheep and dreaming of the meadows is enough to make him fall asleep; The remote controller is just a table away but when he thinks of using telekinesis to make it drop so he could easily pick it up, he himself drops on the floor; Tanaka is so lazy to take away the pudding’s cover that it made a dent in the pudding. He didn’t eat it eventually; Using a trolley to push Tanaka around looks good but at high speed cornering, he flies off!; Miyano can’t understand why Tanaka doesn’t reply her messages. Because it is so tiring to read. Indeed because Miyano sent long ass texts; Tanaka thought of using the typhoon to blow him to places but as soon as he gets out of his house, a plastic bag smacks into his face; Instead of helping Oota with the sweeping, Oota picks Tanaka up as though he is an extension to the pan; As suggested by her brother, Saya thought it would be good muscle training to lift Rino. No luck, though; Because Oota says a green tea stalk is good luck, Tanaka gives it to Rino. How the heck is she supposed to know what it means?; Tanaka runs out of toilet paper and will just wait till somebody comes by.

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Hey. It wasn’t that bad. Because I didn’t fall asleep while I was watching the entire series. Sure, there were boring and slow parts but somehow that feels as part of the charm of watching this anime. So is it safe to say that despite the lacklustre nature of this series, it manages to keep viewers afloat and awake till the end without making them doze off or worse, drop this series? At least I can say it is true for my part. Because I didn’t need coffee or power drinks to help me stay awake for the entire duration of this series. It goes to show that being lazy has his merits too. At least in regards as an entertainment. But don’t try it in real life. Ever.

There are probably lots of ironies many could draw from the lethargy and laziness theme of the series but you know, I’m too lazy to say it. So while this is another one of those animes without a decent plot, generally it doesn’t feel boring at all although at times there are but it isn’t so bad. Therefore if you are an adrenaline junkie and need to get your action fix, this series will literally kill you. But this series is not so boring that it would be a cure for insomnia. Well, unless you are not into this genre then maybe. Despite the comedy is not exaggerated parodies or over the top slapstick humour, you can still laugh or at least eke out a smile with its simplicity. Sometimes you don’t need anvils dropping over one’s head or hands-over-boobs fanservice sticky situations to LOL.

When a series is as directionless without a main story to drive its plot, its charm will then mainly fall on the characters. Despite only having a handful of main and supporting ones, I would say it did quite a good job in trying to maintain a satisfying level of humour among the characters. Despite knowing that Tanaka will always be the same listless dude, so far it never bores us because it is just amazing to see what kind of new level this guy could bring his lethargic to. Tanaka is basically the human sloth. Snails and tortoise are slow too but the sloth looks closer as a human being. However being listless doesn’t mean that Tanaka is dumb or uncaring. In many instances we have seen Tanaka being a considerate fellow. Heck, he is even self-realized that he is a lethargic person and even to a point considering himself as useless trash to society. He just lacks the exuberance that we are used to see. Thus sometimes it is a blessing that his thinking is quite simple and at other times just plain lazy thinking. You know what they say about giving the hardest job to the laziest person? They’ll find the easiest way to do it, that’s for sure!

Tanaka is so lazy that in the next episode preview, he is supposed to write the title of the next episode but dozes off halfway leaving it incomplete and a streak of brush line across the paper as proof of his lethargy. We only get to know what that title is thanks to the narration. But sometimes I believe that his laziness is more of a will than anything. Because there are very rare instances that he can burst into some form of energy although it is just a short while. All in the state of mind? Well, Tanaka chooses to be listless doesn’t mean he can’t do things that require more energy. He just chooses not to because it feels oh so good doing nothing. Aren’t we guilty of that sometimes? So it all boils down to his character of wanting to become lethargic. Because if his body, brains and heart have the same idea, they would just stop working and Tanaka would have died a long time ago. Do you not agree with me with this theory? This means theoretically only Tanaka’s spirit is the lazy one while his physical body is ‘hardworking’. Tanaka is the embodiment of lethargy that everybody in this universe seems to accept him for who he is instead of trying to change and whip him up into shape. Maybe they did but failed miserably. Most probably they lost motivation too after seeing how lazy Tanaka naturally is. That is why Tanaka can continue to be a slacker and always gets away with it.

Oota is probably the best friend that anybody would want to have. At least for a lethargic person like Tanaka, his strength and resourcefulness is handy in many situations. There are quite a few subtle gay jokes about them seeing how the duo are inseparable and it is like one cannot live without the other. While this is quite true for Tanaka seeing that Oota is his ‘automatic survival kit’, but how is it the case for Oota? Personally I feel that Oota’s existence is purely just for Tanaka. As if he was born for the destiny of becoming Tanaka’s life chaperone. Tanaka is the meaning of his existence. Without Tanaka, this tall handsome dude with a scary face will be at a lost on what to do. It will be worse than empty nest syndrome as seen in that mistaken Tanaka’s girlfriend skit. So you think the duo should just marry off each other and live happily ever after? Yeah… The duo even have such thoughts at times and even if it sounds more like joke, there is a real plausibility it might just happen. I wonder how heavy Tanaka weighs because the sweets lover can just easily pick him up like paper and run at full speed. As though Tanaka doesn’t even weigh anything! Is he lighter than air?!

Although the other female characters in the series are likeable in their own aspect such as the active scatterbrain disciple wannabe Miyano who is a total opposite of Tanaka, the kind delinquent wannabe Echizen and the not so seemingly perfect school idol Shiraishi, somehow I feel that these girls as well as the sisters are there to troll us as Tanaka’s love interests. Wait. What? This series has some romance? Ironically all of these girls in a way have a liking for Tanaka. So how can such a boring main character get the attention from so many girls? Well, it isn’t his lethargic outlook but rather the kindness of his heart. Isn’t it any wonder that they love him in one way or another?

Take for instance Shiraishi’s case as the leading example. We can solely credit Shiraishi’s feelings for him when he doesn’t ridicule her after discovering her other less than trendy appearance. But even that was because Shiraishi revealed it to them. Tanaka was too listless to even notice (except perhaps her boobs later on). Despite failed attempts to get closer to him in a romantic sense, the one thing she can count on is for Tanaka never to change. Status quo looks fine for now. But you know what they say that a man never changes, right? It will take forever till kingdom come to get Tanaka to realize her feelings. He’ll probably brush it all off as too much effort so why bother in the first place. Good luck in changing his mind.

Though Echizen might be leaning more towards Oota, there was this short period of time that she was confused about Tanaka’s feelings. You know how all those confusion mess up your thinking and heart, right? In spite of that tough exterior, somewhere deep down she is just a normal teenage girl. I suspect Miyano is using her bouncy and energetic personality to hide and cover her true feelings. But what about Echizen as her love? Is that just BFF talk? Forgotten all about that, haven’t we? Saya too as she did describe Tanaka as a prince when she first met him. Could it be her shyness and reservation is further enhanced by this crush? Last but not least is Rino who has a high level of brotherly love only to be rivalled by her eternal rival Oota. It could have been a peaceful and blissful life if not for a certain tall guy coming in between them all the time. Not too sure if Tanaka knows about his sister’s unhealthy obsession with him or if he is just being too lazy to bother but either way, Rino’s love for him is just creepy, don’t you think? Even more so when she has that lethargic face.

So I figure in the lead for Tanaka’s love would be Oota and Rino. You might think Shiraishi is the best pairing because she is the prettiest of the lot and decently fitting into societal norms of what should constitute to be normal love between man and woman. But with Oota actively being around for Tanaka’s needs and Rino’s extreme burakon (and possible tending to Tanaka’s needs at home where Oota is not present), they have the best chance of being Tanaka’s significant other. Will best friend gay love or sisterly incest love win the day? Shiraishi comes in as third with her decent efforts. Miyano could just take everything from behind and under their noses for being the loudest while Echizen and Saya would prop up the bottom of the table. Ah, that is how I see this race going. But enough of the cheesy fantasy romance, shall we?

Artwork is simple. Even the font of the series’ title is so simple and plain. Because of that, the characters themselves are plain and simple. Thanks to the nature of this series, it goes well and works. You don’t really need elaborated and detailed artwork to make things look good. This is one of the ways where simplicity enhances its beauty. Or is it maybe everyone is so lazy that they managed to somehow convince us this art style complements it all. But I noticed that some of the background sceneries are in good quality like the water flowing in the river having great effects, like as though that is where the rest of the budget went. Even the trees and the shading if you notice rather than dozing off halfway is quite an exceptional quality although I won’t go so far as to say it is a masterpiece. It isn’t very jarring either with the simple character designs that it will cause some imbalance. Maybe we have been hypnotized by the lethargic effects?

The only seiyuu I recognized was Aoi Yuuki as Rino. Take away all her enthusiasm you see in her other anime roles and you get Rino. Imagine how much difference such exuberance can make. There is also Nao Touyama as Saya but since her character is so shy and reserved as opposed to the tsundere Chitoge from Nisekoi, I didn’t realize it was her. Indeed, the liveliness in a voice does make a difference. You think Kensho Ono (Yoshichika in Luck & Logic) might have the easiest role as Tanaka thanks to his lethargic personality. Unless you have this personality in real life, talking is such a lethargic manner requires patience and skill! It might be easier than loudmouth or angry characters but still it is a bit of a challenge. At first I thought Miyano is voiced by Kana Asumi thanks to all that liveliness but in actual fact is Natsumi Takamori (Misaki in Sakurasou No Pet Na Kanojo). The other casts are Yoshimasa Hosoya as Oota (Arata in Chihayafuru), Kotori Koiwai as Shiraishi (Renge in Non Non Biyori) and Ayaka Suwa as Echizen (Ikumi in Jinsei).

The opening theme, Utata ne Sunshine by Unlimited Tone isn’t exactly an upbeat song. But what I’ll say is that it is lively enough to be soothing and calming. The kind of song that makes you feel like you want to lie down on the grass underneath a shady tree with the cool wind blowing through as the sun shines warmly on the earth’s surface. Yeah. That kind of feel. And maybe a little sleepy too… As for the ending theme, Bon-Bon by CooRie is quite bubbly. As opposed to the opener that makes you want to relax, this one makes you want to do a little jiggle or shuffle with your feet. On a side note, since I have not heard CooRie for quite some time, I couldn’t pinpoint that familiarity when I first heard her voice sing. I only knew when I was trying to look up the name of the song. Also worth noting is the nice background music. Especially those piano pieces that are catchy and relaxing at the same time. All in line with the ultimate listless theme of the series.

Overall, this is an enjoyable and slow pace comedy. Being lethargic can be fun only if you have reliable people around you who don’t mind doing things for you all the time. Tanaka should be the king of his own kingdom in that case. But for the rest of us, we aren’t so lucky. That is why I didn’t cut corners in my blog of mine to just simply summarize everything as okay even though I can do it out of irony and sarcasm. While Tanaka’s lethargy isn’t what you should be taking after, it is supposed to be his simple and easy going nature in life. After all, why so serious? You only have one life. The key is to strike a balance between work and play. I know hard work never kills but why take the risk? Okay, okay. So you want to know how not to be lazy but still seem hardworking? Here is my list: 1)…