# Tanaka-kun Is Always Listless (2016)

> A lethargic high school student who dozes through nearly everything frustrates his best friend yet draws the affection of those around him.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/58314

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 12
- Episode runtime: 24 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: animation, comedy
- Network: TOKYO MX
- Cast: Kensho Ono, Yoshimasa Hosoya, Kotori Koiwai, Yuichi Iguchi, Kazuyuki Okitsu, Masayuki Tanaka, Natsumi Takamori, Yoji Ueda
- TMDB rating: 7.4/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5531604/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: glacial
- Intensity: subtle
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: none
- Tone: deadpan, gentle, soothing, breezy, comforting

## What critics say

Audiences rate the single season positively for its gentle, deadpan take on a listless student's school life.

## Synopsis

Tanaka-kun Is Always Listless (2016) is a Japanese animated slice of life comedy series broadcast on TOKYO MX and produced by Lantis, Shochiku and SILVER LINK. Its listless high school protagonist Tanaka (voiced by Kensho Ono) dozes through classes, club activities and nearly everything else, a habit that exasperates his energetic best friend Ohta (voiced by Yoshimasa Hosoya). Around them orbit classmates such as Shiraishi (voiced by Kotori Koiwai) and Kato (voiced by Yuichi Iguchi), whose attention drifts toward Tanaka despite his almost total lack of effort. The engine of the series is simple: each short episode strings together small, mundane school moments, from awkward conversations to teacher interruptions, and lets the comedy grow from Tanaka's stillness against everyone else's bustle. The single twelve-episode season is a gentle, low-stakes affair with no real villains or grand plot, and its tone is soothing, deadpan and warmly affectionate. Set in a present-day Japanese high school, it has an iyashikei calm that will appeal to fans of Nichijou and Lucky Star and anyone who enjoys a comfortable, easygoing anime to watch one episode at a time.

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