In most animes if a character is lazy then they usually have some extraordinary dormant power and only get involved when things get serious. In contrast to this Tanakakun is Always Listless explores a character who simply wants to avoid having to put forth any effort ever. Packed into a light slice of life framework Tanakakun presents a character who plays out the indolent fantasies in the back of our minds all while being quite ordinary. What makes Tanakakun worth watching is that he has not given up on life. His lackadaisical lifestyle is a choice rather than a resignation. As such the comedy revolves around Tanakakuns daily efforts though for someone who would prefer to be sedentary he is surprisingly hardworking. A main character whose only goal is having an uneventful slothful life however is not on his own very interesting. Enter Oota Miyano Shiraishi and Echizen. Much of the anime revolves not around Tanakakuns lethargy but around his participation typically unwillingly in their conflicts and antics. At the same time it shows how the characters slowly adapt to and support him in his torpid state. A show like this cannot afford to be languid though. It finds itself in a difficult situation: Amidst the hypersaturation of oneoff episodic slice of life comedy animes it is hard to stand out. Tanakakun succeeds in two areas: 1. It keeps a narrow focus and 2. The characters are not one dimensional. There are no moments in the show where you forget the theme they simply wont let you forget. Even when a side character gets an arc Tanakakun is always there being languorous. Despite this by the end of the twelve episodes Tanakakun and all of the supporting characters have each made actual progress over who they were at the start of the series. Tanakakun is however not able to completely overcome its genre. It rests alongside shows like: Sakamoto Desu Ga? Handakun and Clean Freak Aoyamakun. And while it certainly is the best rated of these shows at its peak it still tends to unambitiously depend on the same tropes. Remove the main characters unique attribute and suddenly you have an ordinary and mediocre slice of life series. Along with this it lacks any other special or outstanding elements. The animation is simple the voice acting is average and the story is the minimum required for an anime in this genre. In the end Tanakakun is definitely worth adding to your list. It is the perfect laid back anime to watch when you are feeling lethargic. You may even find yourself wanting to rewatch it once in a while. Dont set your expectations too high sit back relax and enjoy it. Overall this anime is a 7.4/10.