If I’m gonna summarize this manga into a line, this quote from Bill Gates works so damn fine. Tanaka-kun wa Itsumo Kedaruge (or Tanaka-kun is Always Listless) is a manga that explores the antics of our main character Tanaka on how to be lazy at life and dodge daily responsibilities. It is a light, hilarious read filled with wholesome moments. And whether you have watched the anime or not, this manga is definitely something to check out.

I think what carries this manga a lot are its characters. Tanaka compared to an animal would be a sloth that requires a whole lot of effort for even mundane things, like eating. Tanaka is one of Japan’s most common surnames which is so appropriate and kind of a tongue-in-cheek for a character who aspires to be boring and mediocre. Surprisingly, this manga has strong and quirky characters that contrast well with Tanaka’s laid-back personality. Characters that each have their defining personalities that at first seems stereotypical, but as the manga goes on, fleshes out the characters into people you cannot help but like and adore. If there is a criticism that I will make, it’s that there are a lot of interesting characters in the manga that sometimes you get bored of the main character. Heck, sometimes even the supposed “two boring background characters” are even more interesting to read on. But I guess this is one of this manga’s strongpoints. It does a good job on balancing the dynamic hilariousness with the laid back atmosphere. It’s never boring enough, with the well timed laughs. Art is pretty simple. There’s really nothing to say since it’s not exactly that adds to the experience but also does not distract me from the story. It does suit the iyashikei atmosphere that the manga is trying to convey.

I know the synopsis kinda makes it sound like it’s a Boys’ Love manga, but in my honest opinion, there was nothing that was explicitly stated and the manga plays around it a bit as a fujobait. It is easy to imagine something of that sort between Ohta and Tanaka’s bromance, but personally, this manga centers around good laughs,with its chill atmosphere.

Overall, I do not think you can go wrong with reading Tanaka-kun, unless you are the type of reader that gets bored with cute slice of life stories. The manga is basically a bunch of friends fooling around and having fun in the process. Also, if you are expecting any kind of explicit romance, straight or not, this is not the manga to read. There are a lot of implicit wink wink situations, but it’s up to the reader how to interpret those on their own. Though, despair not fellow romance-lovers, there’s enough material to keep our fantasies alive. Tanaka-kun Is Always Listless is a fun read from start to finish that you should definitely try.