Tonari No Seki-Kun—The Master of Killing Time: Complete Collection

Comprised of 21 episodes running a mere eight minutes each, this sublimely simple 2014 classroom comedy (adapted from comics, using rather simple animation) centers on Seki, a slacker student—(aka, an "at-his-own-pace-boy") who amuses himself at his desk during dull school lectures by concocting elaborate tabletop diversions using toys and games that he has smuggled in or fabricated out of commonplace objects. Seki (who never speaks) outrages and fascinates Rumi, the prim girl who sits next to him. But despite her disapproval as Seki's little schemes unfold, Rumi is the one who usually gets in trouble with the teacher for inattention. The situation is almost as ritualized as Wile E. Coyote's failures with the Road Runner, although over the course of the series a strange bond develops between the two schoolmates. Gag references to other anime series along with other esoteric bits of Nippon culture don't detract from this inoffensive farce that will strike a chord with anyone who has ever been painfully bored in the classroom. Presented in separate dual-language DVD and Blu-ray editions, rated TV-14, this is highly recommended. (C. Cassady)