Cleaning the house? Doing homework? Getting taxes done online? Gaming or building Gunpla? No worries! These anime are great for watching or listening to in the background while performing other needed tasks. After all, although the demanding maintenance and errands in life don’t stop, anime binging doesn’t have to either. Choo choo! Episodic plots, rife with comedic moments, low-stakes drama, mindless slice of life, or just generally chill, these low-effort top picks are perfect to keep the anime hype train going.
While many otaku may be worried that they’ll miss something important while directing their attention elsewhere, fear not, these anime are just as good a playlist as any musical mixtape, especially with the added ease of having English dubs as an option. Whether it’s a shorter series for a day of completing chores or an endless stream of tasks that call for an equally endless amount of episodes to binge, this list has you covered for all your multitasking anime needs.
Sgt. Frog
When the frog-like alien race, the Keronians, invade Earth, siblings Fuyuki and Natsumi Hinata have one invader in their very home: Sergeant Keroro, leader of a preliminary squad. But just when Keroro thinks he has the upper hand after subduing the two human children, his invasion device, the Kero Ball, busts, and headquarters abandons his unit’s retrieval when something forces the rest of the Keronians to flee Pekopon, their word for Earth. Although Keroro and his platoon, including Giroro, Tamama, Kururu, and Dororo, are forced to remain on Earth plotting planetary domination, they come to enjoy getting into wacky antics at the Hinata residence with its tenants. With Earth and the Hinata kids once their target, they’ve since become their home and friends.
Comprising over 300 episodes, Sgt. Frog, also called Keroro Gunsou, is a great pick for those wanting an endless stream of a cute comedy, just following the wacky daily lives of aliens’ futile shenanigans to conquer Earth.
Sgt. Frog can be streamed on Crunchyroll.
Aggretsuko
Retsuko is a typical 25-year-old who goes to her typical job at a typical workplace. But despite being one of the more diligent workers, with the stresses of misogynistic remarks from her boss, pressure from condescending co-workers, and exploitation from her colleagues piling up, it’s enough to make her want to explode. So, keeping her anger and frustration bottled up until it’s time to clock out, Retsuko finds refuge at the local karaoke scene. Finally alone and able to let off steam, Retsuko unleashes her righteous death metal screeches to vent about the idiocy, hypocrisy, and duplicity in the workplace.
Need to vent about workplace woes? Retsuko is right there with you! Produced by Sanrio, Aggretsuko, like the aggressive Retsuko herself, is a refreshing take on workplace scenarios with typical, relatable frustrations adorned in a cute style.
Aggretsuko can be streamed on Netflix.
Hamtaro
The world can be a big, scary, intimidating place. Not for the fearless, adorable white and orange hamster, Hamtaro! When he and his fifth-grade owner Hiroko Haruna move to a new house, Hamtaro takes it upon himself to explore the new neighborhood. Discovering other friendly neighbor hamsters, the adorable troop, the Ham-Hams, explore and go on adventures when their owners are away. With many friends to meet and places to venture, though they may sometimes find themselves in trouble, the cuddly companions find that they can always rely on one another to help each other out.
With nearly 300 episodes, Hamtaro definitely doesn’t lack adorable adventures. The proverbial hamster wheel of chores, tasks, and errands may not be so bad with these cute hamsters to keep you company.
Mushi-Shi
Mushi are the most basic lifeforms in existence, creatures that most people live their lives unaware of. But though they can mimic different plants, diseases, and phenomena of the natural world, they don’t seem to have much purpose other than simply existing.
Ginko, the Mushi-shi or Mushi master, journeys to research these mysterious creatures and their place in the phylogenetic tree, and helps those who find themselves crossing the strange supernatural entities’ paths.
This supernatural slice of life brings an air of mystery and adventure perfectly suited to enjoy while multitasking. Although the dangers of the Mushi can present temporary high-stakes, it’s nothing the Mushi master can’t handle in his calm and tactful resourcefulness.
Mushishi can be streamed on Crunchyroll.
[RELATED: 10 Best Fantasy Anime if You Loved Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End]
Ghost Stories
Having to chase their pet cat Kaya after moving to their late mother’s hometown, Satsuki Miyanoshita and her crybaby brother Keiichirou wind up in the local old schoolhouse. Not believing the rumors of the schoolhouse being haunted, they’re attacked by the demon Amanojaku. Upon finding a diary written by their late mother, Kayako, Satsuki attempts to banish the demon, but only manages to trap it within their pet cat. Although the ghosts of the schoolhouse had once been banished years ago, it’s up to Satsuki and her friends, the pretentious Hajime Aoyama, the religious Momoko Koigakubo, and the pansy Leo Kakinoki to keep them from creeping back.
Listening to the English dub is actually the main appeal of this series, arguably especially out of context, whilst listening to it in the background. When American producer Ste7en Foster got his hands on it, he chose to turn it into a comedy including adult humor, profanity, sexual references, and other offensive material.
Ghost Stories can be streamed on Crunchyroll.
Lucky Star
With lazy otaku Konata Izumi, twins Tsukasa and Kagami Hiiragi, and smart Miyuki Takara, the daily lives of these high school girls turn the mundane into fundane. Whether it’s musing on Japanese tradition, the intricacies of otaku culture, academics, or the correct way of preparing and eating various foods, the friends, through each of their own eccentricities, never have a dull moment. Or at least, when the moment is dull, they are sure to turn it into something memorable instead.
Following the trope of “cute girls doing cute things“, Lucky Star is a beloved classic in that regard. With bright colors and mundane amusing musings, it gives one a bit of a light-hearted breather to think more thoughtfully about the small things in life.
Lucky Star can be streamed on Crunchyroll.
Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo
In the year 300X, the world has been taken over and is ruled by the Chrome Dome Empire. The tyrannical rulers’ henchmen, the Hair Hunt Troop, mercilessly hunt the hair of all, leaving heads bald and cities in ruin. But there is one hero willing to stand up to the bald bad guys: Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo. Using his special follicle fighting style, Fist of the Nose Hair, Bo-bobo rebels against their depilated despotism. Along the way, he’s joined by friends Beauty, Gasser (Heppokomaru), and Don Patch to fight for hair justice.
With humor based in “wigging out” — “the art and philosophy of doing bizarre or unexpected things” — akin to Ghost Stories, the jokes in Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo can arguably become even funnier out of context, whipping one out of their concentration on a task to go “…Huh?”
Let us know in the comments what your favorite anime to multitask to is!
The post 7 Anime That Are Perfect to Binge While Multitasking appeared first on ComicBook.com.
