Insomniacs After School (2023) User Reviews

Beautifully orchestrated

[bendashwood · 9/10 · 6 June 2023]

Ganta and Isaki run into each other sneaking away from school life. Since both of them suffer chronic insomnia at night, the only time they are able to get some shut-eye is at school. Fortunately, they discover the perfect hiding place...

Kimi wa Hokago Insomnia is a beautifully orchestrated romance. The storytelling is coherent, unagitated and full of relatable characters with distinct personalities. The unobstrusive soundtrack is full of wonderful pieces which perfectly accompany the scenes and subtly set the right emotional backdrop. Carefully placed jokes and comic reliefs make sure to provide a change from the deep but (so far, episode 9 as of this review) overwhelmingly wholesome story, without ridiculing itself.

'Insomniacs after school' seems like a wonderful piece of art. I love watching the two protagonists grow, both as individuals and as a couple, and sincerely hope that their story does not take a dark turn at some point. Definite recommendation!

Pretty good representative of Seinen romantic slice of life with the original character design

[smoothrunner · 8/10 · 3 July 2023]

Despite the well-known clichés (types of the main characters, conventions of Japanese romance) and the unevenness of the narrative, "Insomnia" definitely stands out from other slice of life romances and leaves a pleasant impression. The character design is the first thing that draws attention. Makoto Ojiro managed to create her own, original style of drawing, which is very well combined with her style of narration. Like the story, Makoto's drawing is quite original, but not catchy and pretentious, but calm and pastel. Like the story, her art lacks a bit of stability and elaboration.

A pair of protagonists is quite typical - a gloomy, insecure, hyper-reflexive psychasthenic guy, exaggeratedly suffering from learned helplessness, and his girlfriend - a cheerful, active, athletic, careless sanguine girl. The only thing they have in common is that both suffer from insomnia and, by chance, become members of the astronomical club. One more thing - this couple of lovers becomes sleepy from each other, which in their case, paradoxically, is a mutual compliment ) It is obvious that Isaki (the girl) is attracted by stability and reliability of the guy, and the guy (Ganta) is attracted by Isaki's cheerfulness and liveliness. And, unfortunately, it is also obvious that, due to the conventions of Japanese romance, confessions occur only at the very end. This is such a "hackneyed" cliché that it can't even be considered a spoiler. But the secondary characters, with whom Makoto seems to have allowed herself a certain freedom from cliches, are pleasing - especially the mature and reasonable Tao and the eccentric geek girl Yui.

As for the story, it turned out to be somewhat chaotic. It seems that after starting the story, Makoto could not decide for some time what and how she wanted to tell. This shift from calm, Seinen storytelling, to melodramatically exaggerated shojo-style platitudes, to geeky meditativeness (the technical details of camera setup, shooting the night sky), may well alienate some viewers. At times, the plot is filled with reflections and experiences of the main characters about their lives and short excursions into the stories of other characters, and at times it becomes empty and simply boring. But, in its second half, the story does decide what it is (calm, meditative Seinen romantic slice of life with a contemplative protagonist, his sweet, cheerful girlfriend and a pinch of geekiness), and ends with a completely successful ending. Even a certain personal growth of the boy is shown, when he, contrary to his obedience and responsibility, decides on an act that violates the rules, a "rebellion" against someone else's will. For his girlfriend, of course.

In general, "Insomnia" is a pretty good representative of Seinen romantic slice of life. What gives it some originality, apparently, is the fact that this is a Seinen created by a woman who could not help but bring the originality of her vision to this genre. As well as her own, peculiar, drawing. Although both the narration and the art style of Makoto are still unstable and raw, they undoubtedly have their own individuality. Just for this "Insomnia" definitely deserves attention.

A great concept for a romance.

[talking_about_movies · 8/10 · 4 July 2023]

For some people, this is easily going to be the perfect Romance / Slice-of-life. The story is just as the title suggests - a couple of insomniacs befriend each other at school - a couple of anxious high-schoolers find a safe and secure place in each other's hearts. Yeah I know, it sounds a bit too much like a fantasy, but that's why it's a slice-of-life.

I like how this story dealt with insomnia. For both of these characters, they explore a root cause that's behind them not being able to sleep at night. A cause that's behind so much anxiety. And they do it slowly and steadily, till both these characters get familiar with each other. We go through this journey with them as they feel more and more comfortable and secure because of the other person. And I loved all these small details poured into this story by the author - how both of these characters easily fall asleep when they're with each other, listening to the Nakami's heartbeat puts Isaki at rest - small details like these makes this story so deep and somewhat realistic.

LIDENFILMS has now proven itself to be a very reliable studio because the animation is pretty good once again.

Overall this anime was great. It's just unfortunate that as a slice-of-life, it was competing with Skip And Loafer this season, which for me, was just too close to perfection. I thought the characters could have been explored just a bit more. And the final episode, I thought got just a tad bit too dramatic.

Incredibly presented an executed, an early 10/10

[mattygandlilip · 10/10 · 15 June 2023]

I'm going to give insomniacs an early 10 out of 10 rating. Everything from the main characters to the romance to the side characters, the music, the opening and don't even get my started on the beautiful ending. (ngl one of if not my favorite ending to any season of anime ever)

I can't definitely see people giving this a watch and settling on an 8 or 7 out of ten and I understand that. But coming from a fellow insomniac this show just resonates with me so much. I can relate to it and i've never been more invested in a romantic development between two protagonists. Their chemistry is elite and my expectations are exceeded.

This show is beautiful and it is one of my only 10/10 I can confidently give to a slice of life.

So good it makes me rethink what qualifies as 10/10

[unfortunateburner · 10/10 · 27 September 2023]

As the title states this is my favorite show ever, even if it has just one season. Despite the anime trope of withdrawn introverted guy and overly cheerful extroverted girl, both the male and female lead in this show are wonderfully written. You understand both their personal motivations and why they fell in love with each other, which can be rare in romance. The side characters are all very likeable too. The romance is so wholesome and sweet and it's easily my favorite that I've ever seen. The aesthetic of nighttime makes for some beautiful scenes, that just stick with me. I truly love this show.

Exceedingly well-done and unexpectedly moving

[oliopiscraft · 10/10 · 29 March 2024]

There's a lot to praise here, but the main draw of the show is the progression of the two protagonists' relationship: it feels incredibly natural and is done in a beautiful way. Unlike many other romances, this show doesn't feel the need to oversaturate itself with comedy and us unafraid of being emotionally vulnerable and sincere. The relationship between the the protagonists feels compelling because it is built upon a genuine friendship that is portrayed convincingly. Finally, the depiction of these two gradually deepening their trust and intimacy in one another moved me in a way I didn't expect.

The side-characters weren't standouts, but they also weren't bad by any means, they felt like real people, even if undeveloped (and that's for the best, it's a short runtime and should focus on its primary characters). I would give this show a 9.5/10 for being the most compelling romance narrative I've seen since Steins; Gate.