Insomniacs After School

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 Despite the anime trope of withdrawn introverted guy and overly cheerful extroverted girl, both the male and female lead in this show are wonderfully written.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.

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.

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!

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.

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.