KIMI WA HOUKAGO INSOMNIA

DESCRIPTION

CAST

MANGA RomanceKimi wa Houkago Insomnia
SPECIAL RomanceKimi wa Houkago Insomnia Special Animation PV

REVIEWS

• 

  Mcsuper

  78/100
  A Relatable And Endearing Story That Could Have Been Adapted Better

  

  Insomnia is something that plagues many people, and this sleep depriving condition arises from many reasons, for example, fearing what tomorrow will bring, negative thoughts, stress, and general anxiety. While insomnia isn’t something that affects me personally, for many people, seeing the two main characters who deal with insomnia, and tackle it together by pouring their restless, sleepless time into something positive like astrophotography, must have been relatable, and to me, a very solid concept. Along the way, there was some romance in the air, but it wasn’t a huge focus until near the end of the season, which I actually liked, as the characters didn’t just spend time with each other, but made some fond memories with their other friends as well.

  The story material was generally a strong part of the show, and it was very character driven. While the focus is obviously on the two leads in Ganta and Isaki, I really liked how it highlighted the life struggles of a lot of the cast members outside of the main characters. It allowed me to get invested in most of the characters, and their interactions together. The two leads though, are very endearing, with some relatable moments regarding their insomnia and their struggles. Their dynamic together felt pretty fresh, among the large amount of romcoms we have nowadays.

  The thing about the storytelling that unfortunately holds this adaptation back is that even as an anime-only for this show, it was pretty clear to me that some key moments from the manga that would serve to flesh out the characters were skipped, and thus, made some of the more dramatic scenes a bit awkward as we lacked some context to make those scenes hit harder. Even so, I did find quite a few of the scenes emotional and hard hitting, though it could have been better.

  The production behind this show was a mixed bag in my opinion, as while some of the nighttime backgrounds were very beautiful, the overall animation quality was very average, with some errors here and there in character expressions. Studio LIDENFILMS has not ever really been known for stellar animation, other than in Call of the Night, but that was largely due to Monogatari director Tomoyuki Itamura making that show shine. While this show was not directed poorly at all in my opinion, it didn’t live up to some of my expectations.

  Overall, this was a very fine show, with moments of brilliance and relatability, but I just wish it could have looked even better visually for more impact. The characters are endearing, the story material is well done, but as an adaptation, I’m not sure what manga readers think, but I feel it could have been adapted a bit better. That said, I found a decent amount of enjoyment nonetheless from this, as the good parts still outweighed the mediocre ones, and I’m hoping for bigger and better things to happen in the future, if it gets a sequel.

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• 

  Sakuraplant

  100/100
  Bonding through your insomnia and finding love along the way

  __Insomnia - a common sleep disorder that can make it hard to fall asleep, hard to stay asleep, or cause you to wake up too early and not be able to get back to sleep.__

  #__ Plot__: Kimi wa Houkago Insomnia or Insomniacs After School is a story about Ganta Nakami, a cranky high school kid who’s not so popular with his classmates. However, the reason behind his crankiness is his insomnia. One day, he goes to the “haunted” observatory and finds a girl named Isaki Magari, who also struggles with insomnia. They become friends and reform the astronomy club. Together, the two connect, leading to a story of wholesomeness and comfort. #__ Soundtrack/music:__ First off, I love the music used in this series. It helps set the mood, and it’s so chill. Some songs have a calmer vibe, and some have a little beat. The music was one of the first things that drew my attention to this series besides the graphics. The songs went well with the scenes in the anime. It touches the heart of the watchers. # __Graphics:__ The graphics are the second thing that drew my attention in this anime. LIDENFILMS managed to pull it off and did the manga justice. I loved the colors and the attention to detail. The art is beautiful and brings out the manga’s beauty. It’s very pleasing to the eyes; I can rewatch these scenes and never get bored. #__ Story:__ This series has everything you need in a romance anime: a school festival, photography, cooking, a beach episode, and much more! What I love about this anime is that it isn’t just about insomnia but shows the importance of human connection and empathy. I think it’s amazing when you find someone struggling with the same problem as you, being able to relate to and understand each other. It’s like you aren’t alone and are both trying to kick insomnia in the ass together. And what do you know, you end up falling in love with that same person. This anime fantastically portrays that. I also love that this series has no stupid drama with love triangles. No ridiculous stereotypes or bland characters, just a cute cozy story. The best thing is that you don’t have to wait until the last episode for the two characters to hold hands, kiss, or cuddle, which makes this story unique compared to other romance anime. Now there were times when certain scenes changed or were not adapted, but even so, they weren’t so drastic. It’s somewhat understandable since you can’t fit all scenes into a 23-minute episode and only adapt what you can that’s important. Even so, the series was still enjoyable. # __Characters:__ I don’t have much to say about the characters, so I’ll keep it short. Each character is remarkable in their way. As said before, none of them are bland. They got their interests and personalities. The side characters help to build the relationship between Nakami and Isaki, bringing them closer together as the show progresses. # __Overall__: In conclusion, this was one of the best, most realistic romance series I have ever seen. Everything about this anime is fantastic and the perfect one to watch at night. I was initially going to give this anime a 9.5 due to the unpopular boy x popular girl trope, but now thinking about it, that’s quite stupid. I enjoyed reading the manga and still do to this day, and I also loved the adaptation. So I will give this anime the rating I believe it deserves.
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• 

  Godmeyer

  88/100
  An exploration of the night, the self, and what it means to lean on another.

  Everybody suffers with something. I think it would be a lie to say that there’s never been a time in your life that you’ve been kept awake at night, or have had to trudge through a day absentmindedly because you had something weighing upon you. And even though you may fight that weight, or deny its existence, there are times when we can’t do anything about it by ourselves. That… is Nakami Ganta and Magari Isaki. Two classmates who can’t sleep until the light of day has broken. One afraid that they may never wake back up, and another who is afraid to let an ‘uncertain’ and possibly worse tomorrow come. The two start an astronomy club to cover up their inability to sleep, and they begin to heal in each other's presence. The concept, beautifully unique. The execution, scarcely lacking. This anime is a breath of fresh air and it took me a couple episodes to truly understand why I felt so refreshed watching it. Then, it hit me. This doesn’t feel like an anime. It doesn’t lean into exhausted tropes and it's never over the top or cliche, it just feels genuine. The characters feel real for their age and I never felt like they were shoehorned in. Most of the struggles and setbacks were never too outlandish that they felt forced either. The only drawback I felt was that Nakami’s personal problems were never truly mulled over and they did feel rushed. He awkwardly runs away halfway through the show blaming himself for rain, and the one time we finally get to see him open up he gets interrupted and that was that. I did not dislike his character, nor any of them in the show, but I felt like he was done a disservice. The animation is not going to blow your socks off, but the attention to detail in scenery and framing really sells a lot of the smaller emotions the show tries to imbue the watcher with. Feelings of nostalgia, the tranquil silence of a sleeping town, the beauty of far-off storms at night, a starry sky that draws you in. I truly loved every one of these sequences because you got to see two people enjoy each other's presence like they were the only ones in the world. The joy I felt watching them escape to the beach or run around town put a genuine smile on my face, and I could never wait until the next time they shared the screen together. As well, I felt that the character designs were very pleasing and original compared to the overused generic style you see everywhere. I don't normally enjoy SOL shows, however I heavily recommend this one because it doesn't lose itself along the way and fizzle out. From the first episode it has purpose, and the characters have aspirations that they actively work towards. The romance is slow but it is earned, and I couldn't have appreciated that more than in this show. As an insomniac photographer myself, I knew I had to check this out when I saw it and although it is not perfect, I pray for a second season.
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