Insomniacs After School has a core theme of (as the title suggests) insomnia. Insomnia is the difficulty of sleeping at night that leads to frustration, anxiety and difficulty living everyday life due to exhaustion. Insomnia is something that most people have experienced - and those experiences are unanimously negative. Despite this, Kimisomu deals with this delicate topic by focusing on the pair putting their energy into a positive outlet: astrophotography. I was initially hesitant to pick up this show as I figured there would be a lot of romanticization of insomnia and sleeplessness - which massively irks me as someone who has dealt with sleeplessness for the majority of their life and has affected me in college and relationships. However, seeing the two put their extra time from restlessness into something good - finding a new hobby in astrology and entering competitions is inspiring and charming to watch.
The main selling point for me was Ganta and Isaki's character depth - each with their own nuanced everyday life struggles. The two manage to connect over their shared troubles with sleeping, and support each other with their emotions and frustrations towards other problems in their life and constantly lift each other up. The support system that the two create between themselves made me feel envious of having somebody like that in my own life - who can accept you for exactly who and what you are and help you overcome anything.
Insomniacs After School is a package of visual and emotional beauty which I have enjoyed every second of and have found myself counting down the days for the next episode release. It is both an emotionally charged yet calming experience, and an overall worthwhile watch.
