Insomniacs After School

Insomniacs after school is a manga I've known and have been meaning to read in a while so when it was announced it gets an adaptation by Lidenfilms I was cautiously excited. One thing that attracted me to this show is it's not a romcom. Usually or even most of the times romance in anime is only a gimmick for a comedy or at least it's never the main point of the show. It isn’t like I hate that kind of stuff but sometimes I want something different and pure. Insomniacs After School on the other hand is a pure romance with a little bit of drama to spice things up but mostly its just a show about two teenagers, magari and nakami, who have problem with insomniacs and found themselves comfortable around each other because of that. That’s all and that’s what makes it special.

The Great Things About The Show Insomniacs After School starts like most romcom anime I’ve seen. A gloomy male character meets a cheerful/active girl but this time with a twist that both have insomniacs problem. This twist alone makes the show different and good because now our MCs have something both can relate to, and it makes for a great platform to develop their relationship. Their development feels natural as a result and that makes for a great romance. But I think out of all that, what makes it special is how it allows the characters to be vulnerable around each other. Nakami and Magari’s bonds come from suffering and sometimes it’s hard to face the problem alone. So being able to face it together with a person who understand you makes it a little less difficult and even turns it from a curse to a blessing. It can change people and that happen to the characters as well. Their relationship affects themselves and makes them a better person in the process. I’m so happy to see how they actually communicate which in turn makes them comfortable around each other and be able to open up more to one another.

The show’s strongest point is definitely nakami and magari’s realtionship. How the author depicts their relationship in a realistic way is what makes this show great but the OST and sometimes the background art also helps a lot in a romance show like this. Music is a big part of any romance show because of how it creates the atmosphere, and this show fortunately has capable people working on that. I don’t think there’s any OST that blew my mind but all of them do its job well. It sets the ambiance really well whether if it’s for a chill moment when our both MCs go out wandering the nights alone or when it’s a romance moment between them.

The Adaptation
So I read the manga along while watching the anime. I always read the chapters which is adapted in the episodes I watched. It leaves me with a problem with the anime. The problem I have with this anime is the adaptation. I’ve said it at first how I was cautiously excited with this anime and it’s all because of Lidenfilms. Lindefilms, while it’s a solid studio, it’s also not an amazing one. They’ve made call of the night which I think is pretty good production wise and definitely hit the nail on the atmosphere of wandering at night that’s why I have some hope for the adaptation, but they are made by a really good team and have a very experienced Director in Tomoyuki Itamura. Unfortunately, this anime doesn’t have the same production quality as the studio’s previous work. Don’t get me wrong, it's still looks great sometime especially the background arts which appears every now and then when there’s a big moment.

My problem stem from the fact it could be better, that’s all. Of course, an animated show like this will benefit a lot from good animation. Good animation doesn't always has to do with fight scene. Characters acting and the way they expressed themselves is an important piece for this type of anime. It sets up the mood too other than the music. It brings out more emotion when it’s done well. For me, it’s a 7-8/10 adaptation and hey that’s a good number but when you have a good materials like this, you always want it to have at least a 9/10 adaptation.

In the end, Insomniacs After School is a great anime which is adapted well enough. If you are the type who likes to read manga then probably try the first episode and judge it from there if it’s good enough for you. But if you are the type who likes to watch anime please watch it because it’s still a damn good show. The romance is really grounded and it depicts the characters relationship really well. Some moments hits really well and definitely good enough if you love romance show. I hope that it can get S2 with a better adaptation too because the manga and the anime deserve way more love.
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