Two teenagers, several secrets, one solution. Insomniacs After School Episode 1 tells the story of two high-schoolers who can’t sleep and end up discovering themselves as a result. Let’s see how this episode was in this review!
Insomniacs After School Episode 1 Overview
Insomniacs After School, Kimi wa Houkago Insomnia, or simply, Kimisomu, is a romance and drama anime which is developed by studio Lidenfilms, also known for anime such as Tokyo Revengers and Kotaro Lives Alone. The series is based on a manga written and illustrated by Makoto Ojiro. This episode is also known as Kimi wa Houkago Insomnia Episode 1.
The show is directed by Yuuki Ikeda, a relative newcomer to the anime scene whose previous contributions include being a production manager in Arslan Senki, as well as directing an episode of Beelzebub.
– Kimisomu Episode 1 Review does not contain spoilers –
Insomniacs After School Episode 1 Review- Misdirection
Contrary to what the show’s previews would have you believe, death did not play a huge part in the story this show was trying to tell. Sure, there was an element of it present throughout the conversations the characters were having. However, it wasn’t in any way relevant to the characters who the show is based around. That is not to say that this won’t become a factor later in the story, but for now, rest assured that this is not as depressing a story as the blurbs would have you believe.
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Instead, this was more about companionship and the sense of wonder that comes along with being isolated from society. Please don’t get me or the show wrong; it doesn’t glorify the legitimate problem that our lead characters are suffering from at all. It did a great job describing how life-ruining it had been for at least one of the two characters in Ganta Nakami (the boy, in case you also take a while to get used to the names). He is also the POV character on the show, meaning the story is being told from his objective, and he will be called our main protagonist.
As a protagonist, he doesn’t have anything that immediately sets him apart. He is a normal boy who suffers from a debilitating medical condition that makes social interactions a hell that he never learned how to deal with. He tries his best with whatever he can do, which makes him admirable, at the very least. It will be interesting to see his character develop over the show’s runtime and include more aspects of what makes him the way he is and what caused it to happen to begin with.
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I have been deliberately trying to avoid it because it is plastered everywhere over this article due to the name of the show, but the problem our main duo are suffering from is insomnia. Now, as someone who is constantly fighting to stay awake instead of struggling to fall asleep, I can’t really relate to this issue. However, the show’s depiction of it and how it can ruin your social and personal life did a lot in informing me about the real dangers of it, and I hope it did the same for a few others.
The other main character, Isaki Magari, also has a lot of catching up to do, for she seems to have even less of a personality than Nakami. She is pretty much as normal as you can get while dealing with something like this, which is to be commended. The duo don’t have much chemistry right now, but this was just the first episode. Once the story develops and is on the right path, that’s when these things become actual complaints. Insomniacs After School Episode 1 was a decent opening that set up the world of the show very well.
Verdict
Insomniacs After School Episode 1 was a good start to the show that is trying to tell a much different kind of story than anticipated previously. This was a solid start, and it is hard to wait for the follow-up!
Click here to read the review of the next episode!