Unable to sleep at night, Ganta Nakami is cranky in class and unpopular with his classmates.
He discovers that the school observatory, once used by the now-defunct astronomy club, may be the perfect place for a nap—but he’s not alone. Fellow insomniac Isaki Magari is willing to share the observatory with Nakami, and a friendship between the two begins as they bond over the most unlikely of things.
Dark rumors about what befell the members of the astronomy club keep people away from the school observatory, and that’s what makes it the perfect sanctuary for Nakami and Magari to get some much-needed rest. Unfortunately, the school faculty can’t allow its unsanctioned use. But if there were a new astronomy club, maybe these two insomniacs could have a place to call home!
" I want to sleep but I can’t. All night long. I’m awake. This little observatory, it was out safe haven ".
Yo, en plena vorágine de estrés, cuando sé perfectamente que no debo leer más que cuando termine de hacer mis deberes y estudios del día…encuentro el tráiler de este manga. Me dije: “bah, es una película, seguro que no viene de una adaptación al manga.No hay peligro.” Veo en los comentarios que sí hay un manga. Lo comento con un amigo y dice que los conoce que son super “light” y “lindos”. ¿Adivinen quién se puso a leer los primeros capítulos por internet de casualidad y ahora está enamorada? Me acuso a mi misma de culpable por procrastinación y ser imbécil.
“So, Nakami…how do you spend those really long, borings nights?”
La historia no es nada del otro mundo. Dos chicos de instituto que tienen problemas de insomnio e intentan por todos los medios encontrar un lugar donde sentirse tranquilos y poder echarse una siesta :el observatorio que está en el ático del instituto, un lugar que nadie ha frecuentado desde hace mucho tiempo.
"The sound of the rain is really calming, don’t you think? The rythm of your pulse and your breathing matches with the rain…so it’s really calming. But, the sound of your heart beating is the best".
Solo es el primer tomo lo que he leído, pero, por el momento me ha parecido muy tierno. Además, el dibujo me parece precioso. No tiene tanta profundidad como otros mangas que he leído, al menos por el momento. Sin embargo, estoy impaciente por saber cómo se va a desarrollar su relación a lo largo de los siguientes tomos.
“If, I ever go to the moon, I’ll wave hello down to you”.
Thorough out the story I anticipate some paranormal mischief involving ghosts, spirits, or anything else that might exist. however, it appears to be about stars, celestial entities, and photography. They carefully address the story's central theme—the major characters' insomnia, which is somewhat common. Even though they are dealing with a sleeping disorder, they manage to keep the narrative remarkably drama-free.
This was heart warming in an unexpected way. It’s slow though and I think that if you go into it expecting some fast paced it’ll disappoint you. Honestly, I thought that the characters were charming and it’s a great way to see the impact that insomnia has on individuals especially kids. Overall, it was a pleasant read. I’m looking forward to the story developing more as I dive into volume 2.
He can’t sleep. She can’t sleep. He finds her hiding place. They bond, the night comes alive, and high school sucks.
Oh, I might be falling in love. This is a lot like Call of the Night, minus the vampirism, and with a much more direct line to romance between the leads. And even without it, this is shaping up to be something special.
Poor Nakami can’t sleep and it’s making him irritable and even more of an outsider than he already is. When he’s forced to dare the school’s legend of a haunted observatory, it turns out to be haunted by Magari, Nakami’s classmate and, as it turns out, fellow insomniac.
Our two leads are not the same - Nakami can’t not be cranky because of the sleep he isn’t getting, while Magari is allegedly cranky, but far more functional socially. I really like how this lets her see how everybody, herself included, judges Nakami.
This story taps into a lot of youthful fears and desires at the same time, making for a potent little blend. Nakami has to deal with his attitude and how it keeps him at arm’s length from people. Both he and Magari are scared of people othering them for their insomnia, a real fear of kids who want to fit in but know they’re different.
But then you get the good stuff - the delicious thrill of being out far later than you should be and seeing a whole new world. The whole idea of a secret hideout, as they convert the observatory into their personal hideaway. And, yes, the joy of finding at least one other person in the world you can share your troubles with.
It takes skill to make simple walk and talk fun, even in a visual medium like this, and Ojiro does a fantastic job. The simple pleasure of these two finding out more about one another is great and I love how their relationship slowly evolves through the story.
It’ll be interesting to see how things continue to develop, the way they can only seem to sleep when together is kind of adorable, but I will 100% be along for this ride. They even get the threat of discovery out of the way early on in a way that just quietly nudges the story into a whole new area by doing something surprising with it all.
This was a real treat. It’s got that high school overly-concerned-with-social-crap vibe and a fantastic hook that lets our leads keep a toe in the traditional school hi-jinx, but then the other in this whole new landscape. It’s smart.
4.5 stars - this leaves a good impression and then the more I ruminate on it, the fonder I get of it. I hope this stays as wonderful as it’s started, but even still, this is a heck of a strong beginning.
Despite being defensive, withdrawn and secretive, two high school students with insomnia are able to connect when they each discover their school's abandoned observatory is the perfect place to catch a nap when the school day gets too long and their fellow students get to be too much.
It's quite a bit cliched with an obvious romance brewing and typical manga tropes all over the place -- meet cute, Manic Pixie Dream Girl, locked in room, the cool school nurse -- but it's engaging enough in its slow way to make me glad I have the second volume on hand for tomorrow.
There are not a lot of reasons I should like this series yet here we are.
Nakami and Makari are two high schoolers. Their particularity is they’re both insomniacs ( hence the title, duh!). In order to keep use of their school’s unused astronomy tower- where they can at least relax and maybe get some sleep- they must revive the astronomy club. To do so they intend to win a night pictures contest which would get them some credit toward the student council. Nakami gets caught up in the game while the stakes are a bit different for Makari. Slowly, a romance blossoms.
And slow it is, mind you. Just like in Fujiyama San Makoto Ojiro takes his sweet time to tell a story where basically not much happens. Slow, slow pacing, dozens of silent landscapes/settings panels, not many dialogues... But then again the chemistry works. The characters are cute and relatable, the slow pacing is somehow justified considering the relative absence of plot and mainly the story is relaxing. Not boring; relaxing. Odds were I’d quit after 2 or 3 volumes but I really want to know what happens next even if it’s probably not much (though Makari’s condition might change that pov in the future). I got hooked with these 2 kids and their night terrors they can dampen when together.
Of course Makoto Ojiro’s exquisite art style is not for nothing in catching me up in this series. The characters are beautiful and very natural with great facial expressions. Settings are also admirably rendered.
This series is titled "Kimi wa Houkago Insomnia" or as its creator named it, "Insomniacs After School" in English.
The series is about two classmates who suffer insomnia and find their refuge in a mothballed school observatory. As a school life manga it's pretty standard, one fits in with a popular clique, and the other is a misfit because of irritability caused by lacked of sleep, and they interact differently with the popular girl in class.
However, it's in how the two deal with their insomnia and their unexpected chemistry that really the main draw of this title. The leisurely pace also makes it a relaxing read.
I really enjoyed this story a whole lot. I find the dynamic of 2 kids who struggle with sleeping forming a little club together charming. I love how the teacher comes in and makes it something official for them. I'm so excited to see where this story goes.
"¿No te parece que el ruido de la lluvia es relajante? Se parece al ritmo del pulso y la respiración, creo que por eso me calma. Aunque nada como el sonido de tus latidos" ✨
I love the concept of an insomniac club, but this volume was more chill and fluffy than I expected, and the characters didn’t grab my interest a ton. Not bad but I probably won’t continue the series
Two high school insomniacs find a safe haven in their school's observatory. They start to bond, hang out, and join the astronomy club in order to keep their safe space.
The art is simple and mildly retro, the story is nice so far, but I'm not feeling the urge to run and read the next volume. I DO have the next few on hold from Libby so I'll still give it my 5 volume try before deciding to stop or keep going!
Was für ein spannendes Thema für einen Manga! Mochte, dass der Einstieg relativ ernste Töne anschlägt (schon zu Beginn geht es um den Tod einer Schülerin). Die beiden Schüler:innen, die hier aufeinander treffen, leiden beide unter ihrer Schlaflosigkeit und finden ineinander irgendwie Verbündete bzw. Freunde. Sie richten sich das ehemalige Observatorium der Schule ein, das einst der Astronomieclub genutzt hat. Ebenso sind sie in einer der schlaflosen Nächte unterwegs und erfreuen sich an der Stille. Der Zeichenstil gefiel mir bisher, gerade bei größeren seitenfüllenden Panels. Manchmal sind einige Dialogszenen (gerade mit Nebencharakteren) etwas schludrig/skizzenhaft. Bisher ist gar nicht allzu viel passiert, habe diesen Slice of Life Manga aber ziemlich genossen. Strahlte irgendwie eine besondere Ruhe aus und legte großen Wert auf die Darstellung der psychischen Belastung der beiden Figuren.
Estoy muy in con este cómic. La verdad es que lo compré un poco a ciegas, casi exclusivamente por que lo había publicado Milky Way. Y la verdad, ha sido un acierto. Una historia muy bien llevada, con dos personajes con los que conectas al instante. Muy recomendable.
Merged review:
La verdad es que he empezado a leer este cómic a ciegas, pero me ha encantado. Es sencillo, bonito, original y con personajes bien caracterizados. Como siempre, Milky vuelve a cumplir.
Ok, I admit, I fell for that cover, the title and the description of the book. The book did not disappoint. The artwork was realistic, done well and attractive. The characters were not what I expected, in a good way. I SO love how they sleep better with someone they trust by their side, dude, SAME.
And, the best part about this?? It has a CAT.
Great slice-of-life story, taking place in HS in Japan, with no overt romance, just two people getting to know one another as they suffer through and support each other with their insomnia, which they try to hide from others.
I really did like this one. Nothing OTT, no love-at-first-sight, no love dodecahedron, no wacky hi-jinx or magic or monsters. Just regular, every day life, with a debilitating condition that no one else can see or understand.
I really liked this one and highly recommend it. 4, I admit it makes me kinda sleepy but in a good way, stars.
My thanks to NetGalley and VIZ Media LLC for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Somewhere between a 3 and 4. But since I enjoyed both leads and the art I'll bump it to a 4.
I really the interactions between the two. Trying to find a calm place to relax and sleep due to their insomniac and trusting one another to keep this secret was pretty adorable. Also enjoyed the out at night walk part. I feel like it's a slow build as plot went a bit slow but as long as it keeps the characters fun I can see myself continue to enjoy this.
Thank you Netgalley and Viz media for this advanced copy.
This book was such a good book. The pacing was slow but enjoyable, our two characters sharing the same trouble : insomnia and found out that the other person hear beat was so relaxing and made each of them felt comfy.
It was such a heartwarming story and relateable one. I thought I am gonna watch the anime adaptation
Ce manga est un vrai bonbon, les planches sont magnifiques, le récit est plutôt "lent" mais c'en est d'autant plus agréable. C'est vraiment tout doux, et c'est rare que j'ai autant envie de lire la suite d'un manga. C'est très prometteur et en plus ça traite d'un sujet que je ne vois que rarement être abordé dans les ouvrages de fiction : l'insomnie.
Bref, une jolie réussite qui m'a fait beaucoup de bien.
4,5/5 J’ai beaucoup aimé ce manga qui a un thème original, je ne me souviens pas d’un manga traitant de l’insomnie. Et le lien avec l’astronomie qui commence à se faire détend énormément. C’est doux et chaleureux, les dessins sont très beaux et le rythme est ni trop rapide ni trop lent. Un super premier tome !
Ganta Nakami is a high school student who struggles with insomnia. One day, he meets Isaki Magari, a girl who shares the same condition. As they bond over their sleepless nights, a unique relationship forms, and they begin catching up on sleep in their school’s abandoned observatory.
I absolutely love this story. It’s endearing, wholesome, and grounded in realism. Every relationship in the manga feels organic.
The story begins with Ganta and Isaki struggling with insomnia due to past traumas. As they start healing, their world expands they fall in love with astronomy, photography, and eventually, each other. Over time, their priorities shift. The focus moves to university and Isaki’s heart condition, reflecting how life’s challenges evolve as they grow older. This felt incredibly realistic to me. The ambitions we have as freshmen in high school often change drastically by our senior year. Life’s obstacles, like illness, can pause our world, but we’re forced to keep moving forward.
I understand why some people might find the story slow or dull, but for me, it captured the beauty of two mature kids navigating life together. It’s a great portrayal of how they adapt to life’s changes, fall in love, and overcome challenges hand in hand. I love these kinds of coming-of-age stories. They remind me of other favorites like Skip and Loafer and Blue Period.
These aren’t repetitive tales they’re simple, heartfelt stories about life itself, and that’s what makes them so special.
Ok, I've now read through book 3 of this series, but I'm only able now to tag my review here for No Flying No Tights. I'll refer you there for my full review, but the short version is I'm in love with this series. I'm recommending it to people all the time and it's only getting better. It reminds me of Blue Flag, Vol. 1 in terms of setting and tone, but the themes are different as is the pacing.
the fact that the two main characters are insomniacs is so relatable as someone who gets chronic migraines from lack of sleep among other things. the art is really nice and I enjoyed the concept of turning the observatory into a sanctuary for these two to try and rest. I hope we get more talk of astronomy in the future volumes and this definitely has potential to become a really great series.
nooo why did it have to end just when it started getting g o o d? :(
loved the premise of two insomniac teenagers sleeping over at an abandoned astronomy club room and, ultimately, deciding to revive the club activities 🩵 it felt very cozy and i liked the female character a lot (her design is sooo pretty too!!)
i learnt that there is an anime as well as a live action adaptation so i am very excited to catch up with them!
I haven't acquired much sensible information. Two students have insomia but found sanctuary in a storage-like room, although it's actually a former astronomy club room. They found solace that help them to doze off and sleep. Pretty much, this volume is only an introduction.