Manga Review: "Insomniacs After School" #1 ---- 10/10

For a manga about two characters with Insomnia, they certainly seem to sleep a lot

This is a really charming book. It belongs in that wonderful niche slice-of-life genre called ‘Iyashikei’ [healing type]. Ganta Nakami and Isaki Magari are both high school students suffering from terrible insomnia, but they find themselves able to sleep, together (not in a dirty way), at school, in the old abandoned observatory. They revive the astronomy club in an effort to secure themselves some much needed rest. The vibe in this series is really great, reminding me of Call of the Night to some extent, just without all the vampire business. The characters are very average looking, maybe a bit frumpy even. I felt at ease watching them doze off in the middle of the day. It feels really weird saying that I was HYPED UP to read this series, especially when the energy level in it is beyond low. It’s chill. Unassuming. Just a nice little volume to help you relax. Will definitely look forward to volume 2 and the anime.

One thing that I think gets really underrated in a lot of manga is the backgrounds, especailly nature/weather shots. They've really done a great job in this book with capturing some very pleasant scenes.

There's something about the sound of rain that always managed to help me wind down. It's gotten to the point where I've compiled an entire playlist on YouTube of nothing but just rain tracks, since, sadly, I live in probably one of the dryest parts of the USA. Generally we get about 14 inches of rain in an entire year... so, I've had to make do with the artificial stuff. I'll tell you though, seeing pages like these, gives me exactly that same mood that I'm trying to find.

Ultimately this series is exactly what I wanted it to be. A kind of sleepy, calming experience. I'm always up for more of those. Life is too busy. I need a book like this every once in a while to take it slow. I wasn't really expecting a romance subplot, but perhaps we'll get one??? There definitely seemed to be a couple sparks there in the first few chapters, but who knows if that'll actually happen, and if it does, when. Either way this series is already a 10/10 for me with just the first volume.