Insomniacs After School

Episode 5

Words cannot describe the sheer amount of serotonin I felt by the time I finished this episode. Sometimes, I just wanna sit back and see two people achieve a moment of happiness that they so desperately have longed for, and this episode of Insomniacs After School delivers that in spades. If the series ended after this episode, then I think I'd be more than satisfied.

But let's get into the details. The school trip is upon us, with the horribly overcast weather perfectly reflecting Ganta's state of mind. Due to the anxiety that comes with this trip and hoping that the weather clears up to take more pictures of the stars, he has supposedly gone days without a decent night's sleep. All of that is just exacerbated by the fact that he still needs to participate in his class activities and deal with irritating classmates who don't really know the definition of personal space or boundaries.

I find it very funny that the show hinted that Ganta isn't really looked at fondly by his fellow classmates because he's very withdrawn and keeps his distance as a result of him being tired all the time. It's nice that those classmates are trying to involve him in things, but it's a clear example of people not being on the same wavelength. No one's asking Ganta what he wants or is empathizing with what he is going through, so it just kind of creates this vicious cycle of Ganta dealing with things that he didn't ask for from multiple angles. That moment when he's just contemplating whether or not he's normal really hits home because it's not his fault and you know he's not asking for a lot.

I like how the first half of the episode has very little music and focuses a lot more on ambient noise like the classmates talking in the background or the rain hitting the tent. When you're an insomniac and your anxiety is at an all-time peak, even the most sensitive and quiet of stimuli is enough to keep you awake, so I like the show's attempt to actually immerse us in his state of mind. This contrast also has an amazing pay off in the second half when Ganta and Isaki actually meet at the seaside because God decided to throw them a bone and clear up the weather so they could take pictures of the stars. It actually took me a while to settle on a screenshot to use for this review because there are so many gorgeous shots of the starry sky and scenery in those final 10 minutes. The music finally swells, and for the first time in a while, our two awkward teens can act like just regular awkward teenagers.

Finally, the episode ends on a similarly quiet note to how it started except this time in a little more loving and comforting context. The silence is used to emphasize the sounds and feelings that actually allow these people to go to sleep instead of the ones that force them awake at night. Plus, it's just adorable that these two have reached a point where they can just admit to each other that they sleep the best when they're cuddling with each other. So yeah, I absolutely love this episode, and it's kind of the peak of what I was hoping for when I heard “adolescent insomniacs falling in love with each other.”

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Insomniacs After School is currently streaming on HIDIVE.