Insomniacs After School, Vol. 1

by Makoto Ojiro

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

Calming and soothing, this is the story of two insomniacs who can only find rest with each other. It's charming, simple and still rich in relatable emotional depth.

Two sleepless teenagers find kinship as they escape to their school’s astronomy observatory.

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!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781974736577
Publisher:	VIZ Media LLC
Publication date:	03/21/2023
Series:	Insomniacs After School , #1
Pages:	192
Sales rank:	72,464
Product dimensions:	5.80(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Makoto Ojiro began her career in manga as an assistant at the age of 19. Her Neko no Otera no Chion-san (Cat Temple’s Miss Chion) won the Bros. Comic Award in 2016. Insomniacs After School began serialization in 2019 and has been adapted into an anime and a live-action film.

Editorial Reviews

04/01/2023

Gr 9 Up—Nakami and Magari suffer from similar things: they're cranky constantly, judged by their peers as standoffish, and insomniacs. While helping prepare for the school's festival, Nakami discovers the door to the supposedly haunted old astronomy tower is unlocked. He goes in searching for cardboard but finds a relaxing hideout in which to take a nap. But, he also discovers Magari doing the same! The two confide in each other and decide to make a secret club devoted to celebrating the nighttime they can't sleep through and stolen daytime naps in the astronomy tower. Despite this being about two teens with a pretty severe and untreated illness, it is overall sweet and satisfying to see them get a modicum of the peace they've been longing to have. This might turn into a romance later, but it's refreshingly pretty platonic in this first volume. Ojiro uses plenty of soft lines and calming settings in this book's illustrations, conveying the elusive peace our protagonists continuously seek. VERDICT This story is a comforting read and incorporates a disorder that is becoming all too common amongst teens. Recommended for all libraries serving teens.—Sara Smith

School Library Journal

2023-02-25
Two insomniacs in Japan develop an unusual friendship.

Nakami’s high school’s now-defunct astronomy club is the subject of rumors involving unrequited love, tragic deaths, and subsequent hauntings, but Nakami doesn’t believe in ghosts. He just wants to find somewhere quiet to nap—he’s stuck in a cycle of insomnia that’s leaving him exhausted and bad-tempered. But since he isn’t scared of the supposedly haunted observatory, he’s pushed by his classmates to fetch some supplies from a storage cupboard located there. In the process, he discovers that it could actually be a very nice secret hideout if not for the fact that there’s somebody else there already. Magari is like him: an insomniac hellbent on not letting other people know that she can’t sleep. After she admits that she was the one who made up the ghost story to keep others out of her private napping place, they decide to split the space so they can both use it. Their unlikely friendship starts to develop when they meet outside of school to spend sleepless nights venturing around town. They become close as they share personal stories, bring in furniture to make the room more comfortable, and are even joined by a cat. With adorable illustrations, this slice-of-life story with a dash of romance following two teens brought together by secrets is a short and accessible treat.

A sweet, guaranteed feel-good read. (Manga. 13-18)

Kirkus Reviews