Insomniacs After School Anime/Manga Comparison

    Welcome back to Beyond The Anime! Insomniacs After School, a touching romance between two teens who struggle to sleep at night, was one of the highlights of the spring anime season for me. The manga has the same charm, and I was glad to see that the adaptation was faithful to its source. 

Isaki Magari (left) & Ganta Nakami (right)

   Ganta and Isaki's first days together are as adorable as ever in the manga. The more realistic designs of the characters are both unique and very fitting, and the level of detail presented in the close up views are beautiful. They have very expressive faces, which portrays their emotions well in scenes where dialogue is often absent, but there are also times when the still shots can make these expressions look a bit too exaggerated - something that wasn't really an issue in the anime when the characters were in motion. However, those instances are rare and the majority of the first two volumes have excellent character art like the picture above. 

    This is the early stage of the story, in which Ganta and Isaki are still getting to know each other and discovering an interest in nighttime photography. After forming the astronomy club in haste to secure a secluded place to rest in school, it becomes a hobby that brings them closer together and leads them to explore new sights. 

A view of the starry sky over a small bridge in the manga, and...

The same view of the sky and bridge in the anime

   The scenery is beautifully drawn and impressively intricate. Often, these atmospheric scenes take the center stage as Ganta and Isaki walk through the night, enjoying each other's company without needing to speak. This story is best read slowly, taking the time to admire the background art and imagine the quiet sound effects of the environment like the falling rain. Otherwise, these chapters will feel like they're over much too soon. The presence of so many panels focused on setting the scene with art but no text can make this story a fast read. The anime paces itself like a peaceful stroll, with slow movements and relaxing music, which added a lot to the experience for me. 

    The presentation in the anime is slightly different, but both versions are excellent. The manga is more detailed, and the page format offers a larger view of the scenery around Ganta and Isaki, particularly with full page images that the anime has to pan up to capture in their entirety, but the colors of the anime also add a lot to these pictures. While both approaches offer a unique aesthetic, I have a preference for the vibrant shades of blue, pink and purple used to depict the starry skies in the anime, especially during the beach scene when the stars were reflected in the low tide, making the sky and ground seem to become one image. 

The starry sky reflected in the water gives the appearance that Ganta and Isaki are walking on air

   Volumes 1 & 2 of the manga cover episodes 1-5 out of the 13-episode first anime season, from Ganta and Isaki's encounter in the formerly abandoned astronomy club room to their school beach trip. Their growing friendship, which is slowly blossoming into something more, has developed in a very natural and realistic way. You can see the two becoming more comfortable around each other as they open up about a part of their lives that they've kept secret from everyone else, and now they're so comforted by each other's presence that simply being side by side will help them fall asleep. 

This scene with Isaki and her aunt only appears in the manga

  There were few changes between the manga and the anime aside from presentation, making this a very faithful adaptation so far. The only major scene from these early volumes of the manga that was not shown in season 1 of the anime was the one pictured above between Isaki and her aunt. 

    Isaki stops by her aunt's house for a visit, and while the conversation starts off casual, it soon becomes clear there was a sad event in her aunt's past. Before Isaki leaves, she pays her respects at a small memorial set up in the entryway of her aunt's home, and while only part of the picture is visible, it's implied to be a young child. Isaki's aunt hugs her and thanks her for remembering, telling her that "he would probably be as big as you are now." Later in the anime, it was revealed that Isaki has been dealing with a heart condition from a very young age, and it seems likely that her aunt also had a son who suffered from the same condition. Given the placement of this scene in the manga, it gives a slightly ominous and somber vibe to Isaki's earlier statement that she was sick as a child before revealing the full details.

Ganta and Isaki fall asleep next to each other on the beach during their school summer trip

        Insomniacs After School is a wonderful story about two teens who were able to find peace with each other, and perhaps even a purpose that brings meaning to their sleepless hours. I definitely recommend the manga to fans of the anime and wholesome romance stories in general. For more from the spring anime season, check out my anime/manga comparison for Oshi no Ko and my Otaku Elf history series, and stay tuned for my next anime/light novel comparison of the winter season fantasy romcom Endo and Kobayashi Live: The Latest on Tsundere Villainess Lieselotte!

* all images are from the Insomniacs After School anime and manga, screenshots taken by me; top banner image made by me in Canva with a screenshot from episode 1 of the anime