Insomniacs After School, Vol. 14

君は放課後インソムニア [Kimi wa Hōkago Insomnia] #14

by Makoto Ojiro, Valentina Vignola (Translator)

Isaki decide di ricoverarsi subito per mantenere la promessa di sostenere gli esami nazionali d'ammissione all'università a gennaio insieme a Ganta. Ganta prega che Isaki possa tornare a casa. Arriva la cerimonia del diploma. I due esprimono un desiderio per il futuro, ai piedi dei sette ponti... ai piedi dei sette ponti. Ecco l'ultimo volume della storia di due ragazzi, di tante notti e delle stelle.

Genres: Manga, Romance, Slice Of Life, Young Adult, Seinen, Graphic Novels, Comics

192 pages, Paperback

First published October 12, 2023

About the author

オジロマコト

Reviews

[Nicolo · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 lack 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.

The manga portrays loneliness, trauma, friendship, and love in a touching and realistic manner. The characters have depth and personality, each hiding their own secrets and challenges. The story shows how Ganta and Isaki cope with new problems and opportunities in their school and romance.

As for the final chapter of this series, it finally answered the question if a tragedy was in the cards. Isaki has had this congenital heart defect that plagued her for her whole life, so an early death was part of the stakes. Did it?

Let me just say that both had this big challenge to their relationship and so far, they managed to overcome it. It helped them grow as people and somehow, at the end of this ends, the expected reactions remained true to their character that has undergone such growth in this series and thus was handled maturely and satisfyingly.

This was a great series, featuring well developed characters with nuanced reactions to the challenges life brought to their doorstep.

I will probably read this again. It is that good, and the ending is a satisfying feeling I hope to recapture again in future re-reads.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

This will probably get a little spoiler-y, but it’s pretty impossible to discuss the final volume of this series without getting into what an unfortunate ending we ended up with.

Oh, parts of this are really good and harken back to the earliest days of a series that I have been truly taken with for many, many volumes. I won’t say a bad word about having made my way through the series - it was wonderful in the moment.

And this volume is still filled with those perfect, and evocative, quiet panels of nothing but scenery and little, wordless, moments between two people who have come to care about one another a great deal.

The big dramatic thrust is Isaki’s pending surgery and Ganta dealing with that. And Isaki herself dealing with it. I really thought it was fitting the way Ganta closed himself off when the rest of their friends got together to hold a vigil. That felt like something he’d do.

And Isaki’s frustration over her disease keeping her down remains palpable and believable for her age, but tempered with the knowledge that she’s lucky to be there at all. Still, being reminded that you can’t just live the normal life of your friends is hard at any age and devastating to teenagers.

The big emotional beat, however, comes when Ganta can’t handle seeing Isaki being ill and makes the very awkward decision to ghost her. This lasts long enough that he has to make a big gesture to rectify things.

On the one hand, I get the point that this is the worst Isaki’s health has been and until you hit that point you don’t really know what your reaction will be. On the other, we’ve definitely been down a similar road here before in the plot and this feels a bit of a petty argument.

The graduation sequence is fine, it brings back a cast of people who I couldn’t name if you paid me, but I did recognize, at least. Shiromaru in particular gets a little bit of a second chance that was well done.

It’s the final chapter that sucks the air out of the room, however, because it is aggravatingly and needlessly vague to the point of being incredibly unsatisfying. While not erasing all my good will, it doesn’t help it any.

This last chapter is just a flash forward that feels nebulous for the sake of being nebulous. The issue here being that we see the older Ganta, bad facial hair and all, talking to Isaki. Except you never see her face. Ever.

Which might offer some sort of ‘is she actually dead now?’ interpretation, were she not immediately shown holding up her phone screen to Ganta afterwards. There’s no point to this being so tuned out on her and zoomed in on him. This was never just about him, so why even bother?

And it basically offers no ‘where are they now’ aside from letting the audience know that Isaki is alive. Yeah, that’s one question answered amongst dozens of others. It’s a hell of a letdown.

It doesn’t wreck the journey, but it sours the destination a bit. If it had ended at the graduation it would have been fine, but this epilogue really felt like a waste of time, if I’m blunt.

That’s really not the lingering sentiment you want to finish a series on and it didn’t work for me at all. This felt like it could (and should) have been so, so much better a denouement than it actually was given how strong the rest of the series was.

3.5 stars - 4 for the whole series, 3 for that ending, 3.5 for the rest of the volume. It’s still a recommended series, but that ending really grated on me enough to hand the last volume my lowest rating for the series.

[RaspberryRoses · Rating 4 out of 5]

whole series review:

extremely good and peak.... i do think that the side cast was a bit underdeveloped and the last arc was disappointing, but like. god. so good. and also a really unique artstyle ? i very rarely see so clearly defined noses and eyebrows.

this is a story that i think will stick with me.

[aamna · Rating 5 out of 5]

kurashiki lowkey reminds me of shoko from jjk

[S. Nemo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A pretty and moving story. I love the quietness of this story that had long stretches told only by pictures. Even the end was kind of open because of it, at least if you let it be. Open your heart and let them live on forever in it.

[kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

3✨ felt so rushed but all’s well when it ends well ig

[Loulou · Rating 5 out of 5]

Et c'était le tout dernier tome d'après ce que je comprends....
C'était une histoire avec pleins de leçon de vie et beaucoup de beauté.
Juste magique!!!

[Sophia Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was so fucking cute. got so many emotions out of me. genuinely such a pleasant and great read. happy about the ending and how they get to handle the rest of their life. no stupid love triangle or anything. just two people deeply DEEPLY inlove. ❤️❤️

[Andy Herondale · Rating 5 out of 5]

No puedo creer que ya se haya terminado esta historia tan bonita.
Fue precioso haber visto el recorrido que Magari y Ganta tuvieron que seguir, podrá parecer una simple historia de dos adolescentes en la escuela, pero creo que va más allá, pues profundiza en sus miedos y que justamente esa es la razón que los mantiene despiertos por las noches.
En mi opinión, tuvimos un cierre con el miedo de Magari, más no con el de Ganta, me habría gustado ver un poco más de eso.
Siempre he dicho que soy mucho lectora de personajes y efectivamente, aquí todos se ganaron mi corazón.
La senpai del club de astronomía, el grupo de amigas de Magari, el amigo de Ganta, la profesora asesora del club.
Es una historia bellísima, que siempre voy a recomendar y tener en mi corazón ♥️

[Rocío García · Rating 3 out of 5]

Es una historia bonita y agradable, con un romance bastante sano en el que los dramas se resuelven hablando con sinceridad.
Me ha gustado, pero no me ha parecido especialmentr destacable. Al final es un romance de instituto más y aunque tenía algunas características que lo hacían algo diferente y es lo que me llamó la atención de inicio, lo cierto es que tanto el tema del insomnio como el club de astronomía y la observación de estrellas quedan en un segundo plano bastante pronto.
Y lo que quedó fue un romance estudiantil cuqui, pero bastante genérico.

Precisamente por esto, y aunque era muy facilito de leer porque tenía muchas páginas sin diálogo por el silencio de la noche, pienso que la misma historia se podía haber contado en 8 tomos y quizás me hubiera gustado más.

[Dani RJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hasta aquí llega este pequeño viaje!
Sinceramente, a merecido la pena cada tomo, un pequeño espacio cotidiano en una obra de ficción.

Lo releeré en un tiempo! Anímense!

[panda · Rating 5 out of 5]

well, that was, something.

[Haede-San · Rating 5 out of 5]

E mo' che faccio?
Che bel finale🥹

[franie · Rating 5 out of 5]

se potessi dare sei stelle su cinque lo farei

[Vy Meow · Rating 4 out of 5]

12 Jul 2026
Vì cùng 1 tác giả nên tôi dễ có so sánh với bộ truyện Chion ở đền mèo. Truyện này đoạn đầu vui, đoạn sau nhân văn, đoạn cuối quá nhanh nên thấy thiếu thiếu, không hài lòng.

[jude · Rating 4 out of 5]

love the art style of this series. the ending was a little fumbly, but i forgive it.

[Alessia · Rating 5 out of 5]

(5-⭐️)Si tratta di una lettura che sa trattare con delicatezza delle tematiche abbastanza pesanti. Come ogni slice of life non ci possano essere colpi di scena ogni due pagine, comunque il mio interesse è rimasto alto per tutti e 14 i volumi, soprattutto perché in più di un volume ho avuto la sensazione che non ci sarebbe stato un lieto fine. Tuttavia il finale non mi ha soddisfatto molto, in quanto mi è sembrato abbastanza affrettato e incompleto; nonostante questo ho apprezzato tantissimo questo volume.

[anna ୨ৎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

why didn’t we get to see Isaki’s face in the epilogue but we saw Ganta’s???

[Luca Corsato · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una storia di rara delicatezza, che affronta temi molto importanti come la salute, il senso di colpa e di abbandono. Tutto con una cura dei sentimenti e dei silenzi che rendono questo manga un piccolo gioiello.

[Logan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unfortunately, this series has an abrupt and pointlessly-ambiguous ending. I love the series overall, but this was such a bad ending...

Most people thought that Isaki was dead at the end, until the author confirmed otherwise on Twitter. She also had to establish that Ganta and Isaki are partners, which is strange considering they hadn't been in the same place for 12 years and still refer to each other by their family names... It doesn't make any sense at all!!!

Is Ganta a nurse now? Does Ganta still have trouble sleeping because of his mother abandoning him? Is Isaki still constantly anxious about her death? Did anyone in the side cast end up getting together?

[Laura Tomaszewska · Rating 4 out of 5]

To me it was kind of unresolved at the end, a lot of stuff was skipped just to end it. we didn’t even see magari’s face at the end for unknown reasons. and it wasn’t an open ending nor a closed one so it felt a bit off. but besides that i loved the whole series

[Rumi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This felt extremely rushed and I’m glad I’m not the only one thinking it, reading other reviews. Overall I really liked it

[Luana · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Il problema non è quasi mai il peso in sé. Ciò che conta è la quantità di tempo per cui dobbiamo farcene carico. Ma puoi anche lasciare andare il tuo fardello."

SPOILER
(Partiamo un secondo dal finale - uno di quei finali abbastanza aperti che non mi sono mai piaciuti e che mi urtano il sistema nervoso. Speravo in un happy ending, ma ho qualche dubbio. A parte la differenza nel vestire (lei come se fosse in piena estate e lui decisamente più coperto), la cosa che più mi lascia perplessa è il fatto che non si veda la faccia di Magari 🤔 per un attimo ho temuto che lui stesse vedendo il fantasma di lei, però sembra che gli amici le abbiano scritto sul cellulare per la famosa rimpatriata...quindi forse anche lei e Ganta si stanno rivedendo dopo tanto tempo? 🤔 bella domanda...però sono felice di vedere che la fotografia è diventata parte integrante della vita del ragazzo. Beh, se qualcuno ha una teoria da condividere sul finale, lo faccia pure.)
FINE SPOILER

Il resto del volume segue l'avvicinamento agli esami, con Magari costretta in ospedale e Ganta stretto nella morsa dei suoi sensi di colpa (a partire dalla paura di aver in qualche modo causato il divorzio dei genitori, ma fortunatamente il padre gli farà capire che non è così) e della pena che prova nel vedere la sua ragazza in quello stato. Il poverino ci metterà un po' a capire che è giunto il tempo di liberarsi di un peso che in realtà non avrebbe mai dovuto portare e solo così potrà riavvicinarsi a Magari giusto in tempo per farle gli auguri per i suoi 18 anni. Poi è tempo di esami e di saluti, con la promessa di ritrovarsi tutti insieme dopo 12 anni in occasione di una nuova eclissi solare. Sarebbe stato interessante vedere questa reunion, giusto per capire che ne è stato di tutta la banda, ma non si può avere tutto dalla vita.

Allora, piccola opinione personale sulla serie ora che si è conclusa: l'ho trovata molto carina, anche se l'apprezzamento è andato un po' scemando volume dopo volume. Concordo con quanti dicono che la fine è un tantino affrettata, per non parlare poi di quel capitolo conclusivo...rimane comunque una lettura che sa trattare con delicatezza delle tematiche abbastanza pesanti. Ovviamente uno slice of life non è una storia di avventura, quindi capisco bene che non ci possano essere colpi di scena ogni due pagine...però, soprattutto nella parte centrale, alcuni volumi mi hanno lasciato veramente poco e questo mi dispiace. Tuttavia, questa rimane un'opinione personale che nulla toglie alla delicatezza di questa storia. Quindi, dategli una possibilità!

[Tachan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un peu, un peu rapide et pourtant tout y est, comme la vie ! J’ai été très heureuse de retrouver et dire au revoir à Ganta, Isaki et tous leurs amis. Je me suis attachée à eux au fil des années et c’est avec émotion mais sourire que j’ai refermé ce tome.

Pourtant, ce ne fut pas forcément facile. On aborde quand même bien plus frontalement que d’habitude, dans ce tome, la peur de la maladie et de la mort. J’ai trouvé très intéressant ce focus souvent évité ou mélodramatisé dans les autres séries. Là, il y a un réalisme bien plus prenant qui m’a justement serré la gorge. J’ai eu la larme à l’oeil lorsque Ganta nous fait part de la peur qu’il a eu face à la réalité de la maladie d’Isaki qu’il s’était figuré en lisant mais qu’il n’avait pas réellement affronté avant de le voir. C’est tout à fait ça et qu’est-ce que c’est écrit justement. Il n’y a jamais de misérabilisme ici, juste des ados qui ont envie de croquer la vie et qui sont frustrés.

Heureusement tout est bien qui finit bien et c’est justement cette bouffée de fraîcheur qu’on recherche. La fraîcheur et le réalisme de cette fin du lycée qui manga et inquiète : normal on prépare l’avenir. Cette fraîcheur des relations humaines entre ado : normal, ils sont jeunes et n’ont pas encore affronté les vicissitudes de la vie. Cette fraîcheur des émotions : normal, ils sont encore novice en la matière et ont pourtant lourd sur la patate. Mais tout cela respire et nous aide à respirer nous aussi.

J’ai ainsi beaucoup aimé le focus sur Ganta dans ce tome. Il devait résoudre ses appréhensions et l’autrice le fait très bien, avec simplicité, que ce soit quand il perd pied face à la réalité de la maladie d’Isaki ou quand enfin on lui parle de sa mère, lui qui s’était mis tout le poids de la séparation de ses parents dessus. Et un Ganta qu’on soulage de ces poids, c’est un autre Ganta, ce que l’autrice résume si bien dans l’ultime page. C’est donc un superbe message plein d’espoir.

Série d’amour et d’amitié, de poids et de libération, de peur et de réconfort, elle m’aura à chaque fois touchée en plein coeur que ce soit dans la solitude première de ces deux insomniaques, dans la révélation de leurs fragilités mais surtout dans l’équilibre qu’ils ont su trouver à deux et avec leurs camarades et famille, leur permettant de grandir et d’affronter les difficultés. Ce fut donc de bout en bout une lecture pleine d’émotion et de philosophie que je recommande à tous !

Article complet : https://lesblablasdetachan.wordpress....

[lanmreading manga · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vậy là kết thúc 1 hành trình. Isaki & Nakami gặp nhau từ lớp 10, cũng là tập 1. Kết thúc là lúc mấy đứa đã tốt nghiệp cấp 3. Vốn nghĩ chỉ là một câu chuyện chill chill đi ngắm trời sao, nhưng càng về sau càng thêm nhiều ý nghĩa.

Từ hai đứa mất ngủ, có phần lạc lõng với người xung quanh, tình cờ gặp nhau, kết nối với sở thích mới... đến đàn anh, đàn chị có các em yêu quý. Có nhóm bạn bền vững cùng thực hiện lời hứa xa xôi. Từ hai đứa nhóc không biết tương lai ra sao, lại có tình yêu trong sáng, cùng trưởng thành, cùng đối mặt với khó khăn, bệnh tật...

Đọc truyện mà lắm cảm xúc vui buồn đan xen quá tròi. Art thì không có gì để chê. Nội dung quá tuyệt. Mê quá, hồi xưa chưa đọc hết đã vào top iu thích rồi. Giờ đọc hết lại càng mê hơn.

[estela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me da mucha pena haber acabado estos mangas. La historia es tan bonita, me encanta como se toma su tiempo en que los protas se vayan conociendo, tengan confianza, etc. También me parece que el romance no es lo principal del manga, creo que está más enfocado en el autoconocimiento y su forma de afrontar diferentes problemas de la vida.
En conclusión, me ha encantado, los personajes, los dibujos, la trama, todo.

[Deep · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yotsubato, Barakamon, Sket Dance, Horimiya… you simply want some manga to continue forever. However, all good things must come to an end. Such is the nature of existence.

Insomniacs After School anime has to be one of the best things that happened to me in 2023, and in 2024, it’s the manga. I have no words to describe it. It easily earns a place in my top 10 all-time favourite manga list—- one of the finest pieces of iyashikei literature I have ever read.

Insomniacs After School (2019-2023)

[Abram Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been reading this series for over 5 years, it was one of the first manga I picked up. It’s such a sweet story about 2 troubled teenagers coming together. It has a pretty good depiction of being chronically ill. Cried through the whole last volume. Makoto Ojiro is one of my favorite manga artists. The way she so often uses wordless panels, just letting the art speak and set tone is amazing. Such a beautiful series.

[Parelion · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love how a slice of life's apparent simplicity can make me feel good, and think about my existence.
One could argue that there aren't many events happening, but the details are the heart of this kind of work, to me. A bowl of food, smiles, a photo, a cat, a peaceful stroll at night with an important person, under the same sky. Little, beautiful things.

[Zinat · Rating 4 out of 5]

The manga does such a great job of depicting the transiency of life. Despite all the effort we put in, all the planning we do, we only have so little in our control. But that should not deter us from hoping, dreaming of a good life at this very moment. The characters coming to realize and accepting this truth was a great reading experience.