It’s been many years since the isekai boom began and it shows no signs of declining. Re:Zero and Mushoku Tensei have both been given what I can only describe as royal treatment in their adaptations, seeming to push beyond the norms of the typical light-novel-turned-anime. As long as their popularity continues, I don’t doubt the current trend will too.
And why not? It’s an established genre and many classics—both in Westernliterature and Japanesemedia—were built around the idea of transference to another world.
But this is not a post about whether their perceived market dominance is good or bad; this is a post about the works that bill themselves as isekai when in truth they really don’t need to be.
There’s something exciting about discovering a manga that explores one of your hobbies—particularly when said hobby is relatively niche.
Kimi wa Houkago Insomnia follows two high school insomniacs who inadvertently revive their school’s defunct astronomy club while using the observatory as a safe place to sleep. Required to perform actual club activities, Nakami quickly becomes interested in astrophotography, for what better hobby could an insomniac take up than chasing elusive clear night-time skies?
The manga chronicles his initial forays into the art and his budding but awkward relationship with Magari, stalked all the while by a sense of impending tragedy.
It’s unfortunate the astrophotography isn’t always on point.
