Insomniacs After School (2023) s01e01 Episode Script

1
[clock ticking]
[soft piano music]
[rustling of sheets]
[Ganta groans]
[Ganta] At night, I always feel
wide awake.
I get in my bed and I try to
doze off,
but I can't sleep.
And time just passes by.
My inability to sleep causes
a cycle of negative thoughts
and I end up wide awake again,
out of worry and frustration.
At around 5:00 AM
I hear the sound
of the newspaper delivery bike
and the elderly neighbor across
the way
opening up their shutter door,
not to mention the dogs.
[dogs barking]
[bird wings rustling]
Then the sky gets bright
and light seeps in through the
curtain.
The morning comes and I
prepare
for another day
of despair.
[Kanikawa] Wanna hear a story?
It's about why our school
stopped having an
Astronomy Club.
Well, one of the girls in the
club
had a crush on this guy
from the soccer team,
but she got rejected
and took it really hard,
so she jumped off the school's
observatory.
Then, one day,
a boy from the Astronomy Club
claims that he saw a girl waving
her hand from up on the moon.
[eerie music]
That boy totally
had hidden feelings
for the girl who had jumped.
From that point on,
he was possessed by something
that made him unable to sleep.
So he spent every night looking
at the stars.
As he took his final breath,
he left these words behind:
"That girl isn't waving to say
hello,
she's asking me to join her."
All the other members of the
club met with the same fate
then the club faded from memory
and the observatory
turned into a warehouse.
However, just beyond
that tightly locked door,
the ghost of the Astronomy Club
are lurking!
[cackles]
[both scream]
A girl from Class 2 said
she saw them recently.
The door to the observatory
was slightly open,
but it's usually locked.
So she decided to take a peek
and saw the club members and
their advisor
beckoning her inside!
Hey, Kani, quit running
your mouth already
and start helping, would you?
Hey, I'm multitasking over here.
Oh, and that observatory rumor,
it's only the ghost of the dead
girl who jumped that appears.
Don't gimme that, Anamizu!
If you wanna get things done,
then why don't you go bother
the shameless slacker Ganta over
there.
[footsteps]
[cardboard rustling]
Ganta, wake up.
If you've got time to take a
nap,
then go grab some more boxes for
us.
They're over in
the main building,
near the fourth floor
landing, okay?
Yeah, what she said.
Get to it.
[Ganta sighs]
Why is it always me?
Huh?
How about the one who's
wasting time with ghost stories?
Here's the thing,
the boxes are close to where
the haunted observatory is,
so none of us girls wanna go
near it.
Hey, there's no such thing as
ghosts!
And besides, just look.
I made two gravestones
all by myself already.
And despite us starting
at the exact same time,
Kani's group hasn't even
finished one of them
while working together.
Which means, I'm done for the
day
because I've completed
three people's worth of work.
And you were tal
[yells]
[Nono] Check it out!
It's my greatest work yet!
It's not a real monster, Nakami!
[class laughs]
[Kanikawa] Nice going, Nono!
Nice. The quality you'd
expect from an Art Club member.
No monster would have those
kind of ridiculous colors!
[soft whimpering]
[Ganta sighs]
I'll get more boxes.
[Kanikawa]
Oh, really? Thank you!
Whoa, that was brutal, Kani.
What can I say? Ganta sucks.
He always acts like he's the
only one suffering around here.
[girl 1] Ganta thinks he's
better than everyone else, huh?
[girl 2] Totally. Plus
he's always such a grouch
Hey, where's Isaki?
She was with me not too long
ago.
[girl 3] Is your boyfriend
coming too?
[girl 4] Yep! We're going
together!
[dancer 1] Tomorrow is the big
day, let's do it again.
-Okay!
-Okay!
[Ganta]
So carefree. It must be nice.
[soft music]
Why am I the only one with this
problem?
[Ukegawa] Keep raising it up.
A little to the right.
[boys straining]
That's good.
Yeah, hook it right there, okay.
Hm?
Sorry, be right back.
-[boy 1] Okay.
-[boy 2] Sure thing.
[Ukegawa] Hey, Ganta.
Hm?
Ukegawa.
Yo!
You don't look so good, buddy.
Yeah, headache.
Have you been sleeping?
Not a wink.
Man, for real?
[Ganta] I've read some reference
manuals
thinking they'd put me to sleep,
but no such luck.
Okay, so this insomnia thing,
it's kind of like picking up
one of those super stars
in a video game, right?
You're invincible!
[Ganta sighs]
Just kidding.
[Ganta] For some reason,
I'm wide awake at night,
but sleepy as hell during the
day.
It's so bad that nothing
feels real to me anymore.
What if I'm losing my mind and
you're just a hallucination?
Get some rest
in the nurse's office.
-No.
-[Ukegawa] Why not?
Because if I'm always in the
nurse's office,
people will start to think
I'm some messed-up kid!
[girl] Whoa, what the
Let's go.
Yeah.
I'm gonna go get boxes.
Oh, okay.
Kani's gonna gimme crap if I
only come back with this much.
They said something
about this place
being a warehouse now, right?
[door creaks]
There's no such thing as ghosts.
[door clanks shut]
[footsteps echo]
Oh.
Huh?
[gentle guitar music]
[Ganta laughs]
Awesome.
It's a secret base.
[cardboard clattering]
I can hardly hear any of the
hustle and bustle outside.
Nobody comes close because
of the ghost rumors.
Perfect.
It's official.
This is my hangout spot.
[light breathing]
Huh?
[gentle guitar music]
[Ganta yells]
[Isaki groans]
[Ganta stammers]
[Isaki screams]
[loud slam]
[Ganta gasps]
[Isaki panting]
[bag rustles]
Okay.
Hey, wait!
You're in my class!
Isaki Magari?
[Isaki] So, like, the door to
this room has a busted lock
and once it gets shut,
it can only be opened
from the outside.
[doorknob clicking]
So you're saying
that we're stuck?
So, care to tell me what
you're doing here, Ganta?
Getting boxes.
I was told to grab some.
Now my turn.
Why are you here instead of
helping with culture fest?
No reason.
Whatever.
This sucks.
I can't call anyone,
I left my phone in class.
But hold on a minute.
Maybe we can get out if
we open up the ceiling.
[panel clacking]
Hmm
It's too dark to see anything.
We need some kind of light
source.
[Isaki] Here.
[Ganta groans]
[bubble pops]
I might have passed out
if I weren't so
on edge right now.
Huh?
But that solves our problem.
Use your phone to call someone.
They can help us out.
[Isaki]
Except I can't tell anyone
about why I was here.
Then don't tell them why.
Just hurry up.
What other choice do we have?
-Gimme your phone!
-Hey, give it back!
Do you want to be stuck
in here for life?
Jeez. Is there something wrong
with you?
There is.
Huh?
[Isaki] Like, I can't sleep
at all at night,
and it drives me nuts.
I get bad headaches during the
day and I feel super drowsy.
So I come here to rest!
[Ganta] She's like me.
I don't want people to worry,
which is why I have to keep it a
secret.
I'll call Ukegawa.
Know him? He's an old buddy of
mine.
And the only one I've
shared my secret with
about my insomnia.
[light gasp]
He's someone we can trust, okay?
And I don't think he'll ask
any questions about this.
No answer.
Mind if I text?
Oh, sure.
[tapping]
[Ganta] Now we just wait.
You know, Ganta,
I've always thought that you
were just some sort of scary
jerk or something.
So you hated me even though
we've never had a real
conversation before now?
Well, I'm always tired
and irritated,
so that tracks [yawns]
Man, this really
is the perfect spot.
I come here during recess and
before club activities
to get some rest.
It's like my own secret hideout.
I even put the lock on it
myself.
All right, I get it.
I'm not gonna tell anyone,
or try and take it for myself.
But you scared the crap out of
me earlier.
When you popped outta that
locker,
I thought it was the ghost
of the Astronomy Club.
There's no such thing as ghosts,
silly,
or Santa Claus for that matter.
[yawns]
[Ganta] I take it you
don't get freaked out
like the other girls do.
[Isaki] Nope, and for good
reason.
I'm the one who started that
rumor in the first place.
What? You made that all up?
[laughs]
Worked like a charm.
[yawns]
So warm.
[Ganta groans]
Weird, my head doesn't hurt
anymore.
Hm?
[Ganta exclaims]
[Isaki groans]
I'm drooling
Whoa! Too close!
[both yell in surprise]
[upbeat music]
[Ukegawa] Ganta!
You okay? Door's open.
[door creaks]
-Huh?
-Thank you, thank you!
Whoa, there's someone else?
You're a lifesaver, Ukegawa.
[Ukegawa]
This place is seriously
giving me haunted vibes.
Let's get out of here.
[door clicks closed]
Hey, Ukegawa.
Can I borrow that pen for a sec?
Oh, um, it's water-based.
Hold out your hand.
Huh?
[slap echoes]
Appreciate it!
Uh
It's a secret, 'kay?
[footsteps]
Hmm?
[Ukegawa] What is going on?
[upbeat music]
Huh.
[boy] I'm going for it!
-I'm going to roll.
-I'm getting hit!
Okay. Come on, everybody, let's
go.
Here goes!
[Kurashiki]
You've got some bad luck
to end up in
the nurse's office,
right as culture fest
starts, Ganta.
Yeah, I guess.
They say one of every four
people
struggles with some sort
of sleeping disorder.
It's very common.
They know that sleep
is important
and feel pressure to
get some,
which causes stress to build up.
It's a vicious cycle.
Well, I never said that
I couldn't get any sleep
and isn't experiencing
stress just a part of life?
It's impossible to keep it in
check.
There's a six-second period
where your anger peaks
when triggered by stress.
If you can shut down your
thought process and wait it out,
anger will subside.
You need to learn how
to control your anger.
Nurse Kurashiki,
I got hit by a ball.
-Oh!
-Another injury?
[cat meows]
A cat?
[whimiscal music]
Hm.
[rustling]
Stupid cat! Get back here!
Six seconds, miss, please!
[Isaki] I haven't seen
you since that one time.
Did you get over your insomnia?
I was in the middle of a yawn
when the soccer ball
bounced off my face.
I'm as sleepless as ever.
Yikes. Samesies.
Not a wink.
Wanna hang?
Well, I'm not sure if I can.
[Ganta]
The observatory is a great spot
to dip out for a bit,
but honestly,
I'm not sure
how to deal with girls.
Listen, I need you, Ganta.
'Cause I can't sleep.
Oh.
[student] Bye.
-Let's meet up later.
-Bye!
[footsteps]
[yawns]
Ah, there you are.
[Isaki giggles]
All right. Down to business.
[lighthearted music]
[Isaki grunting]
-Be careful on the stairs, 'kay?
-Right.
Dammit. She only asked me
to come help
with the heavy lifting.
[Ganta grunts]
Too heavy! Put it down a sec!
We can make it!
No, seriously, I can't!
Just trust me!
I'm so totally pooped.
Yeah, time for a break.
All you're gonna do in here is
sleep.
So I don't know why you
want to clean it up so much.
We gotta make plenty of room
so we can both use this space.
Anyway if you manage to get
some rest in here sometimes,
then you might not have
to deal with being
such a grouch all the time.
[Ganta] I noticed you turned on
the lights.
[Isaki] Of course. It's
dangerous in the dark.
Yeah, makes sense.
I'm curious, how do you spend
the long and boring nights?
What do you do?
[Ganta] I used to kill time
by looking at stuff on my phone,
but I quit after I heard
that light from LCDs
can mess with your sleep.
Then I started reading books
or listening to the radio.
But even if I got into bed,
my mind would just
wander for hours
until eventually morning came.
Such a drag.
And getting depressed about lack
of sleep
and worrying about problems that
you'll never be able to solve.
[uplifting music]
[Isaki groans]
[metallic grinding]
Huh?
So let's make things fun!
Whether we have a
good time or bad,
the morning sun
will still come up!
I think we should form a
society.
We'll call it
Nightly Fun Society!
[crickets chirping]
[water flowing]
[bicycle approaches]
[brakes squeaking]
Oh, there you are.
Those are the kind of clothes
you wear?
Shh. Keep it down.
Okay, let's get this started.
Society member number one,
Isaki Magari:
Present!
Next.
I gotta do it, too?
Number two, Ganta Nakami.
All right.
The Nightly Fun Society
is ready for take off!
[Ganta] Ready for take off
[upbeat music]
[feet shuffling]
I can't believe that
we're actually doing this.
Ah, I'm getting nervous.
Yeah, I already had a
small anxiety attack
when I snuck out
of my house earlier,
but I've always wanted to try
doing this.
Just walking around town all
night.
So what do you think?
Should we just follow the canal
down to the river?
No. It's safer to walk
through the shopping district.
There are more places to hide.
We'll get busted if someone
spots us.
Roger that!
[Isaki hums]
[upbeat music continues]
[Isaki] What's in the bag?
Looks like it's filled with
stuff.
Oh, this?
It's just a camera
and a tripod to go with it.
And camouflage clothes.
[Isaki] Camouflage?
[Ganta] In the event that we
get busted by the cops.
They might not bother us if
we're in the Photography Club.
But taking pictures at night
might make us
look like creepers, wouldn't it?
Are cameras and photography your
hobby?
[Ganta] Nah,
this is just a present
that my dad randomly bought me
for Christmas one year.
In fifth grade I really wanted
this one video game console.
I cried and made a big fuss
when I got this.
[Isaki laughs]
What's funny?
The idea of you crying is
hilarious.
Okay, so what were
you like as a kid then?
Hmm.
I was actually a pretty frail
kid.
Really?
I was hospitalized
so I had to take lessons
on how to build my
stamina.
Hospitalized?
Mm-hmm.
Huh?
[bicycle clicking]
Huh?
[brakes squeak]
[officer] Hmm.
[Isaki and Ganta exclaim]
[low ringing]
[officer grunts]
[Isaki whimpers]
[heartbeat]
[Isaki breathes slowly]
[Ganta] He's gone.
Isaki, you okay?
[gasp]
[Isaki exclaims]
Oh, my heart is still beating
like crazy.
Mm-hmm.
[water flowing]
[Isaki] Back to our earlier
conversation,
I'm totally okay now.
I did swimming and gymnastics
so my body is super flexible.
Because I was always so weak
and frail when I was a kid,
it made me never wanna be
a burden to people again.
That's why I really
don't want anyone
to know about
my lack of sleep.
[Isaki gasps]
[Ganta gasps]
[gentle music]
You know, maybe being
sleepless isn't so bad,
for beauty like this.
Mm-hmm.
[bag rustling]
[zipper opens]
You do like cameras.
Since I brought it with me.
[shutter clicks]
[shutter clicks]
[shutter clicks]
[shutter clicks]
[Isaki] Ganta? Ganta!
[chuckles]
[shutter clicks]
[shutter clicks]
[shutter clicks]
[ending theme]
[both sigh, exhale]
Well, morning is here.
Figures. Now I'm feeling sleepy.
[both yawn]
[both laugh]
Oh hey, we haven't exchanged
phone numbers yet, huh?
Let's do it now.
Sure. Why not?
Give me that.
[Ganta] Up until recently, we
hadn't so much as
talked to each other.
But now we're exploring the
town at night together,
and swapping numbers.
What's up with your fish icon?
-You know, like my name.
-When Isaki is around,
all the sleepless and
boring nights
become exciting.
I wonder, what kind of
relationship is this?
Thanks for walking me home.
This is it, my place.
Mm-hmm.
Bye
Bye.
[both] See you today!