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When I was a student, there were a handful of teachers whose lectures had a better than even chance of putting me to sleep. As a matter of fact, in classrooms that had a mix of furniture, I always tried to avoid grabbing a seat with one of those one-armed, half desks attached to it, because they were less comfortable to doze off on.

Of course, I’m sure my teachers would have rather I’d stayed awake the whole time. But hey, a well-rested mind is a critical component of the learning process, right? That’s why one educational company in Japan has produced this video lecture, starring a famous anime voice actress, with the specific goal of putting you to sleep.

It’s hard for your brain to retain information when you’re exhausted from lack of sleep. Unfortunately, if you’ve got an important test coming up, the pressure and stress can have you in such an agitated state that it’s impossible for your mind to enter the relaxed state necessary to catch even half of the 40 winks your body is craving.

That’s the problem Juken Supli (“Entrance Exam Supplement”) is seeking to address with its newest video. An offshoot of human resources and advertising company Recruit, ordinarily Juken Suppli prides itself on its series of video lectures, billing them as engaging, easy to understand, and an effective way for high schoolers to help prepare for their college entrance exams.

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As such, the videos are usually hosted by experts in their particular subjects, who present the material in an animated and energetic style. But Juken Suppli acknowledges that students pushing themselves to learn as much as possible can have the opposite effect. Sometimes, what they really need is a quick nap in order to recharge, and that’s where Mamiko Noto comes in.

An anime voice actress and singer with over 15 years of experience in the industry, Noto immediately puts her vocal skills to use, enunciating, “In this lecture, I’ll be talking about Pablo Picasso, a painter who can’t be omitted when discussing modern art.”

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Listed on the chalkboard behind Noto are the various periods of the artist’s career, starting with his Blue Period and continuing on to the end of his life in 1973. Noto, however, chooses to start off her lecture with this tidbit:

“By the way, do you know Pablo Picasso’s real name? It is actually incredibly long, and it’s said that even he himself couldn’t remember it. Pablo Picasso’s real name was Pablo Diego Jose Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno Maria de los Remedios, Cipriano de la Santisima Trinidad Ruiz Picasso.”

Riveting, right? As she goes on, it becomes apparent that while Noto is speaking in a clear, easy to understand voice, she’s not doing anything to vary her pitch, speed, or volume. At the video’s two-minute mark, relaxing music starts to play, and by the third time Noto insists on referring to Picasso by his full name, it starts to feel more like she’s saying, “Shhh…it’s all right…go to sleep.”

▼ Some people are probably already out by the time she takes a pause to tie up her hair.

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Still, Juken Suppli promised us an art history lesson, and Noto has no intention of not providing one. During the 14-minute video, she actually dispenses a wealth of information on the life and times of the celebrated painter.

Of course, Juken Suppli also promised a sleeping aid. Considering the intense fandom that surrounds many voice actresses in Japan, isn’t there a chance that some of Noto’s admirers will be transfixed by her gently smiling face, and the beating of their hearts will keep them awake?

Not really, because as the video goes on, the visuals get progressively blurrier and blurrier.

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That’s not the only sleep-inducing trick the video pulls in post-production, either. Roughly halfway through, a relaxing echo effect is added to Noto’s voice, making it seem like her words are coming to you through a comfortably obscuring veil of sleep.

▼ Eventually, the blackboard text becomes entirely illegible.

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For best results, watching the video with headphones will let you wrap yourself in nothing but the lullaby of Noto’s lecture. But all of this begs the question, might the video be a little too effective? After all, what if you end up dozing off until tomorrow morning instead of finishing up the studying you have left to do?

Don’t worry. Juken Suppli took that possibility into consideration, and after 14 minutes, an alarm goes off, bringing you out of your slumber. As the classroom comes back into stark focus, Noto walks up to the camera, good-naturedly asking, “Hey now, were you listening? Let’s study together, OK?”

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Thanks for the words of encouragement, but somehow, we think we’ll get more actual studying done with another teacher. We’ll come back and see you next time we need a break, though, Professor Noto.

Related: Juken Suppli
Source: Gigazine via Jin
Top image: YouTube
Insert images: YouTube (1, 2)