So Romantic
I won’t lie, I dig a good romance, even when it’s absent in my own life. Relationships are complicated; steamy & blissful at first and then a slow crash and burn. But hey, that’s just my experience. It’s goes a bit differently in Call of the Night, just a little bit….
But for others, romance is the coolest thing since instant coffee. Anime and manga have tried very hard to replicate what it’s like to have the best romance. Many have tried and failed, while few have actually succeeded.
Of course, love is interpreted differently from an eastern audience to a western. I’ve never heard of a harem until I watched Date a Live, which probably has the most ridiculous harem.
How Typical…
Also, when a guy (typically a guy) does one act of kindness for someone (typically a girl), that someone immediately falls in love with them. Usually the guy is completely oblivious to this or isn’t sure how to express his feelings to said girl.
But this is anime/manga. Real life is a bit different, perhaps even a bit harsher, for both eastern and western cultures.
Anyway I’m getting off topic.
I do that often, don’t I?
The Supernatural
Speaking of things that are realistic, I love the supernatural. Ghosts & ghouls, werewolves and vampires, yokai and demons, mythology and urban legends (oh my).
I surprisingly haven’t found a whole lot of supernatural romances; I distinctly remember being a middle schooler and reading Rosario + Vampire (of all manga) after school, which wasn’t terrible, but again, it’s a harem.
Sucker for Blood
I’ll be discussing vampires in this post, therefore if you don’t know what a vampire is… honestly I’ll be at a loss for words – they’re all over the media; movies, books, games, music, folklore & mythology.
If not… *sigh*, they’re immortal undead creatures who feed off the blood of the living, typically killed by sunlight, silver or holy relics, or piercing the heart. That’s the short of it anyway.
NOW to my point!
The Point
There is one manga that stands out above the rest. It is a slow burn supernatural romance that includes vampires and isn’t a harem!
It’s called Yofukashi no Uta, Call of the Night, written by Kotoyama.
And God how I wish I picked this manga up sooner it’s so f*cking good. To me, the plot is simple yet very well written. It’s full of comedy, sweet moments, a few intense action sequences, a spark of playful youth, a few intriguing plot twists, and a whole lot more to love. And it’s still ongoing 100+ chapters later.
It may be important to note there are rarely references to suicide. That may turn off some readers but it’s a minor detail in the series.
It’s the story of a teenage boy, Kou Yamori, who decides to be rebellious one night and go out on the town instead of sleeping on a school night like he oughta.
Please Note!
I’ll try as best as I can not to spoil anything if you haven’t picked up this gem yet, but I will describe the first chapter and include several pictures from a few of my favorite scenes. There’s so much I wanna share with you, because it’s difficult to just pick a few moments out.
Anyway.
Plot
Kou is surprised that he’s not alone, as he comes across a number of carefree individuals hanging around a bench at night. There is a whole other life in the nighttime he has yet to experience.
Deciding to grab a drink from a vending machine, he meets a mysterious girl. She beckons him to accompany her in the night, “so, you can’t sleep, huh? … boy“.
She runs a sleep clinic out of her apartment, and surprisingly, Kou is all for taking a nap in a stranger’s bed. But something isn’t right, and he can sense that.
He pretends to sleep, and in the next moment the girl bares her fangs and bites Kou’s neck, sucking his blood. He would be her unknowing victim. And turns out his blood tastes delicious.
Unfortunately for her, however, he was aware the whole time, and this startles her. He would be one of the few humans to realize that vampires exist, a taboo thing. She confesses to being a vampire, and suddenly an unlikely relationship forms between the two.
The Ultimate Vampress
Her name is Nazuna Nanakusa, and she’s the real star of this story. Beautiful, dangerous, lewd, and hilarious are only a few adjectives of many that can be used to describe this playful character (see what I did there?).
She is my spirit animal. And what many could easily consider a top-tier “wifu”. You wanna know why?
Well… I’ll let her introduce herself.
Alright I admit the pic above was a lil bit lazily drawn but the scene was just hilarious.
Nana (Nanakusa) loves video games. Dating sims and knockoff Mario Kart are just a couple of her favorites. She’s spent enough time living to master them in her boredom.
She loves drinking beer. Can’t get enough alcohol, whether from a pint at the diner or a can from a vending machine. It’s an interesting trait of hers that really just serves for comedic purposes, especially when it comes to teasing Kou about their age gap.
She’s lazy. Sometimes. If there’s a bed nearby, she has to lay in it, as she enjoys the luxury of comfort, and who wouldn’t?
We never get to see her during the day, so we could assume vampires in this universe can’t walk out in sunlight.
She’s crude. Her character is really playful and enjoys teasing Kou and making him flustered from time to time, and he often retorts at were lewd comments.
But she’s also childish, but in a way that’s cute and not so annoying. Sometimes Kou has to look after her from causing mischief.
And she says some of the funniest dialogue I’ve read in manga. When there’s a lull in the chapters, there’s some hilariously placed comedy-relief. Sometimes Kou plays along with her mischief, which just shows how well they get along.
Crazy Powerful
Vampires in this universe are very strong and fast (they usually are in most media). It seems like they can regenerate limbs and fly away at a moments notice.
Nazuna is certainly a fighter when she needs to be, coming to protect Kou or others when they’re in danger. She can easily fend for herself, and doesn’t brag about being far stronger than Kou. Kou is a fighter too, although that doesn’t say much since he’s human. Still, he tries to help in the best way he can, head on.
She can be unintentionally seductive and yet… she has zero dating experience. And so does our other protagonist Kou. So that’s something they have in common.
Kou Boy
Kou… is sorta generic in terms of being the story’s protagonist. He gets good grades but decides to ditch school because being a rebel is cool and so are vampires. When someone’s in trouble, he gives a helping hand; most protagonists do. Not that there’s anything wrong with that! Just keep in mind he isn’t the main focus of the story, as Nana easily steals the show.
But Kou wants to become a vampire so he can be like Nazuna, as he thinks she’s super cool, and who can blame him? I know I’ve thought about being a vampire. You see, Kou lacks aspirations; he doesn’t know what he wants to be when he grows up, hell neither do I and I’m 26 writing this *sobs quietly*.
So why not become a vampire? Nana pitches it like it’s the best thing ever; getting to fly through the night, no adults hovering over you telling you what to do, no rules, just fun.
But to become a vampire….
*Super minor spoilers people*
He has to fall in love!
Dun
Dun
DUN!
Yeah… it seems like a silly concept. Its certainly one of the more unique versions of becoming a vampire.
I remember watching the HBO show True Blood and distinctly remembering their vampires having to be buried along with the person they’re trying to turn into one of them.
Don’t let that cheesy plot device discourage you from picking up this masterpiece. It’s worth it, trust me.
Trust me.
The Game of Love
But falling in love is frustratingly difficult for Kou, probably because he’s never been in love before (awww). So how will Nana do it? Will she even agree to make him her servant?
It’s not that simple. But no relationship can nor should be forced, and Call of the Night’s author Kotoyama does a great job creating a romance that forms organically. I find it both funny and ironic, because this manga is based around surreal supernatural elements like vampires, yet manages to make such a believable naturally forming romance unlike so many other manga out there.
And what I mean by that is… the vampire and human duo do things together.
Excuse me what? Nani?!!
You Have a Friend in Me
Literally, they hang out. When night arrives, the two meet up. They have fun.
They play video games together and make bets on who loses.
They fly through the night like some adrenaline junkies, laughing on their way.
They go swimming, go to karaoke, and sightseeing.
But perhaps most importantly, they help each other overcome obstacles, together, especially helping others in need as well.
But there are also a number of intimate and tender moments that show us the progression of their relationship, and that’s another fantastic part of the manga. Sure there’s a slight bit of ecchiness, but its mostly wholesome… as wholesome as getting one’s blood sucked.
So is there more to the plot? Of course! Don’t expect explosions and intense action sequences at every turn like the big names, but throughout the chapters new characters get introduced and sometimes they get interwoven into the plot.
Supporting Characters
I’ll only name a few to keep the element of surprise for yourself. Many of the characters are likeable, even the bad guys, which I’ll get into in a bit.
There’s Kou’s friend and fellow classmate Akira. She occasionally looks after Kou, and is the first to notice him ditching class. Of course she eventually finds out about his nighttime adventures, and continues to support him to the end. We could all use a friend like her *cries* I wish I had more friends. There’s numerous hints that she’s interested in our boy Kou, but I especially like that this fact isn’t bombarded or distracts us from the story like so many manga do.
Kou’s other friend and classmate is Mahiru, who grows suspicious of Kou’s disappearance from class. He’s the type of friend to challenge Kou’s beliefs and insist on doing mischievous things, like enter a school after hours to uncover some “7 mysteries of the school” phenomenon ooooo spooky. Kou seems to take caution around him, as if he’s unsure of his motives or the legitimacy of their friendship.
The Not-So Supporting Character
Then there’s the detective “Miss Detective” Kou calls her. The Main villain of Call of the Night, she’s a really fascinating antagonist that appears from time to time to put Kou and the others on edge. She somehow just knows Kou knows about the existence of vampires and inquires about this. She hates vampires with a burning passion and hopes to kill them all.
She knows EVERYTHING.
After all, she knows a vampire’s one weakness, which is surprisingly not what I expected. I won’t spell it out, but I must admit it’s a really unique take/depiction of vampire folklore. Exposure to sunlight or a stake through the heart? Nah, it’s something much deeper.
There’s a very unique Halloween arc where the Detective wears a mask and takes some dangerous measures in public, but I won’t be spoiling anything. I just think its some of the coolest chapters in the manga.
There are numerous other characters as well, but describing who they are exactly would only be spoiling the fun of reading this God-tier manga.
But Wait, There’s More!
Of course Nana isn’t the only vampire we meet. There are serious vampires and silly ones, trap ones (heh) and sinister ones, chill ones and clingy ones. They really add depth to the story, appearing overall friendly but occasionally remind us that they are dangerous supernatural beings capable of quickly and swiftly taking lives.
And of course Kou and his friends aren’t the only humans either. There’s a funny scene when Kou stumbles across his teacher at a park bench at night. Instead of being scolded, Kou’s teacher seems completely chill with him skipping class. I remember being in middle school and realizing how teachers have lives outside school, and their personalities tend to flip like a switch.
The Night Life
I’ve talked a bit about the characters. Hell I could write all day about how great Nana is, but what about the setting? The story takes place in Japan, of course, in some suburban neighborhood. At one point the couple goes to Tokyo, a zoo, a pool, a school, etc. Since it mostly takes place at night, there won’t be too many bright colors unless it’s from a vending machine, street light, or neon sign. But this is the manga I’m talking about, it’s in friggin black and white! Still, certain scenes feel ominous or mystical.
Did you hear that Call of the Night is getting an anime adaptation?!! Airing July 2022. The masterminds behind Lidenfilms are making it. I’m pretty psyched for this adaptation, and really hope they stay true to the aesthetics and feel of the manga. I’m crazy excited for this adaptation.
Overall Score
Call of the Night is easily a 10/10 in my eyes. Its the supernatural romance I’ve been itching for and finally got. It has many sweet and hilarious moments with enough tension to keep me focused. I most highly recommend this manga and I sure hope you give it a chance as well. Check out the upcoming anime in Summer 2022!
