Call of the Night

Call of the Night

Call of the Night anime series cover art
Call of the Night

Series Overview

Call of the Night (Yofukashi no Uta / よふかしのうた) is a romance anime about an older woman seducing a child. I know, what you’re thinking, “that sounds amazing.” And you’d be right. Call of the Night was one of the best anime of the summer 2022 season.

Technically, that initial description of the series is correct. Don’t jump to canceling it too fast, though. The older woman is an immortal vampire. And the child is a 14-year-old boy who wants to become a vampire himself. But, the only way is for him to fall in love with an existing vampire.

The series follows Kou Yamori as he hangs out with the vampire Nazuna Nanakusa. After she showed him how much fun nightlife can be, Kou decided he wants the same freedom Nazuna has. And so, he determined to become a vampire.

Nazuna about to bite Kou's neck from the anime series Call of the Night
Nazuna about to bite Kou’s neck

While Call of the Night is a romance anime, there’s not that much romance in it. Kou doesn’t understand romance and attraction. And Nazuna can’t handle romance either, but for a different reason. So, when I say the series follows them hanging out, I mean it. They just hang out together.

There was something refreshing about this dynamic. It’s different than your typical male-female dynamic in most romance anime. They don’t do romantic things despite it being a romance anime. And that almost makes it more romantic in a way. What could be more romantic than genuinely enjoying your time spent with someone?

Also, something else that made this anime good is that both the OP and ED are great. The members of the DoubleSama Discord server voted the Call of the Night OP as the best OP of the season. And, I actually think the ED is even better.

Main Characters

Kou Yamori is the protagonist of the series. He’s a 14-year-old middle school student who doesn’t go to class. Instead, he sleeps during the day and goes out with Nazuna at night. Part of the reason why he wants to become a vampire is so he can learn what falling in love is like.

Nazuna Nanakusa is the real star of the show. Nobody cares about Kou — he just exists. Nazuna is a fun character because she likes to have fun. And the fact that she’s an adult helps. She has the freedom to do whatever she wants. And she’s not worried about what other people think.

Akira Asai is Kou’s friend from before he stopped going to school. She doesn’t exactly approve of Kou hanging out with Nazuna all night. And she wants him to come back to school because it’s less fun without him.

Nazuna flipping the bird from the anime series Call of the Night
Nazuna flipping the bird

Seri Kikyou is another vampire around town. She dresses and acts like a gyaru, which makes her one of the best supporting characters. She wears a high school uniform to attract men whose blood she then sucks. I’d argue she’s the best of the vampires other than Nazuna.

Niko Hirata is the defacto leader of the vampires in the city. She loves to gossip about romance. And because of that, she and Nazuna don’t get along. The fact that Kou knows about vampires and Nazuna isn’t trying to turn him is a point of contention between them.

Anko Uguisu is the last character I want to mention. She’s a private detective and vampire hunter. Her mission is to eradicate all vampires. And she wants Kou to see the error in wanting to become a vampire himself. Why does he need to be a vampire to enjoy the night?

Top 3 of the Season

There were only 2 anime I’d say could be better than Call of the Night during the summer 2022 season. Those are Made in Abyss and Lycoris Recoil. Call of the Night was right up there with them. So, if you haven’t watched it yet, I recommend it.

The best part about Call of the Night is that there’s not a single bad episode. Made in Abyss, for example, got a bit slow toward the middle of the season. But, Call of the Night doesn’t have this issue since there’s not much of a plot.

It doesn’t need to spend an episode diving into history or lore. And there’s no boring, but necessary build-up. Every episode features good content. And for that reason, I always looked forward to watching the new episode each week. That’s not as common as you’d expect.

Nazuna wearing a maid uniform from the anime series Call of the Night
Nazuna wearing a maid uniform

I think my favorite episode of the series was the one when Nazuna starts working at a maid cafe. Obviously, part of the reason this episode is so good is that we get to see Nazuna wearing a maid uniform. But, it was also fun to see Kou and Nazuna play detectives in the episode, too.

Hopefully, we’ll get a second season of Call of the Night. However, I’m not actually expecting it. It’s not the kind of series that particularly needs another season. And with all the bad anime that get sequel seasons, there’s not much room for good anime to get them.

The good news is that there’s still plenty of content for another season of the anime to cover. This season covered most of the first 5 volumes of the manga. And as of the date this article was posted, there are a total of 13 volumes out.

Conclusion

Overall, Call of the Night is an 8/10. That’s the same score that I gave to the other top 2 anime of the season. But, even if you still don’t want to watch this series, at least go listen to the ED song, “Yofukashi no Uta” by Creepy Nuts.

If you enjoyed this review, remember to click the like button down below. Also, follow me on Twitter @DoubleSama so you don’t miss out on any future content. And come join our Discord server to discuss anime with other members of the community.

Finally, I’d like to thank Roman and Key Mochi for supporting this blog at the Heika and Senpai tiers this month. To learn how you too can become a supporter, check out Patreon.com/DoubleSama.

Leave a Comment