Call of the Night

“A Mesmerizing Vampire Romance Anime”

Have you ever felt totally fed up with your mundane life? While it certainly has its ups, there’s no shortage of downs or just “meh” days. Honestly, I’d say that most of my days are "meh," but I am moderately satisfied with them not being unpleasant ones. Every now and then, a wonderful day rolls along and makes the grind all the more worth it; these are the days we live for, and they instill us with the drive to keep going till another is upon us. Sometimes the goals that drive us can become extremely bizarre and even questionable, but as long as nobody’s getting hurt in the process, why not?

“Call of the Night," also known as “Yofukashi no Uta," is a 13-episode TV anime series that aired from the 8th of July till the 30th of September in Summer 2022. It was produced by Aniplex, Dentsu, Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Animax, Fuji TV, Ultra Super Pictures, Shogakukan, Fuji Creative, and Tohan Corporation, licensed by Sentai Filmworks, and brought to life by Studio LIDENFILMS.

The main staff behind it includes Inagaki Takafumi as producer, Sugawara Hana also as producer, Itamura Tomoyuki as director, episode director, on storyboard, and on key animation, and Miyanishi Tetsuya also as director, episode director, and on storyboard. It features the genres of romance and supernatural, alongside the theme of vampires, and is catered to the Shounen demographic. Each episode runs for 22 minutes, and the series earned a rating of PG-13 for teenagers 13 years of age or older.

The Anime is based on the Manga of the same name, which ran for a total of 20 Volumes from the 28th of August 2019 till the 24th of January 2024. Also catered to the Shounen demographic, it was serialized in Shounen Sunday and is the work of author and artist Kotoyama. The series was published in English via VIZ Media under the Shonen Sunday imprint from the 13th of April 2021, while being simulpub through VIZ Manga.

It even won the 68th Shogakukan Manga Award in the Shounen category in 2023, right along Ao no Orchestra. A sequel for the Anime titled “Call of the Night Season 2” (“Yofukashi no Uta 2nd Season”) was announced, but no other information is available thus far. An ONA series titled “Yofukashi no Uta Mini” (“Call of the Night Mini Anime”) ran for a total of 22 episodes, each with a runtime of only 1 minute. It aired from the 7th of June till the 2nd of October in 2022. Brought to life by Studio AQUA ARIS, it featured the single genre of comedy and earned a rating of PG-13 for teenagers 13 years or older. This is essentially a mini-anime released on the official Twitter.

The story centers around protagonist Kou Yamori, who is your average middle school student who has typical issues with people and society. But what he particularly struggles with is grasping the complex concept of love, which really isn’t straightforward for anyone. He is a man who sees no point in surrendering to the norm too, deciding to stop going to school altogether. But with this came the troublesome side effect of insomnia owing to his idleness, prompting him to roam the lonesome streets at night to pass the time. It was on one such cold walk that he fatefully encounters a bizarre girl named Nazuna Nanakusa: a person who believes that people who stay awake at night are unsatisfied with the way they spend their day and thus cannot properly rest until their inhibitions have been released.

She offers to aid Kou with his insomnia and even invites him to her abode, convincing him to share a futon with her no less! While he does feel uncomfortable, he accepts and pretends to doze off, but the peace is suddenly broken when she bites his neck and reveals herself to be a vampire! In traditional fashion, our protagonist expects this bite to transform him into a vampire; the specifics of the conversion are not as simple as he had hoped. If he truly wants to turn into a vampire himself, he must be bitten by someone he loves, and there’s no way that’s going to be easy for him. But Kou is more than ready to bid farewell to his dreary mortal life and embrace Vampirism, setting his sights on a new and unexpected goal in life: falling in love with Nazuna so that he can become a vampire!

“Call of the Night” is a wonderful show that beautifully explores what the night truly is and the pleasures that it holds. We all view nighttime differently: some as dangerous, others as a time for celebration, and most as sleeping time. But what if we couldn't fall asleep, similar to Kou, thanks to whatever transpired or didn’t transpire during the day? We always worry about the future, so why not let it all go at the end of the day? You may recognize Director Tomoyuki Itamura for some of his masterpieces, like the Monogatari Series and Case Study of Vanitas, doing what he does best in yet another Vampire anime. So you can expect the portrayal of the night in terms of backgrounds to be stunningly immaculate and the art to really spur your imagination of what the night can hold for you...

The story starts off slow, showing us how despondent our MC is over mundane life and how his insomnia led him to hear the call of the night. While the plot itself isn’t stellar from the onset, it chooses to focus on developing the relationship between Kou and Nazuna, and this is done beautifully. Not just them either, because the remainder of the cast get involved and develop in their own way as they eventually discover the main duo’s connection.

But just like Vanitas no Carte, the best part for me is the dark side of Vampirism—the fact that it’s not all just excellent looks, fun, and games for vampires, and becoming one isn’t really as excellent as people seem to think it is. Alongside those complexities, the plot juggles things like romance, friendship, human nature, narcissism, and even the fact that everyone just wants to be liked in general.

On the other hand, there’s a lot of fanservice here, to nobody’s surprise, for both vampires and non-vampires alike. While the latter may seem unnecessary at times, the emphasis on vampire beauty is much needed for the story, and it allows us to understand the other sides of vampires in the process. “Being beautiful doesn’t solve all your problems” is driven home here, and I have nothing but praise for the excellent execution.

My favorite aspect of the show has to be the character department. Everyone is just so entertaining to watch, and their voice actors really nailed them. Nazuna steals the show without any issues, being both hilarious and badass at the same time, making both Kou and the show come alive with her consistent antics. Meanwhile, Kou himself starts off as a very clueless and despondent guy but develops into a man who can truly stand up for others and make his voice be heard through the chaos. What’s more, this antisocial guy develops to the point of empathizing with others, a truly underrated trait. He is quite naive and misguided at times, yes, but he comes off as oddly mature for his age, and it’s wonderful seeing his organic development.

I also loved watching Anko Uguisu, a private detective specializing in vampire cases who is on a mission to kill them all. She meshes so well into the dynamic between the main duo, making their journey all the more eventful and thought-provoking. She is both amusing and intimidating, as the situation requires her to be, effectively showing us a more human side of this beautiful world.

Do the art and animation departments even need further explanation? Beautiful and unique artwork; you'll remember these images for years and possibly make them your wallpaper. The character designs are simple and refreshing, serving to tell us something about said character, and even their expressions are on point. The animation sequences are as fluid and brilliant as the director’s previous works, keeping your eyes glued to the screen and thirsting for more. The biggest highlight is the nighttime ambience, which honestly made me want to leap into it myself. The remainder of the backgrounds are handled with care, but those star-studded purple skies are imprinted in my mind for ages!

The Sounds and Music department is also handled well. The opening theme is "Daten" by Creepy Nuts, and the ending theme is "Yofukashi no Uta," also by Creepy Nuts, both of which are visually and musically amazing. They really set the vibe for the show and help you leap into the night effortlessly with each episode. The OSTs exist to enhance the night, not being very noteworthy on their own, but coupled with the visuals, they deliver fitting and unparalleled ambience. As previously mentioned, the voice actors do a stellar job bringing their characters to life. Special praise to Amamiya Sora for bringing out the playful and jovial nature of Nazuna; just hearing her voice imbues each scene with vitality, and the show won’t be the same without her.

Call of the Night is an underrated gem of an anime that needs more love and recognition. The fun characters, complex theme exploration, immaculate atmosphere, next-level visuals, and brilliant voice acting deserve to be praised far and wide, alongside more hype for Season 2. Even the mid-story becomes engaging and well-worth the watch by the end, so there’s literally no reason to skip this one. Highly recommended; it is not demanding in any way and delivers in ways you won’t expect it to!