Call of the Night (Series)

Call of the Night (Japanese: よふかしのうた, Rōmaji: Yofukashi no Uta) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kotoyama. The work is classified under the genres of romantic comedy supernatural and slice of life. Centered on the interactions between a human and a vampire the manga has also been adapted into a anime television series. The title is derived from a song of the same name by the Japanese hip-hop group Creepy Nuts.

The series began serialization in Shogakukan’s Weekly Shōnen Sunday magazine on 28 August 2019. The manga’s story concluded with its 200th chapter published on 24 January 2024. Chapters have been collected and released in 20 tankōbon volumes by Shogakukan. The English-language publication and distribution rights for North America have been licensed by Viz Media.

The television animation was produced by Liden Films. Tetsuya Miyanishi served as chief director while Tomoyuki Itamura directed the series. The screenplay was written by Michiko Yokote and character designs were created by Haruka Sagawa. The first season consisting of 13 episodes aired on Fuji TV’s Noitamina block from 8 July 2022 to 30 September 2022. The international streaming rights for the anime are held by HIDIVE a platform under Sentai Filmworks.

The story unfolds in modern Japan primarily during nighttime hours and within urban environments.

^{Nazuna Nanakusa} (IMDb)

In this fictional universe vampires conceal themselves from human society. Vampires possess supernatural anatomical abilities such as levitation flight enhanced physical strength and durability rapid cellular regeneration and the ability to pass through solid objects. Prolonged exposure to sunlight is fatal to them. To survive vampires must consume human blood and abstaining from blood for ten years leads to biological extinction.

The mechanism of transformation into a vampire is tied to a psychological condition. For a human to become a vampire they must fall in love with the vampire who bites them at the moment of the bite. Bites that occur without romantic feelings between the human and the vampire result only in physical blood loss and do not trigger transformation.

Another key rule in this universe is the time limit for transformation. A human who learns of the existence of vampires has one year to fall in love with a vampire and undergo transformation. If they fail to develop romantic feelings within this period they permanently lose the ability to transform. According to vampire society’s secrecy regulations such humans who know the secret but cannot transform are classified as potential threats by other vampires.

The story revolves around Ko Yamori a 14-year-old middle school student suffering from chronic insomnia and disconnected from daily school life. Beginning to sneak out of her home at night to wander the streets Ko encounters a vampire named Nazuna Nanakusa during one of these nocturnal walks. After Nazuna shows her the freedom offered by the night Ko decides to abandon her human life and become a vampire. However according to the universe’s rules this transformation requires Ko to fall in love with Nazuna. The plot follows Ko’s efforts to fulfill this emotional condition their nightly routines and their encounters with humans other vampires and vampire hunters throughout this process.

^{Ko Yamori and Nazuna Nanakusa} (IMDb)

• Ko Yamori: The main character who has stopped attending school and spends her nights wandering the streets. She makes a pact with Nazuna to become a vampire.
• • Voiced by: Gen Sato
• Nazuna Nanakusa: A vampire who roams at night enjoys entertainment but displays shyness in matters of romance.
• • Voiced by: Sora Amamiya
• Akira Asai: A human character and Ko’s childhood friend from school who begins joining Ko and Nazuna on their nighttime walks after waking up early in the morning.
• • Voiced by: Yumiri Hanamori
• Mahiru Seki: Another childhood friend of Ko and one of the popular students at school.
• • Voiced by: Kensho Ono
• Anko Uguisu (Kyoko Mejiro): A special detective who hunts vampires at night and actively opposes their existence.
• • Voiced by: Miyuki Sawashiro
• Seri Kikyo: One of the vampires known to Nazuna who exhibits manipulative behavior in her interactions with humans.
• • Voiced by: Haruka Tomatsu
• Nico Hirata: A vampire who poses as a teacher and works to uphold the rules of vampire society.
• • Voiced by: Eri Kitamura

^{Anko Uguisu} (IMDb)

The work explores themes of insomnia adolescent identity search escape from societal expectations and the sense of isolation and freedom brought by night. A structural contrast is drawn between day and night: daytime is portrayed as a realm of duties and social pressure while nighttime is depicted as an independent time free from rules.

In terms of visual style the anime adaptation favors a stylized aesthetic over realism in dark scenes. To reflect the nocturnal atmosphere the background art employs intense neon color palettes featuring shades of purple navy pink and yellow.

• Season 1: The first season of the television series consists of 13 episodes.
• Season 2: The production of the second season of the anime has been officially announced.
• Films and Other Formats: There are no feature-length films original video animations OVAs or spin-off episodes related to the series.

• Shogakukan Manga Awards: The manga series was awarded the grand prize in the “Best Shōnen Manga” category at the 68th Shogakukan Manga Awards in 2023.