stringtranslate.com

Call of the Night

Call of the Night (Japanese: よふかしのうた, Hepburn: Yofukashi no Uta) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kotoyama [ja]. It was serialized in Shogakukan's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Sunday from August 2019 to January 2024. In North America, the manga is licensed for English release by Viz Media. An anime television series adaptation produced by Liden Films aired from July to September 2022 on Fuji TV's Noitamina programming block. A second season has been announced.

In 2023, the manga won the 68th Shogakukan Manga Award for the shōnen category.

Plot

Unable to sleep or find true satisfaction in his daily life, Ko Yamori stops going to school and begins wandering the streets at night. He encounters a girl named Nazuna Nanakusa, a vampire who shows Ko the joys of being a night-walker. This results in Ko wanting to be a vampire as well, but in order to achieve his goal he must first fall in love with her.

Characters

Main

Ko Yamori (夜守コウ, Yamori Kō)[2]
Voiced by: Gen Satō[3] (Japanese); Gabriel Regojo,[4] Katelyn Barr[4] (young) (English)
A fourteen-year old boy in his third year of junior high, who slowly finds himself unable to sleep because of his dissatisfying life. To reinvigorate himself, he slips out at night to walk the streets. Ko is trying to fall in love with Nazuna in order to become a vampire and leave his human life. It is later revealed that as he begins to develop more emotionally, he can enter into a half-vampire state. This seems to be dependant on emotional or physical distress at first, and later shown to emerge through some semblance of blood loss, whether that is from an injury or just a simple ear piercing. Anko later gives him an ear piercing kit to easily transform at will, and also believes that by entering this half-state repeatedly, Ko's vampire half will eventually take over his human half, or that as his love develops for Nazuna, the transition will complete.
Nazuna Nanakusa (七草ナズナ, Nanakusa Nazuna)[2]
Voiced by: Sora Amamiya[3] (Japanese); Natalie Rial[4] (English)
A "night-walker." She encounters Ko on his night out, then offers to stay with him at an abandoned building to free himself of his worries, where she then sucks his blood as he sleeps. She is very shy when it comes to love and gets embarrassed easily, but enjoys lewd jokes and teasing Ko. She also loves to drink beer. It is later shown that Nazuna's existence is a mystery to everyone involved, with her not even knowing her exact age, assuming she has been around 30 to 40 years. She mentions her embarrassment with not being an older more classical vampire. It is revealed Nazuna is a special case among vampires as she was not turned, but rather born as one, with a vampire mother and human father. She was begrudgingly raised by Kabura, the woman turned by Nazuna's mother, Haru, who discovered that Nazuna's life cycle is completely different, her body already fully developed after a few years even with the mental state of an infant. It is also assumed that Nazuna might be the only vampire by birth currently known. She is kept at a distance from the main vampire group due to her stunted personality, lower intelligence, and immaturity. No one knows what her birth could mean for the vampire world or what she is. Her weakness is later revealed to be her preserved umbilical cord.

Humans

Akira Asai (朝井アキラ, Asai Akira)[2]
Voiced by: Yumiri Hanamori[5] (Japanese); Jade Kelly,[4] Juliet Simmons[4] (young) (English)
Ko's childhood friend, who lives in the same apartment complex as him. She attempts to try and convince him to return to school, but also, reluctantly, is supportive of his dream of becoming a vampire. She treasures her relationship with Ko and Mahiru.
Kiyosumi Shirakawa (白河清澄, Shirakawa Kiyosumi)
Voiced by: Yoko Hikasa[6] (Japanese); Kelly Greenshield[7] (English)
A busy-body office worker and one of Nazuna's clients from her massage gig. After hearing about her struggles in life due to her heavy work schedule, Ko vows to help her, as he feels they share the same plight, and will offer to turn her into a vampire when he becomes one himself.
Mahiru Seki (夕真昼, Seki Mahiru)
Voiced by: Kensho Ono[6] (Japanese); Daman Mills (English)
A popular boy at school, and one of Ko and Akira's old friends, who also starts to hang out at night. He is initially apprehensive of Ko's dream of becoming a vampire after they are attacked by one, but after learning the woman he fell in love with, Kiku Hoshimi, is also one, he decides to let himself be turned too.
Akihito Akiyama (秋山昭人, Akiyama Akihito)
Voiced by: Hiroyuki Yoshino[6] (Japanese); James Marler (English)
Seri's vampire underling. He befriended Seri, and after a situation where he was saved by Ko who helped the two of them understand their feelings, he asked her to turn him into a vampire. He is often referred to as 'Draggo','Menhera-san', or 'Mr. Mental' by Ko.
Anko Uguisu (鶯餡子, Uguisu Anko)
Voiced by: Miyuki Sawashiro[8] (Japanese); Jessica Calvello (English)
A vampire-hunting detective. She is a heavy smoker. She is initially introduced as an antagonist to Ko and the vampires, attempting to convince the former to give up on his dream, and revealed to have discovered how to kill vampires using their "weakness" (mementos from their human past). She is later revealed to be "Kyoko Mejiro", Nazuna's first friend and first attempt at creating a familiar. While she was originally on board with becoming a vampire to escape her home life, after an incident where her father was turned into a vampire, who killed her mother, with her using his weakness to kill him, she began to loathe vampires and kickstarted her hunting crusade. She attempted an elaborate suicide plan to get Nazuna and the vampires to kill her, which would result in the existence of vampires being exposed and people to be scared to go out at night. With the flaws in her plan unveiled, and Ko saving her from her own suicide, Anko and Nazuna reconcile and she becomes an ally to the vampires. Ko and Nazuna help her to achieve closure by confronting the vampire that turned her father and spiralled her down this path, Kiku Hoshimi.

Vampires

Seri Kikyo (桔梗セリ, Kikyō Seri)[2]
Voiced by: Haruka Tomatsu[9] (Japanese); Christina Kelly (English)
A flirtatious vampire who resembles a gyaru. She approaches Ko when she hears that Nazuna is spending the night with a human where she attempts to suck his blood, until she is stopped by Nazuna. The two do not get along well, as she questions why Nazuna is spending so much time with Ko while not having turned him yet.
Nico Hirata (平田ニコ, Hirata Niko)[2]
Voiced by: Eri Kitamura[10] (Japanese); Monica Rial (English)
A vampire who doubles as a teacher who teaches night classes. She is not as accepting of Ko in her first encounter with him, but becomes willing to let him stay with Nazuna so long as he fulfills his intentions on becoming a vampire and Nazuna continues to suck his blood.
Kabura Honda (本田カブラ, Honda Kabura)[2]
Voiced by: Shizuka Itō[10] (Japanese); Patricia Duran (English)
A vampire who wears elegant dresses. She works as a nurse in a hospital and she is Nazuna's adoptive mother. She is hopelessly in love with Nazuna's mother, Haru Nanakusa, the woman who turned her, and due to how similar Nazuna looks to her mother, she has a tendency to act like an overbearing and doting parental figure, while also venting her own feelings toward Haru at Nazuna.
Midori Kohakobe (小繁縷ミドリ, Kohakobe Midori)[2]
Voiced by: Naomi Ōzora[10] (Japanese); Emily Neves (English)
A long-sleeved shirt-wearing vampire who works in a maid cafe. She is very aware of her good looks leading her to seem a little self-absorbed in some situations.
Hatsuka Suzushiro (蘿蔔ハツカ, Suzushiro Hatsuka)[2]
Voiced by: Azumi Waki[10] (Japanese); Annie Wild (English)
A male vampire who appears feminine because of his slender body, shoulder-length hair, cute face, and choice of clothing.
Kiku Hoshimi (星見キク, Hoshimi Kiku)[2]
A poorly understood vampire of an unknown age that suffers from extreme sociopathy turning hundreds of people into servants. There is a theoretical rule, never observed, that suggests if a vampire loves a human and bites them, then the human dies. Kiku has been feverishly trying to test this rule to prove she has the emotions for love. Currently, Mahiru is her next target. It is later revealed her true motivation is to become human, testing another theory that states a vampire will turn back if they drink the blood of a human they are in love with.

Media

Manga

Call of the Night is written and illustrated by Kotoyama [ja], his second manga series after Dagashi Kashi. Kotoyama named the series after the song of the same name by Creepy Nuts, which later became the ending theme song for the anime adaptation.[11] It started in Shogakukan's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Sunday on August 28, 2019,[12][13] and finished on January 24, 2024.[14][15] Shogakukan has collected its chapters in 20 tankōbon volumes, released from November 18, 2019,[16] to March 18, 2024.[17]

On July 3, 2020, Viz Media announced an English release of the manga in North America.[18] The first volume was released on April 13, 2021.[19] On May 9, 2023, Viz Media launched their Viz Manga digital manga service, with the series' chapters receiving simultaneous English publication in North America as they were released in Japan.[20]

Volumes

Anime

On November 11, 2021, a website opened to announce an anime television series adaptation produced by Liden Films. The series is directed by Tomoyuki Itamura, with Tetsuya Miyanishi serving as chief director, Michiko Yokote writing the series' scripts, Haruka Sagawa designing the characters, and Yoshiaki Dewa composing the music.[55] It aired from July 8 to September 30, 2022, on Fuji TV's Noitamina programming block. The opening theme is "Daten" (堕天, "Fallen Angel"),[56] while the ending theme is "Yofukashi no Uta" (よふかしのうた), both performed by Creepy Nuts.[3][6] Sentai Filmworks has licensed the series in North America, Europe, Oceania, and selected Latin American and Asian territories.[57] The first season consisted of 13 episodes.[58] At their Otakon panel in July 2022, Sentai Filmworks announced that the series would receive an English dub, which premiered on September 8, 2022.[59][4]

At the Fuji TV Anime Lineup Press Conference 2024 event on March 11, 2024, a second season was announced.[60]

Episodes

Michiko Yokote wrote the script for every episode, with Haruka Sagawa being the lead animation director.

Reception

Accolades

In 2020, the Call of the Night manga was nominated for the sixth Next Manga Awards and placed seventh out of the 50 nominees with 15,134 votes.[63] The series ranked eighth on the "Nationwide Bookstore Employees' Recommended Comics of 2021" by the Honya Club website.[64][65] In 2023, the series won the 68th Shogakukan Manga Award in the shōnen category, along with Ao no Orchestra.[66]

The anime adaptation was nominated at the 7th Crunchyroll Anime Awards in three categories: Best New Series, Best Ending Sequence ("Yofukashi no Uta" by Creepy Nuts), and Best Romance.[67]

Critical reception

In Anime News Network's Summer 2022 preview guide, contributors generally responded positively to the series, praising the narrative, unique take on the common trope of vampires, and high production value, comparing it favorably to the Monogatari series, which series co-director Tomoyuki Itamura had previously worked on at Shaft.[68]

Notes

  1. ^ Chief director (チーフディレクター)
  2. ^ Fuji TV lists the series premiere at 24:55 on July 7, 2022, which is effectively 12:55 a.m. JST on July 8.
  3. ^ Credited as Episode Generalization (演出統括).
  4. ^ Credited under his pseudonym Setsumu Dōkawa (堂川セツム).[62]

References

  1. ^ a b "The Official Website for Call of the Night". Viz Media. Archived from the original on November 16, 2021. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i よふかしのうた■コトヤマ. WebSunday (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on June 28, 2021. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c Mateo, Alex (November 10, 2021). "Kotoyama's Vampire Manga Call of the Night Gets TV Anime Next July". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on November 20, 2021. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Hazra, Adriana (September 2, 2022). "Call of the Night Anime's English Dub Premieres on September 8". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on September 3, 2022. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
  5. ^ Mateo, Alex (March 29, 2022). "Call of the Night Vampire Anime Casts Yumiri Hanamori". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on April 22, 2022. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
  6. ^ a b c d Mateo, Alex (June 8, 2022). "Call of the Night Vampire Anime Reveals Promo Video, Opening Theme, 3 Cast Members, July 7 Premiere". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on June 12, 2022. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
  7. ^ Greenshield, Kelly [@KellyGrnshld] (October 6, 2022). "I voice Kiyosumi Shirakawa in #CALLOFTHENIGHT streaming @HIDIVEofficial As a huge sucker for vamps I've DREAMED of being in a vamp show & am so happy that it's this one! Bringing her to life was such a treat! @shannondreed @SentaiFilmworks you have my forever gratitude♡" (Tweet). Retrieved October 19, 2022 – via Twitter.
  8. ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (September 8, 2022). "Call of the Night Anime Unveils 'Climax' Video, New Cast Member". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on September 30, 2022. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
  9. ^ Mateo, Alex (April 26, 2022). "Call of the Night Vampire Anime Casts Haruka Tomatsu". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on May 21, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  10. ^ a b c d Mateo, Alex (May 10, 2022). "Call of the Night Vampire Anime Adds 4 Cast Members". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on June 13, 2022. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
  11. ^ Jones, Steve. "Call of the Night Episodes 1–3". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on July 26, 2022. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
  12. ^ Sherman, Jennifer (July 30, 2019). "Dagashi Kashi's Kotoyama Launches New Manga". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on May 28, 2022. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  13. ^ 恋は夜に生まれる「だがしかし」コトヤマの新連載「よふかしのうた」開幕. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. August 28, 2019. Archived from the original on April 10, 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  14. ^ Pineda, Rafael (November 15, 2023). "Call of the Night Manga Ends with 200th Chapter (Update)". Anime News Network (in Japanese). Archived from the original on January 24, 2024. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  15. ^ 「よふかしのうた」完結、画業10周年を記念した「コトヤマ展」の開催も決定. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. January 24, 2024. Archived from the original on January 24, 2024. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  16. ^ a b よふかしのうた １ (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on October 27, 2020. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  17. ^ a b よふかしのうた ２０ (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on March 11, 2024. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  18. ^ Sherman, Jennifer (July 3, 2020). "Viz Media Licenses Dr. Stone Reboot: Byakuya, Asadora!, Beast Complex, Call of the Night Manga". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on June 7, 2022. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  19. ^ a b "Call of the Night, Vol. 1". Viz Media. Archived from the original on February 24, 2021. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
  20. ^ Cayanan, Joanna (May 9, 2023). "Viz Media Simultaneously Releases Shogakukan Manga Titles in New VIZ Manga App". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on May 10, 2023. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  21. ^ よふかしのうた 2 (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on October 27, 2020. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  22. ^ "Call of the Night, Vol. 2". Viz Media. Archived from the original on May 11, 2021. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  23. ^ よふかしのうた 3 (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on October 27, 2020. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  24. ^ "Call of the Night, Vol. 3". Viz Media. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  25. ^ よふかしのうた 4 (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on October 27, 2020. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  26. ^ "Call of the Night, Vol. 4". Viz Media. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  27. ^ よふかしのうた ５ (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on October 27, 2020. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  28. ^ "Call of the Night, Vol. 5". Viz Media. Archived from the original on August 31, 2021. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
  29. ^ よふかしのうた ６ (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  30. ^ "Call of the Night, Vol. 6". Viz Media. Archived from the original on November 1, 2021. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  31. ^ よふかしのうた ７ (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on April 16, 2021. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  32. ^ "Call of the Night, Vol. 7". Viz Media. Archived from the original on January 3, 2022. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  33. ^ よふかしのうた ８ (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on July 16, 2021. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  34. ^ "Call of the Night, Vol. 8". Viz Media. Archived from the original on February 26, 2022. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  35. ^ よふかしのうた ９ (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on February 20, 2022. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  36. ^ "Call of the Night, Vol. 9". Viz Media. Archived from the original on May 23, 2022. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
  37. ^ よふかしのうた １０ (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on February 20, 2022. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
  38. ^ "Call of the Night, Vol. 10". Viz Media. Archived from the original on October 17, 2022. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  39. ^ よふかしのうた １１ (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on February 20, 2022. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
  40. ^ "Call of the Night, Vol. 11". Viz Media. Archived from the original on November 23, 2022. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  41. ^ よふかしのうた １２ (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on August 24, 2022. Retrieved August 24, 2022.
  42. ^ "Call of the Night, Vol. 12". Viz Media. Archived from the original on February 24, 2023. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  43. ^ よふかしのうた １３ (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on September 22, 2022. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
  44. ^ "Call of the Night, Vol. 13". Viz Media. Archived from the original on May 24, 2023. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  45. ^ よふかしのうた １４ (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on December 6, 2022. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  46. ^ "Call of the Night, Vol. 14". Viz Media. Archived from the original on August 31, 2023. Retrieved August 31, 2023.
  47. ^ よふかしのうた １５ (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on March 16, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  48. ^ "Call of the Night, Vol. 15". Viz Media. Archived from the original on December 13, 2023. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
  49. ^ よふかしのうた １６ (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on July 31, 2023. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
  50. ^ "Call of the Night, Vol. 16". Viz Media. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
  51. ^ よふかしのうた １７ (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on July 31, 2023. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  52. ^ "Call of the Night, Vol. 17". Viz Media. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
  53. ^ よふかしのうた １８ (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on November 5, 2023. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  54. ^ よふかしのうた １９ (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Archived from the original on February 3, 2024. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
  55. ^ 夏アニメ「よふかしのうた」キャラ勢ぞろいのキービジュアル公開！ 追加キャストに喜多村英梨や伊藤静ら. Anime! Anime! (in Japanese). May 10, 2022. Archived from the original on May 10, 2022. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
  56. ^ Creepy Nutsの新曲「堕天」アニメ『よふかしのうた』OP主題歌に、ED曲も担当. Fashion Press (in Japanese). August 3, 2022. Archived from the original on August 6, 2022. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
  57. ^ "Sentai Picks Up Boy-Meets-Vampire Anime Series "Call of the Night"". Sentai Filmworks. Archived from the original on May 28, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  58. ^ a b "Stream Call of the Night on HIDIVE". Hidive. Archived from the original on July 31, 2022. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
  59. ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (July 30, 2022). "HIDIVE Adds Orguss, Dubs for Made in Abyss Season 2, Call of the Night, More". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on July 31, 2022. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
  60. ^ Cayanan, Joanna (March 11, 2024). "Call of the Night Anime Gets 2nd Season". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on March 11, 2024. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  61. ^ "Terebi Anime "Yofukashi no Uta" TVアニメ「よふかしのうた」 [TV Anime "Call of the Night"]. yofukashi-no-uta.com (in Japanese). Archived from the original on July 23, 2022. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  62. ^ @yofukashi_pr (September 15, 2022). #よふかしのうた からの告白… なんと…第11夜で演出を担当された"堂川セツム"さんは、我らがチーフディレクター宮西哲也さんなのです [Confession from #Yofakushinouta.... Oh my god... "Doukawa Setsuma", who was in charge of directing [part of] the 11th episode, is our chief director Tetsuya Miyanishi] (Tweet) (in Japanese). Retrieved September 15, 2022 – via Twitter.
  63. ^ コミックス部門 結果発表 - 次にくるマンガ大賞 2020. Tsugi Manga (in Japanese). Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  64. ^ 全国書店員が選んだおすすめコミック2021. Honya Club (in Japanese). Archived from the original on April 15, 2021. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
  65. ^ 全国書店員が選んだおすすめマンガ、今年の1位は「わたしの幸せな結婚」. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. January 29, 2021. Archived from the original on November 18, 2021. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  66. ^ Mateo, Alex (January 18, 2023). "Call of the Night, Blue Orchestra, Medalist, Ui×Kon Manga Win 68th Shogakukan Manga Awards". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on January 18, 2023. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  67. ^ Eisenbeis, Richard (March 4, 2023). "All the Winners of the 7th Annual Crunchyroll Anime Awards". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on March 4, 2023. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  68. ^ "The Summer 2022 Preview Guide - Call of the Night". Anime News Network. July 7, 2022. Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved February 8, 2023.

External links