Call of the night vol 1 by Kotoyama

14-year-old Yamori suffers from insomnia and decides to wander the streets of his city at night. He runs into a mysterious girl, Nazuna, who he allows to lead him back to her ”home” in an abandoned building. Nazuna tries to lull Yamori to sleep, but then she bites him! Nazuna is actually a vampire, and she finds Yamori’s blood to be particularly delicious. Yamori decides that being a vampire could be the solution to many of his mortal problems, but that means Nazuna and Yamori will have to fall in love with each other! Yamori tags along and follows Nazuna each night, desperately trying to fall in love with her and have her reciprocate.  To complicate things, a girl from Yamori's past claims she wants to be Yamori's friend again, and he didn't realize they were friends to begin with.

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Yamori is basically a little sheltered puppy.  He's had some challenges in life that he's not sure how to deal with.  He also hasn't had very many friends, and he’s never really had a crush before.  He seems to have very little attachment to life, and his depression and insomnia are very reminiscent of what many teens go through.  Yamori also stops going to school once he starts going around with Nazuna, which is a little more believable within the culture of Japan because High School is not mandatory.  In the US, there would be a lot of questions when Yamori stops showing up, and potentially the police would get involved.  This story seems like it will be mostly about Yamori learning to be a better human while he seeks to abandon his humanity.  It's a little darker than the normal paranormal romance, which might be a nice bridge for fans of Tokyo Ghoul and Black Butler.  

Kotoyama takes the quintessential manga illustration style and adds much of their own touches, especially around the eyes of the characters.  The city-scapes are beautiful and masterfully detailed - the author note at the end indicates that drawing apartment buildings was one of the main reasons the mangaka started this series, so it's no surprise that they are really well done.

There are a few moments where Yamori and Nazuna talk about "coitus" as she continues to call it, and Nazuna reveals that, for vampires. feeding on humans is very similar to having sex.  The two have cuddled and kissed so far, but it hasn't progressed farther than that.  There are a few shots of Nazuna that could be considered very "fan-service-y" where her posterior or not-overly-well-endowed self are in the forefront of the illustration.  

​Sara's Rating: 7/10
Suitability Level: Grades 10-12

This review was made possible with an advanced reader copy from the publisher through Net Galley.  

Publisher: VIZ Media
Publication Date: April 13, 2021
ISBN: 9781974720514 (Paperback)

Tags: Rating: 7/10, Suitability: High School, Manga, Romance, Paranormal, VIZ Media