MANGA REVIEW | "Call of the Night" - Volume Four
The comedy of Call of the Night is what keeps me coming back each time. Sure, there’s the way Kotoyama draws his characters and the life lessons it attempts to tell, but the laughs feel most important in this series. So when a couple of stories forego the giggles for some serious narratives, one can’t help but feel a spark is missing from the formula. That is what happens in the fourth volume of Call of the Night, as it attempts to take on stalkers and strange apparitions.
Nazuna takes a job at a vampire-themed maid cafe, where fellow vampire Midori also works. But an incident with one of the more popular maids results in a search for a stalker. Ko reunites with his old homeroom teacher, while Akira finds the girl Ko rejected before meeting Nazuna. It all leads up to a late night on the school grounds, where a certain urban legend turns out to be true!
The fun begins though with Ko having a heart-to-heart with Aki (AKA mental guy from Volume Three). His take on how he’s bettered himself now that he’s a vampire gives Ko hope that his life will also get better if Nazuna helps him turn. It also leads to some late-night fun with Ko and Nazuna in a manga cafe, resulting in some risqué hands-on tantalizations. It’s a cute way to open up the volume, one that shows the cute and naughty sides of Nazuna.
However, things turn serious during the maid cafe arc, as Ko, Nazuna, and Midori search for a stalker targeting a top employee. It’s a fun little detective tale, one that has the chance to make jabs at Ko and his possibly perverted mentality. But the laughs stop when the culprit is revealed, and showcases why jealousy can be a dangerous game. The story tries to wrap things up with a life lesson, but the way things end is kind of ho-hum both in writing and presentation.
The addition of new character Detective Anko also brings in an interesting twist, as she is on the lookout for vampires who may be involved in criminal activity. We get a good idea on how she thinks, as she reads Ko’s personality and lies with great ease. But her appearance in the final chapter let’s the readers see what kind of power Anko actually possesses. In a way, it’s a neat little bookend that shows Ko the dangerous side of turning, in a way that’s more eye-opening for him than he could’ve ever imagined.
Sadly, I cannot help but think that the story involving the high school’s nine mysteries felt rough in patches. It makes some okay jokes about the overdone storyline, but doesn’t get imaginative enough for its own good. Having no sign of Nazuna during these three chapters also causes the main storyline to be put to a screeching halt, as her presence is important in these sorts of tales. (Thankfully, the bonus chapter at the end certainly helped with her missing presence!)
Volume Four of Call of the Night has some interesting stories, but a certain magic from it appears to be missing. While it contains a good amount of the series’s trademark humor, one can’t help but feel like the laughs were lacking here. Perhaps it’s all due to some of the more mature stories being told, but most people don’t read Call of the Night for those. Hopefully the series can get back on track next time around, as a healed funny bone would certainly help with the cause.
FINAL GRADE:
Promotional consideration provided by Chantelle Sturt of VIZ Media
