Call of the Night (2021)

[よふかしのうた]

Volume 8

Author/Artist: Kotoyama
Publisher: Shounen Sunday Comics

Synopsis:
Kou and Nazuna seek Nico's help finding out more about Nazuna's past from the college where she works.

Story/Characters:
The goal of this volume is to unlock an important episode from Nazuna's past. To get to that point, Kou has to interact with a student at Nico's college. My enjoyment of this character is as much aesthetic as anything else, but it's interesting to see how Kou deals with her. Even more interesting is how little sign there is of Nazuna being jealous about all this. Perhaps it's because that, unlike her fellow vampires, she doesn't see Rira as a threat. Also, it's funny watching Nazuna torment poor Kou over it (and be a bit on the racy side for a shounen series).

Once we get to Nazuna's past, we expand on what we saw from her awkward self-introduction in the present day. Her social awkwardness and apathy mirrors Kou's (even though his self-introduction indicates a certain level of competence we didn't see when he was introduced at the start of the series). Mejiro makes for a nice foil and her savviness contrasts well with Nazuna's naiveté. It seems fairly obvious who Mejiro becomes, but it could be a red herring. (I doubt it, but it's not impossible.) This of course adds a significant layer to the story. Mejiro would be an interesting enough character just based on what we see here, but if she's who I think she is, it's a gamechanger.

Art:
I mentioned before that I particularly like Rira from an aesthetic point. She's very striking being as tall as she is and makes for a nice contrast with Kou (who seems to be a bit naturally on the short side, not just because of the age difference). Speaking of contrast, the two sides of her yandere nature mixes the cute and striking to good effect. Setting Rira aside for a moment, I also want to compliment some really nice panels from the scene in Chapter 78 where Nazuna uses her powers to pursue Mejiro's dad.

Other:
We get an afterword from Kotoyama and some assorted character sketches.

Conclusion:
I don't think Rira will be that consequential in the long run, but she's a nice addition to the cast while she lasts. Obviously, the meatiest part is the look into Nazuna's past, which may well signal a paradigm shift in the story. I'm definitely eager to see what comes next. This is one to get.

Rating:
Own It