English Dub Season Review: Call of the Night Season One

Overview:

Ko Yomori is an average middle-schooler who isn’t quite satisfied with his life. He finds himself sneaking out at night and enjoying all the night has to offer. Eventually, he meets a strange girl called Nazuna Nanakusa. What makes her so strange? Well, being a vampire is just the start of her bizarre behavior. Ko and Nazuna get into all sorts of trouble once the sun sets.

Our Take:

This was one of my most anticipated anime this year ever since it was announced. I started reading the manga a while ago and was hoping it would get an anime adaptation. Did it meet my high expectations? Well… yes and no, it’s a bit of a mixed bag but the show itself is well done.

The voice cast is a pretty stellar list, the only one I was super unfamiliar with among the leads was Gabriel Regojo as Ko. As far as a lead character this was my first time really hearing him and I thought he did a fantastic job. The only negative thing I could say is that I have a hard time believing that is the voice of a middle schooler. Which is a typical anime issue but just a bit more glaring in this case. I look forward to hearing him in more things soon hopefully.

He shares his leading role with Natalie Rial and to say she did well is an understatement. I’ve found I can be hit or miss with some of her roles but this is a definite bullseye. I first heard her as Rui Tachibana in Domestic Girlfriend (honestly one of my favorite trashy anime but that’s a story for a different day). The next few things I heard her in she sounded way different and I think it just threw me off a bit. But her portrayal of Nazuna is fantastic, how she can go from being alluring and sensual one moment to being a goof the next is fantastic.

Some of the supporting cast includes Monica Rial, Christina Kelly, Emily Neves, and Patricia Duran. They play some of Nazuna’s vampire compatriots and they of course all knock it out of the park. The voice casting for this show was spot-on and one of the best Hi-Dive has had in a while.

I was impressed with the visuals in this from the jump. It must have been annoying to a lot of you with how often I mentioned the night sky in this. I have never seen it animated as beautifully as it was here. Coupled with the Nazuna’s ability to fly through the aforementioned sky and it just constantly blew me away.

The story was good but a bit disjointed, the best part about Call of the Night is also kind of the worst thing about it. There isn’t a big plot hook that gets introduced until like the last few episodes and even then it gets dismissed pretty quickly. Early on Ko wants to become a vampire and that stays the main theme throughout but since it’s the end goal we need a little more.

I can’t review this series without talking about Creepy Nuts. They do most of the music for the show and it’s phenomenal. I didn’t want a lot of these episodes to end but getting to hear the end song “Yofukashino Uta” was always a treat and it also happens to be the Japanese name of the anime. “Daten” and “Losstime” are not to be missed either. If you have an anime playlist like I do make sure you add these three songs at least.

Call of the Night is a lot of fun to watch and ultimately that is what we look for in an anime right? Great visuals, sound, and acting are all great and I would ultimately recommend it to anyone. There are only two problems. There isn’t a big plot so if that’s something you are looking for then be prepared for that. Also, it just ends and I’m not super optimistic about a second season. I love these characters and want to see more of the manga arcs animated but I’m not holding my breath. Definitely give it the three-episode try though because I don’t think you will be disappointed.