Call of the Night was a slightly edgy and super-fun rom-com anime of the Summer 2022 season, starring the insomniac male lead Yamori Ko who longs to become a bona fide vampire. This boy has given up on mainstream Japanese society and started wandering the nighttime streets, but that’s not enough — he wishes to reject his humanity entirely.
The vampires in Call of the Night aren’t just looking for blood, but for true love as well — and that is what brought Ko together with his new vampire friend, Nanakusa Nazuna. The two soon embarked on a bizarre but wholesome midnight journey together, and Ko was in for some wild surprises along the way. These vampires aren’t quite what Ko expected though, and he may be in over his head, as Season 1’s notable plot twists suggest.
Humans Must Fall in Love With a Vampire to Become One
Most vampire stories obey the rule that they can sire more of their kind by converting a human with their bite. Only in a few works of fiction can vampires give live birth. Call of the Night‘s vampires like Nazuna take the “convert a bitten human” approach, which Ko himself expected, but with a big twist. It’s not enough to sink in those fangs; the vampire and human must have an emotional connection — and the human must actually be in love with that vampire first.
Nazuna explained all this to Ko early on, leading him on a personal quest to develop genuine feelings for Nazuna as his love interest. But as Ko found out, that’s far easier said than done; true love cannot simply be forced or rushed.
When the Vampire Coven Gave Ko a Time Limit
Ko eventually met a small coven of Nazuna’s vampire friends, including the pantsuit-wearing Niko, who acted like their leader. She explained to Ko a rule that Nazuna had forgotten to mention: the one-year time limit. When a vampire bites a certain human, that human has one year to fall in love and be converted — or else vampirism will become impossible.
Ko has already been bitten, so he’s got just under one year to fall in love with Nazuna before the window of opportunity closes forever. That revelation drove him to try and fall in love with Nazuna faster while pondering the true meaning of love, but again, it isn’t so easy — and Ko could feel that precious time slipping away.
When Seri Broke Vampire Tradition and Made a Friend
Call of the Night‘s vampire coven has strict rules about how vampires can interact with humans. They should view any given human only as a potential convert or as food — and nothing else — but vampires like Nazuna and her blonde friend Seri saw fit to break those rules. In one episode, Seri wrangled with her confused feelings toward her human male friend Akiyama, who was clearly enamored with her to the point of acting like a male yandere.
After a tense confrontation — and with Nazuna’s aid — Seri worked things out with Akiyama and embraced the sweet heresy of friendship with a human, which finally made them both truly happy. It was a personal first for Seri, and suggested that the coven’s rules are easily broken without consequence. In fact, other vampires might soon ditch tradition and follow Nazuna’s and Seri’s example. It’s a whole new age for vampires and forbidden friendship.
When Anko Arrived to Slay Vampires
Later episodes of Call of the Night saw a bona fide vampire slayer arrive: Anko Uguisu, who had no patience for Ko’s seemingly ridiculous quest to become a vampire. She sternly discouraged Ko from seeking vampirehood, making a much stronger case than his friend Akira ever did.
Anko became the first external obstacle to Ko’s quest for true love with Nazuna, and her anti-vampire antics didn’t end there. She slipped into Ko’s school and slew a male vampire hiding there, and Ko watched as Anko poisoned that vampire before he burned to ashes in the morning sun. She even warned Ko that if he becomes a vampire, she will personally hunt him down and destroy him. Call of the Night‘s stakes reached an all-time high.
When Nazuna Began Her Own Romantic Quest
Despite the many obstacles to their potential romance in Call of the Night, Ko and Nazuna never fully gave up on each other. Ko was still determined to become a vampire after talking to Hatsuka, and he caught up to Nazuna on the nighttime streets to tell her that he’s not giving up on her, no matter the risks. Nazuna had been close to rejecting Ko entirely but had a change of heart and kissed him, reaffirming their friendship at last.
Nazuna also explained that in exchange for peace with the coven, she had orders to fall in love Ko soon, meaning they may meet in the middle where potential romance is concerned. She had once pushed him away as a potential lover, but she may now play a more active role in making her and Ko’s romance a reality.