Whether by choice or by the grip of a sleep disorder, there are many people who experience the fullness that night has to offer rather than spending those dark, quiet hours asleep. Perfect for such night owls, Call of the Night, one of the Summer 2022 season's must-watch anime series, is a starlit romantic comedy with a twist. Not only does this anime feature a spunky hedonistic vampire girl similar in style to My Hero Academia's Himiko Toga, but it also presents a unique male lead: a middle schooler with insomnia.
While most romantic comedies are sunny, bright and colorful, Call of the Night is set solely after sundown. Its story follows an insomniac who is disenchanted with life -- so much so that he has given up on school and taken to roaming around at night. After a midnight encounter with a mysterious pink-haired stranger who promises to make him feel better and takes a bite from his neck, Ko begins his journey to live life to the fullest with the help of his new fanged friend.
While disillusioned male leads aren't uncommon in romantic comedies, Call of the Night puts a spin on the trope by deviating from standard social outcast protagonists like Hachiman from My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU, presenting a different brand of social deviancy: an insomniac prone to wandering the night in solitude. In Episode 1's introduction of Ko, he sneaks out of his parents' apartment for the first time in the dead of the night.
Ko doesn't exude wild, rebellious energy, nor does he appear depressed or tormented by teenage angst. While his face does carry hints of a troubled smile as he recounts the social aloofness and boredom that eventually gave way to his insomnia, he appears to have found a sense of relief and belonging. At the park, he swings on the swing set and exclaims how fun it feels for the first time in forever. In the midst of his sleeplessness, Ko gingerly begins to embrace the fullness of night.
Although the vampire trope has been used in various creative ways, Call of Night pairs a pleasure-seeking creature of the night with a human plagued by a sleeping disorder often associated with deprivation and dissatisfaction. When Ko first meets the mysterious Nazuna, she catches him nervously trying to buy alcohol from a vending machine as a possible remedy for his insomnia. After toying with Ko, Nazuna recognizes that he has trouble sleeping and explains that most people who can't sleep struggle due to a lack of satisfaction with their day. She urges Ko to release his inhibitions, setting the stage for the type of development the audience can expect to see from Ko and suggesting that Nazuna will be the one who guides Ko in his pursuit of satisfaction.
Nazuna doesn't just offer an inspirational human-centered solution to Ko's insomnia. After Ko realizes that she's a vampire, he expresses his desire to become one as well. It's evident that Ko is not after power, and he certainly doesn't have a violent streak or bloodlust. Ko, at the mercy of overwhelming emptiness and insomnia, desires the same fulfillment and satisfaction that vampirism gives Nazuna. By becoming a vampire, Ko might escape the boredom of his mundane life and find true embrace in the depths of night. However, as Nazuna explains, Ko will have to fall in love with her in order for her to turn him into a vampire, adding yet another interesting facet to the anime's juxtaposition of vampirism and insomnia.
Though Call of Night's presentation of a male lead with insomnia does primarily set the scene for a romantic comedy involving a night-dwelling vampire, fans will be interested to see how the anime handles this unique protagonist and explores both the roots and repercussions of his insomnia. As the first episode suggests, Ko will strive to do what it takes to become a vampire, even falling in love with Nazuna, but fans will have to watch this romantic comedy to see if Ko will become a vampire in the end or find satisfaction in his humanity.