Eclipse’s Whisper

One of the privileges of conjuring an original character is that you can do anything you want with them, and nobody can nor should deign to tell you otherwise. For instance, I think it’s reasonable to speculate that Kotoyama drafted this arc solely to draw Nazuna in a nurse’s outfit. Parallel logic probably applies to the maid cafe episode we saw back in the first season. That is art.

This week’s episode begins by continuing last week’s exhibition of Ko and Nazuna’s easygoing chemistry together. Given that this season’s affairs started more dramatically, I appreciate this extra downtime. Once again, I’m easily amused by how much of a scaredy-cat Nazuna is, and she clings to Ko’s back like a leech for most of their hospital investigation. He’s a trooper. I also love and agree with Nazuna’s impassioned diatribe on the ideal storytelling structure of an NTR work. She’s thought about this a lot, and like any critic worth their salt, she articulates her feelings well. Additionally, given the recent attacks by credit cards and payment processors on “NSFW” content, Nazuna’s plea that audiences don’t confuse fiction with reality is an especially sage reminder.

Before I delve into the serious stuff, I want to reiterate the importance of Call of the Night’s sense of humor. It might seem out of place as the series becomes more drama-driven, but to me, the comedy functions to maintain its tone. The jokes and cutaways are rarely obnoxious. They’re quick little asides that give the audience a nudge in their ribs, like a drumbeat keeping tempo. I find the characters and story more inviting because they don’t take themselves seriously 100% of the time. I also want to applaud the extra horror textures the adaptation added to Nazuna getting spooked by the shadowy visage of a patient on two crutches. That’s a fun bit.

Kabura, however, is this week’s true focal point. Ko uses his wits to deduce that she must have a history with Nazuna, although he misses the mark when it comes to the shape of that relationship. Nazuna strikes out, too, but blood communion proves to be an appropriately freaky and vampiric way for her to learn about Kabura’s past life. Note, too, that we don’t get any answers this week about Nazuna’s origins. Haru, another vampire, obviously looks identical to her, but we don’t yet know what that means. The narrative deems Kabura’s story as more immediately important, and there’s good reason for that.

Vampires have tons of versatility as a metaphor, and Call of the Night has touched on several of them: free spirits, deviants, parasites, predators, etc. Notably, the series doesn’t paint them with a single color. Toward the end of last season, Hatsuka’s gender nonconformance raised the issue of vampirism as a queer metaphor, which, in typical Call of the Night fashion, was taken in stride. Ko freely admits his attraction to Hatsuka without making a big deal of it, and Hatsuka has been one of his more helpful allies since then. However, Kabura’s backstory deals with queer identity under a more severe and oppressive lens, and the result is the series’s most affecting dramatic turn yet.

I liked this part of the manga back when I read it, but in the years since, I had forgotten how explicitly it revolves around Kabura being a lesbian. The narrative draws big parallel lines between her chronic illness and her sexuality, in that both cause her friends and family to ostracize and ignore her. We have to read between the lines for some of this. For instance, in the single scene that takes place in her home, her mother, without even looking at her, tells Kabura not to cause trouble for her father. That’s all we need to know that her parents are ashamed of her. When she finally meets up with her friends, her heart sinks when their new boy acquaintances join the crew. They ruin the vibe of the get-together, awkwardly hit on her, and then gossip behind her back. Her friends do mention to the guys that Kabura isn’t into men, which could be construed as helpful, but the flippant tone of the surrounding conversation paints a more vindictive picture. It’s a reminder that Kabura isn’t one of them. She can’t party like they do. She can’t walk without taking breaks. She can’t snowboard. She can’t flirt with guys. And they make her feel like shit for it.

When Kabura walks to the roof in an angry, resentful, and self-destructive state, Haru appears before her. That’s a good metaphor for their relationship, in which Haru has been the sole supportive presence we’ve seen. Although she’s a nurse, Haru goes above and beyond the call of duty. She peels and cuts an apple, jokes around, and speaks her mind. She bathes both sides of Kabura. The sexual connotations of the fruit sharing and sponge bath are especially loud, and Kabura’s desires come crashing down around her like a torrential thunderstorm on that rooftop. Kabura, simultaneously confused and sure of herself, confesses her love to Haru, who had known for a long time. Unlike every other person in her life, Haru assuages Kabura’s self-deprecation and accepts her. Bathed in the glow of a blood moon, Kabura accepts herself as well, turning into a vampire who, by nature, is a monster, a freak, and a deviant. And with Haru’s helpful and loving seduction, Kabura embraces the freedom that comes with that territory.

Call of the Night flexes its craft with this short and sophisticated story about Kabura’s self-discovery. It develops her from a minor character into a person I deeply resonate with. And the anime is no slouch either. While some of the polish of the first few episodes is diminishing (which is hardly surprising), the dynamic color changes and storyboarding of the climax still point to an actively engaged adaptation. Even the recapitulation of Creepy Nuts’ “Losstime” during Kabura’s flight is an inspired choice, echoing Ko’s prior romantic experiences with Nazuna. This show is great, and alongside The Summer Hikaru Died, I’m spoiled for choice when writing about queer themes intersecting with horror tropes this season.

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Call of the Night Season 2 is currently streaming on HIDIVE.