Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

Call of the Night: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie Review

Call of the Night is a horror comedy-fantasy with romantic elements. Based on the popular Japanese manga series created by Kotoyama. The manga was first serialized in Shogakukan's Weekly Shōnen Sunday. The Call of the Night manga was released in North America by VIZ Media.

Call of the Night features animation production by LIDEN FILMS (Midnight Occult Civil Servants, Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches). Call of the Night was broadcast from July 8th, 2022 to September 30th, 2022 in Japan. Originally broadcast on Fuji TV, Call of the Night is a vampire-ific series for fans of animation of the quirkier side.  

Call of the Night comes from executive producers Akira Sasaki (A Lull in the Sea, Backflip!!), Atsuhiro Iwakami (After the Rain, Magi: The Kingdom of Magic), Genichi Kimura (Urusei Yatsura – 2022, A Whisker Away), Hiroaki Matsuura (Tokyo Revengers, Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches), Hisashi Ishiwata (Ranking of Kings: The Treasure Chest of Courage, Urusei Yatsura – 2022), Katsuya Watanabe (Undead Murder Farce, I want to eat your pancreas), Nobumasa Sawabe (Teasing Master Takagi-san, Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon), Ryō Fujita (Malevolent Spirits: Mononogatari, Urusei Yatsura – 2022), and Yasushi Kuwata (Muv-Luv Alternative, Ranking of Kings). The production team helped to bring to life the deadite world of – vampires. Prepare for the bite of a vampire!

Produced by Hana Sugawara (Undead Murder Farce, Hula Fulla Dance) and Shigetoshi Sato (Ultimate Otaku Teacher, Utano – Princesama Revolutions), Call of the Night features a catchy sounding theme song performed by Creepy Nuts. Licensed for home media release by Sentai Filmworks in North America and for streaming on HIDIVE, Call of the Night has the spooky vibes some anime fans might be looking to find.

Kо̄ Yamori (Gen Sato) is a bit of an insomniac with a lot on his mind – a combination that isn’t as smooth and fun as some might expect. Things aren’t going exactly as he had planned when Kо̄ finds himself wandering around late at night. Before long, Kо̄ meets the gothic and energetic vampire Nazuna Nanakusa (Sora Amamiya). Upon being bit by the vampire, Kо̄ finds himself surprised when the bloodsucking bite of Nazuna doesn’t transform him into a blood-lusting vampire himself.

Instead of transforming into a brooding vampire, unexpected legends are turned upside down as Kо̄ learns that he now simply has a vampire friend, someone who can tag along with him on his late-night misadventures. The only way to transforming into a vampire himself is to form a deep-love with the vampire who bites him. Determined to become a vampire himself, Kо̄ will stop at nothing to see if a romantic connection can be formed with Nazuna. Could love be the answer to his vampiric desires?

The character designs by Haruka Sagawa (Sorcery in the Big City, Happy-Go-Lucky Days) are fantastic and some of the standout elements of the production. Sagawa did some impressive designs here, providing some cool and hip aesthetics for the production. The character-designs stand out and the vibe is quite compelling.

The animation is outstanding. The art style is a clear highlight of the production. The animation is ushered in with art direction by Norihiko Yokomatsu (Godzilla Singular Point, Kaiji) and features the contributions of chief animation director Haruka Sagawa (Monster Strike: A Rhapsody Called Lucy -The Very First Song, Revue Starlight The Movie). There is something majestic about the animation for the production. The art style has impressive background animation – notably, for the rich and evocative landscapes. The outdoors and skylight images of the late-night world of the series is compelling. The purple and blue hued aesthetic looks lush. The colorful vibes of the animation add a lot to the series.

The cinematography by Yūki Domoto (Cells at Work! Code Black, Happy-Go-Lucky Days) is one of the most impressive parts of the production. Cinematographer Domoto certainly brought the vampire production to life – pun intended. The cinematography has a cool style and it brings out the best animation-wise. The production is all the better as a result.

The score composed by Yoshiaki Dewa (Flying Witch, A Lull in the Sea) is a huge highlight of the series, too. The original score adds to the sense of mystery and intrigue from the series. Composer Dewa is certainly someone who has a knack for compelling scores – A Lull in the Sea being a great example. Outstanding scoring.

Written by Michiko Yokote (Children of the Whales, Joshiraku), Call of the Night is a fun series for fans of gothic/vampire fare. The anime has a hip vibe and the style of the series is something that is compelling. The characters are cool and the series balances a comedic tone with elements of fantasy – making the series more rewarding for genre fans.

Directed by Tetsuya Miyanishi (Strike the Blood, March comes in like a lion) and Tomoyuki Itamura (Owarimonogatari, Tsukimonogatari), Call of the Night is well worth checking out. The series has outstanding animation, creative direction, and compelling production merits. The series is fun. It manages to deliver something creative and aesthetically pleasing. Well-worthwhile for genre fans.

Call of the Night: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Sentai Filmworks, Call of the Night is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The Blu-ray has outstanding color reproduction. The presentation is outstandingly vibrant looking – the lush and beautiful animation adding to the visuals. The colors are spectacular on the release. One thing to mention and which is worth considering is that Blu-ray provides superior encoding to streaming. Streaming services offer a more compressed image and the bit-rates are lower on streaming video platforms. For those hoping to eek out the absolute best video presentation possible, physical media provides the best possible option. A quality presentation by Sentai Filmworks.

Call of the Night: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Blu-ray release includes a selection of lossless audio options: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (with English subtitles). The lossless audio reproduces the excellent sound direction by Eriko Kimura (The Tatami Galaxy, Lu over the wall). The audio clarity on the release is excellent. Dialogue sounds crisp, clear, and easy to understand. The score is well integrated in to the fun stereo audio mix. The dynamics sound engaging and energetic. One thing to think about with regards to the release is that streaming video services only offer lossy audio quality. The lossy audio quality isn't as good as what is available on a Blu-ray disc release. The release comes with a nice quality lossless encode by Sentai and it bests anything available on streaming services.

Call of the Night: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The one area of the release that could use more improvement is the supplemental package. The release doesn't come with a nice assortment of audio commentaries, behind-the-scenes documentaries, cast/crew interviews, art galleries, and other more extensive supplements.

On disc extras include:

Clean Opening Animation (HD, 1:31)

Clean Closing Animation (HD, 1:32)

Web Previews (HD, 6:11)

"Loss Time" Karaoke Version (HD, 1:48)

Japanese Promos (HD, 3:27)

Call of the Night: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Call of the Night is a vampire anime series with some fun fantasy elements at play. The series has a cool atmosphere. The animation is stunning and is one of the great highlights of the production. The art is simply fantastic and the background animation is colorful and vibrant. Fans of horror-comedy with a twist should find something compelling about Call of the Night. The Blu-ray release provides a strong high-definition presentation and a nice lossless audio encode. The release comes with a small selection of supplements. Fans of Call of the Night should strongly consider adding it to their Blu-ray collection. Recommended.