Vampires. They’re everywhere in fiction, and they’re almost as immortal in real life as they are in their stories. Just when people think these bloodsuckers have passed away from being passé, there’ll be some new series, film, book, or other media bringing them back. The 1980s had Anne Rice novels, the 1990s had Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and the 2000s had Twilight.
They’re generally fairly familiar too. They’re either charming but deadly aristocrats misunderstood undead souls or mindless monsters. Some might even be all three at once. However, some series aim to do something different with vampires, and the anime Call of the Night had something different in mind when it introduced audiences to Nazuna Nanakusa.
5 She’s a Vampire, Not a Femme Fatale
Some of the most famous vampires caught on because of their charm. It sounds strange, yet them looking more human and offering a thrill with their dangers has charmed audiences as well as their in-universe prey. It works whether they’re the tortured kind that need sympathy like Angel in Buffy, or outright sociopaths with overwhelming power like Dio Brando in Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure.
At first, it seems Nazuna would follow that trope, as she invites Call of the Night’s protagonist Kō Yamori for a night on the town. She offers him a place to stay and feeds on him. But Kō lives to tell the tale and doesn’t get turned. If anything, Nazuna gets embarrassed over getting caught out. She needed blood, but she also genuinely just wanted to cheer Kō up. Fun and friendship matter more to her than the thrill.
4 It’s Not a Big Deal
Nazuna is quite casual about being a ‘nightwalker’ too. She doesn’t shout it from the rooftops, but if someone needs to know her deal as a vampire, she’ll share the facts with them. It’s fairly familiar ground: they feed on humans for blood to survive, and they’re unusually sensitive to sunlight (but it doesn't kill them). They’re super strong, super fast, can fly, slow aging, heal injuries quickly, etc.
A unique feature of Call of the Night’s vampires is that many of their powers and vulnerabilities come from their emotions. If they come into contact with an item or figure that was important to them as a human, that emotional bond could reflect and kill them. Nazuna was born a vampire, so she’s seemingly immune to this. Though she has other weak points.
3 Her Quirks
With such lore, one wouldn’t fault Nazuna for having a little drink from time to time. She loves beer and often has a glass to calm her nerves. Though she’s already quite casual with people, and happy to befriend even the most vampire-averse, the booze can really loosen her inhibitions.
For example, she doesn’t shy away from making rude jokes. She’ll taunt Kō and others, or tease them in sly, somewhat sexual ways. Anything to make them blush and cringe. If there’s a laugh to be had, she’ll go for it, and twice as much after she’s had a few pints.
2 Bloodsucking is Serious Business
The only drink she doesn’t dare go all-out on is blood. Other vampires in media would let go of their humanity and drain a person dry in one go. Or they’d try to cling onto any lingering parts of their previous self by avoiding humans altogether and getting blood elsewhere. In Call of the Night, Nazuna’s supply comes from a deal she makes with Kō.
The series treats blood drinking like a no-frills thing. The benefit is letting someone partake in plasma. So long as everyone consents and is clean, then there’s no worry. Still, the heart ends up getting involved and not just in pumping the stuff through the arteries. Kō gets jealous when Nazuna reveals she’s fed on other random people. Then she gets similarly envious when Kō gets fed on by others too. As much as she’d like to say it’s just a physical arrangement, that she’s just after what’s in his body, there’s more to it than that.
1 What’s Love Got to Do with It?
Nazuna was too successful in showing Kō how exciting being a nightwalker can be. Tired of his human life, Kō becomes driven to join her ranks as a vampire. But it takes more than being fed on once. He has to fall in love with Nazuna, then get fed on to become like her. That would be fine by Nazuna, as it involves Kō spending more time with her and providing blood on the regular. It’s not often that a human pursues a vampire.
But talking about love and romance makes Nazuna flinch more than any crucifix or holy ritual. She’d rather keep things casual with no strings attached. Largely because bringing up love makes her blush and feel awkward. Also, if a vampire falls in love with their feedee, the human dies. So, Nazuna has to avoid reciprocating Kō’s feelings, or she could accidentally kill him. If she were aromantic, this would be simple enough. Instead, her emotions are as complicated as her vampiric nature.