Residing in a humble abode deep within the forest is Master Rei and 9-year-old Mira Howley. The two go about their daily lives, sometimes doing mundane things or making star jam, but for Mira, it’s a welcome place to be as she tries to deal with her illness. Said illness, however, is what she considers a curse. Being unable to control it, she brings the night wherever she happens to be at. This has caused her to be blamed by others, and, with no other options, forced her parents to send her to Rei, who aims to cure her affliction.
But on a random day an unknown man appears before Mira, and is soon revealed to be a fellow classmate of Rei’s back at school. The problem is that he has own sets of priorities where only the results matter, and that means doing whatever it takes to see what exactly Mira can do, no matter if it harms her emotionally or the people she comes into contact with.
Call the Name of the Night’s first volume is more slice of life than overarching story. The simple plot is Rei and Mira being somewhere away from prying eyes as Mira tries to control her mysterious powers of the night, so we see her anxiety and fears as she tries to handle controlling it or her smile and energy as she eats some star jam (and due to a lost star getting into the creation she gets tipsy, whoops!). She has shadows that accompany her and a master who wants to make sure she can heal on her terms.
But word about Mira’s illness has gotten around, and that appears to be the major conflict for the series. The forceful nature of Cartos showing up and making demands to satisfy his own curiosity is a huge issue, but if you leave it up to results, Mira makes a new discovery about her illness. This is unlikely to be the only time Cartos will show up, and if the rumors have spread, he won’t be the only one to inquire about Mira and what she can do. From there on the story will move forward that way or take a different shape depending on how Mira progresses, and learns what she can really do.
At that point, you just can’t help but hope for the best for Mira. Shunned and having little understanding of how to control her powers, she’s terrified — but within her is someone who has the confidence to handle everything she’s going through. It’s just going to take time, care, and some growing up until Mira can get to a stable state. What challenges will be next for her will be worth keeping an eye on.
The art helps make Call the Name of the Night worth a look aside from Mira’s progression. From backgrounds to characters, the art is lively and entrancing, a pretty look into all sorts of creations that makes this manga stand out. From seeing the joy be taken out of Mira to that joy coming back, Mitsuboshi’s depiction is visually pleasing. The day-to-day elements might need to pick up, but for now, I just want to see Mira succeed in conquering the night.