[0:00]In life, there is an everyday struggle to find purpose in what we do. Why we work, why we study, why we live. When faced with questions like these, it's easy to become overwhelmed. You're not sure when you'll find your purpose or if there even is one. And a common response to this state of mind is to shut down. When Call of the Night begins, Koyadi is well within this mindset and having the common response. He refuses to go to school and has taken a liking to the night, where he doesn't feel the pressures that reside in the days. Ko avoids these things, not for the sake of ditching something he dislikes, but to avoid the restrictiveness he feels that holds on to his life. The freedom it pulls from him. We know that Ko wasn't struggling in school before beginning his new lifestyle. But what is clear from his monologues is that the version of him that was studying and working hard at school, wasn't really who he was. It was a mask he wore to fit with what's considered normal and proper by society, the social norm. Something he felt he was obligated to uphold. But wearing a mask is something we can only do temporarily. Ko's new night life signifies him trying to escape the person society wants him to be. The people in Japanese society all too often let work consume their lives. Ko is a perfect example of someone afraid of that fate, almost too much so. He's afraid of the norm, afraid of just being another cog in the wheel, and he strives to be more than just another student. As Ko sits in the park attempting to grasp his situation and possible solutions, he meets a girl. But not just any normal girl. It turns out like Ko, this girl is a creature of the night, just not the human type.
[1:31]For Ko, Nazuna's vampire ability symbolize a freedom from what's expected out of him, an escape from his stress. Ko knows that at some point, his night life may come to an end. But if he was to change, to become different from the norm, to be a vampire, then none of that would apply to him anymore. He would exist outside the pressures of human society. On paper, Ko's idea has some substance. Sure you'd no longer be human, and school is out of the picture, but to ignore the pitfalls that come with this change is where his fault lies. Being a vampire has its advantages, but like anything, there are also disadvantages. Nazuna knows this well. The show follows the frame of mind Ko is throughout. At the beginning, there only seems to be perks to being a vampire. You get to stay up all night, fly around, immortality. But it's not till later we see the cost these benefits come with. At first, they're relatively slow to appear, but the grand reveal comes at episode 11. Up to this point, we've only seen vampires in a relatively positive light. Ko has turned a blind eye to the fact that most vampires sole focus is on creating offspring. He isn't question why they do this. In his mind, it must just be more people like himself wanting to escape the normality of human life. But upon meeting a man struggling with his existence as a vampire, Kobe comes unsure of himself and the purpose he's found in the chase of a lifestyle, the man in front of him would rather die than have. The private investigator Ko meets makes him aware of the pitfalls of being a vampire that he originally shut out. Her function in the story is as the flip side of the coin the vampires occupy. Now with a more realistic look on this choice of his, Ko thinks about what it truly means to become a vampire. When Ko first learns about their existence, he becomes obsessed with the idea of becoming one. But in times where we struggle to find purpose and existence, we can be quick to fill the hole we open. Ko pursues becoming a vampire, but his true desire lies in the escape it brings. He would rather find a way out of his current existence as a human than define meaning in his current life. But upon seeing vampires for all that they are, the good and the bad, is this truly what he wants to become? Upon further consideration, Ko realizes that what truly filled that lack of purpose he felt was Nazuna herself, along with the friends he made in the night. What Ko desires even deeper past the want for something different is love, platonic love to be more specific. Before he stopped going to school, it was clear that his childhood friends had both drifted apart from him. And ironically enough, they all found themselves coping with their loneliness by venturing out into the night, which led to their eventual reunions. But bigger than the friendship that these three share is the bond Ko shares with Nazuna. What first a surface level friendship fueled by desire, the desire for blood and desire for escape. What was once a friendship of utility became something more. Something both of them would be willing to die to protect. As Ko still ponders whether he truly does want to be a vampire, we know now it will be for better reasons than a simple escape. Facing the fear of searching within himself, showed him that he found purpose in life's endless track and friendship. For in the end, what's important isn't what work you do or how well you do it, but the relationships you form and how well you tend to them. Purpose can be found in the work we leave behind, sure, but there's an even greater purpose to be found in the bonds we create. Ties that just can't be erased. While Ko still must decide how he will face society's normalcies, his head is now in a more right place. Whether he chooses to become a vampire or stay human, his choice will be made by reflecting on how it will affect the ones important to him. To become a vampire would mean to spend eternity with Nazuna. To remain human would mean taking life steps in tandem with his childhood friends. In the end though, while still unsure where friendship starts and love begins, love may end up being what it comes down to for Ko.
