You think you're getting a standard rom-com. Kotoyama starts Call of the Night (Yofukashi no Uta) with Ko Yamori, a middle schooler who can't sleep, and Nazuna Nanakusa, a vampire who loves cheap beer and dirty jokes. It feels light. It feels breezy. Then, she shows up. Anko Uguisu walks into the frame, dragging a trench coat and a lifetime of trauma, and suddenly the entire vibe of the series shifts from a neon-drenched daydream into something much more haunting.
She isn't just a side character. Honestly, Anko is the narrative pivot point that turns a "vibey" manga into a masterpiece of urban fantasy.
If you’ve only watched the anime or just started the manga, you might see her as a mere antagonist. That’s a mistake. She’s the detective. She’s the "vampire hunter." But mostly, she's the personification of what happens when the night stops being a playground and starts being a cage. Anko Uguisu represents the consequences. While Ko and Nazuna are flirting over canned soda, Anko is lurking in the shadows of the smoking area, reminding everyone that being a vampire isn't just about flying through the stars—it’s about what you lose to get there.
The Tragedy of the "Vampire Hunter"
Anko Uguisu, or Kyoko Mejiro as we later learn, didn't choose the life of a detective because she liked solving puzzles. She was forced into it. Her backstory is probably the most gut-wrenching arc in the entire series. It’s not just "sad." It's foundational. Her parents were killed by a vampire—her own father, specifically, after he was turned.
Think about that for a second.
She spent ten years hunting down the woman who ruined her family. That woman? Nazuna’s "mother" figure, Haru. This creates a fascinating, jagged tension between Anko and Nazuna. They are two sides of the same coin, both shaped by the same mysterious vampire, yet one lives for the night while the other lives to dismantle it. Anko uses her knowledge of vampire weaknesses—specifically "belongings from their human life"—not out of a sense of justice, but out of a desperate, scorched-earth need for closure.
She’s smart. Terrifyingly so. Most characters in Call of the Night are driven by impulse or emotion. Anko? She’s a tactician. When she first corners Nazuna and Ko, she isn't trying to kill them for fun. She’s testing them. She wants to see if their "love" is the real deal or just another shallow attachment that leads to a bloodbath.
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Anko’s Aesthetic: More Than Just a Trench Coat
Kotoyama’s character design for Anko is a masterclass in visual storytelling. She looks exhausted. She looks like she hasn't slept since the 90s. The messy hair, the constant cigarette, the oversized coat—it all screams "noir detective," but it feels lived-in. It doesn't feel like a costume.
When you see her standing under a flickering streetlamp, she fits the environment perfectly, yet she feels like an intruder. Unlike the vampires who blend into the neon glow, Anko feels like she’s made of the actual shadows.
Her fighting style is equally distinct. She doesn't have super strength. She doesn't have fangs. She has information. In this universe, a vampire’s greatest weakness is their past. By carrying around relics of a vampire's human life, she can literally paralyze them. It’s a poetic form of combat. She fights with memories. She uses the very things these immortals tried to forget against them. It makes every encounter she has feel high-stakes because it’s not just about who punches harder; it’s about who has the more painful history.
Why She Matters for Ko Yamori's Development
Ko starts the series wanting to become a vampire. It’s a simple goal. He thinks it’s an escape from the boredom of school and the social pressures of being a "normal" kid. Anko is the cold bucket of water over his head.
She represents the human perspective in a world that is increasingly becoming supernatural. Through her, Ko realizes that becoming a vampire isn't just about gaining powers; it’s about discarding your humanity. Anko challenges him. She asks the hard questions that Nazuna is too laid-back to bring up.
- Can you really love someone forever?
- What happens to your friends when you stop aging?
- Are you running to something, or just running away?
Without Anko, Call of the Night would be a much simpler, perhaps even forgettable, story. She adds the "grit" to the "glitter." Her presence forces the narrative to address the ethics of vampirism. Is it a gift or a parasite? Anko clearly believes it’s the latter, and her conviction is so strong it’s hard not to sympathize with her, even when she’s being "the villain."
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The Complexity of Her Relationship with Nazuna
The dynamic between Anko and Nazuna is arguably more complex than the romance between Ko and Nazuna. There’s a weird, distorted sisterhood there. They share a history through Haru, but they've processed that history in opposite ways.
Anko hates what Nazuna represents, yet she can't help but be drawn to the fact that Nazuna is "different" from the other vampires she’s hunted. Nazuna doesn't remember her human life, which makes her a blank slate. To Anko, who is burdened by too much memory, Nazuna is almost an impossibility.
Their interactions are never just small talk. They are psychological duels. Every time they share the screen, the tension is thick enough to cut. Anko wants to prove that Nazuna is a monster, but deep down, she seems to be looking for a reason to be proven wrong. She wants to know if there's any hope left in the night.
Anko Uguisu and the Theme of Stagnation
A major theme in Call of the Night is the fear of growing up—or the refusal to. Ko is stuck in a middle-school limbo. Nazuna is an eternal teenager. But Anko is an adult. She’s a "grown-up" in the worst way possible. She’s jaded, cynical, and tired.
Yet, she’s also the only one moving forward. The vampires are stagnant. They do the same things every night, haunt the same streets, and talk to the same people. They are frozen in time. Anko is the one pushing the plot. She’s the catalyst for change. Whether she’s uncovering secrets or forcing characters to confront their pasts, she is the engine of the story’s second half.
She shows us that being human is painful, yes, but it’s also the only way to actually live. To age is to change, and to change is to be alive. The vampires aren't living; they're just persisting. Anko’s tragedy is that she’s spent so much time chasing these "frozen" beings that she’s almost forgotten how to live her own life.
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How to Appreciate Anko’s Arc in the Manga
If you're coming from the anime, you've only seen the tip of the iceberg. The "Detective" arc is where the series truly finds its footing. For readers looking to understand her impact, pay attention to the following:
- The Cigarette Breaks: These aren't just aesthetic choices. They are moments of reflection where Anko often drops her guard.
- Her Interactions with Mahiru: This is where we see her more manipulative side, but also her most protective. She knows the path Mahiru is on, and she knows exactly where it ends.
- The Shift in Art Style: Notice how Kotoyama draws Anko’s eyes. They are often shadowed or completely blank, reflecting her internal emptiness until she finally finds a reason to care again.
Anko Uguisu isn't just a character; she’s a mood. She’s that feeling of walking home at 3:00 AM when the adrenaline has worn off and you’re just left with your own thoughts. She’s the reality check.
What to Do Next with Call of the Night
If you’ve been sleeping on the manga, now is the time to catch up. The series has concluded, and seeing Anko’s journey through to the end is one of the most satisfying experiences in modern shonen/seinen crossover.
- Read Volumes 10 through 14: This is where Anko’s backstory is fully explored. It changes everything you thought you knew about the first half of the series.
- Watch for Parallels: Look for the ways Ko starts to mimic Anko’s investigative habits. It shows her profound influence on his growth.
- Analyze the "Vampire Laws": Use Anko's explanations to understand the world-building. She is the primary source of lore for the series.
Stop looking at her as just the "cool detective lady." She is the heart of the story’s conflict. She is the bridge between the human world and the night. Without Anko, the night is just a place to hide. With her, it’s a place to be found.
Actionable Insights for Fans
To truly grasp the depth of Call of the Night, you need to look past the romance. Start by re-evaluating the "Human Weakness" mechanic introduced by Anko; it’s the key to understanding every major character's motivation. If you're a writer or artist, study how Kotoyama uses her design to contrast with the vibrant "night" colors—it's a lesson in character-driven environmental storytelling. Finally, if you're debating whether to finish the manga, do it for Anko’s resolution. It provides a level of closure that most urban fantasy series fail to achieve.