Call the Name of the Night, Vol. 3

夜の名前を呼んで [Yoru no Namae wo Yonde] #3

by Tama Mitsuboshi

Anxious about taking a single step off the property, Mira is crestfallen to learn that her favorite author will be signing books nearby. Can a goat-in-fluffy-costume escort help make her dream come true?!

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Young Adult, Slice Of Life, Fiction, Comics

198 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 15, 2022

About the author

三星たま

Reviews

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read more graphic novel reviews at The Graphic Library.

Master Rei and Mira collect rainwater in a spare room, and through magic, they are able to swim in the bucket and delve into the water’s memories. Mira is able to see the town without any of the people, and she expresses a desire to come to the real town one day. This makes Master Rei hopeful. Later, Capri visits again and, disguised as Mr. Cappy, goes on an adventure with Mira inside the house. The two bond over a love of an author, and Capri discovers later that the author will be hosted for a book signing in town. With the help of Master Rei and Mr. Cappy, Mira attempts to come closer to the village and contain her anxieties so that she can attend the signing. At the end, Master Rei is informed of a new young girl in the area who needs his attention and is struggling with a similar affliction to Mira.

This volume is focused entirely on Mira’s anxiety and how she is working to overcome it. The support and understanding Master Rei shows her is how I wish all adults could approach children with anxieties. Rei gives a beautiful little speech to Capri while Mira struggles to make it to town, and it showcases compassion and patience. Capri is also a wonderful friend to Mira, even if they are covering up his humanity for now. While some young readers might not understand Mira’s social anxiety, others will likely feel seen for the first time.

Mitsuboshi’s illustrations continue to astound me. My favorite sequence was the adventure in the living room as the furniture morphed into a river surrounded by mountains and lush jungle. There is a two-page spread that is just gorgeous and has the effect of pulling the reader along for the adventure as well.

Sara's Rating: 10/10
Suitability Level: Grades 5-10

[eve.lyn._.reads · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 Stars

[BreAnna (Bre'sBooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

More charming short stories set in this world, the art tho! 😍😍😍

[Othy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quaint and heartwarming story. The art continues to be the best part, though the little stories are sweet too

[Emily Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite volume so far

Capri is too precious 😭💕

[Ya Boi Be Reading · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 out of 5. I'm pretty sure if I read this closer to volume 2 or was in a different mood my rating would be higher. Then again this was a whole volume where every chapter was mostly the same thing: Mira showing her growth either in a challenge she faces or (more often) in the fun wholesome stuff she does with someone. I just wish there might've been a bit more conflict.
The first two thirds are very narrative free being mostly one-offs that show more of the whimsical world and Mira being joyous. The book signing storyline was really sweet and showed how Mira has grown less anxious and is able to fight her fear more and is pushing herself. While it was sweet it felt a bit void and lacking in substance. Don't get me wrong it's whimsical joy but not much meat and it felt less impactful than when that was used in the first two to me. The last third is much stronger to me. We get this lovely chapter showing how far Mira has gone. She reminds herself of her support system and her own abilities and capabilities. That level of reaffirmation hasn't been easy for her to achieve and its satisfying growth that ties the night deal she has with anxiety. We also get a great chapter hinting at a new possible patient with a girl in a similar situation who is sick to the sun and seemingly is going for more of a depression metaphor over Mira's anxiety metaphor. It was interesting and allowed the reader to see Mira's growth once again this time through a character who serves as her mirror.
The ending brings up the connection of the engineer girl, Mira, and the mean magical doctor so hopefully something with that done soon especially with the new patient coming to Mira's house.

[Cindy Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has been my favorite volume of this series to date! I loved the relationship dynamics between Mira, Capri/Cappy, and Rei. My two favorite scenes involved Mira/Cappy - there is one where the two children are using their imaginations to engage in imaginative play, journeying to far off lands using the objects in the living room. The other was a scene involving Mira trying to leave their home for the first time to venture into town, and experiencing paralyzing anxiety as a result. She is attempting to go to a book signing to speak with her favorite author, but she is just unable to do it - and both Rei and Cappy respond in a compassionate way. This episode brought tears to my eyes, and that was totally unexpected; if an author/illustrator is able to convey that much emotion in so few panels within a manga, then they are truly talented in my opinion. The art continues to be stunning, and the overall story continues to be enjoyable.

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this volume, Mari and the Master go to an imagined world where they are jellyfish, then Mari finds an old locket and accidentally releases a somewhat malevolent being that was trapped inside, then Capri visits to pick up medicine that's not quite ready yet and plays imaginary adventures with Mari while he waits, Capri then helps Mari get a signature from her favorite author, left by herself for the day Mari does chores with the help of some of the shadows, and finally, the manservant to a wealthy family comes to request the Master to help the daughter of the family with an ailment.

The cleaning story helps show the progress Mari is making in her treatment, while the author story shows how she still struggles with her ailment, and the last story lets Mari use what she's learned to give someone else hope. Many of these were cute, but my favorite were the cleaning and the imaginary adventure (there's some stunning artwork included in that story). This is more lighthearted and hopeful than the last volume so I'll be continuing with the series.

Notes on content:
Language: Maybe a couple minor swears, I don't remember any
Sexual content: None
Violence: None (there are magical threats in one story, but it ends peacefully)
Ethnic diversity: Characters appear to be fantasy Europeanish.
LGBTQ+ content: None specified
Other: Mari's ailment is a mental health magical issue. She has trouble being around strangers and a darkness overwhelming her. The sick girl in the last story cannot go outside because of a condition.

[Mystic DreamClouds · Rating 4 out of 5]

Following in the footsteps of volume two, this volume focuses more on exploring the world and relationship between Master Rei, Mira and Capri.

Although the volume doesn’t revisit Mira’s affliction in detail, we are witnessing her journey to accept and overcome it. From the first chapter, we see Mira starting to desire to experience the world and her willingness to change and grow stronger. I loved how this journey was depicted with Master Rei and Capri supporting her. At the end of this volume a new character is introduced with a similar affliction to Mira.

The highlight of this manga for me was when Mira tried her hardest to go into town for the author signing. I felt it was inspiring and courageous. Also, the feedback Master Rei gave Capri surprised me in a good way. I never thought of the situation like that, so it really opened a new perspective for me.

Although this volume focuses on a journey, it leaves me slightly confused on Mira’s affliction to darkness. I have more questions than answers. I’m hoping as the story goes on, the reason and resolution unravels.

The artwork is absolutely gorgeous. It’s hard to express the details in each panel that captivates the magic of the emotions while not overwhelming the reader with too many details. The expressions are animate and bring to life unsaid emotions and words in each panel. I only wonder what it would look like if it was in color.

Overall, I enjoyed this volume and am looking forward to the next one. I’m interested to learn about the new character and what role they will play in the upcoming volumes.

Read more reviews @ Mystic's Review Shelf

[Tiffany S · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume made me tear up ;u; I loved how Mira has taken those, sometimes difficult, steps to befriend those around her and live her best life. This series is incredibly touching and heartwarming indeed.

When her favorite storybook author is coming to town for a special book signing, she and her new found friend, Cappy, will do their best to make sure Mira's dreams of attending that event come true. Anxiously, she works with her teacher, Rei, and Cappy to take a small step towards leaving the house and property. Find out to see if they can make her dreams come true.

[BillyDingle · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars!

I liked it! This (as opposed to the last volume... still haven't gotten over that) was a nice, low stakes, cozy fantasy with some really cool fantasy concepts and wholesome moments. I like the flashbacks that we get of Rei in his school days and the growth that we're seeing Mira expirience, and that there's new character introduced!! Woooooooooo!! So yeah as always, I look forward to reading the next volume!

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

continues to be overall very cute and wholesome - the book signing/cappy thing just melted my heart!! but something about the scene where the being from the mirror took over mira's body just felt very uncomfy.

[Siobhan · Rating 5 out of 5]

More beautiful art in this book! I loved the whimsicalness of it all! I was confused at the beginning with the Rei part because I didn't understand who the women in the box was? 💀💀 But still a good book because Mira is slowly becoming more social and her friendship with Capri/Cappy is so cute.

[Ramona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished the third volume and all I have to say about this series is that it is the most wholesome thing I’ve ever read. The characters are purely charming and Mira is the most precious soul. This manga hits home for me. I would absolutely recommend it to anyone 💖

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

The artwork for this manga is beyond beautiful.

[Aurora · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume was cozy as well.

[Chaela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again this series has some of the most beautiful art I've ever seen. I love it sm

[Juli Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure I'd stick with this after Vol. 3, but I really enjoyed the character development in this volume, so maybe I'll keep going a while longer. I still find the "Master" stuff to be cringey.

[Isel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty light hearted but I really like it.
I do wish they touched more on her condition.

[D.T. · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Just like how you musn’t help a chick learning to leave the nest […] we can at least provide her with a safe place to rest when she falls.”

[Darcy Roar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely charming! I love that we're already seeing Mira building bonds with new people & caring so so much about the being around her. This world is so cozy I never want to leave it!

[R · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another beautiful volume! I couldn't put it down!

[Shae · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful and lovely series! Full thoughts here! https://youtu.be/tE9TCj-yBHU?si=Wu1mq...