This was such a cute read 😭💖 if you struggle with mental health issues especially anxiety and depression and panic disorders or you have chronic illness this will hit close to home. It’s super relatable those feelings of feeling like a burden to those you love or just struggling to live when your brain and body are weighing you down. I can see it becoming a popular read cause of its representation of chronic illness and mental health. I loved this so much. The support that Mira has from Rei and the shadows melted me. They are always there to pull her out of the night. 😭🖤

I thought this was ok! I didn't love it and I didn't think it was bad. The drawings were great, and I liked the shadows and the darkness and how the author used it in the story. However, I thought the plotting was lackluster and the author could have been a bit more precise in what they were trying to accomplish with it. The characters were great though I wish some of the story would have come sooner.

I liked most of the artwork, especially the shadows. But I felt the story was lacking. You don’t find out what the story is going to be about until the last two sections. Before that it’s more about the drawings.

This is stunning, but kind of aimless? Like the metaphor just feels a little lost for me. I wish there had been more of an overarching theme. A+ for the shadow creatures however, and I would probably pick up the second volume.

This was solidly in "meh" territory for me. It was written quite young, the MC is a young girl, separated from her parents so she can have treatment for an ailment that can hurt her and others.

The MC, the other characters, the storyline, none of it really resonated with me. The artwork was fabulous, but without a story I could get behind, it was merely pretty to look at with no real substance behind it.

It might be a good manga for younger readers and while there is a kidnapping, nothing is overly scary or inappropriate for younger readers. Of course, I always advise the adults in the life of the child who is going to receive the book to review it first, to make sure it is appropriate for the child.

3, it didn't do much for me but I'm probably not the intended audience, stars.

My thanks to NetGalley and Yen Press for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.

This sweet manga is about a young girl, Mira, who suffers from a condition that causes the space around her to be consumed by night when she experiences anxiety. (Hello, metaphor.) She lives away from her parents in a remote location with Master Rei, a doctor who is treating and training her. She also has tiny, adorable shadow friends who accompany her, which remind me of oblong soot sprites! Things get interesting when a mysterious visitor appears!

At first, I was unsure about the fantasy elements of this story, but as the eventually plot developed, I got sucked in. The relationship between Mira and Rei is precious, and what we learn about Mira as she learns about herself makes this plot more intriguing. It has fairy tale, cottagecore vibes. It’s cozy but not entirely fluff. I would definitely return to this world.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5363811442

This manga is gorgeous and poetic! The art style reminds me of the magicalness of Splendid Work of a Monster Maid and Witch Hat Atelier. I could look at endless art books even if there was no story. Luckily for us, there is a lovely and touching story unfolding.

The plot follows Mira, a girl with a illness that turns all around her into night when she is anxious or depressed. This is such a great metaphor for mental illness, especially the journey of good days and bad. The doctor, Rei, is the most wholesome man alive, and if he in anyway turns out to be bad I will cry myself to sleep every night. His dedication to helping Mira, and more so meeting her where she is all so many of us have ever wanted. The use of stars, night, and shadows is so new and innovative, I can't wait to see if we get more details about how this illness worked or the history of it.

Volume 1 was the perfect introduction to what I hope is a very long series. It has clearly reeled me in!

Mira has a rare disease. When she gets anxious or scared, she turns everything into the night. Deemed cursed by her village, Mira is sent to live with a doctor far away.

This first volume was adorable. Love the art and the fairytale-esque story. Call the Name of the Night is very whimsical and gives off Witch Hat Atelier and Kiki's Delivery Service vibes.

I was so intrigued with this cover and was glad to be able to read it! And my, what a cute and beautiful story! I felt like this was one part Howl's Moving Castle and another Ancient Magus' Bride! Very cozy feeling with some truly beautiful artwork. Will definitely be picking up volume 2!

Call the Name of the Night is such a beautiful story with a lovely theme surrounding anxiety and depression. Mental health is something that sticks with us, but we can always find light in our shadows. Those we love, and those that love us, will help us find light. While the shadows may never truly go away, that’s okay because our shadows make us who we are.

It has been said before but if you are a fan of Witch Hat Atelier for its gorgeous imagery and fantastical setting, then this will be for you. I absolutely adored the first volume of this manga. It follows Mira who is afflicted with the ability to conjure the night when distressed and anxiety-ridden, and her temporary guardian Rei, a magical doctor who seeks to help young Mira. Set in a darling cottage amongst rolling hills, I can already tell that this series will take its readers on an extraordinary adventure. The premise, the characters, the artistry- it all leaves me desperate to read more! Cannot wait to read volume 2!

Thank you to Netgalley and Yen Press for the advance copy of this manga volume in exchange for an honest review.

If you are a fan of "Witch Hat Atelier" or "The Ancient Magus’ Bride" you will probably enjoy this book with its magical cottage and master/apprentice dynamic. A little girl named Mira has a mysterious illness that creates darkness when she’s anxious or overwhelmed. She’s staying with a magical doctor called Master Rei who is trying to help her overcome the illness. I thought Mira was very cute and I liked how supportive and kind Rei was as she dealt with her anxiety. A sort of antagonist appears in the character Cartos, an old school friend of Rei’s, he’s a researcher of magical medicine and he doesn’t mind pushing Mira beyond her limits for his own curiosity. He’s an interesting character that I look forward to learning more about. A magical manga isn’t complete without cute magical critters, the little black Skiapicas were fluffy and adorable. 

I think there’s a good message about mental health beginning to be developed in this story, Mira will need to embrace both her shadow and the light within her to become whole and learn to love herself again. I’m looking forward to reading more of her story and discovering more about the world that she lives in. I’ll be keeping an eye out for the next volume!

I’m very much on the fence with this one. I didn’t necessarily dislike it, but I didn’t necessarily like it either.

(Warning: Long spoiler-free review ahead!)

So I will say right from the start: This is the only manga I’ve read that I think seriously rivals the incredible art in Witch Hat Atelier. And not just rivals, but I personally feel is very much on equal ground with it because Witch Hat Atelier has the most stunning art I’ve ever seen!

Call the Name of the Night is now sitting right alongside Witch Hat Atelier in having one of the most stunning art in manga. There were MANY pages and panels I stopped and admired because it is a feast for the eyes. There is VERY rich detail when comes to showing the world these characters live in and the magic they use. Truly, I deeply loved all of it and very much appreciated the breakdown of the outfits in the back of the book. It was a very nice added bonus to this beautifully drawn story!

So where exactly did my disconnect come in with this story? I’m going to say after the prologue.

Once I read the prologue, I instantly connected with Mira’s struggles. So much so, that my brain made a deep connection from my personal experiences with depression that I immediately associated her darkness with depression. The anxiety and the sadness she feels and how it triggers her “illness” made sense to me in that I have felt that way before too. Top that with another character saying along the lines that her illness can make one fully loose "all sense of self," it resulted in being hard for me not to view the night she struggles with any other way.

Yet…as I was two chapters in, I realized that night is probably not supposed to be that way because she’s encouraged to “befriend” the night and one doesn’t “befriend” depression. 😅 And I think because I already made that super early connection I mentioned previously, I just couldn’t seem to view night as night.

Everything about this story is very fantasy, but in this one case, I just saw reality and real-life struggles. Because of that, I felt confused more often than not because of a connection I made that wasn’t wrong per se (because it’s how I connected with Mira on a personal level), but it didn’t let me just enjoy this fantasy story and it’s worldbuilding as it was.

With that said, I’m back to my opening point of I didn’t dislike this or like this. It’s hard to recommend (outside of the STUNNING) art because I can’t see past how I viewed the night. I did however really like the doctor and his kindness, the shadows (they remind me of the sprites from Spirited Away!), and the beauty and uniqueness of this world.

I think if you can associate night as night and not get emotionally mixed up as I did, I do think this is a great story to try! The antagonist’s actions were a little triggering for me (because how dare he not listen to/pressure Mira for the sake of his own desires to learn more knowledge and then have the *audacity* to get excited about her anxiousness and fear! 😤😤😤), but other then what I’ve mentioned all here, it’s a beautiful story that I think it will be one of healing and self-love. I am curious to read the next volume to see if I can work out this self-confusion because the ending was very beautiful. 🧡

Thank you to Netgalley and Yen Press for the early copy of this series!

The art style is the first thing to catch my attention with this series. it's a very whimsical style reminiscent of the genre. The story is about a girl who has the power to bring upon the night. this power may seem great, but it has forced her to become alienated by the outside world. I like that the story touches on anxiety and how it affects the mc’s control of her power. overall, I think this was a solid read, and I'm excited to see where the story goes. This will be the series for you if you are a fan of "Witch Hat Atelier" by Kamome Shirahama.

Call the Name of the Night is a charming magical read about a young girl named Mira who has the ability to call upon complete darkness when she is anxious. This ability has also made her an outcast in her village as a cursed child. In order to heal her of this ailment, she goes to live with Rei, a magical doctor. The manga follows Mira's and Rei's day-to-day life and little adventures.

The artwork is absolutely gorgeous and the story flows really well. I would highly recommend this manga to fans of Studio Ghibli, The Girl from the Other Side, and Witch Hat Atelier.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

The age gap between the female protagonist and the doctor was unclear until the very end of the book, so I got some confusing vibes about the nature of their relationship - was it romantic? Was it familial?
Loved the artwork and the ways in which her powers were affected by her mental health but was not a big fan of her crippling inability to function without the doctor.

My first impression of this is that it is a sweet, cozy fantasy story with themes of healing and mental health. The art is gorgeous and manage to elicit a sort of melancholy beauty that really suits the tone of the story.

The one thing that has me scratching my head is that the Netgalley categories on this include 'Romance', which is worrying considering the two main characters are a ten year old girl and an adult man who is her caretaker. There are no traces of romance in this volume, so I cannot currently say what the deal is with that. I'm going to keep an eye on this one, but hold off on deciding whether to add it to my library until I know more about the content of later volumes.

Call the Name of the Night has that one-two punch of great art that befits its excellent story. Volume 1 starts us off nicely, setting the scene for Mira and Rei's living situation and providing a hint at what might be the over-arching plot for this series. I did find that volume 1 could serve as a stand-alone volume in a collection, so it would be worth picking up as a gift, or as a starter volume for a manga collection.

This is a very cute tale about a little girl named Mira who brings fourth darkness when she's distressed. She goes to live with a physician named Rei in hopes of finding a cure. They are living fairly peacefully until an old classmate of Rei shows up and causes problems. The story has an uplifting message and wonderful illustrations. The only thing I'm potentially concerned about is Mira and Rei's relationship. I hope it stays friendly and doesn't dip into romance considering their age difference.

4.5 stars

The beautiful cover drew me into this one. I would love to see more of the internal art in color as well.

This manga was at times sweet and at times sad. I loved Master Rei, though he seemed almost too kind to be true. Mira was very cute and I look forward to learning more about her "illness" (but not in a creepy way like the villain.

Bonus points for the skiapicas for being extra adorable.

I feel like it has some metaphorical themes that people will resonate with.

Recommended.