Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of "Number Call" by Furuya Nagisa in exchange for an honest review.

Two high school boys, who under normal circumstances would never have met, share an unusual trait. The number eight.
Eito Tachibana hates his name, and all the puns that come along with it. However, by chance, he meets a classmate named Tomoya Hatta, aka Hachi--the Japanese word for "8."
The two boys start getting to know each other, spending time studying and talking, and pretty soon, their feelings of friendship blossoms into something more.
This was a really well done one-shot. I enjoyed the overall story, although I do feel we could have gotten more regarding the background and family life of both of the MMCs, and seem more of their friendship. It was a nice little stand alone, but nothing too memorable.

It's a cute short story, very sweet. The interactions between the two characters were lovely however, they should've interacted more, which left me kind of underwhelmed.
The illustrations were amazing of course!!
Still a nice book overall!

A cute high school romance one shot. I liked this story better than Nagisa’s other work I read ‘My Ultramarine Sky’ despite Number Call being their debut maybe cos this one had a cute gimmick of the numbers tying them together and I love the number 8. It was nice but nothing too memorable and not much happened or was developed between them. It's very much a story about a budding romance that has yet to blossom or at least, at the very end, a few petals begin to unfurl. The character designs werent distinguishable enough for me and I did confuse two characters at one point.

Two high school boys form a friendship over their similar names, which both mean "8." 

I would have loved it if their friendship was shown a little more, just to see what other things they talk about and have in common. They do those classic scenes where the two main characters hang out in the library and walk home together, and it was cute and nice, but I feel like their bond is still a bit shallow. I do feel like there's an invisible connection between the two of them, and they can't help but drift toward each other. It's really nice. It's heartwarming. I'm not too happy about the ending though. It's quick and vague, and it left me with so many questions unanswered. What I like the most is how their 8 names are not their real names, and also the irony that one of them liked being called "8" while the other doesn't.

Thank you NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for the ARC of Number Call.

I loved this story so much. The connection of the two boys due to their names and the friendship that grows from it. I feel like their relationship progressed in a realistic way and the way they both slowly realized their true feelings for each other.

The side characters were wonderful as well.

Number Call is a short story about Eito and Hachi, two high school boys whose names both relate to the number 8. They become friends after a chance encounter and slowly realize they mean more to each other than that. The main characters are so cute together, and the side characters provide comic relief, and they point the boys in the right direction when needed. There's no real angst in this story, just a little bit of confusion and miscommunication, which is quickly resolved. I appreciated that a lot, as I'm not a fan of the drawn-out miscommunication trope. I recommend this one if you're looking for a short, cute read.

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for a review.

I felt like this manga had a great premise and could have been really special. The translation and end translation notes were great. However, it fell a little flat for me with the actual execution of the romance. I kept wanted to see more pining before they were together. Also, the payoff was basically non-existent. Especially if you don't include the bonus story.

Number Call follows the story of high schooler Eito Tachibana, who has always despised his name due to the jokes and puns associated with the number 8. However, his perspective changes when he meets a classmate named Tomoya Hatta, also known as Hachi, which means "8" in Japanese. What starts as casual interactions soon develops into a deeper connection, leading Eito to realize that there might be more to his affinity for the number 8 than he initially thought. Could this shared nickname lead to something meaningful between them?

Number Call is a heartwarming high school romance that explores the power of connection and the unexpected ways in which people can find love. Nagisa Furuya's storytelling is both charming and poignant, drawing readers into the lives of Eito and Tomoya as they navigate the complexities of adolescence and relationships.

One of the strengths of the manga is its relatable characters, particularly Eito and Tomoya. Both protagonists are well-developed and endearing, each grappling with their own insecurities and desires. Furuya captures the nuances of teenage emotions with sensitivity and authenticity, creating characters that feel genuine and relatable to readers of all ages.

The artwork in "Number Call" is beautifully rendered, with expressive character designs and dynamic panel layouts that enhance the storytelling. Furuya's use of visual cues and body

Number Call was a really cute story and I found it quite enjoyable, but I didn’t connect with it the way I wanted to. Perhaps it was my lack of knowledge with mangas in general or just my slight confusion with the storyline itself, but I found myself wanting a bit more overall.

I enjoyed Eito and Hachi and their connection over both of their names meaning 8, but I didn’t fully understand the connection. In the native Japanese, I feel like this would have been much more clear than in the translation. I liked both of them though and found their friendship, and eventual relationship, very sweet.

I liked the art style, but often found myself mixing up characters as many of them looked the same to the main characters. Especially Eito’s friend and Hachi. I also found myself wanting a bit more depth. There are few actual interactions between the characters and I would have enjoyed seeing more from them to fully understand their deep connection.

Overall, very cute. Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

Not enough story for me. I think the blurb was more captivating and gave away the entire plot. I feel like it repeated the same idea 100 times without anything actually happening.

a cute manga, a friends to lovers, it reads very quickly, the manga art is good, but i get confused about the characters because they look like the same, this is the first work that I have read by the author and although it is not bad it is not very good either, i was expecting something diferent and better.
Thanks to netgally and the publisher for this advance copy.

Rating: 4.67 leaves out of 5
-Characters: 4/5
-Cover (+art): 4/5
-Story: 4/5
-Writing: 5/5
Genre: BL, Contemporary, LGBT, Romance, YA
-BL: 5/5
-Contemporary: 5/5
-LGBT: 5/5
-Romance: 5/5
-YA: 5/5
Type: Manga
Worth?: YES

Hated|Disliked|Meh|It Was Okay|Liked|Really Liked|Loved

Want to thank Netgalley and publishers for giving me the chance to read this book.

A cute manga that brings two boys together because of their names and the number 8. It is your typical BL but it is cute and quick. I feel like this would be a good palate cleanser.

This was cute and I wish it was longer.

I honestly really related to both the boys as they were developing feelings for the other. As someone who’s had to navigate liking someone of the same gender and trying to figure out what I was feeling, I really liked it. Both of them have the feelings of “what the heck is this and why do I feel like this” which feels incredibly relatable for teenagers figuring themselves out.

The first 3 sections are all following Akito then in the 4th section we switch to following Hachi as he’s figuring out his feelings but then it switches back to Akito to end the story.

At the end of the book we got a couple little shorts of them plus side characters that were cute.

I liked the side characters as well and wish we would’ve gotten more from it. While they were not a focus of this story I’ve seen other manga still have well developed storylines for side characters while still following the main plot and wish the side characters would’ve gotten more love.

I think my biggest annoyance if this was We were FINALLY getting to a relationship between the two boys and it ended?! I wanted it to keep going so I was kind of disappointed that the story was done when they just get together.

Overall though it was cute and I’m not mad I read it.

This is a cute story about falling in love in high school, while it was very enjoyable I feel like there wasn’t enough to it.

The storyline of this story is quite interesting with the names Eito and Hachi having similarity to the number 8 and their names. It’s a very interesting concept but it feels like something was missing. The character gives off black cat vs golden retriever vibes.

The only time we got to see the character interacting was when they were either walking home from school or in school there wasn’t any interactions beyond that which I feel like could’ve added more to the story.

I did get confused with who is who since some of the side characters look so similar to the main characters that it got confusing at times.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute, all be it brief, yaoi/slice of life manga. I would have liked a little extra from this story, but that being said the characters are charming and there is a sweetness to their interactions, if you are looking for a quick one shot high school romance then look no further!

2.5 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for providing me with an ARC of "Number Call" by Furuya Nagisa in exchange for an honest review.

Originally serialized between November 20, 2013 and June 30, 2014, in the bl manga magazine gateau, "Number Call" is Furuya’s first publication (and it shows). Compared to her later titles, "Number Call" is largely unremarkable. It’s a pretty standard high school bl romance, and it has all the expected clichés and situational contrivances that push the main characters together when they might otherwise have no reason to interact.

The pace is slow, which isn’t necessarily bad. Technically, it is considered to be slice-of-life, so one shouldn’t go into this title expecting anything much to happen. Still, there’s something a little too unrefined about the way the narrative has been constructed to really make the slow pace feel earned.

My favorite slice-of-life titles generally have two things in common. First, they lean into the character work and do good jobs creating intriguing characters that make me want to spend time with them even if they aren’t doing anything. And second, they create an atmosphere that ultimately captures the feeling of a lazy afternoon. It should be a relaxing kind of slow.

"Number Call" does have its endearing moments, but its characters are underdeveloped and forgettable, and the atmosphere doesn’t even come close to achieving that satisfying feeling. Rather than a relaxed unfolding of a relationship that had me invested in the outcome, for the most part I was just bored.

This might work for people who are already a fan of Furuya’s stories or for those who just want an easy read to pass the time.

This was a cute story about a couple boys with similar names in high school. It's a story about growing and learning how the main character really feels about this boy who has become a part of his life. If you like cute high school stories and like stories where two boys become more then friends this might be a book for you. The art is also very well done.

This one was fairly cute. The names being based around the number 8 was a fun way to get the characters to initially react. I had a decent time with this one. For me, it doesn't have the staying power in my mind like some other series, but it's a great intro to queer manga title.

I really enjoyed this story, it was a cute strangers to friends to lovers story about two guys who share a name similarity and end up being friends then later realize they like each other. I'd definitely read more about this couple or a story involving the side characters, I feel like the pacing was done really well and nothing felt rushed. Both characters had their own well thought out personalities and it was nice to see them connect.

Following two high school boys who start bonding over name that sort of mean the same number (8), Number Call is a sweet queer story. While Eito Tachibana hates it because of all the jokes and puns, meeting Hachi turns out to be the best accident in the most adorable way.

They start greetings each other in hallways and with ocassional hello, soon they have library study dates, walking to the train station together. It was cute and heartwarming.

I also loved how they sat down and had the conversation about liking each other and why that sort of confused them. It made more sense since they were High School kids.

This was my first book by the creator and I loved it..