Quick Summary • Best Moment • Setup • Delivery • Other Posts
Call of the Night Episode 6 – Quick Summary
In Call of the Night episode 6, “Might as Well Have Fun,” Kiyosumi Shirakawa had just finished another night of drinking with her office buddies. Except they weren’t really her buddies, and she would rather have just stayed at the office to get more work done. Now, on the way home, she decided to stop at Nazuna’s place because her messages could reinvigorate her body and spirit. Except, Nazuna didn’t come to the door. Kou did. Will she trust Kou to give her the message package? Can Kou even pull it off?
Note: This post may include spoilers, so be cautious.
Favorite Quote from Call of the Night Episode 6
Kou didn’t have fun at all. And his honesty helped Nazuna understand that. Capture from the HIDIVE stream.
Kou had a rough time in this episode. Especially towards the end. The story so far has shown that he’s a brave kid. He’s willing to experiment. Heading off into the night to begin with isn’t something that was easy, but he did it anyway.
Yet, he’s still a kid. He doesn’t have a lot of experience in life. The feelings he has or doesn’t have for Nazuna confuse him. He doesn’t know how to take her teasing. He doesn’t know what to do with the primal urge he feels when she let him peek at her swimsuit top. In fact, that whole scene at the pool had to be a nightmare for him.
Hell, it would have been for me, too.
As they walked home from the pool, even Nazuna’s usual level of obliviousness could see that Kou was upset. He wouldn’t even talk to her. She said she was just messing around with him “a bit” and asked him not to be upset.
Have you ever known anyone to not be upset if you just ask them?
My favorite quote is Kou’s answer. He’d apparently been thinking about it, because he said, clearly and with a level of conviction (19:54), “It was just crowded and not fun at all. Hearing what other people thought of you wasn’t fun, and I’m tired from all the people.”
He’s fourteen, and he’s already more articulate about this kind of thing than I ever was. But what impressed me the most is that he had the courage to just lay it out for her. And I thought that was cool.
Best in Show Moment for Call of the Night Episode 6
Kiyosumi couldn’t take it anymore. Capture from the HIDIVE stream.
Setup: Kiyosumi is Everywoman in Salaried Form
Kiyosumi Shirakawa is someone I can relate to. She doesn’t mind the work. She’s apparently competent. But everything except the work is a burden to her. People with power over her tell jokes, and she feels compelled to laugh – with reason. She might miss out on a raise, or she might even lose her job.
She hates going drinking after work. She’d rather go home, or even stay in the office and work But she can’t. If she doesn’t socialize, she’ll be financially penalized, again with a dearth of raises or even job loss.
And though the show didn’t come out and say it, I had a sense that some level of harassment was going on. My wife and my daughter have helped me become aware of the subtle signs, both on the part of a perpetrator and survivor. Some sighs seemed to be there.
Apparently, Kiyosumi’s boss thinks it’s okay to call at 2:00AM. Kiyosumi doesn’t think it’s okay. Capture from the HIDIVE stream.
Kiyosumi still did the best she could. If she wanted to eat and have a roof over her head, she had to play the game. To help her remain sane, she had begun to take advantage of Nazuna’s message package. This night, Nazuna sent Kou to perform the message, and he accidentally did something terrible to Kiyosumi. He gave her a pleasant memory.
Did you see the way the episode portrayed that memory’s effect? Af first, remembering the freedom of buying a snack at a convenience store in the middle of the night brought a smile to her face. Then she made a mistake. She asked him why he had quit school. His answer seemed innocent enough. He said he had gotten tired.
Delivery: Kiyosumi Took it as Long as She Could
“Me, too,” she said (07:53). “I’m just a bit tired… the work can’t be done alone, you know?”
The camera showed a closeup of her left side, her smile still intact. “I deal with bosses, and colleagues…”
Her smile faded. The camera zoomed out quickly; more a snap than a zoom
“I have to pretend I’m having fun…”
The smile disappeared. The camera pulled back again.
“…and I laugh even if something’s not funny.”
Another pullback. Now, her face is down. Her hair covers her eyes. And I’m holding my breath in sympathy for what this woman has endured. I’ve known those thoughts. I’ve lived those moments.
The shot progression here was amazing in retrospect. As I watched it the first time, Kiyosumi’s emotional plight demanded all of my attention. Capture from the HIDIVE stream.
It had all caught up with her. Her defenses damaged by that one happy memory, her control weakened by Kou’s sympathy, she was barely able to say (08:27), “I can’t… take it anymore!” Her tears exploded.
I had to pause the show. I’ve felt these things. I’ve often seen it in other people. What’s almost worse, I’ve heard the scorn of those who don’t understand. They say things like “Just be glad you have a job!” I understand that in Japan, the social pressures regarding work are more severe than what I have to deal with. Putting aside all of the social implications, seeing Kiyosumi teeter on the emotional edge, then plunge downward felt so authentic and so raw that I had to pick it as my favorite moment.
What did you think of meeting the singers from Creepy Nuts at the pool? What were your favorite moments? Feel free to let me know in the comments!
Call of the Night Episode 6: Other Posts
Other Anime Sites
- Reddit: Yofukashi no Uta – Episode 6 discussion
- Lost in Anime: Yofukashi no Uta – 06
- RABUJOI: Call of the Night – 06 – A Private Place
This Site (Crow’s World of Anime!)
- Call of the Night Episode 1: First Flight
- Call of the Night Episode 2: Do You Do LINE?
- Call of the Night Episode 3: A Lot Came Out
- Call of the Night Episode 4: Isn’t This a Tight Squeeze?
- Call of the Night Episode 5: Well, That’s a Problem
- Call of the Night Episode 6: Might As Well Have Fun
- Call of the Night Episode 7: Reproduce
- Call of the Night Episode 8: All of Us
- Call of the Night Episode 9: No Fair
- Call of the Night Episode 10: Enlarge the Peeping-Tom Photos
- Call of the Night Episode 11: Do You Know What a Vampire Is?
- Call of the Night Episode 12: My Mom’s Out Tonight
- Call of the Night Episode 13: Call of the Night
