Thank you Kodansha Comics for the review copy, I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I have recently been on a kick for translated manga/graphic novels, especially when the topic is figuring out who you are. This one is a slower paced story about two boys who have absolutely nothing in common when it comes to school, but they keep running into each other, slowly finding themselves more and more enthralled with each other until one breaks and there is a single kiss.

The story is sweet and low angst, a very comforting read. The side characters are hilarious. Recommend for when you want a stand alone story.

“One simple word…one little smile…makes such a difference.”
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The circumstances that bring people together can be peculiar sometimes. Especially when you and a stranger that happens to catch your test paper before it blows away in the wind, share an uncommon nickname. This is exactly how Eito and Hachi meet. Two high school boys working towards their college entrance exams. Neither was aware the other even existed, until that day when the 88% test for Eito floated across Hachi’s path. That was the beginning of something special.
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This was a cute little story about young love. The main characters were both charming and their chemistry was sweet. The couple of side characters that made an appearance seemed unique enough in personality but there wasn’t much time to know them past pushing the plot forward and they didn’t stand out artistically. I was confused on who was who at times because they looked so similar. The artwork was well done, I just wish there were some distinguishing features between characters.
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I would read a volume 2 just to see how the story progresses past the high school phase.
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This was my first manga ARC! Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for the free digital copy.

I really love the My Summer With You series but this story just fell flat. I feel like there wasn't much to this story. I wish we had been able to see the relationship between the two boys develop more before the ending.

This was a super cute read! I'd be very interested in reading the next volume to see how the romance develops. Thanks for the early copy!

I'm fairly new to Manga but I really liked the style of this artist - they captured expressions well and there was always enough detail to set the scene without it seeming cluttered.

The translation may have not been 100% as a couple of bits seemed to not quite make sense but it was easy to infer what was happening I loved that some translation notes were included to explain a couple of references that I wouldn't otherwise have understood.

Overall, a fun & fairly quick read - I will definitely try to read more in this style

How cute!!! First off, the art was so beautiful and very easy to follow. This is definitely becoming a manga I will recommend to friends getting into BL manga for the first time. It's a good high school BL that isn't over the top in anyway. I loved the concept of 8 bringing both MCs together and I would even read another volume of them together in college. Can't wait to read future mangas by this mangaka.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for the review copy in exchange for an honest review.

If you are looking for a Black Cat x Golden Retriever pairing, with some high school friends-to-lovers trope sprinkled in the mix, look no further! Number Call has what you are looking for.

Number Call tells the story of how two young boys in high school are brought together by the number 8. Eighto Tachibana has always been the victim of numerous jokes about his name, due to it sounding similar to "eight", and for that, has always hated his name. That is until he meets a fellow schoolmate named Tomoya Hatta, whose nickname is "Hachi", which is Japanese for the number 8. Their chance encounter brings them together and their similar nicknames, keep them together. As time together starts to unfold, they realize they may connect a little more than what can be attributed to their names.

This was super short and sweet. While it's too short and surface level for me to rate any higher than a 3, I still had a great time reading it and it was a good read in between other novels. I can see myself picking up more works by this author, especially given how beautiful their art style is.

How cute was this??????? I loved this so much!!
I actually love reading manga's, but I don't do it often - which is a shame.
It's impressive that I could be invested this quickly in a short story.

Definitely recommend if you like a slow burn story and friends-to-lovers.

I adored this book. The slow-burn romance between the two characters was great. I know people always say how the one bed trope is their favorite, but I love the one umbrella trope that was in this book that bonded the two characters as they walked in the rain. The play on words when it came to their names was adorable and I love how they connected the two of them throughout the story and eventually led to them confessing to one another. The entire time that I was reading this book, I was just waiting for them to finally talk and get together because the rollercoaster they took me on was both heartbreaking and wonderful at the same time, as I wanted for them to confess.

I loved this book and if you are looking for a cute romance this is the manga for you

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. This is probably one of the best BL mangas I've read in awhile, the storyline was adorable and everything was beautifully illustrated. Miscommunication tropes with Queer media always sting my heart, but the eventual resolution is always worth it! Number Call was no exception, and I would happily read more volumes of this manga if the author ever chose to continue the story into a college timeline.

Thank you so much to Netgalley for this opportunity! I devoured 'Number Call' in just a few hours: it's the kind of manga I really appreciate, sweet and with a connection to the two characters, which in this case is represented by the number eight. The two protagonists are tender and easy to love, I loved their story and the game with the number eight: one of my favorite things! A beautiful oneshot that I would recommend to anyone.

Thank you so much for letting me read this manga. This story is so cute and adorable. this is just what i wisched for. two normal guys living their live.

I always find this mangaka's stories so full of heart and sweet with such personable cast of characters. It's simultaneously impressive and frustrating how they pull this off in such a short narrative length. Until the next one!

I loved this manga so much. I loved My Summer of You so it's no surprise I also loved this. So cute and sweet. I hope there's a continuation with a jump in time.

Nothing is going to stop me from reading manga. I love getting sucked into the art, it’s like watching a movie unfold. Number Call was no exception.

I thought this was lovely and wholesome. I wish the chat boxes were easier to see who was talking and who wasn’t. There were more times there were no indications of who was speaking than there were when someone was. During those times it was a bit of a guessing game of who was talking. I would’ve liked more substance from the story and the characters but it was still good.

Overall, not too many complaints. Just a cute little story.

This is my third book from this author and let me say, they have all been good. This author has a knack for making really sweet romances that are fun to read and have just the tiniest bit of angst. The plot itself is very simple relying on the complexity of the Japanese language and how you can write and read the same words a couple of different ways. So while newer manga readers may not initially understand the set up veteran readers will pick up on it much quicker and fall right in with the setup.

It was just a fun quick read that you can slot into a weekend perfectly.

Thanks to NetGalley for my ARC!

One of my favorite mangakas of all time!! I love how they both realized their feelings for each other. Very heart-warming. I love their one volume pieces and this definitely did not disappoint!!

Eito never liked how people always made fun of his name, that is, until a certain someone he met changed his mind.

This is a simple school-life story and there is nothing more to it. I also found the characters too similarly drawn and indistinguishable from one another. This is the first work of Nagisa Furuya, and it shows.

Thank you Netgalley & Kodansha Comics for the arc copy in exchange for an honest review.

Nagisa Furuya’s newest manga volume, Number Call (Kodansha Comics, 2024) is a sweet high school meet-cute romance. The story centers around Eito Tachibana who despises how his name is associated with the number eight meeting Tomoya Hatta whose nickname is Hachi, the Japanese word for the number eight. Initially drawn together by their names having a connection, they eventually find themselves chasing after each other. The story is certainly cute and heartwarming, but the plot delivers the elements of a romance in a way that is almost too straightforward. Although there is romantic tension between Eito and Hachi, it never really felt like there was a threat to their bond. Even in a wholesome story, there should still be stakes for the choices that the characters make. Nevertheless, I found myself turning to the next page to discover how they would grow closer.
Additionally, unlike many other BL manga, this one features a story that stays far from depicting toxic relationships and the fetishization of gay people that plague the genre. Eito and Hachi meet when Eito’s test papers are knocked out of his hand and float out the window where Hachi picks them up. After Eito runs down to get them, they have a short exchange:
Hachi: You got an 88 in Japanese history. Eito Tachibana.
Eito (thinking): Why’d he read that out loud?
Hachi: Haha. You got an 88 and you’re [sic] name’s Eito? It’s like a pun.
Eito: I guess…
Eito (thinking): Uh, did he stick around to just say that? Is he making fun of me?
Hachi: I thought it might blow away again if I put it down.
Eito: Okay…
Hachi: Plus, I can kind of relate.
From chapter 1: Call 1
The interaction between the two sounds completely natural for two high schoolers who don’t really know each other. There is no stalker behavior, coercion, or bizarre pairings for the sake of reader fetishes. It’s all very cute, wholesome, and heartwarming. It’s great to see more BL manga representing gay love as being completely normal.
That being said, the story would have been taken to the next level had there been more build towards their relationship. It’s difficult to tell why Eito or Hachi hold affection for each other or how their shared experiences contribute to them liking each other. Show us a date, a stolen moment in a classroom—anything that would solidify the reasons why they like each other beyond their names relate to the number eight. The times when they are alone together don’t give readers enough information about what makes Eito or Hachi interesting and attractive in the eyes of the other.
Number Call is an excellent addition to BL manga as a whole. Steering away from the problems of the BL genre, it highlights how cute and sweet romance can be. Hopefully, this isn’t the last wholesome BL meet-cute to grace our shelves.
An advance copy of this volume was provided in return for an honest review.
Number Call becomes available on March 12th, 2024. Pre-order Number Call here.

3.5*

As a long-time Nagisa Furuya fan, I was beyond excited to get my eyes on this e-ARC! This is my fifth manga by the author (The Two Lions or The Summer of You would compete to be my favorite).

Like most of Furuya's works, this story is sweet and wholesome to the max. It steps away from the more unseemly stereotypical tropes of its genre and tells a light story of two teenagers falling in love. The initial connection between Eito and Hachi is creative with the etymology of their names both involving the number 8; one loves his nickname and the other hates it (I really enjoyed the translator notes at the end). Their friendship becomes something far greater as the two leads spend more time together and get to know each other beyond their names.

I do have a few minor complaints. One, the two characters and their respective best friends were difficult to tell apart at a glance. Two, some of the scene changes felt too abrupt. Overall, the manga felt a bit short which is to be expected of a one-shot manga. Furuya's works improved significantly after this debut manga, and I'm happy to see the work that started it all get an official English release.