This was such a cute, quick read!

I thought the premise was quite sweet, characters quaint, and the art was gorgeous. I would've liked to see more development in the friendship or a glimpse into their relationship in the future, but I still enjoyed it as it was!

This really gives you all the warm and fuzzy feelings of a nice highschool-setting manga. Eito's crush is so obvious and cute I just loved to see how he became more and more aware of Hachi. Hachi, on the other hand, was obvious and oblivous and the fact that he blurted out "If I were a girl I would want a boyfriend like you" and didn't think much of it had me cracking a big smile. Wish I could see them in their university life, but I'm sure they'll be fine with the other by their side.

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ 2.5 stars ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

"if i could change one thing... i wish we could've met earlier."

this was fast paced, almost as every graphic novel is. it follows the story of two boys bonding over their similar / unique names. i found that there was no plot in this book and it was difficult to tell the characters apart. nothing special, and probably not for me.

˗ˋˏ ୨୧ thank you to NetGalley and Nagisa Furuya for the digital arc in exchange for an honest review! ୨୧ ˎˊ˗

2,5 stars for me.

This was alright. Two boys meet in school one day, and bond over their names. Slowly, they become more than friends.

Unfortunately, a lot seems to get lost in the translation from Japanese. The entire premise of the meet-cute depends on how Japanese characters can be read several different ways. This doesn’t work in English and because of that, the story misses depth.

The story lacked conflict and substance. I also found it difficult to tell some of the characters apart, and wasn’t particularly impressed by the art. Coupled with a pretty minimalist plot, this wasn’t for me.

A cute gay romance with introverted characters you root for and want to get together as they explore their sexuality.

teen/adult manga translated from Japanese - 18 y.o. dark-haired awkward loner Akito "Eito" Tachibana meets light-haired, apparent social butterfly Tomoya (nicknamed "Hachi" because his name Hatta has the character for eight in it) and both can finally relate to being endlessly teased about their names by their highschool classmates. They're in separate tracks (Eito in sciences and Hatta in humanities) so they would never interact ordinarily, but all of a sudden Eito sees Hatta everywhere and he has trouble keeping his cool.

This was an adorable, fun read for ages middle-grade and up, showing the awkwardness of that first boy crush (and eventual first kiss). If there ever was a reason to not want to leave high school, these two characters have found it. Don't miss the translation notes at the end, which explain how the characters of Akito are commonly misread as Eito.

We follow Tachibana Akito and Hatta Tomoya or the "eight men" as both of their nicknames mean 8. I need to preface this review by saying that I am a huge NANA fan, that manga quite literally shaped me as a person. So, I am just a bit obsessed with people who are named after numbers, and these two are not an expectation to that rule.

I really liked both Eighto and Hachi. I found them very fun but also relatable. We don't really get to see a lot of the side characters, and that can often feel like there are only two characters in the story. This didn't feel like it though.

Overall, the story is really sweet and fun. And it is also a really fast read. It made me feel rather nostalgic to my own high school days - even though I did hate my time there. It is one of those stories that makes me wish my time in high school truly was like in the stories I read.

The art style is very simple but also really beautiful and expressive. I highly recommend this one!

Thank you NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for the ARC!

I’m a big fan of this author other manga my summer of you, i can’t say i enjoy this one as much. It was cute and sweet but definitely not something i would read again

After reading The Summer of You, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to read Nagisa's debut. The story is sweet, touching, with some doses of drama and humor, and a dynamic that is easy to fall in love with. The two characters, although simple, feel genuine throughout, making a common story of daily life compelling.

There is something about the simplicity of the script that translates into the art. They both have that air of nostalgia, and as the feelings come to the surface, the art also adapts to the tone. There's something about the page that makes the whole read feel fresh, although I can't say it was as immersive as I hoped it would be.

However, it's a manga that lacks originality. Nagisa Furuya's development and style were in development, and while it is true that it's a story easy to enjoy, outside of the number element, which is more of a secondary thing, there's not much that makes it stand out on its own. It's sweet, yes, and entertaining, too, but no more than that.

Perfect to pass the time, Number Call is a simple, no-brainer romance that's easy to enjoy. Although idealized in some scenes and predictable at times, the plot feels natural. I would recommend it to anyone looking for something light to forget about life for a while, even if it lacks originality.

Tachibana Akito (aka: Eito do to a misreading of the characters of his name) and Hatta Tomoya (aka Hachi) meet by accident and realize that they are both nicknamed after the number 8. Eito has always hated the nickname, but after bumping into and slowly getting to know Hachi, maybe it’s not so bad?
Though they are in completely different departments, they begin to exchange greetings in the hallway, then small talk, then study together in the library. Slowly their relationship evolves into something more. So when Hachi mentions he wouldn’t mind being Eito’s girlfriend, it gives Eito pause. What will he do?

So what did I think?

It was pretty darn cute. It is a bit slower paced allowing the characters a lot of time to develop feelings for one another in a very realistic way. I really appreciate that in any romance book. Nothing bothers me more than an unrealistic insta-love situation and the author completely avoids such a scenario. Actually, the story manages to avoid a lot of the standard tropes a lot of high school romance manga tend to fall into.
The art was pretty good, though there were one or two spots where I struggled a little to distinguish between Hachi and the best friend. Fortunately, the dialogue helped to quickly sort it out. They look pretty similar when they aren’t the focus of a panel.

Can’t wait to see what the next volume brings!

I absolutely loved My Summer of You by this author, so I was really excited to check out Number Call. And I’m so happy to say that it didn’t disappoint!

In this manga, we follow two high schoolers who are drawn together by the number 8. Their relationship starts through casual greetings and small talk and soon becomes something more.

This was seriously so cute, and the art is absolutely gorgeous. Their relationship unfolded so naturally as they grew from friends into more. There were so many great moments between these two. I really loved when they shared the umbrella together, and the scene where they were studying in the library and Hachi fell asleep had me screaming. I really wish this had been a little longer because I would love to see more of these two!

3.5 ⭐

Two high schoolers, Eito Tachibana and Tomoya Hatta aka Hachi connected through the number eight in their names.

Number Call is Nagisa Furuya's debut manga and comparing to her newer books, I'd say she improved quite a lot. This is a cute story but I felt like it ended abruptly, we didn't get to see enough of their relationship. Also, Love the background drawings. It has a lot of places :0

Thank you to Kodansha Comics for the e-ARC!

So you have Eito, who’s always made the butt of a joke with his name. Then he meets Hachi, a guy who’s a bit odd and whose name means “eight” in Japanese. His birthday is also on October 8. Eito is kind of quiet and lonely whereas Hachi is talkative and has a lot of friends. These two are complete opposites but once they meet, they’re completely drawn to each other and it was sweet.

HOWEVER, once again with this author, I didn’t feel like we got a complete story. It was like, as soon as these two were honest about their feelings, it ended. We didn’t even get a kiss (except for the bonus scene-ish). That’s such a huge bummer because I really liked the premise and artistry.

𝘙𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘋𝘢𝘵𝘦: March 12, 2024
𝙄 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙘𝙤𝙥𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠. 𝘼𝙡𝙡 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙤𝙬𝙣.

Short & cute story about two boys brought together by numbers & names. I found the premise unique and characters loveable. I liked how honest they were with their feelings at the end.

This was such a cute story, it felt like hot chocolate on a cold winter day!
When Eito and Hachi meet by chance they realize that they both have the Japanese kanji for 8 in their names.
What starts out as casual meet-ups and a friendship soon turns into something romantic on both parts.

I loooved the play on the names, the highschool setting and the funny undertone this had. The romance didn't feel forced or boring and the main characters were both very considerate and kind. Eito's clumsiness made it even sweeter. A short but highly recommended BL debut.

This was a short but sweet story about two high school boys figuring out their feelings for one another. The volume involves a LOT of pining and quiet misunderstandings, and pretty much no romance. I did enjoy both characters, they felt realistic. But the entire volume was largely just both of them making assumptions about the other's possible reactions. I did find the connection between them being the number eight was cute. It's a pretty unique plot set up that I don't think I've read before. The art was good!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

This was so incredibly cute! I really liked the story and all the characters, it would have been a 5star if I didn’t get confused in a lot of places with some time passing and characters designs being so similar… Either way loved it and want it in my collection!

This is the second manga of Furuya's I've read, the first being My Ultramarine Sky, which I loved. While I enjoyed Number Call, I can definitely tell it was their first manga, at times it didn't flow very smoothly, and I'm still not sure the difference between Eito's two friends lol. Besides that though, it was a cute romance! I like how Eito and Hachi's relationship developed, and the differences between their personalities. Also, the "You're late" scene? Hilarious. Furuya's art was still gorgeous as well, and I loved their use of facial expressions paired with internal dialogue.

TL;DR Number Call is a quick, cute read, and I definitely recommend it!

My gratitude to Kodansha Comics and Netgalley for providing me with an advanced reading copy of this series in exchange for an honest review.

It's as if Nagisa Furuya is the queers' fairy godmother. Everything she crafts is music to my ears, magic to my amazement, and butterflies to my belly. She will remind you of love once you start to forget it. Number Call is one of my favorites from Furunagi sensei. Strong connection, infinity, the affinity for number 8—I'm a sucker for destiny, and it just fits well to my mold of perfection.

This was a short and sweet story about two boys who like each other. There is a lot made of their names both having a connection with the number 8. I liked the slow burn, which seems to be a feature of several Japanese bl mangas, a bit like the “I cannot reach you” series.