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..

This was a cute idea where the main characters bond over the quirks of their names both including the number 8. The story follows a very predictable story line of Japanese queer high school boys discovering their queer feelings and the way overused phrase "but we're both guys!".

I did like the way none of their friends seemed to take issue with queerness, any movement towards queer norm is a nice trend to see.

The art style was good and the characters weren't completely flat, but this didn't really stand out as anything particularly new or revolutionary. A cute story, but not something that will stick with me.

Thank you to netgalley for an ARC of this manga.

This is my second manga by this author. This one had a bit less plot than the other. The story was cute but definitely had limitations on how much story could be told from it.

The illustrations are really pretty. The characters look great.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This story was short and sweet, a great afternoon read! I love the art style it is beautiful and still unique to other manga I have read. The writing of the two queer main characters was refreshing it didn't feel forced, awkward or just for show as LGTBQ+ characters can sometimes be written. The characters had a genuine connection, appreciation and concern for each other. It was also extremely relatable when they went through that period of not talking to each other while they stepped back and figured things out. Glad I read this, will definitely look for more by the author!

Thank you to NG for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ahhh I loveeed this one!!! It was so kawaii.

The art style and expressive nature of the drawings were fantastic. There was some really great chemistry between the two mc's was so sweet and wholesome.

Number Call is a manga about two boys in high school who meet. One of them Eito is shy and doesn't make friends easily. One day he meets Hachi and they become friends. After getting to know each other and spending more time together, Eito begins to develop feelings for Hachi and pushes him away. However, as he pushes him away, Hachi begins to reflect on their friendship and what Eito means to him.

Number Call was a sweet school romance. Both of the characters were well developed and had depth to their characters. Their interactions were sweet and had you rooting for them to come together. I liked how Hachi pulled Eito out of his shell and how Eito changed around him. The story was hard to put down as I just wanted to know what happened next in their relationship. I loved their chemistry and banter together. The illustrations appeared simple at first glance but had plenty of details within them. I would recommend this manga for anyone who is looking for a sweet innocent romance manga with adorable characters.

Two classmates find a commonality with their name -- it’s spelt like / sounds like the number 8. This was an interesting concept and I liked the uniqueness of the names. Though on the faster side, I did enjoy the growing bond, however, I would’ve like a bit more development with the plot. Still a cute, quick read!

This is an adorable high school, friends to lovers story with no explicit scenes, just a super sweet and awkward confession scene at the end.

I received a digital ARC of this manga from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this! The meet cute was adorable and the fact that they connected through a negative experience at school was even more special, it felt like they really understood each other. Certain subjects in this story was approached with a lot of care and it really showed. This is definitely one for the Heartstopper lovers out there. The only downfall was that I kept getting the characters confused with the dual pov but it didn’t affect my rating. I loved this and I will be recommending!

Thank you Netgalley for providing me a copy for an honest review.

This was cute ! I really adored the art style, and just how well the facial expressions were done, especially our two leads. Tomoya and Tachibana also had this great chemistry and I loved their burgeoning friendship, although I did find the volume a little fast paced. That being said I found that Tachibana especially kept me reading more, and overall I had a really nice time with it. I'd definitely say check it out if you enjoy a nice little slow burn cute HS story.

All I can say is that this was a sweet and adorable high school romance manga. The only thing I wished for is for it to be longer; it would have greatly benefited from having more to the story.

I received an ARC of this manga from NetGalley, and all opinions are my own.

Rating: 3.5/5

This is probably one of those things that would have been 10x better in its original language. But, since I dont speak Japanese, it felt very meh. Cute characters and great art, though

Number Call is a short and sweet book following two people sharing the homonym "8" in their names. I thought it was cute, and I couldn't stop smiling! The characters are lovable and I felt like they had good chemistry. It was fun to see 8 appear in various forms throughout the book too.

This was SUCH an enjoyable sweet read. Just two guys bonding over their names and then realizing they like each other. It's so charming. Both characters were so chill and real, neither ever felt like a cliche. The friends teasing them all the time were great too. Definitely read this with a smile on my face.