Comics / Manga

Yumekui Kenbun Nightmare Inspector: Volume 5

By Leroy Douresseaux
December 8, 2008 - 18:36

Nightmare Inspector 5 cover image courtesy of barnesandnoble.com

Rated “T” for “Teen”

When people come to the Silver Star Tea House, they’re not looking to try the Darjeeling. They’re seeking Hiruko, who is a “Baku,” or dream eater.  Like a special private investigator, Hiruko will discover the mysteries behind his customers’ worst nightmares.  The price – he gets to dine on their nightmares.

Yumekui Kenbun Nightmare Inspector, Vol. 5 offers a menu of delectable dreams.  Among the tasty items is an overweight girl who dreams that the object of her desire waits on the other side of a hallway to narrow to allow her tremendous bulk passage.  Another young woman dreams of being trapped in inky darkness, while a young man finds that the arrival of Boys’ Day means dreams of a sinister and tragic childhood secret.  A child’s imagination turns into unsettling dreams about troubling friendships.

THE LOWDOWN:  Comparisons to Neil Gaiman’s Sandman are quite accurate, and while Yumekui Kenbun Nightmare Inspector lacks the richness of Gaiman’s overall storytelling, its disquieting look at dreams, desire, guilt, and obsession is as deep.  Shin Mashiba’s art would have also been a perfect fit for Gaiman stories of the Dream King.  The compositions feature imaginative panel and overall page design that capture the impressionistic mood and emotive storytelling of Mashiba’s tales.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE:  Readers who enjoy the fantasy titles of DC Comics’ Vertigo imprint will like Yumekui Kenbun Nightmare Inspector.

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Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12