Ranked #716

Nightmare Inspector: Yumekui Kenbun (Manga)

Have you ever wondered what your dreams possibly meant? How about your nightmares? And have you ever wished there was someone who could help you with them?

Enter Hiruko, a dream-eater demon. He interprets and helps people with their nightmares at the condition that he gets to eat the nightmares afterwards. He doesn’t go hungry, because there are plenty of unfortunate folk seeking his help.

There is no general plot that I can see yet, and every chapter seems to deal with a different client and case, so it’s great if you like oneshots. The cases are all very interesting, and entering the nightmares is the best part. The nightmares are well done, with great senses of abstractness and surrealism, and the cleverest symbolism I have seen in a while. These cases all conclude in attention-gripping ways, and include great twists.

There are few recurring characters, but Hiruko himself is very likable. He acts as a psychologist, and is very knowing and quite skilled in dream-interpretation. He says he doesn’t care about anything besides his payment, but it is clear that he’s a great guy and enjoys helping. His clients are all very interesting people as well (since when did boring people need psychs?) and it is extremely enjoyable to delve into their minds and try to figure out their inner psychology and solve their mental mysteries.

The art isn’t the most impressive things ever, but it is consistent and you can tell who’s who. Speech bubble placements are well done, and the paneling is quite ingenious and adds to the overall atmosphere.

If I HAD to find a flaw with Nightmare Inspector, it’d be that the flow of the plot is dependent on coincidences. But that can be turned around, because the coincidences add to it and create a creepy mood.

This has got great mystery and psychology, with chilling horror undertones adequately integrated into the mix. The title already conveys a good idea of its genre. If you’re looking for comedy, this probably wouldn’t make you very happy. But if you’re a fan of mystery, you should definitely check this out.

It just might help you decode your own dreams. ;)
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When I first started the series I had just finished the Law of Ueki; a completely different so I wasn't prepared for such a dark series but even though it was dark it wasn't bad.

Story: Basically the majority of the series is made up of mini episodes only lasting one or sometimes two chapters alot of the stories are eary with cases of abuse or love that is not going well. You would hope these people with there nightmares would have a happy ending but that doesn't nessicarily happen. This is disturbing but also thrilling; you can't be sure what will happen. There is one story that is continuous throughout the series which is interesting but is only mentioned once in a while.

Art: I love the art style but it is lacking in definness. Alot of the characters look exactly like each other. This can make the story confusing. Also, there are alot of grewsome senes but they are handled well as the art is distorted in these senes.

Characters: The caracters are strong not because of there individuality (which is lacking in supporting characters) but in potraying human nature. The characters are made to show the good and bad in people which is very affective. The main characters are well defined in there individualality but since the supporting characters can be lacking in this often it feels that the main characters are forced to act the same.

Enjoyment: I considered a couple of times to stop this series, atleast for a while since it was very disturding but that was also what I really liked about the series. I could almost never guess the true meaning and conclusions of dreams and, horrible or not it keptme interested.

Overall: I highly enjoyed this series and found it quite original in concept and the way the stories would progressed. If you are squermished or only like series that are happy endings you should skip this series. read more