Teizokurei Daydream

Ghost Talker's Daydream isn't a well known anime. I had certainly never heard of it prior to last week. This is unfortunate, because it has all the elements to be a cult classic. I don't mean it's great in a traditional sense, but DAMN is it ever entertaining!

Ghost Talker's Daydream was based on an extremely obscure manga that ran for 22 chapters back in the early 2000s. The manga is classified as an Ecchi/Horror that combines bad comedy and fetish pandering with edgy as FUCK content including lots of child murders and rape. Imagine a level of mood whiplash and tonal inconsistency that makes ... Elfen Lied look like Monster. Now you're beginning to get an idea of what this manga is like. Oh yeah, we're in for a trip!

The premise of the manga is that there's an albino girl with psychic powers. She can communicate with ghosts and her father is a police commissioner who wants to force her to use her powers to solve difficult murder cases. However, she hates using her powers and rebels against her father in the most EPIC way possible... by becoming a dominatrix at an S&M club. She's also the part time editor of a porno magazine. Despite her wishes, she is sometimes given an offer she can't refuse and is roped into a case where she has to solve a murder and usually exorcise the victim's spirit. If this plot sounds kind of insane, it's because it is.

However, the plot summary alone doesn't prepare you for the pit of madness that awaits. In chapter 3, our heroine Misaki is at the S&M club catering to a failing manga editor with a scat fetish. She's in the shower washing the shit off herself and singing a song about her clitoris. Then she returns to the room to find that the manga editor has hanged himself! This is played off as a joke! Some police arrive and interrogate Misaki, who has to channel the spirit of the dead manga editor and convince the cops she didn't kill him. That's what a normal chapter of this manga is like. Well, I forgot to mention the random pop culture jokes like when Misaki turns into Buttercup from the Power Puff Girls for 1 panel. This manga just punches you right in the brain!

In 2004, the studio behind Princess Tutu and Aria decided to adapt this shitty manga into a 4 episode OVA. I don't know how this happened. I don't know why this happened, but it somehow happened. Guess who was forced to direct it? Only the fairly legendary Osamu Sekita. This is the guy who directed Cross Game and was co-director of the original Mobile Suit Gundam and Zeta Gundam. I don't know how they dragged him into this project, but I'm glad they did. He made a damn masterpiece!

In the first episode, Misaki must solve the murder/suicide of a young mother and daughter whose spirits are haunting an apartment. Easily the highlight of this episode is when the villain throws the little girl forward, which somehow causes her to rapidly accelerate upwards at an odd angle and splat against the ceiling. If the ceiling wasn't there, she would have achieved orbit. I think Sekita forgot he wasn't working on a Gundam anime and that this wasn't a zero gravity environment.

Then Episodes 3 and 4 happen and they are glorious!

Detective: "One dozen children were abducted, raped, and murdered! To solve this case we need the world's greatest psychic! Where could she be?

(cut to hot spring promising hair rejuvenation)

Our Heroine: (Sings) "La La La-La Lee Lee Lee Gotta grow more hair on my pussy!"

As the anime will remind you many times, our heroine is mostly bald down there because she's an albino. This is the ONLY aspect of her albinism that the anime remembers. She never wears sunglasses to block out UV light. She walks around in the middle of the day wearing basically nothing. The fact she hasn't died of cancer is her real superpower, not the psychic stuff!

While the tonal whiplash from the manga is back with a vengeance in the anime, this adaptation has a few flaws. Several plot elements from the manga are simply never explained in the anime. There's a guy who keeps stalking Misaki and taking photos of her, but it's never explained who he is! In the manga, he's a masochist who wants to enter the club but keeps getting turned down because he's only 17. Remember at the beginning of the review where I mentioned Misaki's father is a police commissioner? Well the anime NEVER explains that! She just keeps getting jobs from some mysterious voice on the phone and all we see is her yelling at whoever is giving the orders. It's never even insinuated this is her father. Another plot point from the manga is that she can also summon demons and bind them to her will. She mostly uses a demon made of hair, very similar to Bayonetta. The anime once again doesn't explain this! She's fighting some thug in a warehouse and suddenly drops trou and fires this hair/rope demon from her panties. There's no callback to it and it's never explained!

Despite all the flaws this anime has, Misaki is genuinely enjoyable. She is a confident, sexy, bad bitch! However, she ultimately does have a soft side and helps out when she needs to. Her English voice actress mostly worked on 4kids dubs and is best known for playing Mai Valentine in Yugioh. So if you ever wanted to hear Mai swear up a storm, say lewd things and sing about her pubic hair, you've come to the right place!

Ghost Talker is the kind of random, apeshit insanity you can only find in cheap, old OVAs. I call these O.B.A s for "Old. Bad. Anime." Ghost Talker is right at home alongside Mad Bull 34, Angel Cop, and all the classics of this genre! It's shocking, distasteful, absurd, and you'll probably love every minute of it!

let me get straight to the point (any plot summary will serve you well on this one, trust me): the problem with this anime is that it's not a smart idea to choose an episodic narrative structure for an 4 episode OVA. there was simply no time to develop the characters, or any meta-plot.
the basic idea of having a spiritual medium working part time as a dominatrix does seem pretty nice to me, but not even the amount of fan service will make up for the fact that it doesn't satisfy in the end.
i'm actually quite anxious to read the manga after this, but ... the anime isn't worth your time. even if you're intent on watching this because one of the main characters is a dominatrix, you'll be disappointed.
it's funny at times, the animation is quite okay, but in the end it feels completely unfinished and underdeveloped. i'm quite sure that it could have done well as a full series, but 4 episodes just isn't enough.

Misaki Saiki is a young woman who works solving cases involving apparitions as a spiritual medium together with her associate Souichiro. She can channel the spirits and allow them to speak through her, and has also been able to see them for as long as she can remember. Her ghost hunting adventures land her into unsolved murder and suicide cases. Her second job is at an S&M club working as a dominatrix to help pay her bills.-summary

This is another one of those titles that had so much potential, but was marred by very poor direction by a hack director; a complete fool who should ... have been sitting down and re-watching Satoshi Kon anime films (if he's ever watched them), to learn what it takes to make an outstanding anime that deals with such dark content. The moron in question happens to be Osamu Sekita. Ghost Talker's Daydream is among the worst anime OVA's that I came across years ago, and has been since collecting lots of dust on my shelf.

Ghost Talker's Daydream is a supernatural anime with horror elements that contains a vast amount of comedy. Among its problems happens to be that the comedy clashes very badly with the horror in an almost Elfen Lied type of way. In addition, many of the story elements seem really unnecessary, and this also goes for the secondary characters who over stay their welcomes very quickly. When you have a show that an entire secondary cast can be slightly used to not used at all, as well as a piece of the story that can be completely omitted, and the overall story can still carry on with a full head of steam, then something is very wrong. You would have to search kind of hard for poor direction like this.

I have seen some bad directing in anime through out the years, and this title is definitely among the worst to use the short episode OVA format I have ever seen. The story development is very poor. There was no real reason for the main character to parade around in a dominatrix outfit, other than to bombard the viewer with constant fan service. Her occupation as a dominatrix was barely covered and it played no factor at all in the overall story or even in the plot. It was tacked on there just because, and there are several other useless elements like these.

The supporting characters are completely disposable for the most part. The first side character to make an appearance is a girl named Ai whom is in her own bad predicament. Once her two stories were tied up, there was very little reason to keep her around. The same goes for the character Souichiro. He's the typical bumbling idiot who plays the role of the comedy relief, and does a very bad job at it. Misaki herself is almost as bad. She has the ability to battle spirits by unleashing a whip from her lower region, and during the first episode, she appears to be going through some type of ecstasy while using this attack but it's never explained why this occurs. Instead, it's dropped and she never goes through it again.

The first two stories are stand alone, while the third and fourth are two parters. The stories have some very interesting premises dealing with the demise of certain people and one even involves an unsolved child murder. Sadly, these stories are badly paced with non plot related elements being introduced. The spooky atmosphere is dealt a blow by the repeated comedy making it very hard to take this serious. There was so much room for character and plot development but they take the backseat for more fanservice, more comedy, and screen time for worthless characters. Misaki's background concerning her childhood is somewhat examined, but her character development is overall weak. The writers instead decide to focus on her fascination on growing pubic hairs because she happens to be naturally bald. Personally, I don't see the humor in this.

Although good for an OVA, the animation is not very fluid and there is a slight amount of jumpiness. The artwork has some good character designs and I'm sure some guys will get a kick out of the nudity. The camera work places a vast amount of attention on cheek and panty shots. In the music department, nothing really stood out to me but the sound effects has standout moments, like Misaki slapping her private part with handfuls of water. The BGM never gripped me in its attempt at being creepy because I couldn't take the story serious at any point. The ending theme was so forgettable to me that I don't remember any traces of it.

The anime was put into the hands of a childish director and was seriously held back due to that decision. I don't recall ever coming across any of Sekita's work before or after this; but based upon this weak effort I will go on and say that he cannot carry a story that the serious viewer would actually care about.

I have to warn those whom are not familiar with this title. Do not for any reason take serious the claims you will hear about this being for a mature audience in regards to intelligence or its artistic brilliance. There's nothing artistic or brilliant about it. This is your standard mindless anime, packed with childish sexual humor, a near rape scene, and fan service. If I were to mention any other positives about this series it would have to be the short length, and even at 100 minutes it felt too long. I couldn't possibly imagine sitting through 26 episodes of this. I only recommend this to the very easily pleased anime fan who thinks all anime is great, and that it's just the people who don't like anything.

Highs: Traces of decent ideas here and there

Lows: Hack job for the most part, not funny, disposable characters, mindless fan service

I mean perhaps if you're just casually a paedophile you'd enjoy this. I do not even see any of this 'investigation/mystery' aspect supposedly featured as I read in the description, it's really just a poor excuse to present sexual and physical abuse on minors. I mean what did I expect from an 18+ rated, 4 episode anime. The only reason I've given it a 3 is due to the potential it had, but I can't even really complain because I guess it was created for those into sadomasochistic ecchi, the portrayal of BDSM was realistic however and the concept of uncovering the cases was somewhat ... there. So if you're looking for a crappy, short anime with no clear storyline and just filled with boderline inhumane sexual acts, this is for you!

I liked the animation and the characters are interesting. There are plenty of ecchi scenes. Aside from the ecchi and slight comedy there are serious moments dealing with death. There is rape and killing behind these stories of ghosts. I actually didn't think I was getting into such a serious show but this show was a good one. The last 2 episodes were my favorite because the story it contained. The first 2 episodes deal with different stories and the last 2 deal with 1 story. I see some low ratings for this OVA but it really is a good one and I enjoyed ... it. Some of the stories are pretty sad.

Odd mixture of genre’s, yet strangely watchable!

PLOT: Um, well Misaki is a dominatrix but also a spiritual medium and the 4 episodes follow her on three cases where she speaks with the dead and poses in skimpy leather outfits – that’s the plot in a nutshell! Really this show could quite easily have been a hentai film – all the elements are there, just no actual sex! Its quite an enjoyable watch though, mixing elements of fanservice, creepiness, action and comedy. Misaki is quite an interesting character, but we only really get hint of her backstory – I’d love to know why she ... works as a dominatrix, how she came to be working for a top secret government agency on the side and what on earth that ghostly rope thing wrapped around her thighs is! The other supporting characters are completely lacking depth though – Mr Glasses man who acts as her contact agent for paranormal jobs seems to only be there to provide comic relief, Ai is the token highschool girl, and then there is Misaki’s stalker/fan who is basically just a handy plot device to get random information out of thin air! Still even though there isn’t a lot of depth to this series it isn’t bad even if the nudity and fanservice seemed kind of unnecessary most of the time (although that’s really the only thing that makes this show stand out from similar shows).

ANIMATION: Mixed bag really – some scenes are highly detailed, others look like the animators really could not have been arsed that day. Character designs are quite nice – plenty of detail on Misaki’s skimpy costumes too!

MUSIC & VOICE ACTING: Didn’t really take much notice of the music – was fitting enough though. Voice acting was very good.

All in all an average OVA to pass the time with, but nothing really remarkable. It may have been better if they had more time to develop the characters and premise better, but as it is its pretty shallow and more of an excuse to have a dominatrix as a main character than anything else.

In Brazilian Portuguese:
Bem, se você está na duvida se vai assitir ou não, te digo: Não assista.
O anime tem uma história fraca, sem qualquer aprofundamento.
No fim, para que o anime não fosse uma desgraça total, abusam de cenas de nudez, e das roupas de stripper. Se você não é um velho tarado, nem se de ao trabalho de assisti-lo.
Pra não deixar de comentar, a arte até que é boa, naquele estilo mais realista, o contrario de desenhos como o de "Code Geass". E se você gosta de echii, você vai estar satisfeito. São pelo menos 2 pontos bons então! xD

Translated to English:
Well, if you still ... is thinking is you watch or not, i say: Don't watch.
This anime have a meanless history, just don't get deep.
But, to save the anime, they abuse of scenes of nakedness, and of the stripper clothes. If you are not an old man perverted, just don't watch.
Just for comment, the art is good, in a more realistic style, the opposite of the art from animes like "Code Geass". And if you like of echii, you will be satisfied. So, there are two good points! xD

Well i got this anime as a recommendation on a website... I gave it a try .....

My Review and beware it contains spoilers ....

At first i thought it was an ecchi anime where they show a lot of boobs. Well it is an Ecchi Anime but not focused only on this topic. It has "Investigation Stuff". It only has around 5 episodes contains two Investigations with Ecchi scenes. The first Investigation was good which showed the reality which happens in real life ....

The second investigation, mass murder of children was not good enough.... It was not interesting.... Why it was not interesting because it was ... very confusing and somewht boring

Though this show is all about Boobs, it is strangely watchable...
I will recommend it ......

Note: the following comes from a video review, links on my profile page.

This daydream's story is told in a sensitive way; can be comedic, but also substantial enough that goes beyond the typical slice of life thresholds that usually consist of most of the story being about a specific objective. The animation is precise about characters' expressions - contrasting hues, and yet subdued, can be bright and yet dark - as it sort of reflects the chaotic narrative that somehow blends well.

It shows the archetypes of beauty, alongside with what is typically considered to be its opposite - not just architecturally, but with regards to ... the characters' personalities too - the comedy, along with the more sombre issues. The horizon of the sunset, parallel to the psychological implications of what a past and trauma may bring to the present. It does not have a long runtime but what it does and how it happens is expressed through a variety of ways. It cycles from a detective point of view, when facts are discovered, to then reach the crux of understanding - even if quickly, it does this with a certain verve.

Besides the comedy, and part of which is the aforementioned element of mystery, added in is a softer approach to storytelling, a direction taken which would have been even stronger had it been a longer-term series, an attempt similar to what Natsume's book often comes up with (in this case, a vulgar version of it, which teizoku means). One wonders whether the serious issues are meant to be reflective of how far the comedy itself does go, or perhaps they only do so to counteract each other. It is a mixture that, despite seemingly incongruous, results in a ratio that seems to meld well. A bit of city life, somewhat of a thriller, and one third tragedy, all of which surprisingly balance each other out. In the end it turns out interesting, and one might desire for more.

It has always been interesting to watch or read any type of series with episodic stories which these OVA had. Why? Because it always gives you the excitement of seeing another story different from the previous episode or chapter. It makes you anticipate the next episode or chapter a lot more. To add it up, every episode was investigative and so it would make you wonder what will happen at the end.

The story was about a woman who worked as an S&M Queen full-time and a Spiritual Medium part-time. In every episode she had to deal with rough playing with customers at night and not ... so nice spirits almost everywhere she went. Though the series has a strong sense of drama and horror, it was so funny and ecchi too.

A little touch or upgrade here and there then this story would’ve have been a nice series.

Bad OVA that can't blame it's poor quality entirely on it's inability to fully flesh out its story within its duration. It's not even all that interesting in concept; dominatrix by day, exorcist/medium by night, our protagonist lacks any depth beyond her occupation and the occasional gag. Misaki (The protagonist) doesn't seem to have any actual motivation, we are never shown her employer, or even given a rational reason as to why she works as a medium [she doesn't seem to like it]. The sexual humor isn't funny and clashes with the otherwise serious tone of the show, in a very unpleasant way. The animation ... while not bad, standard for OVAs of the time actually, feels especially mediocre here.
One thing I did enjoy about this was OVA was Misaki's character design, it was what drew me to this anime in the first place. That is as far as compliments go because Misaki's character feels like bullshit, the extent of her spiritual power's isn't even explained. This definitely felt like a poorly executed hodge-podge of ideas. 3/10 maybe 4.

I watch Ghost Talker's Daydream knowing nothing about it and was still somehow disappointed by it

The story was boring and badly written. Ghost Talker's tries to handle serious topics but always falls flat. The writers aren’t trying to say anything by putting in scenes like the flashbacks, SA, and all the “dominatrix” scenes. There was no discussion to be had. The story just feels edgy for the sake of being edgy.
(story: 4)

Somehow the story was not the worst part for me, it was the characters. Characters like Mitsuru and Detective Anzai served no importance to the plot, and if they were removed very little would ... change. Then there's Souichiro who was annoying, unfunny, and gross. His main purpose was to make fan service scenes happen. There's little to say about Ai. She was just kind of boring. If I had to have a favorite character it would be Misaki. The few scenes I thought were ok were the scenes with just her in it. She could be a little compelling at times. Like with her side job as a dominatrix. I wish we could have learned more about it.
(characters: 3)

The one upside to Ghost Talker's would be the art. The backgrounds look nice. Maybe a somewhat plane, but nice. At times the animation could be really smooth. The art style was somewhat charming. I really liked the outfits designed for Misaki. Her outfit in the second episode looked cool. The belt was a good detail, and all her dominatrix outfits were pretty.
(art: 6)

Overall I could not recommend Ghost Talker's Daydream. It wasn’t well written, characters were boring at best, and the visuals were just fine. I couldn’t recommend it as a fun, trashy time to watch with your friends.