Ghost Talker's Daydream (2004)

Original title

低俗霊DAYDREAM

Directed by

Osamu Sekita

Genre

horror anime and manga, comedy anime and manga, drama anime and manga

Country

Japan

Runtime

25 min

Rated

18

Rating

6.7 of 10 from 10 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A young albino woman works three jobs: a dominatrix, a writer for a porn magazine, and a government necromancer who communicates with ghosts. She finds her spirit medium duties more degrading than her sex work as she handles hauntings and personal dramas in modern Japan.

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What happens

Ghost Talker's Daydream, known in Japan as Vulgar Ghost Daydream (低俗霊DAYDREAM, Teizokurei Daydream), is a shōnen manga written by Saki Okuse and illustrated by Sankichi Meguro, set in modern Japan. There are 10 volumes in total, and the series was also adapted as a four episode OVA. The English version released by Geneon changed the title to Ghost Talker's Daydream, which is not a direct translation of the formal manga title. The protagonist is the virgin albino woman Saiki Misaki holding down three jobs, none of which she finds herself particularly happy with; as a dominatrix in a BDSM club, as a writer of a column for a porno magazine, and as a civil servant in the employ of The Livelihood Preservation Group as a necromancer able to perceive and to communicate with ghosts, sometimes allowing them to speak through her with the living. Her government job usually entails exorcism. Misaki considers her shamanic civil service position even more tawdry and less respectable than her sex work. Subplots are usually one or two chapters in length and tend to involve the introduction of new characters to help develop the motivations of the leads. There are three major characters, at least one of whom appears in every chapter with the exception of chapter 16 "Dead Man's Hand." In order of introduction they are: Saiki Misaki, Mitsuru and Souichirou. Various recurring and often important characters also populate the series. Fan service, nudity and sexual themes are all integral to motivation and backstory, along with insight into Japanese suicide culture and sexual dysfunction with sexual and physical abuse, such carnal troubles of the soul from which even death may guarantee no release. The Japanese title translates as teizoku = vulgar + rei = ghost. However, there is a pun on the word rei, which can also refer to a companion. In other words, it can be said either Vulgar Ghost or Vulgar Companion, for Misaki Saiki is indeed a vulgar companion in contending with vulgar apparitions. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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