Age Rating: Teen
Genre: Supernatural
Price: $9.99
Dreams on the menu this volume: a man and woman trapped on a malevolent streetcar, a mysterious woman with a possible key to Hiruko's past, letters in a bottle that arent' the usual call for help, a young girl who dreams of a miserable future, a boy being chased by shadows, and a nightmare in which Hiruko himself disappears!
There's plenty a la carte items, but nothing here that makes a real, satisfying meal. Nightmare Inspector continues its episodic stories, and the attempts at any kind of overarching story are spotty at best, tiring at worst.
We return to the Silver Star Tea House, for more nightmares that seem less like nightmares and more like psychoanalysis. The twist ends are still there, and they are still hit and miss. The last two stories, Clockwork and Shadows, had twists that worked really well. The others were less twists, and more "ah ha" moments.
The nightmares themselves continue to be more about the people dealing this issues in their lives. This is best exemplified with Reasons, where Mizuki shares her nightmare with Hiruko. She is reliving the day Hiruko returned after Hiruko-Azusa left, and the blame she places on present Hiruko for Azusa's disappearance. It's not a very memorable nightmare, and only has any resonance because of the candle Mizuki keeps holding for finding and bringing back Azusa. This seems to be part of the overarching story they seem to want to develop, but is actually getting tired, especially after we see more of how Azusa was after joining with the Baku.
The part of the overarching story that is interesting involves how the present Hiruko came to be. In the story Key, more is learned about who he was before meeting Hiruko-Azusa, including his name, Chitose. The glimpses we get about his nightmare are tantilizing and frightening at the same time. It continues to be a great hook, as these glimpses are all we get for the rest of the volume, forcing one to keep coming back if they want to find out more.
Nightmare Inspector continues to keep itself just over the interesting line. More consistantly good stories would make this title a must have. As it is now, it is annoyingly interesting and tiring at the same time. I want to keep reading it, I just don't want to own it.
6.5