Vulgar Ghost Daydream
Encyclopedia
Ghost Talker's Daydream, known in Japan
as , 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 two jobs, neither of which she finds herself particularly happy with, one as a dominatrix
in a BDSM
club and writer of a column for a porno magazine and the other 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, often of one or two chapters in length, include such as introduce important characters, and others to help develop motivations of leading characters.
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 Japan
ese 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.
Anime
of four episodes. In Japanese
the title is still Teizokurei Daydream but United States distributor, Geneon Animation has re-titled the release Ghost Talker's Daydream. Of the four episodes, two follows the chapters from the manga closely, but the other two have very little relationship to the manga.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
as , is a shōnen
Shonen
The term refers to manga marketed to a male audience aged roughly 10 and up. The Kanji characters literally mean "few" and "year", respectively, where the characters generally mean "comic"...
manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
written by Saki Okuse and illustrated by Sankichi Meguro, set in modern Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. There are 10 volumes in total, and the series was also adapted as a four episode OVA
Original video animation
, abbreviated as media , are animated films and series made specially for release in home-video formats. The term originated in relation to Japanese animation...
. The English version released by Geneon
Geneon
is a Japanese music, anime and home entertainment production and distribution enterprise headquartered in Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Geneon has been involved in the production and distribution of several anime in Japan...
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 two jobs, neither of which she finds herself particularly happy with, one as a dominatrix
Dominatrix
Dominatrix or mistress is a woman or women who takes the dominant role in bondage, discipline and sadomasochism, or BDSM. A common form of address for a submissive to a dominatrix is "mistress", "ma'am", "domina" or "maîtresse"...
in a BDSM
BDSM
BDSM is an erotic preference and a form of sexual expression involving the consensual use of restraint, intense sensory stimulation, and fantasy power role-play. The compound acronym BDSM is derived from the terms bondage and discipline , dominance and submission , and sadism and masochism...
club and writer of a column for a porno magazine and the other as a civil servant in the employ of The Livelihood Preservation Group as a necromancer
Necromancy
Necromancy is a claimed form of magic that involves communication with the deceased, either by summoning their spirit in the form of an apparition or raising them bodily, for the purpose of divination, imparting the ability to foretell future events or discover hidden knowledge...
able to perceive and to communicate with ghosts, sometimes allowing them to speak through her with the living. Her government job usually entails exorcism
Exorcism
Exorcism is the religious practice of evicting demons or other spiritual entities from a person or place which they are believed to have possessed...
. Misaki considers her shamanic civil service position even more tawdry and less respectable than her sex work.
Subplots, often of one or two chapters in length, include such as introduce important characters, and others to help develop motivations of leading characters.
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
Fan service
, fanservice, or , is a term originating from anime and manga fandom for material in a series which is intentionally added to please the audience. It is about "servicing" the fan - giving the fans "exactly what they want"...
, nudity
Nudity
Nudity is the state of wearing no clothing. The wearing of clothing is exclusively a human characteristic. The amount of clothing worn depends on functional considerations and social considerations...
and sexual themes are all integral to motivation and backstory, along with insight into Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese suicide culture and sexual dysfunction
Sexual dysfunction
Sexual dysfunction or sexual malfunction refers to a difficulty experienced by an individual or a couple during any stage of a normal sexual activity, including desire, arousal or orgasm....
with sexual
Human sexuality
Human sexuality is the awareness of gender differences, and the capacity to have erotic experiences and responses. Human sexuality can also be described as the way someone is sexually attracted to another person whether it is to opposite sexes , to the same sex , to either sexes , or not being...
and physical abuse
Physical abuse
Physical abuse is abuse involving contact intended to cause feelings of intimidation, injury, or other physical suffering or bodily harm.-Forms of physical abuse:*Striking*Punching*Belting*Pushing, pulling*Slapping*Whipping*Striking with an object...
, 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
Pun
The pun, also called paronomasia, is a form of word play which suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use and abuse of homophonic,...
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.
Characters
- Saiki Misaki- Misaki is an albino woman with the distinctive lack of pigmentation that accompanies that condition. Her pink eyes and white hair are also accompanied by a complete lack of pubic hair which causes her some embarrassment. These attributes together put her in high demand for her line of work as a professional DominatrixDominatrixDominatrix or mistress is a woman or women who takes the dominant role in bondage, discipline and sadomasochism, or BDSM. A common form of address for a submissive to a dominatrix is "mistress", "ma'am", "domina" or "maîtresse"...
for the RoppongiRoppongiis a district of Minato, Tokyo, Japan, famous as home to the rich Roppongi Hills area and an active night club scene. Many foreign embassies are located in Roppongi, and the night life is popular with locals and foreigners alike...
Myure Mule S&MBDSMBDSM is an erotic preference and a form of sexual expression involving the consensual use of restraint, intense sensory stimulation, and fantasy power role-play. The compound acronym BDSM is derived from the terms bondage and discipline , dominance and submission , and sadism and masochism...
club and contributor to the porno magazine Honey Chop. Misaki is also a necromancer able to see, hear, and speak to ghosts, a talent of which she is most self-deprecating, despite extreme proficiency in both vocations. And Misaki's background and character is even further complicated by her somewhat incongruous virginity.
- Kadotake Souichirou- Misaki's partner within and regular liaison to the Livelihood Preservation Group. He is excitable and fascinated by Misaki's erotic vocation. Little is he self aware how he yearns to be dominated. A proficient martial artist mostly in Judo, Souichirou is still not a master. He has many contacts and proficient at compiling information, but deathly afraid of ghosts which makes him an odd partner for a necromancer.
- Fujiwara Mitsuru- A high school student still drawn to but wary of domination because of a past relationship with a much older woman, and infatuated with Misaki who rebuffs him as a pest, a stalkerStalkingStalking is a term commonly used to refer to unwanted and obsessive attention by an individual or group to another person. Stalking behaviors are related to harassment and intimidation and may include following the victim in person and/or monitoring them via the internet...
. All in all, nevertheless, seemingly a good person, Mitsuru is the son of a ShintoShintoor Shintoism, also kami-no-michi, is the indigenous spirituality of Japan and the Japanese people. It is a set of practices, to be carried out diligently, to establish a connection between present day Japan and its ancient past. Shinto practices were first recorded and codified in the written...
priest to whom he has become somewhat estranged.
- Kunugi Ai- A quiet middle school girl whose sister committed suicide which Misaki helped her investigate and understand, along with the unintentional death of her niece. Ai is a novice necromancer who looks up to Misaki as her mentor (senpaiSenpaiand are an essential element of Japanese seniority-based status relationships, similar to the way that family and other relationships are decided based on age, with even twins being divided into elder and younger sibling...
). Friendly and remarkably brave.
- Kinue- Misaki's mysterious demonic familiar and guardian, taking the form of a rope or cord twisted out from a braind of hair. Misaki often wears him as a garment, and he must occasionally feed off of humans in some unexplained manner.
- Shizue Mikuriya- An editor and model at the porno magazine Honey Chop. Openly lesbianLesbianLesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
and friend to Misaki.
- Saiki Shigeyuki- Misaki's father and the chief administrator of the Livelihood Preservation Group. Divorced from Misaki's mother whose whereabouts are unknown. Somewhat estranged from his daughter.
- Detective Gada- A police detective with unexplained issues relating to necromancy. Has a relationship with the necromancer Isa Haru. Is prone to use somewhat unethical means to achieve his goals.
- Isa Haru- Detective Gada's domestic partner and also a necromancer. Known to be a true hermaphroditeHermaphroditeIn biology, a hermaphrodite is an organism that has reproductive organs normally associated with both male and female sexes.Many taxonomic groups of animals do not have separate sexes. In these groups, hermaphroditism is a normal condition, enabling a form of sexual reproduction in which both...
though living as a woman. Seemingly maladjusted and in poor physical health.
- Yujima Hijiri- Mitsuru's middle aged lover who killed herself who continues to haunt him as a ghost.
- Detective Yamazaki:
- Detective Anzai
- Ichinose:
- Iogi Yuo- A mysterious youth apparently behind many of the suicides that Misaki is called upon to exorcise. Uses the internet to target the suicidal according to his insidious master plan.
- Lisa- A very good MahjongMahjongMahjong, sometimes spelled Mah Jongg, is a game that originated in China, commonly played by four players...
player and possible necromancer.
- Funakoshi- Another necromancer employed by the Livelihood Preservation Group.
List of Volumes
Anime
Vulgar Ghost Daydream has also been produced as a short run OVAOriginal video animation
, abbreviated as media , are animated films and series made specially for release in home-video formats. The term originated in relation to Japanese animation...
Anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
of four episodes. In Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
the title is still Teizokurei Daydream but United States distributor, Geneon Animation has re-titled the release Ghost Talker's Daydream. Of the four episodes, two follows the chapters from the manga closely, but the other two have very little relationship to the manga.