| Yumekui Merry | |
Cover of the first volume of Yumekui Merry featuring Merry Nightmare. |
|
| 夢喰いメリー (Yumekui Merī) |
|
|---|---|
| Genre | Action, Fantasy |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Ushiki Yoshitaka |
| Published by | Houbunsha |
| Demographic | Seinen |
| Magazine | Manga Time Kirara Forward |
| Original run | August 10, 2008 – ongoing |
| Volumes | 7 |
| TV anime | |
| Directed by | Shigeyasu Yamauchi |
| Produced by | Hideki Shirane |
| Written by | Ushiki Yoshitaka |
| Music by | Keiichi Oku |
| Studio | J.C. Staff |
| Licensed by | Sentai Filmworks |
| Network | MBS, TBS |
| Original run | January 7, 2011 – April 8, 2011 |
| Episodes | 13 |
Dream Eater Merry (夢喰いメリー Yumekui Merī) is a Japanese action fantasy manga series written and illustrated by Ushiki Yoshitaka. The series is serialized in Houbunsha's seinen manga magazine Manga Time Kirara Forward. The manga was adapted into an anime television series by J.C. Staff which aired in Japan between January 7, 2011 and April 8, 2011.
Contents |
Yumeji Fujiwara, a young male student like any other, gained the power to see the aura of other people's dreams, and is able to predict what kind of dream they will have next, after an event that occurred 10 years ago. Since then, he started to have weird dreams with cats following him for an unknown reason, where he learns thanks to the boss of the cat army, John Doe, that his body is needed to access the real world. One day, as he was about to come back home after his errands, a mysterious girl falls on top of him. This girl, called Merry Nightmare, is actually a dream demon (夢魔 muma), who's searching for a way to come back in her world. As Yumeji decides to help her, the gate to the world of dreams opens again, this time in full daylight. She appears in the daydream world and wards off the Dream Demon "Chaser John Doe" looking for an answer to how to get back to her world. It seems as if John Doe knows something about Merry. Meanwhile, an evil dream demon named Pharos Hercules is leading other dream demons to make humans into their vessels in order to raise an army, killing those that oppose him which causes humans to lose sight of their goals and ambitions.
The manga series by Ushiki Yoshitaka began serialization in Manga Time Kirara Forward magazine from August 10, 2008 and is still ongoing. Seven tankōbon volumes have been released so far, the first of which was released on October 27, 2008.[1]
An anime television series based on the manga Yumekui Merry was announced in the September issue of Houbunsha's Manga Time Kirara Forward magazine.[2] Produced by J.C. Staff, the anime series is directed and written by Hideki Shirane, and music composition by Keiichi Oku.[3] The anime series aired in Japan on the Tokyo Broadcasting System between January 7, 2011 and April 8, 2011, later rebroadcast on the Mainichi Broadcasting System, Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting, RKK, and the satellite channel BS-TBS.[4] The opening theme for the anime is "Daydream Syndrome" by Marina Fujiwara while the ending is "Yume to Kibou to Ashita no Atashi" (ユメとキボーとアシタのアタシ?, "Dreams and Hopes and the Me of Tomorrow") by Ayane Sakura. Both artists belong to the Japanese musical ensemble and dōjin circle, IOSYS. The anime has been licensed in North America by Sentai Filmworks under the title Dream Eater Merry.[5]
| No. | Title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | "Dream Reality" "Yume Utsutsu" (夢現) |
January 7, 2011 |
| Yumeji Fujiwara is a high school boy with the ability to predict people's dreams or nightmares. Recently, he has dreams of being chased by a weird demon named John Doe. One day, Yumeji meets a strange girl after she falls out of a tree and lands on him. After she leaves to look for her hat, Yumeji finds it, only to suddenly find himself in the world from his nightmare, and he is once again chased by John and his cat army. As Yumeji is cornered, the girl from before arrives, introducing herself as Merry Nightmare, and fights against John. As Merry tries to ask John to take her back to the world he came from, John just laughs at her and leaves, before both she and Yumeji return to the real world. | ||
| 02 | "Dreams and Hopes" "Yume mo Kibō mo" (夢もキボーも) |
January 14, 2011[6] |
| Merry suddenly collapses, so Yumeji takes her home where his friend, Isana Tachibana, and her father help look after her. Merry explains to Yumeji that she had been hunting dream demons, trying to find a way back to the world she came from, only to be met with more questions. Later that night, Merry decides to leave to do things on her own, while Yumeji settles his resolve to help her. Meanwhile, a girl named Yumi with dreams of becoming a nurse suddenly ends up in a different dream world with her resident dream demon, Serio. Serio is suddenly killed, which causes Yumi to lose all drive in her goals. | ||
| 03 | "From Beyond the Dream" "Yume no Mukō Kara" (夢の向こうから) |
January 21, 2011[6] |
| As Yumeji goes to search for Merry, he finds her at the park with a girl named Minato Kisaragi, who has trouble making friends. After playing with her for a bit, Yumeji decides to show off his ability, only to discover that Minato has been having nightmares. He soon ends up inside her daydream, where a dream demon named Ichima wants to prevent Minato from making friends so she can become her vessel. Just then Merry arrives and manages to give Minato the confidence to say what's right, before Merry defeats Ichima. Upon returning to the real world once again, Minato goes to make some friends while Merry goes off on her own again. | ||
| 04 | "Dream Eater Merry" "Yumekui Merī" (夢喰いメリー) |
January 28, 2011[6] |
| The president of Yumeji's literature club, Mei Hoshino, has been sending texts with a mysterious boy named Chris Evergreen. Later that day, Yumeji, Mei, fellow club members Takateru Akiyanagi and Saki Kirishima bring Merry along to karaoke, while Isana tries to make friends with a transfer student named Chizuru Kawanami. Later that night, when Mei comes to Yumeji's family café having supposedly been stood up by Chris, she suddenly acts weird and texts herself from another phone. Yumeji realizes that Mei has become a vessel for Chris, who is actually another dream demon, and chases after her, ending up in her daydream. As Chris prepares to attack him, Merry arrives and defeats him. Before Chris disappears, Mei asks to look at him, and comes off happily from what she sees. From that point, Yumeji decides to work together with Merry to help her find nightmares, and she starts working part-time at the café. | ||
| 05 | "Astray in a Dream" "Yume no naka de asutorei" (夢の中でアストレイ) |
February 4, 2011[6] |
| Yumeji and Merry go grocery shopping, where Yumeji learns that Merry had apparently arrived in the real world about 10 years ago. They later meet a girl named Yui Kōnagi, with Yumeji helping her rescue a doll she dropped. Yui, who is actually the willing vessel of a dream demon named Engi Threepiece, has her trigger a daydream within which Yumeji and Merry are caught him. Engi questions them about someone named Pharos Hercules, before beginning to fight with Merry. As Merry talks about sending Engi back to where she came from, Engi reveals that there is no way back for dream demons, revealing her sister was killed when she entered the real world. Questioning whether she has actually been doing the right thing, Merry is unable to fight back against Engi, forcing Yumeji to stand between them, receiving a slash to his chest. | ||
| 06 | "Dream Encounter" "Yume Kaikō" (夢邂逅(かいこう)) |
February 11, 2011[7] |
| Traumatized by the attack on Yumeji, Merry unleashes a powerful aura that destroys the dream world's moon, forcing Engi to retreat. Upon returning to the real world, Yumeji doesn't have any external injuries, but when he gets home he starts feeling pain and falls unconscious. As he dreams, Yumeji once again meets John, who treats his mental injuries. Meanwhile at school, Saki brings up how many students like Yumi have been suffering from Dream Loss, in which they give up on their goals. John explains to Yumeji that its because of him that Yumeji can enter other people's daydreams, and reveals Hercules is a dream demon who tempted many others into entering the real world. He also mentions that Hercules may know something about Merry, who allegedly entered the real world without a vessel. After Yumeji's wounds heal, John warns him about a strong dream demon named Mystletainn before he wakes up to a worried Merry. | ||
| 07 | "Dreams, Swimsuits and the Color of the Sea" "Yume to Mizugi to Umi no Iro" (夢と水着と海の色) |
February 18, 2011[7] |
| Isana's father impulsively decides to take everyone on a trip to the beach. Merry becomes concerned about what Engi had said to her, wondering if what she had been doing up until had been the wrong thing. Meanwhile, a kid who came to attend the shooting of a superhero show gets pulled into a Daydream with his Dream Demon, Delga, who is attacked and killed by another dream demon named Mystletainn, causing the boy to lose his hopes. As Merry considers leaving again, Yumeji says she'll continue to support and help her in order to prove Engi wrong. | ||
| 08 | "Dream Corridor" "Yume Kairō" (夢回廊) |
February 25, 2011[7] |
| Having picked up a sprained ankle during his trip to the beach, Yumeji gets it treated at a clinic, which just so happens to be owned by Yui's family. Meanwhile, Isana becomes concerned on what she wants to do after high school. Speaking through Yui as a vessel, Engi apologizes to Yumeji for her actions and explains her situation. As Yumeji fetches Merry to go talk with them, they all find themselves in a maze-like daydream, run by the dream demon Landsborough who is under worship of Hercules. | ||
| 09 | "Disturbed Dreams" "Yume Midarete" (夢乱れて) |
March 4, 2011[7] |
| As Isana leaves her guidance counseling session, she temporarily enters a daydream. Although Merry easily defeats Landsborough's henchmen, she is hesitant to attack him due to what Engi had told her. He then taunts Engi, saying that is he is killed, then the dreams of his vessel will disappear as well. Engi attacks Landsborough out of anger, but Yumeji stops her and Landsborough escapes with his vessel. After calming down, Engi explains what she knows about Mystletainn, who has the power to force dream demons into vessels. Meanwhile, Chizuru, a vessel herself, confronts the guidance counseller, Ijima, who is actually Mystletainn's vessel, saying he plans to target Isana who, at that time, Yumeji and Merry discover to have become a vessel. | ||
| 10 | "Not Waking from a Dream" "Yume Kara Samezuni" (夢から覚めずに) |
March 11, 2011[8] |
| As Yumeji becomes frustrated about Isana's situation, Chizuru, who had previously thrown away all her emotions following her parents deaths, becomes conflicted between her desire to protect Isana and her duties towards her dream demon, Leon. Yumeji goes to see Yui and Engi, asking for their help in protecting Isana's dreams. Meanwhile, Landsborough witness Pharos Hercules in action as he kills another dream demon, informing him about Engi and Merry, who Hercules sees as no threat. As Yumeji returns home, he is greeted by Chizuru who informs that Mystletainn plans to target Isana, ignoring Yumeji's question concerning whether she is an ally or not. | ||
| 11 | "Protectors of Dreams" "Yume no Moribito" (夢の守り人) |
March 25, 2011[8][9] |
| Yumeji and Merry take Isana to Yui and Engi so that they can meet her dream demon, Pallette, who explains how Mystletainn forced her to make Isana her vessel. Merry wants to send her back, but isn't confident enough to try so with Isana's dreams at stake. Meanwhile, Chizuru confronts Ijima, who reveals his intentions to kill Pallette, as well as questioning Yumeji's abilities, though Chizuru is too conflicted by her duties to Leon to warn Yumeji or Isana. Later that day, Ijima and Mystletainn make their attack on Isana and Pallette, also planning to lure out Chizuru and Leon, but Merry and Yumeji appear to protect them. Mystletainn overwhelms Merry while Yumeji's attempt to rescue Parade is thwarted by Ijima, who reveals Chizuru had done nothing to prevent the deaths of other dream demons. As Mystletainn prepares to kill both Pallette and Isana, Chizuru decides to stand in their way to protect her. Having apparently seen something interesting, Ijima and Mystletainn decide to retreat, promising to resume the battle following the exams. | ||
| 12 | "Nightmare" "Muen" (夢縁) |
April 1, 2011[8] |
| As Yumeji and the others grow concerned about Mystletainn's strength, Chizuru brings everyone into her daydream to meet Lestion, who explains that the only way to hurt Mystletainn is a special gun which uses the agony from killed dream demons and the despair from humans as ammo. As Lestion leaves to do his own thing, Engi shows her belief in human dreams due to the extraordinary nature of Merry and Yumeji. Later, Chizuru mentions that Lestion will die if he fires the gun, becoming afraid that her memories with Isana may soon be erased. After the final exams are finished, Ijima comes to the café and Engi brings everyone into her daydream in order to use her home field to her advantage, but Mystletainn kidnaps Isana and summons a large tree. Engi uses her strongest attack on Mystletainn, but she survives and deals a critical blow to her. With Merry similarly outmatched, Yumeji takes Engi's sword and charges towards Mystletainn. | ||
| 13 | "Dream Again" "Yume Futatabi" (夢ふたたび) |
April 8, 2011[8] |
| As Yumeji's attack against Mystletainn fails, Lestion sacrifices himself in order to provide Chizuru with a bullet to shoot Mystletainn, shattering her own soul in the process. However, Mystletainn survives the attack and catches Merry in a Bud of Despair, causing her to face her own despair. Yumeji, however, decides not to give and uses the power of his dreams to replicate John's weapon. As Yumeji takes on Mystletainn's attacks, Yui manages to free Merry, who becomes invigorated by Yumeji's belief in her, restoring Engi's dream world and healing her injuries. As Merry and Engi launch an attack on her, Mystletainn swallows Parade, meaning killing her would mean destroying Isana's dreams. However, after encouragement from Yumeji, Merry manages to send Parade back to the dream world and defeat Mystletainn, returning everyone to the real world, with Isana perfectly fine. Although Chizuru's dreams and souls were shattered, Yumeji feels confident that she can start over again, as humans aren't limited to one dream. | ||
In their Winter 2011 Anime Preview Guide, the majority of Anime News Network's staff of reviewers gave modest ratings for the first episode. Theron Martin states the series is straddling the line between the typical and the really weird, but figuring out what's going should be half the fun.[10] Hope Chapman comments that the first episode was unusual in that it was nicely paced and "goes down easy."[11] Gia Manry compares Yumekui Merry to a poor man's Soul Eater with its definite sense of style over substance.[12] However, Zac Bertschy was not impressed, stating that a YouTube video of a kitten playing in a soda box was more entertaining.[13]