Manga Review: Yumekui Kenbun, Nightmare Inspector – Volume 2

Continuing with the somewhat belated horror manga with Volume 2 of Nightmare Inspector.

Title: Nightmare Inspector Volume 2 – The Lodger

Story & Art by Shin Mashiba
Translated by Gemma Collinge
English Adaptation by Kristin Blachere
Touch-Up lart & lettering by James Goubatz
Edited by Joel Enos and Yuki Murashige

Available from Amazon.com & RightStuf

The Premise

Hiruko takes on several clients this volume. there’s a blind girl who constantly hears a thumping sound, the continuation of the story of the narcissit from last volume, a painter and his wife, and the story of Haruko and Mizuki first met.

High Points

Mashiba’s writing and art continue to understand dream logic incredibly well, and the stories for each chapter are wonderfully creepy.

Low Points

The comedy with Hifumi (the titular lodger), feels really forced.

The Scores

Originality: The concepts behind some of the stories are similar, but that’s one of the things likely to happen with a horror anthology series. 4/6

Art: See high point. 5/6

Story: Also see high point. 5/6

Emotional Response: This series endures on the basis of mood over raw characterization. 5/6

Characterization: We get development for Haruko and Mizuki, but the rest of the cast is pretty one-note. 4/6

Flow: 6/6

Overall: Still a very strong horror manga. 5/6

In total, Nightmare Inspector, Volume 2 gets 34 out of 42.