6.6 /10 1 Votes
Initial release 25 June 2004 Written by Saki Okuse | 6.6/10 Illustrated by Sankichi Meguro English publisher Dark Horse Magazine Shōnen Ace Director Osamu Sekita | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Cast Similar Animation Runner Kuromi, Confess, My My Mai, Aftermath, Saber Marionette J to X |
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.
Contents

The protagonist is the virgin albino woman Saiki Misaki holding down three 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 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.
Characters
Anime
Vulgar Ghost Daydream has also been produced as a short run OVA Anime of four episodes in 2004. 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 decently, but the other two have very little relationship to the manga.