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meganbmooreThis continues to be set apart from the rest of its ilk largely by the 1920s setting, which remains wonderfully atmospheric. Hiruko and Mizuki (she finally gets a name) are also joined by several new castmembers. Primarily Kaira, who runs The Delirium, a place similar to the tea shop, save that people go there when they’ve become lost in their fantasies, not to get rid of nightmares, and Hifumi Misumi, the son of a nouveau riche who is looking for Hiruko on what seems to be a lark to see if a Baku really does exist, and ends up renting rooms. Kaira wears glasses and always has a book in his hands, and Hifumi is a cheerful idiot with a cat.
The mangaka seems to be exploring the setting as a post-war era more here than s/he did in the first volume, while still maintaining the nostalgic feel. There also seems to be a bit of a fascination with silent movies. I approve of all of this. I also like how the dreams of some customers end up affecting other customers later on, instead of being one-off things. For the stories in these volumes, I’m especially fond of the one with the woman who thought her lover died in the war, and that his soul was in the painting he didn’t finish before he left, and the two lovers who ran away from her father, but had different memories about why they failed. I also liked the one with the writer who couldn’t finish his story, but there mostly for the endless spiral staircase of words.
We also learn some of Hiruko’s origin, which is that he was Mizuki’s brother who had given up on life and agreed to let a Baku have his body, but the result was a completely aimless person who disappeared one day, and returned Hiruko, who doesn’t seem to remember much of this. He’s also apparently the only person to ever go into one of Kaira’s rooms and leave, and tries to leave the key to his suitcase with Kaira, instead of keeping it with him. Given how he and Hifumi’s cat both act around the suitcase, I suspect there’s something scary inside.
The mangaka seems to be exploring the setting as a post-war era more here than s/he did in the first volume, while still maintaining the nostalgic feel. There also seems to be a bit of a fascination with silent movies. I approve of all of this. I also like how the dreams of some customers end up affecting other customers later on, instead of being one-off things. For the stories in these volumes, I’m especially fond of the one with the woman who thought her lover died in the war, and that his soul was in the painting he didn’t finish before he left, and the two lovers who ran away from her father, but had different memories about why they failed. I also liked the one with the writer who couldn’t finish his story, but there mostly for the endless spiral staircase of words.
We also learn some of Hiruko’s origin, which is that he was Mizuki’s brother who had given up on life and agreed to let a Baku have his body, but the result was a completely aimless person who disappeared one day, and returned Hiruko, who doesn’t seem to remember much of this. He’s also apparently the only person to ever go into one of Kaira’s rooms and leave, and tries to leave the key to his suitcase with Kaira, instead of keeping it with him. Given how he and Hifumi’s cat both act around the suitcase, I suspect there’s something scary inside.