Yumekui Merry (manga)

Yumeji Fujiwara has a strange ability. He can see the aura of peoples' dreams. Around himself, there is a black aura. A nightmare. Though Yumeji lives a comfortable life with his childhood friend Isana and his school's Literature Club, he's had a recurring dream of cats. Multiple cats attacking him, trying to claim his body so they can cross over from the nightmare to our world.

There is another party involved. A girl in a strange set of clothes. She falls on top of Yumeji one day and, after getting her hat back, finds her way into his world. Her name is Merry Nightmare, a dream eater. She has no memories of where or who she was, and seeks to return to the world of dreams.

Based on a manga by Yoshitake Ushiki, Yumekui Merry was adapted into an anime in the winter of 2011 by J.C.Staff. Touhou fans may recognize the author from his doujinshi work Advent Cirno, and the people handling the music as IOSYS.

"So manly! *blush*"
 * Action Girl: Merry and Engi.
 * Awesome McCoolname: Merry Nightmare
 * Chaser John Doe
 * Badass Adorable: Merry. You get in her way? Prepared to be pummeled. You mess with her when she's enjoying her doughnuts? Run. Hurt her friends? She will break the frikkin moon.
 * Badass Longcoat: John Doe.
 * Barehanded Blade Block: Merry performs one against the Engi of episode 5.
 * Bare Your Midriff: Merry. The animators seem to be actively trying to put in as many shots of Merry's bellybutton as they can.
 * Bathtub Bonding: Isana and Merry get to know each other in the bath when Yumeji walks in. Isana notes this is the fifteenth time he's done that.
 * Beta Couple: Takateru and Saki look like they're shaping up to be this (with the Alpha Couple being Yumeji's harem).
 * Beach Episode: In chapter eleven.
 * Black Eyes of Evil: Ichima
 * Break the Cutie: See below
 * That and what happens to kids after the dream demons are killed.
 * Broken Bird: Chizuru.
 * Catch Phrase: Merry's one is "There really are no hopes or dreams."
 * Cats Are Mean: They're the first villains of the work, in fact.
 * Catgirl: Chaser John Doe has some working for him.
 * Chained by Fashion: Chizuru wears a very prominent handcuff bracelet.
 * Clingy Jealous Girl: To an extent, Isana. She's not reallly all that clingy, but she DOES get jealous when a girl she doesn't know shows up asking for Fujiwara. . All considering, her jealousy may just be for Rule of Funny.
 * Clothing Damage: A non-Fanservice type happens during Merry's fight with a Dream Demon in the 6th volume. Her opponent thinks that her coattails look like eels and he rips one of them off. Merry is not amused.
 * Cloudcuckoolander/Strange Girl: Yui, with her penchant for concocting strange stories about the dolls she collects.
 * Well, considering her family....
 * Club President: Mei, for the Literature Club.
 * Color Coded for Your Convenience: Yumeji can see what kind of dreams people will have from the color of their auras.
 * Sometimes he's wrong though, except for...
 * Black: Is 100% nightmares and daydreams when a Dream Demon tries to take over a host.
 * Cool Old Guy: Isana's dad, who frequently dispenses random philosophy-cum-life-advice to those who happen to be passing. See also Good Scars, Evil Scars.
 * Mr. Ijima, Yumeji's teacher in the anime, could be seen as this as well. Sure he has an extreme liking of rice, but his speeches to his students are quite inspirational.
 * Compressed Hair: Minato
 * Conspicuous CG: Giant fish bones, brought to you in CG glory.
 * Cry Cute: Merry, in her more vulnerable moments.
 * Cute Little Fangs: Merry
 * Cute Bruiser: Merry. Chaser John Doe notes how much strength Merry can invest in those flimsy little arms.
 * Dark Is Not Evil: Merry.
 * Dojikko: Victim of the Week Minato
 * Demonic Possession: What some dream demons attempt with their vessels.
 * Dream Land: Besides his eye ability, Yumeji can also enter the dream world of others - which surprises Merry.
 * Dream Stealer
 * Does This Remind You of Anything?: When John summons the cat girls to help with Yumeji's wound, look at the one holding the medicine. Is there any reason she has to hold it like that?
 * Dull Eyes of Unhappiness: The victims of Dream Loss Syndrome, who are not so much unhappy as unmotivated, almost to the point of complete catatonia.
 * Exotic Eye Designs: Most Dream Demons have unique-looking pupils. For example, Chukai has cross-shaped pupils, while Chris Evergreen has tilting H-shaped pupils.
 * Expressive Mask: Chaser John Doe. It's very subtle, but his otherwise motionless mask can change from a frown to a smile or vice versa between shots.
 * Expy: Ryouta Ijima
 * Evil Eye: Yumeji's dream-seeing ability.
 * Finger Gun: Chizuru does this a few times, saying "bang" as she does it.
 * Green Eyed Red Head: Merry
 * Girlish Pigtails: Isana, Mei.
 * Good Scars, Evil Scars: Isana's dad has a scar down one side of his face.
 * Hannibal Lecture:
 * Hellish Pupils: Merry's pupils are rectangular (like a sheep's or a tapir's). She has Unusual Ears, too.
 * All Dream Demons and people who are possessed by those demons have an unusual pattern in their eyes.
 * Considering her name is Merry, and that she has been compared to a 'baku (tapir-like mythological creature), this may count as Fridge Brilliance if it isn't deliberate.
 * It is deliberate. Word of God says that Merry had a little lamb is a little lamb was designed with a sheep in mind.
 * Also they change color from black to white in a Daydream.
 * This page shows some of the eye patterns that were seen in the manga. Clockwise from the the bottom-left:  looks like a chain-link, Engi Threepiece's is a triangle, Ichima's is a swirl, Chaser John Doe's is his mouth on his mask, Chris Evergreen looks like a sideways H, Maze Landsborough's looks like a sideways #, and   looks like a sun or a shinning light.
 * Hey, Its That Voice!
 * Accelerator has finally gotten his wish and become a main character for truth and justice!
 * Peterhausen now leads an army of cats!
 * Itsuwa can speak!
 * Sheryl has developed Implausible Fencing Powers.
 * The Mayor now gives out random advice and smokes
 * Is John Doe a badass vampire dressing in red?
 * Hime Cut: Ichima, Minato, Yui and her mom too.
 * Hot Chick with a Sword: Engi
 * Hot Dad: Isana's dad is one in-universe.
 * Hey, Its That Voice!
 * Accelerator has finally gotten his wish and become a main character for truth and justice!
 * Peterhausen now leads an army of cats!
 * Itsuwa can speak!
 * Sheryl has developed Implausible Fencing Powers.
 * The Mayor now gives out random advice and smokes
 * Is John Doe a badass vampire dressing in red?
 * Hime Cut: Ichima, Minato, Yui and her mom too.
 * Hot Chick with a Sword: Engi
 * Hot Dad: Isana's dad is one in-universe.
 * Hot Dad: Isana's dad is one in-universe.


 * Hunter of His Own Kind: Both Merry and Engi, for different reasons.
 * Identity Amnesia: Merry just can't remember who she is.
 * I Don't Know Mortal Kombat: Merry loses 383 games of a Wii fighting game to Yumeji.
 * Idiot Hair: Yumeji's most recognizable physical trait. Merry remembers him almost solely by seeing it again -- she refers to it as an "antenna".
 * Impossibly Cool Clothes: Merry
 * Improbable Hairstyle: Engi's hair is shaped like wings.
 * It's also Prehensile Hair since Engi can move them.
 * Improbable Weapon User: John Doe has something that the author said was a cross between a saw and a guillotine.
 * Kick the Dog: Treesea and love doing this. Taken Up to Eleven in episode 9 when he beats up the vet girl after she kills her dream For the Evulz.
 * Large Ham: Chaser John Doe
 * Lethal Chef: Yui. Her teacher calls her brand of cooking Magical Chemical Cooking. Yui's friend Nao has also said that not even a dog would eat Yui's cooking.
 * Considering the family medicinal tea, it *might* actually be genetic. Since Yui was the one to prepare it, the jury is still out on whether this is the case or not.
 * This is her family looking forward to her cooking.
 * Light Is Not Good: Heracles is described as the guiding light (the kanji of his name make up the word for lighthouse), drawing other Dream Demons to Reality. Because of that, the whole balance between the worlds has been thrown out of whack.
 * Magic Skirt: For all the Fanservice of Merry's skimpier-than-normal attire, the show (so far) appears to be mercifully uninterested in Panty Shots.
 * Yui Konagi, When Yumeji does a diving save for a doll she drops, he saves the doll, but catches a glimpse. The audience also gets a peek in the manga..
 * Male Gaze
 * Manic Pixie Dream Girl: Merry fills the character role in the usual way.
 * Meaningful Name: The names of both lead characters are related to dreaming.
 * Yumeji - "Yumeji" means "Dream Road", or "Road to Dreams" depending on personal interpretation.
 * Merry's surname is Nightmare
 * Both of the protagonists' names explain themselves. Yumeji could mean "Path to the Dream", which is his Chekhov's Skill, while Merry Nightmare, as ridiculous as it may sound, just mean merry nightmare.
 * Merry full name is
 * Many of the Dream Demon's names are this, like Chaser John Doe being a hunter,
 * Mega Manning:
 * Technically speaking he could create pretty much ANYTHING he imagines, but he says that its hard for him to imagine anything he hasn't seen before.
 * Meganekko: Mei with her Nerd Glasses.
 * Meido: Merry has to dress the part when she works for Isana's dad.
 * Mysterious Past: Merry.
 * Monster Clown: Maze Landsborough, the one-eyed imp-like Dream Demon could be seen as this. His Mooks, however, are this without a doubt.
 * Most Writers Are Writers: Yumeji, and the rest of the Literature Club, by extension.
 * Mood Whiplash: At one point, Yumeji is injured and at the mercy of Chaser John Doe, who coldly tells him that it would be incredibly easy to take over his body at that moment. Yumeji cringes at what's coming -- but John promptly states that to do so would be crude and unsportsmanlike ("I am a hunter, not a thief"), and summons a pair of cute voluptuous cat girls to tend to Yumeji's wounds!
 * Mundane Made Awesome?: Isana's dad showing off his legendary Kick the Can technique,.
 * New Transfer Student: Chizuru
 * Noble Demon: John Doe and his cats.
 * Nice Hat: Merry can't get by without it. It might be a covert Shout-Out to Touhou, since the author also writes Touhou doujinshi.
 * Minato the Victim of the Week.
 * Leon as well.
 * Oblivious to Love: Yumeji to Isana
 * Off-Model: Several scenes seem rushed and shoddy compared the rest.
 * Patient Childhood Love Interest: Isana
 * Perpetual Smiler: Treesea
 * POV Boy, Poster Girl: Yumeji is the main protagonist and a decent fighter in his own right, but without Merry, there would be no plot.
 * Prehensile Hair: Engi's hair is styled as wings which she can move.
 * Rapunzel Hair: Ichima and Engi
 * Treesea
 * Refuge in Audacity/Did We Just Have Tea with Cthulhu?: trolls the entire cast by visiting the STO café; he sits down and orders coffee right in front of the protagonists. By this time they have already found out that, and they're also painfully aware that , but right then and there they can't do anything about it.
 * Red Headed Heroine: Merry. Well more of a Burgundy. Yumeji's a straight example.
 * Rocket Punch: Since he has Raymanian Limbs, Chris Evergreen does this.
 * Running Gag: Two so far. Yumeji walking into the bath...and someone's already there, usually it's Isana. She notes that he's done this fourteen times before the two that we see in story. Later, Merry walks in on HIM. Also Yui telling people to depend on her as an older sister, and then being told she's younger than they are.
 * Sacrificial Lamb: Poor, poor Delga.
 * Scary Shiny Glasses: Mr Ijima in episode 9.
 * She Is Not My Girlfriend: Yumeji about Merry in episode 5.
 * Show Within a Show: Full Hell Boarder Glitchou, a Tokusatsu series that Yumeji is a fan of.
 * Spell My Name with an "S": Do we go with Engi or its translation "Play"? Most say Engi.
 * As "Engi", it has the meaning of "meadow" in Icelandic which would be fitting considering that her dream world is a meadow.
 * Is it Treesea or Woodsea
 * Pharos Hercules/Heracles/Elcres
 * Star-Spangled Spandex: Chris Evergreen has this effect on the inside of his cloak.
 * Stealth Pun: Chaser calls Merry a "lost little lamb" when they first meet.
 * Stripperiffic: Arguably Merry, but 's costume fits this to a T.
 * Definitely John's cat girls.
 * The Stoic: Chizuru
 * Sugar and Ice Girl: Chizuru in the anime.
 * Suspiciously Specific Denial: Yui: "I am not going to carve your name into a voodoo doll or anything".
 * The Symbiote: In episode two, what Merry said some Dream Demons do with a host.
 * Engi Threepiece is this to Yui.
 * Chris Evergreen is existing as a Symbiote to Mei, but he's about to take the next step when Yumeji and Merry intervene.
 * This actually the most productive way for Dream Demons and humans to interact. If a Dream Demon tries to take over full time, the host will wake up, possibly at the worst possible moment.
 * Theme Tune Cameo: During the first karaoke-bar scene in Episode 4. Someone down the hall is heard singing the OP, and doing a remarkably good job of sounding like the original singer.
 * The Nicknamer: Merry gives nicknames to some of the characters.
 * She calls Engi Threepiece "Eggplant Lady".
 * She calls Chaser John Doe "Cat Mask".
 * She calls Pharos Hercules "Lighthouse Guy".
 * She calls Mistilteinn Treesea "Wood Lady"
 * There's No Place Like Home: Merry's main motivation. Curiously (it may be a plot point), Merry doesn't have enough of her memory intact to understand why she wants to go back -- she only knows that she wants to go back.
 * Title Drop: In episode three as a nickname for Merry given by Yumeji, comparing her to a baku -- a tapir-like beast from Japanese mythology which hunts and eats nightmares. She argues that she does not actually eat them.
 * The fourth episode is also called "Dream Eater Merry".
 * It's because she actually refers to herself by that name when fighting Chris Evergreen, showing that she has accepted Yumeji's help. In the episode that introduces Engi, there's a flashback to this moment when Merry speaks about how Yumeji has helped her to discover something meaningful in her life.
 * Too Much Information: Fear not, Yumeji, Yui totally does not make voodoo dolls of people.
 * Trademark Favorite Food: Merry loves donuts.
 * Mr. Ijima likes rice
 * Yumeji likes tomatoes. This is because Tomato is a palindrome and Yumeji thinks that has a manly feel to it.
 * The Ugly Guy's Hot Daughter: Yui
 * Unwanted Harem: Arguably. Isana's feelings towards Yumeji are as plain as day, and both Merry and Yui have given some hints of having feelings towards him as well, Merry more so.
 * Waif Fu: Merry.
 * Winged Humanoid: Engi. Subverted since her wings are made up of her hair, but she can move them.
 * White-Haired Pretty Girl: Engi and Treesea.
 * White Mask of Doom: Chaser John Doe.
 * You Gotta Have Blue Hair: Isana's hair is lilac, Mei's is light green, Merry's is violet. Most of the demons' hair is an other-worldly colour anyhow.
 * Zettai Ryouiki: It would be easier to count how many females in this series don't have this going on.
 * Too Much Information: Fear not, Yumeji, Yui totally does not make voodoo dolls of people.
 * Trademark Favorite Food: Merry loves donuts.
 * Mr. Ijima likes rice
 * Yumeji likes tomatoes. This is because Tomato is a palindrome and Yumeji thinks that has a manly feel to it.
 * The Ugly Guy's Hot Daughter: Yui
 * Unwanted Harem: Arguably. Isana's feelings towards Yumeji are as plain as day, and both Merry and Yui have given some hints of having feelings towards him as well, Merry more so.
 * Waif Fu: Merry.
 * Winged Humanoid: Engi. Subverted since her wings are made up of her hair, but she can move them.
 * White-Haired Pretty Girl: Engi and Treesea.
 * White Mask of Doom: Chaser John Doe.
 * You Gotta Have Blue Hair: Isana's hair is lilac, Mei's is light green, Merry's is violet. Most of the demons' hair is an other-worldly colour anyhow.
 * Zettai Ryouiki: It would be easier to count how many females in this series don't have this going on.
 * Zettai Ryouiki: It would be easier to count how many females in this series don't have this going on.