DEM is about fighting in the world of dreamsπ, waking and sleeping π alike. Fujiwara Yumeji, who looks quite a bit like Sorata from Pet Girl of Sakura Hall (he had a thing for cats, too), has the ability to see this world including dream denizens & fighters. He stumbles onto Merry, who isn't entirely sure who she is. I love her look and her voice (Hilary Haag does the English dubbing). Merry does know she doesn't belong in the human world and as well as what she wants: She wants to go back home to the world of dreams. She also wants to kick every dream demon back to where they belong. Dream demons invade people's π not only creating nightmares, but also parasitically stealing a person's hopes and aspirations, and there's been a breakout of this at school. As the early episodes flick by a horrible villain emerges. They will need help putting this baddie down.
Unfortunately, DEM is scattered and lackluster. It failed to maintain my interest. I cannot recommend it, and knowing what I now know, I wouldn't opt to watch it at all. There's much better anime out there. That's not to say it's awful. If it was truly awful I wouldn't have finished it. It's just not good enough.
DEM has bright flashes. The opening credit song starts with dongs that are very Michael Jackson's Beat It, in a fun way. There's more than adequate πΈ riffs during the action followed by excellent π₯. Love it. The English voice actors are always excellent. There's lots of quality touches, such as when Tachibana Isana is knocked out and her hair is spread out in a wing pattern that makes her look like an angel. It is appropo. One of the HS friends writes little poems about everything and it's very cute. The last episode is quite good with its epic battle, twists, and wrap-up {The manga goes on, so we don't get a 'final resolution'. I've read that manga publishers often do a 1-season anime to generate interest in the manga, so this is deliberate.} The writing is good, and the author tucked in some gems. A reference is made to 'flower buds from the despair that is lurking in every human being'. A few moments later Fujiwara Yumeji announces that his dream is to never give up, and that despair requires quitting. The answer is to never give up. ππΎAmen. We'll also hear: "True strength is not in the body but in the heart." ππ»Amen to that, too. One duo commits heinous acts in an effort to do good. Their plan ultimately fails and they are left in the refuse that they created in their ill-conceived plotting. Their experience reinforces that the end does not justify the means, and the wrong means can destroy us. DEM is far from worthless.
I'm still pretty new to anime - new enough that it was just this year when I recognized a voice actor by voice, from one anime to another, for the first time. DEM just provided a new thrill for me. Something in Tachibana Isana's eyes looked spookily familiar to the eyes of Linda, from Golden time (6.9). I looked up some animators and found that the animation director, Masahiro Fujii, was involved in both projects. I love the artistry of all filmed entertainment. It is primarily a visual medium, though every aspect is essential. Film will never match books in terms of detail. The visuals and sound ARE the tradeoff. From my sampling of anime rated over 6, I am continually impressed by how most shows have a familiar look but also elements that are unique to each one. That doesn't just happen: They take pains to provide us with visual goodies. Some of the DEM animation team worked on Pet Girl of Sakura Hall (7.3 - great show but it dies off slightly in the latter episodes), which explains why our ML looks so much like Sorata.
DEM is 1 season of 13 25-minute English dubbed episodes and rated 6.9 on MAL, which is generous. If you are looking at DEM currently, that means you might be checking out Hidive's catalogue. Here's some titles that have similarities to DEM that are more worth your time: Beyond the Boundary 8; Chaika The Coffin Princess 8.5: Kokkoku 7.5; Parasyte the Maxim 8.5; Is It Wrong To Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon 8; Made in Abyss 8.5; Princess Principal 8; Kokoro Connect 7; Land Of The Lustrous 8.
QUOTEπ’
If you're kind and support your friends, then in turn, they can be kind and support someone else. That circle of friends, supporting eachother can become a kind of strength. At least that's what my grandfather always told me... My kindness is the best thing that I can give.
γ°π IMHO
π¬4 π6 π7 π4 π¨7 β‘6 π΅/π7 π
2 π4 π±5 π―4 π3 π€4 π€5 π7
Age 12+ creepy evil dream dude who raises a saw and says he wants to borrow "Your body". Dark and creepy happens in every episode.
Rated TV-PG: Parental Guidance Suggested
π¨βπΌ
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