What do you think?
Rate this book
Nightmares for Sale #2
Nightmares for Sale, Volume 2
Shadow and Maria run a small pawn shop where Love and Dreams are sold in the form of mysterious magical items. But, buyers beware; Nothing comes without a price!
- GenresManga
208 pages, Paperback
First published April 9, 2008
1 person is currently reading
21 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 11, 2010
A collection of six horror stories (plus a bonus seventh), Nightmares for Sale 2 revolves around a demon-owned gift shop, frequented by Japanese high school students, specializing in paranormal paraphernalia.
The stories themselves are stand-alone, with the only recurring characters being store owner/demon Shadow, and his deceivingly youthful-looking companion Maria. The two work together to grant the secret wishes of sad, lonely children (and the occasional naive adult) who do not fully comprehend the hidden details within the Devil Bargains.
Shadow represents the evil side of the world, although he is really much genler and softer than one might imagine a demon or devil to be. His punishments are merciless, but arguably avoidable if the recipient would restrain their own greed, lust, or envy. Maria plays an even less evil version of EVIL, but supports her employer completely.
These stories break no new ground for those familiar with the Japanese horror genre manga: one girl struggles with an eating disorder and flawed body image and falls into the venal trap of worshipping physical beauty; another bullies a fellow classmate as compensation for an unhappy family life and finds her own life becoming even more horrible as a result; and an active stalker finds himself in a life-or-death situation wheh he is forced to confront his own behaviours - in someone even more threatening than he ever was himself. The endings are, for the most part, predictable, and the characters are somewhat less one-sided than much horror manga personas... but due to limitations of time and space, there is a large degree of stereotyping and single-sidedness necessary in order to keep the stories moving along.
The second of a two-volume set, Nightmares for Sale 2 can be read on its own, as it does not feature a series "conclusion" story, and the primary characters themselves play such a cursory "background" role that no real back history is necessary to fully appreciate them as presented.
The stories themselves are stand-alone, with the only recurring characters being store owner/demon Shadow, and his deceivingly youthful-looking companion Maria. The two work together to grant the secret wishes of sad, lonely children (and the occasional naive adult) who do not fully comprehend the hidden details within the Devil Bargains.
Shadow represents the evil side of the world, although he is really much genler and softer than one might imagine a demon or devil to be. His punishments are merciless, but arguably avoidable if the recipient would restrain their own greed, lust, or envy. Maria plays an even less evil version of EVIL, but supports her employer completely.
These stories break no new ground for those familiar with the Japanese horror genre manga: one girl struggles with an eating disorder and flawed body image and falls into the venal trap of worshipping physical beauty; another bullies a fellow classmate as compensation for an unhappy family life and finds her own life becoming even more horrible as a result; and an active stalker finds himself in a life-or-death situation wheh he is forced to confront his own behaviours - in someone even more threatening than he ever was himself. The endings are, for the most part, predictable, and the characters are somewhat less one-sided than much horror manga personas... but due to limitations of time and space, there is a large degree of stereotyping and single-sidedness necessary in order to keep the stories moving along.
The second of a two-volume set, Nightmares for Sale 2 can be read on its own, as it does not feature a series "conclusion" story, and the primary characters themselves play such a cursory "background" role that no real back history is necessary to fully appreciate them as presented.
August 13, 2015
This one wasn't nearly as dark as the first one. They all felt rushed at the end, though. And more than a tad forced.
September 1, 2018
Read a long time ago. I recall being more disappointed with this one after enjoying the first one so much. Didn't feel as strong and kind of left me hanging. Still wish the series continued though, just to explore more of the universe/characters and see more stories.
October 22, 2013
Better than the first book, it only for a few stories which don't have typical horror endings. This makes the stories that follow less immediately predictable, as you find not everything will automatically have an unhappy ending.
Not enough horror here to satisfy an avid reader of the genre, but enough to give a bit of a creep factor. I guess I'd call this a starter horror manga. It's uncomfortable and sometimes horrific, with the real monsters being, appropriately enough, people.
In the end this probably won't stick with you very long, but it's a quick and sometimes engrossing read. Pick it up if you're curious and the opportunity presents itself.
Not enough horror here to satisfy an avid reader of the genre, but enough to give a bit of a creep factor. I guess I'd call this a starter horror manga. It's uncomfortable and sometimes horrific, with the real monsters being, appropriately enough, people.
In the end this probably won't stick with you very long, but it's a quick and sometimes engrossing read. Pick it up if you're curious and the opportunity presents itself.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews