Dream Hunters (The Sandman)

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I don't know whether Mr. Gaiman had mentors to instruct him about Japanese cultures or not, but I like how Japanese traditional cultural elements, folklore, and demonic mythology are sewn seamlessly with the plots and the mythology of The Sandman. The King of All Night's Dreaming tells him what the fox had done, and that if he rescues her, her efforts will have been in vain. The monk insists and is allowed to meet the fox, who is now trapped inside a mirror. He frees her against her wishes, and the King of All Night's Dreaming allows them time for farewells. The monk then takes the fox's place, giving her the advice, "Seek not revenge, but the Buddha." The fox informs Morpheus of this advice, then tells him she will seek the Buddha after seeking revenge. She awakens and stays with the monk until he dies the next day. This is an illustrated novella, written by Neil Gaiman and drawn by Yoshitaka Amano. It takes place in the universe of The Sandman series, but I think that it can be very easily read from someone who has no idea about the series. The Sandman: The Dream Hunters is just my second approach to the Sandman universe and, even without knowing the main story of the comics, this has been a book that has captivated me from the beginning, largely thanks to the wonderful illustration work by Yoshitaka Amano, and that I liked it very much.

Gaiman's afterword states that it was based on an old Japanese folk tale, drawn from Y. T. Ozaki's Old Japanese Fairy Tales and retooled to fit in the world of the Sandman, but no such tale is to be found in Ozaki's work. Gaiman has since stated that the story was entirely of his own devising, most recently in the Foreword to The Sandman: Endless Nights. In December 2007, Gaiman noted on his blog, "I learned from Wikipedia that Sandman: The Dream Hunters was actually based on Pu Songling's Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio, which I thought I ought to read." Plot [ ] The writing was melodic and fairy-tale like, strange, brutal, unapologetic - very Gaiman, very lovely. The art was not too vibrant, reminescent of 17th/18th/19th century Japanese drawings but never close enough to lose the modern reader's attention. It also had some Art Noveau and Disney influence in places, which can sound contradictory and a royal mess, but the three tied together made for absolute perfection. For the 20th anniversary of Sandman, Neil Gaiman announced at Comic-Con 2007 that P. Craig Russell would illustrate a comic adaptation of the story. [2] The Sandman: The Dream Hunters is a standalone story in the universe of The Sandman (1989), written by the comic's author Neil Gaiman. It was originally published as a novella in 1999, featuring painted illustrations by Yoshitaka Amano. In 2008 a four-issue comic book version with art by P. Craig Russell was released. Bold Inflation: In the original novella, Morpheus's speech is rendered in bold text to emphasize his power.Sandman: Cazadores de sueños es un relato corto ambientado en el Japón feudal, mitad mitología y folklore y mitad cuento onírico, donde Neil Gaiman expande el universo de Sandman (al parecer algunos personajes que aparecen en este relato están tomados directamente de la historia principal) hacia la cultura oriental. Cazadores de Sueños nos cuenta la historia de un monje budista que vive solo en un templo situado en la ladera de una montaña. Un buen día una zorra y un tejón deciden hacer una apuesta: aquel que consiga expulsar al monje del templo se quedaría ese lugar como hogar. Ambos emplean todos los recursos a su alcance para engañar al monje y hacer que este se vaya, apareciendo ante él como una joven princesa con falsas promesas o como un grupo de monstruos amenazantes. Pero el monje es mucho más astuto de lo que parece y ningún engaño funciona con él. A pesar de todo, el monje siente lástima por la zorra y la deja vivir en las cercanías del templo, y cuando ésta se entera de la amenaza mortal que acecha al monje debido a una profecía pronunciada por las Tres Brujas a un poderoso señor feudal conocido como el Onmyoji en la que advertían a este que no podría vivir a no ser que el monje encontrara la muerte, no duda en hacer lo posible por ayudarle, ya que se había enamorado de él. Y es aquí cuando entramos en el reino de Morfeo, ya que el plan del Onmyoji se servía de sueños para asesinar al monje. I read this to compare with the original illustrated narrative version of Dream Hunters. It was good, but not as good as the first. It really started to work for me in the second half of the book the though. At the point where you see the monk's dream, Russel cut out all the narrative for this part and did the entire dream with only the pictures to speak. It was really well done. NEXT: The finale of the Sandman reread with some of the world’s best comic book artists telling of the Endless Nights. Dream Hunters is the story of a monk and a fox who go to great lengths for each other. The monk is minding his own business at his temple when both a fox and a badger try to convince him to move along and free up the nice spot. The ways in which they tried to persuade the monk were pretty entertaining and the interaction between the monk and the fox later on when the monk's life is in danger was heartwarming. Even though things don’t end up exactly as planned (when do they ever in a Gaiman story?) I loved every second of it. Multiboobage: The Mother (of the Sandman's Three-In-One) has several pairs of breasts extending down her torso. The narration compares her to a female pig or rat.

There are two versions of this story available in print: the graphic novel version, illustrated by the amazing P. Craig Russell ( https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...), and this one, published as an illustrated novella. I am a huge fan of Russell’s style, but there is something darkly haunting about Yoshitaka Amano’s work, which suits my current mood a little better than Russell’s whimsy – and I love this little fable so freaking much that I just wanted every version of it that was out there. Besides, this illustrated novella format means we get more of Mr. Gaiman’s beautiful words, which is something precious that I can’t get enough of.The artwork is fantastic and perfectly fits the story. It’s very reminiscent of old Japanese woodcut artwork. Those two sentences not only provide an overview for The Dream Hunters, they could be used to describe the whole of Sandman.

I was not very familiar with this Japanese illustrator’s work, as I am a complete dilettante when it comes to video games and anime, until I got my hands on this book. But from what I can see in my copy of “Dream Hunter”, he is an incredible artist who truly captured the essence of this story.

Tropes:

To say any more would spoil the experience. You need to read this and take it in and want to cry and laugh and hug it to yourself, because you're a sappy mess of a person. I read all the volumes of The Sandman and loved it but this is a spinoff work, published in 2009, a fable of a monk and a fox set in “old Japan,” that has the feel of something Gaiman adapted from a centuries old myth, but in fact was invented whole cloth all by his lonesome. And Japan is a good place for a story of this mythological complexity, because it is a country and culture steeped in mythologies and monsters, in a belief in yokai. Honestly, this is a beautifully simple tale full of Gaiman's rich vocabulary and endless imagination, illustrated perfectly by Russell. I honestly think this is a writer/illustrator marriage made in heaven. They both complement each other so well and I feel privileged to be able to read, share and delight in the enchanting worlds they create. May their reign long continue! Gaiman's afterword states that it was based on an old Japanese folk tale, drawn from Y. T. Ozaki's Old Japanese Fairy Tales and retooled to fit in the world of The Sandman, but no such tale is to be found in Ozaki's work. Gaiman has since stated when asked that the story was entirely of his own devising, most recently in the foreword to The Sandman: Endless Nights. [1] Plot [ edit ]

Lessons were learned,’ said the pale king. ‘Events occurred as it was proper for them to do. I do not perceive that my attention was wasted.’” La richiesta di scrivere una storia di Sandman per il decennale lo ha spinto a riscrivere la storia giapponese che aveva scoperto in passato, illustrata da Amano. Probing deeper after that unsatisfactory reply, and additional exchanges between Dream and his winged charge, the Raven asks, pointedly, “And you also learn a lesson?” It's a tale from the Realm of Dreams, which took place in ancient Japan, a monk who lived in a small temple must face the tests of seduction, deadly spells, and the threat of death. A green-eyed fox wanted to help him through the crisis, but things are complicated when spells and the Realm of Dreams are involved. You put together those two talents and you only can get without a question, a truly dreamy masterpiece!The Dream Hunters was beautiful. I have no words to describe just how beautiful it was. Both in the stellar writing by Neil Gaiman, who has yet to disappoint me, and the marvellous art by Craig Russell. The two of them combined could not have created anything more brilliant. Sandman: Cazadores de sueños es mi segunda incursión en el universo Sandman y, aun sin conocer la historia principal de los cómics, ésta ha sido una historia que me ha atrapado desde el inicio, en gran parte gracias al maravilloso trabajo de ilustración de Yoshitaka Amano, y que me ha gustado mucho. The Sandman: The Dream Hunters is a novella by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Yoshitaka Amano. The story is tangential to The Sandman comic book series and can be read without prior knowledge of the main sequence. It won the Bram Stoker Award for Best Illustrated Narrative. In 2008 it was adapted by P. Craig Russell into a four issue comic book mini-series also called The Dream Hunters. The only reason I'm not giving it 5 stars is because I needed and wanted more and even if it feels like the perfect length (theoretically) it's also incredibly short at the same time. I also feel like I didn't know enough about this world and the characters to fully appreciate it. I'd probably have to read Sandman first.