Danica Davidson
January 26, 2025 
In Be My Worst Nightmare, Sayo can’t believe it when he sees the girl he likes ask out another guy, Mashiba. And he especially can’t believe that Mashiba turns her down by saying, “I don’t see you are cute.” And it hurts when he, Sayo, asks out the girl next and is immediately shot down by her because she thinks he’s too short. Apparently she didn’t learn from her experience with Mashiba that there might be more than looks to a relationship.
But Sayo especially can’t believe it when Mashiba looks at him and says, “You’re fine just the way you are. You’re cute.”
Sayo is very self-conscious about being 159 cm (about five foot two) and upset that Mashiba is a towering 190 cm (about six foot two). He tries to show he’s better than Mashiba at school and in sports, and fails miserably. In fact, Mashiba even offers to tutor Sayo because he needs the help.
And then there are those dreams.
Sayo keeps dreaming he’s with Mashiba. Dreams about cuddling and touching gradually become more explicit. But what’s really weird is that there are clues that these aren’t actually dreams. But in that case, what is happening? Is Sayo actually visiting Mashiba at night or something? Are there supernatural explanations? And what’s up with the black cat plushie that appears in the dreams?
The first volume of Be My Worst Nightmare certainly sets up a lot of mysteries. It seems like a slice-of-life story until you get to the part of the dreams seemingly being real. So far no potential explanations are given. Sayo can be a sympathetic character for his insecurities, while Mashiba still feels like kind of a distant character. Though the dreaming part is interesting, the manga mostly falls within some pretty typical boys love tropes, and in that sense it feels like an escapist manga that goes down familiar roads. Whatever the explanation for the dreams, at the end of the day it does seem that Sayo thinks they’re better than any actual nightmares.
Story & Art: Michelle
Publisher: Yen Press
Translator: Amber Tamosaitis
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, plus its sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
