Long Dream is a short horror manga by Junji Ito. It begins with Mami, a woman admitted to the neurosurgery ward of a hospital because of her intense fear of dying. At night, a figure outside her door (who she thinks is death in human form) frightens her. The figure is not death, but Tetsuro Mukoda, another patient. He is having nightmares experienced as many days or months, when they actually last several seconds (hence the title). Each dream feels longer than the previous, eventually spanning to thousands of years and more. Just as biology and language change over such time, Mukoda has an evolved body and speaks differently when he wakes up.
After his body distorts beyond recognition, he seems to have an endless dream. His body crumbles like stone, leaving crystals where his brain was. His doctor, believing these crystals are behind the long dreams, administers them to Mami (the death-fearing woman). Another doctor becomes furious when he hears about this, believing it is unethical. The final panel shows Mami in bed, her body distorted much like Mukoda’s.
I believe this story is about the human perception of death, Mami representing the fear of it. As she says, “I’m going to disappear from this Earth. I’m going to cease to exist.” Mukoda, on the other hand, represents the fear of immortality. The horror in both shows how contradictory they are, how both death and its absence are terrifying. It also shows ethical concerns about medical advancements which aim to prevent death and aging. Some feel fear and disgust towards death and support these advancements (seen in Mami and Mukoda’s doctor), while others believe they are immoral (seen in the other doctor).