Yami no Matsuei (Descendants of Darkness)

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Alternative Titles

English: Descendants of Darkness

Synonyms: Descent into Darkness, The Darker Descendant

Japanese: 闇の末裔

Information

Type: TV

Episodes: 13

Status: Finished Airing

Aired: Oct 2, 2000 to Dec 18, 2000

Premiered: Fall 2000

Broadcast: Unknown

Producers: Starchild Records, Movic

Licensors: Central Park Media, Discotek Media

Studios: J.C.Staff

Source: Manga

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Magic, Shoujo, Shounen Ai, Vampire

Duration: 23 min. per ep.

Rating: R - 17+ (violence & profanity)

Statistics

Score: 7.09¹ (scored by 20,613 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #3241²

² based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #2176

Members: 45,816

Favorites: 432

7.09

Ranked #3241Popularity #2176Members 45,816

Fall 2000TVJ.C.Staff

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Episodes: /13

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Synopsis

Even after death, life is full of paperwork and criminals. Tsuzuki Asato is a 26 year old, happy-go-lucky, and dorky shinigami (god of death) whose job is to makes sure that those who are dead remain dead and stay in their proper realms. Even though he's had this job for over 70 years, he is in the worst division with horrible pay. He also has a knack for not keeping partners (since shinigami work in pairs), but now he seems to have one that will stick around; stubborn, smart-mouthed, serious and defensive 16 year old, Kurosaki Hisoka. With each case they investigate, they come closer to the conspiracies of the serial killer Dr. Muraki Kazutaka. Tsuzuki's relationship with Hisoka is growing stronger and closer...but there is a dark past to how Tsuzuki died that will not give him peace.

(Source: ANN)

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Background

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Related Anime

Adaptation:

Yami no Matsuei

More characters
Characters & Voice Actors

Muraki, Kazutaka

Main

Hayami, Show
Japanese

Tsuzuki, Asato

Main

Miki, Shinichiro
Japanese

Kurosaki, Hisoka

Main

Asano, Mayumi
Japanese

Yutaka, Watari

Supporting

Seki, Toshihiko
Japanese

Tatsumi, Seiichiro

Supporting

Morikawa, Toshiyuki
Japanese

Oriya, Mibu

Supporting

Inoue, Kazuhiko
Japanese

Minase, Hijiri

Supporting

Takayama, Minami
Japanese

Wong, Maria

Supporting

Imai, Yuka
Japanese

Narrator

Supporting

Kosugi, Juurouta
Japanese

Gushooshin, Ani

Supporting

Nakanishi, Yumiko
Japanese

More staff
Staff

Suzuki, Iku

Episode Director

Okamoto, Hideki

Episode Director, Storyboard

Yamazaki, Kazuo

Storyboard

Matsushita, Yoko

Original Creator

Edit Opening Theme

"Eden" by To Destination

Edit Ending Theme

"Love Me" by The Hong Kong Knife

More reviewsReviews

Mar 5, 2008

13 of 13 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 9

darkadonis (All reviews)

75 people found this review helpful

Note: This review has been updated to be consistent with my changing views on anime.

Descendants of Darkness is based on the manga of the same name. It follows four major story arcs of the manga. Three episodes comprise each of the first three arcs while the last four episodes focus on the fourth. Since the anime leaves off where the manga caries on (the manga isn't finished either), the ending doesn't really offer a true conclusion and a lot of questions are left unanswered. Fans of the manga might also be disappointed that a lot of the manga's characters are either left out or shoved into the background.

Despite these unfortunate circumstances, I think that the anime more than does the manga justice. In fact, I find it to be an improvement over the manga. While some of the humor and silliness are there, the anime takes on a more serious tone, capitalizing more on the angst, mystery, and supernatural element of the story. The art and music are also absolutely beautiful! Descendants of Darkness has a superb soundtrack which is well worth downloading or even buying! Aside from the characters being beautiful, the monsters and magic are also magnificently rendered. Even though it isn't really a fighting anime, the action sequences should be awesome enough to please those who would otherwise be bored with the drama.

The series consists mostly of fairly mediocre characters, yet it has what I consider to be one of the greatest villains in anime history. Tsuzuki and Hisoka are the protagonists of our story. They are likable characters overall. Tsuzuki is a real sweety despite being a little bit dense and childlike at times. Hisoka has a little bit of an attitude problem at first, but once it becomes apparent where he is coming from, you can't help but sympathize with the guy. Watari and Tatsumi are minor characters who had significantly larger roles in the manga. For the most part, they are just there. They don't really add that much to the anime, but they don't detract from it either. The Gushoshin twins are the only characters that could really be considered annoying. This is mostly because they seem a bit out of place (being two cutesy little talking birds in an otherwise human cast).

Our antagonist Dr. Muraki gets his own paragraph since no couple of sentences could possibly do him justice. He is the subject of much admiration as well as loathing from DoD fans, and he deserves every bit of both. Practically everything he does is just horrific and despicable, but he is so cool and gorgeous and entertaining that you can almost forgive him for being the monster he is. He desires Tsuzuki's body both carnally and scientifically. The scientific reason is revealed later and it gives Muraki's character quite a bit more depth, though you are longing for much more once the anime ends.

While the show isn't technically shounen-ai (gay male romance), it contains a lot of hints and fanservice. It is very easy to read in an attraction between our two heroes. I personally believe in this attraction, but other fans are free to form their own interpretations. Muraki is much less ambiguous and regularly molests Tsuzuki. This lust Muraki has for Tsuzuki is clearly one-sided, but it makes for some rather hot homoerotic material (even though nothing overtly sexual actually happens).

The show masquerades a bit as a mystery series. In reality, the mysteries aren't really any big puzzle. As the audience, we basically know that Muraki is behind everything (with the exception of episodes 4-6). And while the story isn't particularly imaginative as far as anime goes, the characters and the art make it more than worthwhile. All in all, I can't think of any reason to dislike this series unless you're either homophobic or a hardcore manga snob. But we can't please everybody, can we?

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Jan 24, 2008

13 of 13 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 10

zeru02 (All reviews)

27 people found this review helpful

The first anime I watched with a light yaoi feel, hahaha..Funny enough the fact that it has a slight touch of yaoi makes this anime a bit more interesting than the usual agents-from-the-afterlife-theme series. The opening music is amazing and suits it well, with cool guitar and electronic mix and lyrics that matches the series itself. Its a mixture of dark and humor -- centering on Tsuzuki and his co-shinigamis, who are in charge of keeping the balance in the afterlife by making sure that those who die go to their right place and investigating situations that threatens that balance caused by mysterious deaths that read more

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Oct 8, 2014

13 of 13 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 8

ktulu007 (All reviews)

11 people found this review helpful

Yami no Matsuei is a fantasy, horror, supernatural, mystery created by Matsushita Yoko. It was published in manga form from 1996 to 2003, when it was put on hiatus for eight years, resuming in 2011 and still going. In 2000 J.C. Staff took four arcs from the manga and adapted them into a thirteen episode series. So, how does the anime hold up?

Story:

Our narrative opens with a meeting of Shinigami. There have been unusual deaths in Nagasaki in which the victim’s have been drained of blood and left with twin puncture marks on their necks. The shinigami in charge of that sector, Tsuzuki, read more

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Mar 12, 2012

13 of 13 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 5

Spiney (All reviews)

5 people found this review helpful

This my first review, so don't be to upset if I don't do this right. But just a warning, I tend to be very short and sweet. So don't be expecting some deep rooted analysis of this series XP

Story: 3/10

The story is nothing original and as I will say throughout this review, it was OKAY. I like the idea that the after world is just this one huge giant office setting but I mean, how many people worked there? From my count, I really only remember like, five...or six. So, where are the rest of the billions of people who have died? I don't remember if they explained this or not but I wish they would have as it would have given the setting little more depth. But for what it is, the story worked. But I do have to add, the part with Muraki and Hisoka? That was unnecessary and awful and really, that's one of the reasons why I gave it such a low score. I would have given it a 5/10 if it wasn't for that.

Art: 5/10
It's okay, in terms characters design is,er, okay? I didn't find anything wrong with them...really. Settings were nicely drawn and for the most part, the color scheme seem to fit whatever situation the characters were in. I didn't see too many places where there obvious mistakes. So, it was okay.

6/10: Sound (I am refering to the Japanese voice actors here...the English is like at a -1000/10).

The voice actor Dr. Muraki is by far the best thing about this entire series. He delivers his lines so well, making Muraki stand out as the evil, possessive, intellectual doctor that he is. Some funny trivia, the same voice actor also plays Aizen from the Bleach series. As for the other voice actors, they did a good job I think. They didn't stand out like Muraki did but they were decent enough.

Characters: 4/10
The characters, in my opinion were just okay. The doctor was pretty funny (expect he does something that really was in my opinion, very unnecessary to the plot and disgusting) and like I said, the voice talent really made him stand out. Tsuzuki is really the typical hero, although he becomes more kiddish as the series goes on. REALLY kiddish. He does this in the manga too and I felt I liked him better when the kiddish moments were kept to a minimum and he was much more serious. I thought he could have been a tough shinigami cop who just happened to have a sweet tooth. But for what he is as a protagonist, he works well for this sort of genre. And Hisoka...er...he had a gun. And an interesting power...I think. I don't actually remember his power being explained in the anime. Really all I remember about him is that...er...incident between him and Muraki. But after that, he was just there to be the love interest of Tsuzuki and he didn't have much of a role.

Enjoyment: 8/10
So, you might be wondering "you basically just said entire series was medicore and okay, why on earth does it have an 8/10?" Here's my response: it's a guilty pleasure. While overall, I don't think it is a very good series with uninspiring characters and boring stories, the stuff that I did like about it kept me interested enough to see it through to the end. And I can see why people who like this genre more than I do like this anime so much. Would I re-watch it again? I would probably re-watch the cruise ship saga, as I found it the most enjoyably funny. But you know, try to remember that just because I really like the series doesn't mean you wouldn't. There are two other reviews on here praising the series so there is obviously something there for people who like this sort of death cops meets shounen-ai (or yaoi, not sure what this one would be), you'll really enjoy this. Unlike me, where I just find it to be funny and nothing more.

One quick note: I would like to point out that while I find the anime just to be funny, people who like this series should probably read the manga too. And while I do admit to not have read the entire thing, I liked it a little more than the anime. I felt like it had a lot more substance and yeah, it had a few more light hearted moments. The best example of this: episode 7, the part with Muraki/Tsuzuki. Watch that than go read the manga chapter too it. I liked the manga much more b/c it actually had a funny line from Hisoka and it didn't make it so melodramatic like the anime did.
It was sorta funny XP
Ps-sorry for any mistakes...o.o

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