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: 7.19¹ (scored by 18,639 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score. Please note that 'Not yet aired' titles are excluded.

Ranked: #2874²

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

Popularity: #1790

Members: 39,140

Favorites: 404

7.19

Ranked #2874Popularity #1790Members 39,140

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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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

Gushooshin, Ani

Supporting

Nakanishi, Yumiko
Japanese

003

Supporting

More staff
Staff

Suzuki, Iku

Episode Director

Okamoto, Hideki

Episode Director, Storyboard

Yamazaki, Kazuo

Storyboard

Matsushita, Yoko

Original Creator

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"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)

72 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)

26 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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Aug 13, 2017

13 of 13 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 10

taemiu (All reviews)

3 people found this review helpful

This anime first peeked my interest when I was on the lookout for shounen-ai/yaoi mangas with the hope to have watched them all one day in my mind.

Now, a few years later, I have re-watched it for the 3rd time and I would definitely do it again! If that doesn't already speak for itself - the anime is super interesting and digs deep into the sensitive topic of death and life, accompanied by quite humorous and cute scenes.

The main characters are unique and one starts feeling a connection to them quickly. I just wish the yaoi part were more spicy and explicit, but that's more read more

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Oct 8, 2014

13 of 13 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 8

ktulu007 (All reviews)

8 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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