Yami no Matsuei

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?

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 ... occurs in succession. Alhtough I prefer the manga version more which is longer, this anime is very well done and all the vital chapters are included. Although it has funny situations, the dark side of each characters are shown -- each with their own reasons for becoming a shinigami, whether its for finding one's dark past or for atoning for their mistakes. The antagonist Dr. Muraki is very effective, he's darker than dark, yet charming and comes across as very likeable. For anyone who wants a different yet familiar series to love, this should definitely be on your list.

Descendants of Darkness, also known as Yami no Matsuei, is a show I've seen multiple times, yet have not finished it. Which is a real shame, because I cannot review the conclusion. However for all anime I have the belief that the journey is more important then the destination, because some of the best anime ever made, have outright terrible endings. So without knowing how it ends, the journey is great! What a series. On to the review!

Plot: 8/10

While it's not exactly original, I really liked the story. This anime is about a group of shinigamis or Gods of Death, who deal with problems releated ... to the recently deceased human beings. The problems range from vampires, to mysterious murders, to issues in the main characters past. There is a overarching story, with a great main villian, but it's slowly developed, even though this is a relatively short anime. With only 13 episodes, it still takes it time with the main plot. An approach I liked, but could discourage many. If you didn't like the way "Witch Hunter Robin" handled it's plot, stay clear of this series.

Now this is a dark, gothic series, and I have a soft spot for those types of things. But I really enjoyed this show. From the first episode to the last episode I saw I can say I was never bored with it Now it's not fast paced, or action packed, but instead a character driven drama, with a very thought out plot. The writing is pretty strong though out, and the direction was decent too. Now there are some great action scenes, but this series is not based on action. Some of the scenes are very funny, and it's used to balance out the darker and more dramatic scenes very nicely.

I like the way this series handled the afterworld. It's a complex government bureaucracy, filled with lots of rules, guidlines, and red tape. An interesting take on what's to come once we are no longer of this world. To think after living a life in this world, what awaits us is some more government bureaucracrats! It's a little like the american Live Action movie "Beetlejuice" in that respect. I also liked how it shares similarities with police dramas and mysteries. Perhaps that's why I liked this show so much, two genres I love put together (Gothic Horror and Police Drama!). A lot of the show is devoted to solving the "cases" of the dead, and this leads to some longer-then-you'd expect archs, but they are all well worth the ride.

Now this is a yaoi title. The first time I saw this series, I was in denial for the entire time. As a straight male that sort of thing does not really interest me. However I was not repulsed at all thoughout the entire show. In fact I though the slight yaoi tendencies added to the show. It did not feel like it was pandering to the fangirls, but in fact just part of the show. I still feel like they slipped yaoi into this show without me noticing it half the time, and the other half of the time thinking it made the show more interesting, yet a little unsettleing. I mean what's worse then a villian who wants to kill you? How about a guy who wants to kill you, but first have sex with you? That would scare me to death!

Art/Animation: 7/10

Overall I found the art to be a disappointment. The backgrounds were nice looking but not detailed enough. The animation just didn't flow to well during scenes too. However the character designs were great! I really thought they put a lot of work into desiging each and every character. They look original and interesting looking. My only problem with the designs is one of the main characters, Hisoka Kurosaki, is supposely 16 years old, but looks much older. This was probally intentional however due to some of the more edgy scenes in the anime. The animation really improves during the short action scenes or fight scsnes, and it is during these times that everything on scene is really impressive. CGI is used from time to time, most notably in the Opening Sequence, and while dated by todays standards, looks really good. It looked even better years ago, and in my opinion gives it a nice edge to it other series of it's time didn't have. Still I think it could have been much better, given it's lenght. But it apparently did not have a huge budget. Still I can live with what we got in terms of animation.

Sound: 8/10

Music

The music in this series ranges from average to above average. While nothing too great, everything is listenable. The background music is really good at times, and fits. The opening theme song is really good in my opinion, and very original sounding. The ending theme was a disapointment though in my opinion.

English Dub

I thought the dub was pretty good, but not without it's problems. First let's adress the acting. This anime is very well acted. Dan Green and Liam O'Brien really outddid themselves with this one. They are some of my favorite voice actors, and this is why. They really pull off every line with expertise. The other actors do a great job, or at least about as much as we can expect. So if the acting is not the problem what is you say? The casting and some accent/vocal decisions made. Some of the actors seem very miscast in their roles, while easy to overlook does not help the production. However my bigest problem with the dub is the accents and vocal decisions. Soem characters speak with a faux british accent which sounds stupid most of the time, and a few of the characters sound like Mickey Mouse and Miney Mouse, or sound scary! While I can't blame them do to the designs of the characters (who do look very cartoony, as they aren't people but do act like people), I have to wonder if there was maybe another way these characters could have sounded. It's not a whipe though. I found it to be pretty good overall, but marked by bad casting decisions and vocal/accent decisions. I place the blame more on the ADR director then the actors however. Still if you enjoy dubs there is no reason not to listen to this one. It's a decent New York dub, very refreshing, but not without some problems. But if you like your subs, your probally better off sticking with them on this one.

Characters: 9/10

All the characters are interesting enough.While it does sort-of fall into the trap non-original characters for it's background cast, it's not really a bad thing in my opinion. The two main characters are likeable and a mystery to us at first. Which means we start to wonder how they got to where they are today, and eventually leads to us careing abou them. Which makes learning about their pasts much more interesting in my opinion. Mr. Tsuzuki is a cool dude, who likes his sweets! The viewer will probally associate with him, more then the angsty teen, Hisoka Kurosaki (I mean unless your an ansgty teen of course :P ). While Mr. Tsuzuki can be childish and playful at times, he is still a mature adult, and it's nice to see such a lead character. He's even a little admirable. Hisoka while angsty, is not anoying. Some may not really like him completely, but I found his history to be very interesting, and well though out. It helps explain his character, and why he is who he is. But the real star of the show is the main villian, Dr. Muraki . He is charismatic, yet creepy. Powerful yet has a weakness. Interesting, yet your scared to learn more about him! Easily the best villian in anime since Vicious in "Cowboy Bebop", and King Hamdo in "Now and Then, Here and There"! He's that good! This guy is freaken nuts, but in a way you think he's totally sane! Well worth watching this show just to see what totally disturbing and morally unsettling thing he does next.

Enjoyment: 10/10

I have to agree with the fangirls on this one! This is a very enjoyable and watchable show! While not groundbraking or remarkable, it's damn good entertainment! I really enjoyed watching this series, and hope to one day buy it on DVD ( I saw it multiple times on Anime Selects On Demand) and finish it finally. Shoujo horror (Hell Girl, Ghost Hunt, Red Garden, Vampire Princess Miyu, etc) always apeals to me for some reason(even though I'm a guy, go figure!), so this review is a little biased. Not to mention I love urban crime dramas. But still I think this show would be enjoyed by anyone, as long as they are not against seeing some slight yaoi. And as long as you don't need action scene followed by action scene, or riveting fast paced series you probally will enjoy this. If you like a good drama look no further then this well written little gem!

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, ... is sent to rendezvous with his new partner, Kurosaki Hisoka, and investigate. They find out that there's a lot going on that isn't readily apparent and have their first encounter with the villainous Doctor Muraki, which sets the stage for their partnership going into further missions.

The only major complaint I have about the story is the pacing. I will give J.C. Staff credit for trying to cover all the important plot details of the arcs they look at while leaving room for character moments, but it doesn't always work very well. There are several plot elements that get skimmed over or that wind up being inadequately explained or rushed through. One minor issue I had was with the “horror” classification. While there are some dark and disturbing elements to the series, it's really not scary in the slightest. Part of it is that it has a lot of comedic moments that are kind of goofy and part of it is that the characters largely face the dark situations with courage and the conviction to solve them. There are certainly times where you worry about them, but it really doesn't work as horror when the characters have the power ad will to reasonably be able to conquer the problem.

Those issues aside, there is a lot that the series does well. It has a strong sense of dramatic tension, with every arc having some good build up and with the antagonists being legitimately menacing. The humour is also used to great effect. It's used to wind down from tense moments or for character moments before the action starts rising so it doesn't clash with the tension. It also helps create a good contrast between the serious, dark content and the lighter moments. Which helps make the dark moments more intense. As opposed to a series where the characters are always needlessly angsty and it has no impact when things turn serious. The series is also good about treating its dark content with gravity and respect.

Characters:

There are some really great characters in this series. I do like that Tsuzuki is a largely happy guy since it does enhance the effect when things do go wrong and he goes through a difficult time. I also like that he does know when to be serious, particularly when someone's life is on the line. Hisoka plays perfectly off of Tsuzuki. He's more serious and mature but not to an extreme point. As such, the two complement one another very well. Muraki is the type of villain who is just irredeemable and infinitely hateable. Rather like Tenzen from Basilisk, but more interesting. On a side note, Tenzen and Muraki have the same voice actor. The side characters have some interesting moments as well, although they are less developed. Watari and Tatsumi are both really good characters with some great scenes. The series also does well at developing the characters who need help from the shinigami so that you do get invested in them and hope for them to get out of their situations safely.

Art:

The art is really good. The character designs are spectacular and have unique elements to them without being really outlandish. Particularly characters like Muraki and Tsuzuki who have distinctive eyes. The backgrounds have great details and there are some really strong action sequences. However, there is one issue with the action. Some of the special techniques, though they look cool, do get reused without much change. Rather like the special attacks of a magical girl anime, but in a series that's a lot more serious.

Sound:

There are some really good performances in this. Miki Shinichiro, Brotherhood's Roy Mustang, does a great job as Tsuzuki. Hayami Show gives a very intimidating performance as Muraki. Asano Mayumi, Wolf's Rain's Blue, also gives a really strong performance as Hisoka. Really, there are no weak links in the cast. The music is nice and atmospheric.

Ho-yay:

This series has quite a bit of yaoi. Some of the scenes are screwed up and disturbing, specifically the ones with Muraki. Others are really heart-warming and adorable. Mostly the ones with Tsuzuki and Hisoka. There are also some other guys who seem to have crushes on Tsuzuki. The content isn't really graphic, but there's certainly quite a bit. The ho-yay factor is going to be a 7/10.

Final Thoughts:

Yami no Matsuei is a really good series, in spite of a few issues. It has a strong narrative, great characters, amazing art, and good performances. If you're a fan of supernatural drama it won't disappoint. My final rating is going to be an 8/10. Next week, horror anime month continues with Kousetsu Hyaku Monogatari.

This anime was one of the most romantic I've ever watched. The character Muraki Kazutaka had a lot of pervertedness added to him, but Tsuzuki was kind-of not serious about being a Shinigami. My favorite arc in the story is when the character Maria was introduced. She pointed out to me that Muraki was, in fact, vampiric. I'm still watching the series, but out of order. Over-all, I thought that Yami no Matsuei was an enjoyable series! =3

I loved watching the relationship between Tsuzuki and Hisoka develop. They were sooo cute (heart). The story was quite unpredictable in many ways and much of the story didn't become clear until much later. Since I haven't watched that much anime, I'm not sure exactly how this compares to other ones, but I really enjoyed watching Yami no Matsuei.

I had some issues with the music. I didn't like the intro and closing music that much. The music during the episodes was alright. However, the best music ever was when an epic unexpected heroic thing happened. After re-listening to the Tsuzuki Asato OST I do appreciate ... the music more, however the lyrics and the singing voice were a distraction. The music I really enjoyed is at the end of episode 3 when Tsuzuki summons suzaku.

I felt that the story was a bit repetitive with the always annoying Muraki. Muraki made me angry every single time I saw him.

The entire anime was sooooo worth it though because I got to see the blossoming relationship between the two which was absolutely adorable. Their love was so strong and visible, and yet the two of them didn't seem to understand their love till the end (which is why this series needs to have more than 13 episodes...). Tsuzuki and Hisoka are adorable (although at first I wondered if this was gonna be a relationship b/c of their age difference of 26 and 16, but nonetheless it became a very beautiful intimately caring relationship). :D

(lots of hearts) Tsuzuki&Hisoka (heart)

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 ... of a personal thing rather than critique haha. That's why I would have loved there to be more episodes that also reveal more details of every important characters' past.

To sum it up, a must watch!! Although the artstyle and animations are of course somehow outdated in a 2017-pov, it doesn't make the experience any less thrilling!

I actually love this anime. It's right now one of my favorites. It's such a great story and so much fun to watch. The music for the show is amazing. And I love the shounen-ai implications also. I really like Tsuzuki's cutesy and funny character. He's just too cute. =^.^= I also love the group he works with-they were really nice and caring. Plus, the mysteries they explore were actually interesting mysteries even though they were pretty obvious about who the actual criminal is. It has kind of dark theme throughout the story not like one of those super bright cheerful animes. The end kind ... of gives off an uncompleted feel and I'm hoping that a Season 2 will come sometime soon so we can continue where they left off. The series is so good that I'm probably going to read the entire anime now.

Descendants of Darkness is the story of a man named Tsuzuki. He works for an organization of people called Gaurdians of Death. Basically his mission is to go out and solve supernatural mysteries.

The story is very unique and interesting. It's fun to watch and see if you solve the mysteries yourself. And some of them aren't easy to solve. I was thrown for a loop a couple of times.

The art is also very good, but not amazing. The animation can seem a bit odd at times, but it's still good.

The script could have been better. The problem is, ... the voice actors had to adapt the script themselves due to bad translations. So at times someone will say something that doesn't seem to fit the situation.

The characters were good, but one of them annoyed the hell out of me. And that was Hisoka, voiced by Liam o' Brian. His lack of emotion in certain situations really got on my nerves. If a little girl got killed wouldn't you feel a little depressed? Not Hisoka! I think this is mostly due to bad voice acting. Liam really could have done a better job conveying emotions than he did in this series.

Overall, I enjoyed this series. It's a nice, short, shonen-ai series, with good mystery and suspense. If you want a short mystery anime, I recommend this one.

In a kind of purgatory between heaven and hell, the Bureau of Hades solves supernatural crimes by sending agents to earth in human bodies. One nasty serial killer named Muraki is causing all sorts of headaches for head Guardian of Death Tsuzuki and his new partner, recently-deceased 16-year-old Kurosaki.

Okay, first of all, Descendants of Darkness wins for funny world-building details. Death gods want to go to earth to eat dessert, use credit cards, and flirt with girls (in addition to doing their job of sorting out souls or something). This anime also covers a ton of psychological ground, dealing with death, rape, suicide, murder, ... illegal organ transplants, homosexuality in both a bad and a good way, and trying to move on after extreme trauma.

My favorite character is Kurosaki, who has to decide whether to make his afterlife about revenge or about friendship, and his journey is very convincing, though the protagonist Tsuzuki also interested me.

However, while it was definitely enjoyable, I can't say this one was one of my favorites because I wasn't a huge fan of the art and there were way too many unexplained instances. It was also very stereotypical in its dealings with gender, which always irritates me.

I watched this show not only for nostalgia purposes but also curiosity. I remember watching this show many years ago but didn't remember the ending! Although I could remember some incredible moments, l didn't know how it ended. Reason being, it wasn't a memorable ending.

Turns out all those years ago I did finish it. I think it says something that I was still interested in finishing it again anyway. The ending is one of those 'read the manga' types and that's ok. I'm sure we're all used to them. Never the less, I really did have a fun time re-watching this series.

The story full of ... mystery and very interesting characters makes me want to know what happens next. For as short as it is, and as long ago as I saw it, the things I remembered from it will always be remembered.

Anime cognoscenti might sneer at this one. I can't swear to that but suspect this series mainly appeals if you enjoy shows that are a bit campy - or happen to be a 13-year-old who likes pretty homoerotic boys who never actually get it on and genre stuff mainly concerned with mood, characters, and style.

I love the cinematic art look of early '00s supernatural/sci-fi anime series like Blood - not that DoD is really in the same class (Blood's Viet Nam-inspired visuals were truly stunning), and DoD's establishing shots and cool, fast steadicam-type dashes down corridors contrast in a kicky way with the utter ... unreality of anime-world tropes. Also, as an earlier reviewer says, the universe has a fun, Beetlejuice-type of "omg, even AFTER we're dead?!?" comic universe, which for me works as further compensation for the sketchy plot. The Japanese voice actors are typically good, too... and who doesn't love shinigami?? Between this, Death Note, and Bleach, I've gotta say that the versatility and power of your average shinigami make Western zombies and vampires seem sadly limited and low-rent.

So, if you appreciate not-scary supernatural stuff on occasion, can dig yaoi-lite, and love impossibly pretty anime people (the leads' violet and green eyes are insane), this is great low-stakes fun. Having seen relatively little anime aside from super mainstream shows, I do know that DoD is not a Stellar Work of Genius, but sometimes it's nice to just sit back and know that the characters are always going to be Fine at the end.

I don't know manga, so comparing it to anime is, in my case, impossible.

So I'll talk straightly about anime. Art isn't amazing, but what counts in this case is story. Story is interesting, you will follow it with excitment. Characters in my opinion are fine, but only fine. Exept of our main villain. He's sadist, insane and obviously evil, but that's what am I looking for. He's playing with his enemies, has an aim, which you don't exactly know (ok, it wasn't clever, because his real aim... Ok, I won't complain because it would be spoiler).
It's not a horror even if's written it is, ... but it's kind of dark.

Art is also fine - not anything you can adore, but we have to remember it's not the latest anime.

And one important thing for the and. If you don't like shounen-ai don't start watching it. There isn't anything... you know, but certainly it has this part.

I gave myself a quest for 2020 : watching every shonen-ai and yaoi out there (that I didn't already watch) and reviewing them.

Overall: 7/10
Yami no Matsuei is that kind of edgy looking anime of the 2000's. I'ts quite fun to watch it now, but it kinda feels like a bad fan-fiction.

Story: 6/10
The story is kinda cliche and rushed. Sometimes the characters are so useless that it's unbearable... And... Seriously, if they're supposed to protect human from non human creatures, aren't they supposed to hide their identity ? Just some inconsistencies that got me out of the story.

Art: 7/10
I'm quite in love with the late 90' ... and start of the 2000's art. Eyes aren't too big and male character all have some king of a triangle body shape. They actually put some effort in the presentation sequence before the opening.

Sound: 5/10
Can't remember any of them but I kinda liked the edgy vibe of the Opening and the rhythm of the Ending.

Character: 4/10
Can we talk about characters when clearly except of the two main and Muraki, every other are just potted plants ? Speaking of Muraki, I can't understand him. He's just here to do bad thing and be the antagonist. The worst thing is that he doesn't seems to be able to die XD
Can we also talk of the fact that every character seem to have a crush on Tsuzuki ? That was a lot of bromance for me XD

Enjoyment: 8/10
Well, best par of this anime: it's fun to watch. You can actually watch it ironically or non ironically and it will always be fun.