Descendants of Darkness, or Yami no Matsuei, is a manga and anime series created by Yoko Matsushita . The anime is broadcast by WOWOW in Japan and is produced in North America by Central Park Media. The manga is published in English by Viz Communications.

Descendants of Darkness is a horror anime, with many violent scenes and a great deal of blood. However, many Descendants of Darkness fans watch it for the shōnen-ai content.

Descendants of Darkness is a story about Shinigami, Gods of Death in Shinto; in English, it is translated to Guardians of Death. The Shinigami work in JuuOhCho, in a realm called Meifu, where the dead go to receive judgment. In Yami, Shinigami are spiritual detectives who sort out the descrepancies between souls who have arrived and the kiseki , a list of those who still need to arrive to Meifu.

Introduction

Asato Tsuzuki is a Shinigami with 70 years' worth of experience. He has the power to call upon Shikigami, animal gods that aid him in battle. The Shikigami reflect actual historic religious beliefs-- such as Suzaku and Byakko . The manga portrays Tsuzuki's relationship with the Shikigami in much more detail. Tsuzuki's section of Japan to watch over is Nagasaki.

The story begins when Chief Konoe, the boss, and the other supporting characters begin talking about murders happening in Nagasaki. The victims all have bite marks and a shortage of blood, which leads to the case being dubbed "the Vampire Case."

After some food troubles, Tsuzuki travels to Nagasaki with GuShoShin, a magical, flying chicken who can speak, and together they do a bit of investigating. The rule is that Shinigami are supposed to work in pairs, and until Tsuzuki meets up with his new partner, he needs someone to watch him. However, GuShoShin gets held back by groceries, and Tsuzuki is on his own again.

While exploring Nagasaki, Tsuzuki hears and scream and has a literal run-in with a strange woman, who leaves blood on his collar. Coming to the conclusion that this is a sign that the woman might be a vampire, Tsuzuki tries to follow her, coming into a church. The church scene is the first encounter between he and the antagonist of the story, Muraki.

Doctor Kazutaka Muraki is painted as a pure figure in his first scene, with much religious and color symbolism. He meets Tsuzuki with tears in his eyes, and Tsuzuki, a bit thrown off by this, manages only to ask if Muraki has seen a woman go by. Tsuzuki leaves when Muraki says no one has been in the church.

From there, Tsuzuki continues through Nagasaki, into a sort of park area, where he is held at gunpoint from behind and told not to move. His attacker tells him to turn around, and when he does, he discovers a young man glaring at him. Tsuzuki calls him a kid and is nearly shot, saved only by his magical chicken friend, GuShoShin. From there, Tsuzuki learns that the boy is Hisoka Kurosaki, his new partner, and the rest of the story is heavily based on character development and the relationships between characters.

Later in the Nagasaki Arc [the first fourth of the anime series, and the first collection of the manga], Hisoka gets kidnapped by Dr. Muraki, and the truth about his death is revealed to him. Tsuzuki rescues him after his date with Muraki, and the entire series begins following the relationship between these three characters, supported and embellished by the rest of the cast.

Characters

Main characters

Asato Tsuzuki

Asato Tsuzuki is the most cheerful member of the cast, but his hides a dark secret in his heart. Tsuzuki repeatedly tried to commit suicide, but failed. Although the terrible deeds he has committed are not thoroughly revealed as of yet, it is known that Tsuzuki murdered many people, in some way or another, whether it was intentional or a by-product of something else; this is brought to Tsuzuki's attention during his demonic possession by Saagantanasu, a powerful demon who appears in the Devil's Trill Arc. Doctor Muraki reveals to him from his grandfather's research-- Tsuzuki was a patient of the elder Muraki for eight years-- that Tsuzuki is, in fact, not human. His body is nearly incapable of dying from wounds, and he can stay alive without food, water, or sleep, as he did for those eight years with Muraki's grandfather. Muraki suggests that Tsuzuki possesses demon DNA [reflected in his purple eyes], and Tsuzuki finds this incredibly hard to deal with, leading him to try and commit suicide again.

When not in a suicidal disposition, Tsuzuki enjoys sake, apple pie, cinnapon , teasing Hisoka, and sleeping. He is notorious for his slacker qualities and voracious appetite. His favorite color is light green, and he has a tulip garden. Tsuzuki's characteristic response to sweets involves puppifying , a transformation that keeps Tsuzuki human, but gives him white puppy ears, paws, and a swishing tail. This is an anime/manga expression that denotes severe cuteness. Tsuzuki is oftencompared to Shuichi Shindou of Gravitation because of his perceived cuteness, and Duo Maxwell of Gundam Wing in his cheery/angsty personality type, complete with stages of insanity of Shinigami reference.

Hisoka Kurosaki

Hisoka Kurosaki is frequently distressed and has severe emotional problems, a result of his upbringing, his abilities, and his cruel death at the hands of Kazutaka Muraki. Hisoka is the character of ultimate angst in the story; he possesses strong empathy, which functions from feeling the emotions of others, to reading thoughts, to seeing memories. It is a largely uncontrollable part of him that causes him a lot of grief. He came from a very well-off, traditional family, and as such, his parents were disgusted with his empathy. One night, he couldn't sleep, and he went out under the sakura trees, where he saw Muraki murder a woman. Muraki caught him and brutally raped him before cursing him to a death that would last three years. This curse is still visible in the form of red marks all over Hisoka's body. Muraki put another spell on Hisoka to hide his memories, and as a result, when Hisoka died, he became a Shinigami.

When Hisoka isn't being tortured by Muraki, he enjoys reading and calling Tsuzuki "baka," or "idiot." When Tsuzuki regains his suicidal tendencies, Hisoka comforts him and ends up saving him from himself. Hisoka, although cold most of the time, deeply cares about other people. Hisoka also has an urge to take care of Tsuzuki, something reflected in the manga, when he goes on a quest to gain Shikigami; Hisoka's first Shikigami is a Spanish-speaking pot cactus. Hisoka is also a samurai, something resulting from his upbringing.

Hisoka can be compared to Heero Yuy of Gundam Wing in his angst and coldness, along with the signature "baka" calling, and to Quatre Raberba Winner [also of GW] in his sensitivity to others.

Kazutaka Muraki

Kazutaka Muraki is often described as sick and twisted, and among fandom lists of the best villians and deranged characters, he is frequently the first entry. Muraki's psychological troubles began with his mother and his half-brother Saki. Muraki's mother had a doll collection and Muraki's love of dolls is a motif throughout the manga and anime. Saki killed Muraki's mother and father when they were still children, and upon Muraki's discovery of his role, decided to kill him. However, Saki was shot by one of the family's guards, and Muraki became obsessed with bringing back Saki in order to kill him himself. The plot is moved along in the anime mostly by Muraki's hopes to use Tsuzuki's body to bring back Saki. Muraki is an expert manipulator as well, playing the good doctor at times and then reverting to his perverted, vengeance-bent self. Muraki commits murder throughout Yami in hopes of drawing Tsuzuki's attention. He kidnaps Hisoka [the 13 year old boy whom he brutally raped and murdered] in attempts to bribe Tsuzuki into a romantic date with him, complete with offers of Bavarian cream , long walks in the park, and lewd comments. He frequently is torn between trying to kill Tsuzuki and trying to sleep with him, finally deciding to do both. Muraki is full of paradoxes; he is portrayed first as a holy creature of light, but turns out to be the opposite.

In his free time, Muraki enjoys collecting dolls, purchasing roses, and taking care of small children. He never misses an opportunity to molest or sexually harass Tsuzuki in any way he can think of, and is fond of degrading Hisoka and using references to the night under the sakura in order to drive the empath into a rage. Muraki also spends large amounts of time conversing with Saki's floating head, which never responds, but Muraki nonetheless continues to yell at it. He often comes to his friend Oriya for more reciprocal conversation. Muraki can be compared to nearly half the cast of Weiss Kreuz in his madness and tendency to kill people.

Supporting characters:

Chief Konoe

Konoe is the boss of the Shokan Division of EnmaCho, and is Tsuzuki's superior. He has a sweet tooth.

Seiichiro Tatsumi

Seiichiro Tatsumi is the secretary of the Shokan Division, who spends most of his time going through paperwork and working behind the scenes. He partnered with Tsuzuki for three months before not being able to continue. He had a very depressing childhood that still haunts him. He cares deeply for Tsuzuki and rescues him when Muraki tortures him mentally. Tatsumi can manipulate shadows, and there is a rumor that he is actually the boss. Tatsumi has a tendency to be incredibly cheap, but at the same time, he is willing to sacrifice money and other things for Tsuzuki's well-being. He has a personal desire for justice to be done with Muraki, for harassing Tsuzuki, sexually and otherwise. He encourages the developing relationship between Hisoka and Tsuzuki.

Yutaka Watari

Yutaka Watari is a close friend of Tsuzuki's that works in research and development; in short, he's a scientist who invents whatever comes to mind. He's very bouncy and happy, like Tsuzuki, but doesn't seem to hold the inner angst that Tsuzuki does. His companion is a mechanical owl he created, "003." Watari's dream is to create a sex change potion, although his motives are not clear. He tests out all his potions and the like on Tsuzuki, relying on Tsuzuki's weakness for sweets. Watari's special power is bringing his drawings to life. Unfortunately, his skill at drawing is very poor.

GuShoShin

GuShoShin, the magical talking chicken that flies, is actually two chickens. They're twin brothers, and both work in the library. When Gushoshin isn't in the library, he helps Tsuzuki and Hisoka figure out the clues of cases.

Oriya

Oriya is a man of some mystery, running a tea house, which was a higher class version of a brothel, under the guise of a respectable resturant. He is a friend of Muraki's from high school, and Muraki's only known friend. His hobbies include smoking from ornate pipes and being a samurai of sorts. He is an expert with a sword. He has very strong feelings toward Muraki, whether friendly love or romantic love.

Hakushaku

Hakushaku is the count at the Castle of Candles; candles representing the flames of life. He is invisible except for his mask and glove [reminiscent of the ], and spends his days having tea and looking at pictures of Tsuzuki, with whom he is obsessed. Hakushaku has done favors of extending the lives of several people for Tsuzuki over the years, and this debt makes Tsuzuki very nervous, on account of the nature of the favors he may have to return. Hakushaku features more prominently in the manga, in which readers learn he has a book that writes stories using characters based off of the rest of the Yami cast. In the book, Tsuzuki's feminine form [whom Tsuzuki means and calls "Ruka" after his sister] is to be wed to Hakushaku's character. Hakushaku's main servant is a zombie-looking creature in a pink apron, named "Watson."

Hajime Terazuma

Terazuma isn't even mentioned in the first four arcs of the anime, but in the manga he serves as Tsuzuki's rival . They fight frequently, and Terazuma's Shikigami nature is part of his dislike for Tsuzuki. In the Volume 4 of the manga, there is a tournament where he first shows up. When being formally introduced to Hisoka, after a little run-in with eachother, he states that he is from the EnMaCho ShoKan Division. Fourth Area ChuGoku Shinigami. From forcing a partnership with a shikigami, he was cursed, as shown with the tattoo's on him. When touched by the opposite gender, he turns into a creature, where he loses control. His partner is actually female, who controls him and brings Terazuma back to his human form when forced into the 'lion' form. The partners name is Wakaba Kannuki, and is often seen in a high school girl's uniform. The rivalry between Tsuzuki and Terazuma has gone far enough to destroy the library in Meifu, of which the damage costs were taken out of Tsuzuki's pay.

Kannuki Wakaba

Wakaba is friendly to everyone, although she appears once briefly in the anime, and not particularly often in the manga. She really likes Terazuma and manages to befriend everyone. Showing up firstly in Volume 4, along with Terazuma, for the tournament, she is revealed to be his partner. When Terazuma turns into his 'lion' form, which happens when touched by the opposite gender, it's her job to turn him back. She picks up cinnapon for Tsuzuki.

External links

• http://www.sakura-crisis.net
• http://theria.net
• http://katcom.squidkitty.org/Contents.html
• http://www.rautalanka.net/rinoa/links.html
• http://www.bleeding-moon.net