Rating: 
Summary: The BEST of ALL!!!!
Review: I started liking Anime when I was about 7 years old and I watched unedited versions. I watched numerous other anime and read some manga. Then it kind of faded for a while, so I always felt like something was missing.
I started watching Inu Yasha, a series that I fell in love with right away, and one day I was on the Internet looking stuff up about it. I got on this site that talked about main characters in stories with a dark side. I read the site and there, I encountered Muraki's profile. I read it and I stopped and read it again, finding myself entranced. I thought to myself *this is not a typical villan*.
Anyway, after that I looked up more stuff about Yami no Matsuei, and the more I looked, the more I became obsessed with it and I decided that I had to buy it NOW.
It was about $ 100, so when I walked out of the store, I had some doubts whether I spent my money in vain or not. I decided to watch the first part (vampire's lure).
I listened to the begining song and was so mesmerized that I had to re-play it again. Pretty soon I learned the words to it, cause it was stuck in my mind, and it was all that I could think about.
The anime is BEAUTIFUL! The colors and shapes and the backgrounds and lights are simply breathtaking. Tsuzuki, the happy-go-lucky shinigami gets a new moody partner, HIsoka, who is so adorable that it makes you just want to gobble him up. They all have a dark past of course, and their personalities couldn't be more different, but they are perfect for eachother.
There is some homosexual overtones, but it's not explicit or overbearing in any way. As for Muraki, he is just the sick villian, and to him it does not matter that Hisoka is a boy or a girl, he rapes Hisoka just cause he finds him beautiful - like a doll, and also to punish him for what he saw. He pursues Tsuzuki cause he needs him for a greater purpose, which I will not reveal for those who don't know it yet. Muraki enjoys making Tsuzuki uncomforatble, so he makes as many comments to him as it takes to make him feel that way. But he is not TOO insistant. I think that if he really wanted, he could have had his way with Tsuzuki like he had with Hisoka, but he only seems interested in groping Tsuzuki. ( maybe he is afraid of Tsuzuki's power if he did)
There is a strong relationship between HIsoka and Tsuzuki, but you could easily argue that it's more brotherly than anything else. Or fatherly. They get close as time passes, but they don't even kiss or anything, so I think that it could be overlooked. If I made the story (yeah, I wish!), I would have made Tsuzuki and HIsoka lovers and out in the open. They make the cutest pairing ever. You could still pretend.
Actually, In Devil's Trill, the realtionship between Tsuzuki and Hijiri ( who is identical to HIsoka) seems more romantic. Hijiri is a lot more open and loving and he hughs Tsuzuki and tells him that he loves him. (that is in the manga; in the anime he just says "I like you")
Also, in the manga HIsoka seems really jealous if you ask me. You don't really see that in the anime.
In the thrid part, I HATED Tsubaki. I detest her, cause it seems like she is getting in the way of Hisoka and Tsuzuki's relationship ( even though that love realtionship probably does not exist). I know it sounds terrible, but I was glad what happened to her happened. I cannot stand her.
The fourth part is the most dramatic cause we are nearing the conclusion. Muraki sets out to find Tsuzuki, "the one he loves", Muraki calls him. Well, when Muraki loves somehting he takes his time in destroying it, as the case of HIsoka. There is a lot of action in this one and you finally get to find out more about Tsuzuki's past, though it's a bit confusing at first. I'm still waiting for the manga on that.
Yami no Matsuei is an amazing series, my favorite of all time, and I think that the [$$] I spent on it was cheap considering the entertainemnt I got out of it. The only regret that I have is that they edited so much, cause I know that they did. I didn't see the original one, but I will see it eventually when I will be able to get the Japanese version. I don't know where though. Sadly, it seems that I will wait a long time for it, but I am sure that the wait will be worth it.
Rating: 
Summary: read the manga
Review: I thouroughly enjoyed Yami no Matsuei, aka Descendants of Darkness. I love the plots and the characters; the art is lovely, and the story is very entertaining, if a bit on the dark side.The only thing i have against this anime is that it's a lot less enjoyable than if you see it after reading the manga. they cut the anime right at the kyoto arc, and there's not much character development, at least not much shown in this series. Overall, i still recomend this series. if you like the manga, you'll love the anime, if you don't like the manga, watch it anyway. happy shopping.
Rating:
Summary: Descendants of Darkness is the master of all anime!! ^_~
Review: Oh, I absolutely love this anime more than I ever could love any other! ^_^ This series was on such a level of it's own that I was amazed. There's a kind of Yaoi overhaze, but I'll get to that in a minute. It starts out with Tsuzuki, an employee of a company called the Ministry of Hades, that is supposed to go and solve mysteries that cannot be explained by the Chinese government. Mysteries such as those concerning ghosts and vampires and such. He is a really ditzy character that has a huge sweet tooth, and frequently turns into a dog (you know, how girls like turn into cats in animes with the ears and tail? Well, he does it with a golden retriever's ears and tail, and it's soooo cute!! ^_^) Anyway, he is assigned a partner because all employees of the Ministry of Hades must work in pairs for protection. His partner is Hisoka, a very serious blonde with a very difficult and shadowed past. Hisoka is an empath, and he is sensitive to his surroundings, such as sensing your energy and being able to see where you are in his mind's eye. They are in charge of looking after Nagasaki, and at first, are not getting off to a good start because Hiskoa has a very hard time trusting Tsuzuki. Then, we enter the villian; the insane Dr. Muraki. He is a creepy guy who dresses in all white and has pale skin and platinum blonde hair. And Hisoka hates him because besides the fact that he's a serial killer, he is the one who killed Hisoka under a mysterious circumstance (which is why he didn't cross over), but also, because he raped Hisoka before he killed him (which you see a breif scene of, but it's only a few seconds long, and there's nothing shown; you just get the idea of what's going on). Muraki is obsessed with Tsuzki, because of some elements from his past, that I won't give away for you, because it would suck if I did. Anyway, they (Tsuzuki and Hisoka) become fast partners after Muraki kidnaps Hisoka and holds him somewhere, bound by twisted strands of women's hair (o.O I told you he was insane...) and Tsuzuki has to save him. There are alot of implied MalexMale pairings, so it's not the anime for a homophobe, but if you're open minded, it's really cute I think. Especially Hisoka and Tsuzuki... ^_~ Anyway, it's like I said, an amazing series that I actually bought completely on a whim, and I'm so glad I did. There are alot of confusing and different parts until you get to the ending, where it all makes sense, so you might have to watch it twice to really grasp everything, but haey; I've owned it for a few weeks, and I've watched it over ten times (I kid you not... ^^;; ). It's a very gothy anime, and some parts are very dark and confusing and creepy, but mixed with the light hearted humor, it is essentially one of the best shounen-ai animes out there! ^_^!! I highly recommend adding this to any devoted collector's set!! ^_^!!
Rating:
Summary: Descendants of Darkness is the master of all anime!! ^_~
Review: Oh, I absolutely love this anime more than I ever could love any other! ^_^ This series was on such a level of it's own that I was amazed. There's a kind of Yaoi overhaze, but I'll get to that in a minute. It starts out with Tsuzuki, an employee of a company called the Ministry of Hades, that is supposed to go and solve mysteries that cannot be explained by the Chinese government. Mysteries such as those concerning ghosts and vampires and such. He is a really ditzy character that has a huge sweet tooth, and frequently turns into a dog (you know, how girls like turn into cats in animes with the ears and tail? Well, he does it with a golden retriever's ears and tail, and it's soooo cute!! ^_^) Anyway, he is assigned a partner because all employees of the Ministry of Hades must work in pairs for protection. His partner is Hisoka, a very serious blonde with a very difficult and shadowed past. Hisoka is an empath, and he is sensitive to his surroundings, such as sensing your energy and being able to see where you are in his mind's eye. They are in charge of looking after Nagasaki, and at first, are not getting off to a good start because Hiskoa has a very hard time trusting Tsuzuki. Then, we enter the villian; the insane Dr. Muraki. He is a creepy guy who dresses in all white and has pale skin and platinum blonde hair. And Hisoka hates him because besides the fact that he's a serial killer, he is the one who killed Hisoka under a mysterious circumstance (which is why he didn't cross over), but also, because he raped Hisoka before he killed him (which you see a breif scene of, but it's only a few seconds long, and there's nothing shown; you just get the idea of what's going on). Muraki is obsessed with Tsuzki, because of some elements from his past, that I won't give away for you, because it would suck if I did. Anyway, they (Tsuzuki and Hisoka) become fast partners after Muraki kidnaps Hisoka and holds him somewhere, bound by twisted strands of women's hair (o.O I told you he was insane...) and Tsuzuki has to save him. There are alot of implied MalexMale pairings, so it's not the anime for a homophobe, but if you're open minded, it's really cute I think. Especially Hisoka and Tsuzuki... ^_~ Anyway, it's like I said, an amazing series that I actually bought completely on a whim, and I'm so glad I did. There are alot of confusing and different parts until you get to the ending, where it all makes sense, so you might have to watch it twice to really grasp everything, but haey; I've owned it for a few weeks, and I've watched it over ten times (I kid you not... ^^;; ). It's a very gothy anime, and some parts are very dark and confusing and creepy, but mixed with the light hearted humor, it is essentially one of the best shounen-ai animes out there! ^_^!! I highly recommend adding this to any devoted collector's set!! ^_^!!
Rating:
Summary: Yami No M. all the way!
Review: okay, this is not a very original begining for a review, because lots and lots of people have used it before, but.. YAMI NO MATSUEI [ Decendents of Darkness ] IS TEH GREATEST ANIME EVER! there, i said it. but its completely true! i first started reading the manga, which was by far breath taking an great. the art, the story line, it was so great! then, as i'm sure other have done, i decided i needed to watch the anime. i was, however, only a little disapointed, because it was so short, the complete series being a simple 13 episodes long. The awsome graphics and story line are great though, an all out great buy!!! i cant say much more, really, just.. you have to see it!! i recomend sticking with the japanese dubed version though ^^;; the english is kind of brutal....
Rating:
Summary: Guy's have Love Hina, us girls have Yami no Matsuei!
Review: This series is definately a keeper. Shoujo anime is populated with pretty boys and ditzy females, but in this shoujo anime, the males take centre stage (if not the whole stage) as a group of young men who have died and been employed as the new gods of death.
The main character is Tsusuki, who is a polite nice-guy with a sweet tooth. He's also tall dark and handsome, attracting the implied interests of his moody partner-in-all-things-supernatural, Hisoka. They work alongside the frusrtated Ministry treasurer Tatsumi, enthusiastic scientist Watari and his equally enthusiastic pet owl 003. And considering their *difficult* circumstances, these guys handle the whole "dead" thing surprisingly well as they battle the VERY sadistic Dr Muraki, possesed musical instruments, doberman demons from Hell and a rather unpleasant ghost ship.
Most fangirls are attracted to Yami no Matsuei because its a very sexually charged anime. Yet despite that, there are no certain romantic relationships, just a few near kisses and some sexual situations that are nomrally played for comedy, along with implied rape of a minor (which was a disturbing, but not explicit scene). What may turn a few people off is that this is ALL between the guys. But if you're buying the box-set you'd know that!
While the abundance of beautiful men, angels, devils and buckets of blood indicates this anime is clearly directed at a female audience, open-minded guys who are into horror and the occult will find this series is a worthy addition to their anime collection.
But a warning to parents, despite being animated this series is certainly not for kids, people die is grisly ways with sometimes exaggerated amounts of blood, this coupled with the heavily implied rape scene, slightly homosexual themes and a few occurances of male fanservice make this anime strictly for older teens and up. But those who do watch it will certainly not regret it.
Advantages - Beautiful animation
- Absorbing plot and likeable characters
Disadvantages - Some people will find the homosexual themes a
turn off
- The dubbed english track is grossly overacted
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant.
Review: When I bought this, I was expecting something amazing.
When I watched it, I was amazed. Yami no Matsuei is awesome, to say the very least. The characters are cool, sexy and quite three-dimensional, and the English dubbing isn't that bad. My only complaint about the anime was that the background music sometimes really sucked. There is yaoi/shounen-ai in this anime, and a rather brief flash of a rape scene. (Like, 2 seconds, when Dr. Muraki raped Hisoka.)
I reccomend you stick to the Japanese dub if you want it authentic all the way, but, as I said, the English dub was very well done.
Rating:
Summary: The Prettiest Dead Boys in Anime.
Review: Wow, another great bishonen/shonen-ai series that ended too soon! The Angst, Love, & Darkness all starts in episode 1, and it doesn't let up. The darkness and melodrama is well-balanced by some nice everyday comic tropes and lighter characters. You can watch many of these episodes as crime-drama stories on their own, without worrying about the overarching story line... But soon you will definitely be sucked in & addicted by the interpersonal relationships and tangled vendettas, which is the mark of a truly good shojo anime. You've already got the gist of the story, which runs like a gothic buddy-cop tale: The afterlife has its own version of the FBI (which in turn has its own version of Internal Affairs), and some particular soul-collectors are Agents of Death. Agent Tsuzuki is a somewhat ditzy long-dead beauty with a reputation of being difficult to work with. His new partner, Hisoka, is a tormented dewy-eyed teenaged babydoll, who was murdered at 16 and has had a hard time connecting with people ever since. Work-related hijinks ensue as the relationship develops. Oh, now, don't get too squicked by the rumors of "gay kissing!" and "boy love!"... It's fairly tame, but for the occasional kiss and the VERY suggestive fondling of one wine-glass. I think it could've been a lot more intense, but mainstream audiences are squeamish. The whole sexual-subtext dance is carried off delicately, but retains a whiff of kinkiness. A flashback to the rape of a young boy is done out in romance colors, lingering body-silhouettes, and falling flower-petals; Muraki wins a night with Tsuzuki in a poker game, and Tsuzuki is on the verge of surrendering himself when his teenaged sidekick shows up to rescue him. We surely never got anything that good on "The X-Files". But it's nothing that could offend. I liked watching both the English dub and the subtitles. Both have managed to avoid stilted English and too many glaring errors. The voice-acting is mostly fantastic in both languages, too, with the right mix of tears and giggles. American TV fans will recognize half the voices behind Yu-Gi-Oh! and Pokemon-- so you know that the actors are well-practiced with summoning monsters and giving long, grave speeches about the bonds of friendship. Having the whole series in one box is definitely the way to go, unless you have your own reason for collecting everything epearately. There were some confusing new elements/characters introduced too near the end without satisfying resolution, and of course you want another series because Muraki is obviously still alive (in that way that very very evil villains have of repeatedly surviving certain death). But it's not so unsatisfying that you feel like you sat through 13 episodes for nothing. The art is lovely, and the explosions are particularly good. You get great monsters, excellent scenery & concept, fearsome powers, the mysteries of Death, a frisson of homoerotic innuendo, beautiful young heroes, excellent villains, and a pair of owl twins who work in the library archives. Can't go wrong for your money.
Rating: 
Summary: Death to the NA!!
Review: Yami no Matsuei is possibly one of the top five anime I've seen, perhaps even up there with Evangelion. However, after viewing a few of the NA version episodes purchased by a friend, I would have to suggest importing the pure, unadulterated, un-Americanized version straight from Japan. There is just so much... editing, and cutting... :: shudders :: The ignorance of our culture... upsetting really.
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