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闇の末裔 [Yami no Matsuei] #1
Descendants of Darkness, Volume 1
The business of Death is never done. Asato Tsuzuki works as a Shinigami, or "Guardian o Death," in the Ministry of Hades. It's his duty to make sure that the souls of the dead reach the afterlife, but contrary ghosts and humanity's evils keep getting in the way of a job well done. With all these problem assignments, will he ever get a bonus...or will he be stuck paying back damages for all eternity?
As a Guardian of Death, Asato Tsuzuki has a lot to think about. First of all, there are all those dead people. Someone's got to escort them safely to the afterlife.
Then there's all that bureaucracy. The affairs of death come with a lot of paperwork, budgetary concerns and endless arcana.
Combining supernatural action with heavy dollops of romance, sex and humor, Descendants of Darkness proves one Death is big business...and business is good!
As a Guardian of Death, Asato Tsuzuki has a lot to think about. First of all, there are all those dead people. Someone's got to escort them safely to the afterlife.
Then there's all that bureaucracy. The affairs of death come with a lot of paperwork, budgetary concerns and endless arcana.
Combining supernatural action with heavy dollops of romance, sex and humor, Descendants of Darkness proves one Death is big business...and business is good!
200 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1997
About the author
Yoko Matsushita
17 books44 followersYoko Matsushita (松下 容子) is a mangaka best known for the supernatural series Yami no Matsuei (published in English as Descendants of Darkness).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews
February 26, 2017
This was a reread. I first encountered this series very early on in my explorations of anime and manga, before I'd sorted out what were the artist/writer's own inventions, standard genre tropes, standard genre trope subversions, Japanese or other Asian folklore, and so on. It was interesting but pretty confusing; the latter, it turns out, not all due to my newbie-reader status. It really is kinda incoherent.
Good set-up; the gate to the afterlife is envisioned as a mirror of Japanese bureaucracy. The 18 shinigami or angels of death of the Ministry of Hades, Sec. 5, Judgment Bureau, are sort of death truant officers, charged with going into the world and collecting souls who haven't shown up on time. The shinigami themselves are all former humans still tied to the world by unresolved spiritual issues, giving built-in angsty backstories for the whole cast, although we only see some of the principals'. This also provides excellent and varied case-fic possibilities, very useful to a serialization format where the artists themselves often don't know how long their series will last.
Features, or bugs, include erratic tone control, from splatter horror to gonzo goofiness, a recurring villain who, although well-dressed and doubtless pretty to draw, makes. no. sense., a couple of fascinating side characters who don't get explored enough (Watari and Tatsumi, mainly... I'm a sucker for the smart grownups, who so rarely get lead roles), and, of course, the problem that the series stops at Vol. 11 in the middle of two uncompleted story arcs -- one of which featured Watari and Tatsumi finally, argh. As far as I know, there is no more, so anyone who wants closure is going to have to make it up for themselves.
The rather short-lived anime concentrates on a few early case fics, leaves out a lot of the gonzo side-trips, and, of course, stops before the manga does.
I'm not sure if I'd recommend it, exactly, but I did end up reading it twice, so there ya go.
Ta, L.
Good set-up; the gate to the afterlife is envisioned as a mirror of Japanese bureaucracy. The 18 shinigami or angels of death of the Ministry of Hades, Sec. 5, Judgment Bureau, are sort of death truant officers, charged with going into the world and collecting souls who haven't shown up on time. The shinigami themselves are all former humans still tied to the world by unresolved spiritual issues, giving built-in angsty backstories for the whole cast, although we only see some of the principals'. This also provides excellent and varied case-fic possibilities, very useful to a serialization format where the artists themselves often don't know how long their series will last.
Features, or bugs, include erratic tone control, from splatter horror to gonzo goofiness, a recurring villain who, although well-dressed and doubtless pretty to draw, makes. no. sense., a couple of fascinating side characters who don't get explored enough (Watari and Tatsumi, mainly... I'm a sucker for the smart grownups, who so rarely get lead roles), and, of course, the problem that the series stops at Vol. 11 in the middle of two uncompleted story arcs -- one of which featured Watari and Tatsumi finally, argh. As far as I know, there is no more, so anyone who wants closure is going to have to make it up for themselves.
The rather short-lived anime concentrates on a few early case fics, leaves out a lot of the gonzo side-trips, and, of course, stops before the manga does.
I'm not sure if I'd recommend it, exactly, but I did end up reading it twice, so there ya go.
Ta, L.
July 10, 2018
Descendants of Darkness was surprisingly, erm, dark.
Yeah, yeah, I know it's in the title, but the art is not dark at all, and the first part of the story seemed pretty light and jolly, like an odd-couple buddy cops film set in an updated version of the Shinagami Bureau from Rin-Ne (or for those who don't know that manga, the show Dead Like Me but with more paperwork and less hanging out in the real world). They are collecting lost souls but its isn't gothy or urgent, they are civil servants, ugh, behind on the database updates again, no bonus for me this year! Let's get some castella cake as long as we have to go to Nagasaki. Like that.
But then there is a sudden switch in tone halfway through, as a more serious antagonists enters the story, and there are some pretty dark backstory reveals. Nothing is portrayed very graphically, but sensitive readers may want to be aware that there is .
Still don't know where the "Descendants" part comes in -- there has been nothing about ancestry or family so far. Also, there are some places where either the author or translator got the character names mixed up, which is slightly confusing. Hand-slap for someone!
This is the second manga I've read recently (the other was Tokyo Babylon) that alluded to cherry trees having corpses buried under the them; must check to see if that's a legend.
Yeah, yeah, I know it's in the title, but the art is not dark at all, and the first part of the story seemed pretty light and jolly, like an odd-couple buddy cops film set in an updated version of the Shinagami Bureau from Rin-Ne (or for those who don't know that manga, the show Dead Like Me but with more paperwork and less hanging out in the real world). They are collecting lost souls but its isn't gothy or urgent, they are civil servants, ugh, behind on the database updates again, no bonus for me this year! Let's get some castella cake as long as we have to go to Nagasaki. Like that.
But then there is a sudden switch in tone halfway through, as a more serious antagonists enters the story, and there are some pretty dark backstory reveals. Nothing is portrayed very graphically, but sensitive readers may want to be aware that there is .
Still don't know where the "Descendants" part comes in -- there has been nothing about ancestry or family so far. Also, there are some places where either the author or translator got the character names mixed up, which is slightly confusing. Hand-slap for someone!
This is the second manga I've read recently (the other was Tokyo Babylon) that alluded to cherry trees having corpses buried under the them; must check to see if that's a legend.
September 30, 2020
Quando gli shounen ai erano passati per shoujo perchè comunque non succedeva niente e l'autrice faceva anche shoujo. Mi manca un po'. Ora il mondo è più libero e non ci sono solo i 💩-Boys che ho cominciato a detestare. Si, ok ancora per la Star ma non per la loro casa editrice la Kappa.
Comunque rilettura di tutti gli 11 volumi anche se so che rimane inconcluso.
Comunque rilettura di tutti gli 11 volumi anche se so che rimane inconcluso.
March 9, 2021
Been meaning to read this series for a while now, but haven't had time. This was a good first volume, a little heavy on dialogue (normally not a problem but my health is not the best and my head hurts). There is lots of exciting and scary moments involving death, vampires, and murder. I love Tsuzuki and how strong he is despite showing the world a whole other character. I am sure that is also part of him though, but I just love how people misjudge him and then are surprised he is so strong and powerful. I liked the two partners he had, well, one of them stayed with him. I am kind of hoping they go beyond friendship, teehee. :P
I read this one in one go, there was just no dull moment. I also like that there were some lighter moments in between the scary ones.
The short story was a bit weird. Not sure what to think of it.
Definitely will continue reading.
I read this one in one go, there was just no dull moment. I also like that there were some lighter moments in between the scary ones.
The short story was a bit weird. Not sure what to think of it.
Definitely will continue reading.
May 4, 2025
Asato Tsuzuki works for the Ministry of Hades as a special agent in the Summons Department, his job is to bring the deceased who haven't accepted their deaths yet to the Afterlife for judgement. He's also the laziest person in the whole Ministry, purposefully assigned to Kyushu (the place where most people are assigned when their careers have tanked). Tsuzuki spends most of his days screwing around. Or at least that's the story some people tell, but his new partner Hisoka is about to learn that there is more to Tsuzuki than meets the eye.
I can't believe I've never heard of this series! It was pretty much everything I look for in a manga series! The art is absolutely gorgeous. We've got an MC who has a mysterious past who is also a complete airhead at times, his overly serious partner, and some pretty insane bad guys.
Definitely recommend it if you enjoyed Noragami.
I can't believe I've never heard of this series! It was pretty much everything I look for in a manga series! The art is absolutely gorgeous. We've got an MC who has a mysterious past who is also a complete airhead at times, his overly serious partner, and some pretty insane bad guys.
Definitely recommend it if you enjoyed Noragami.
May 31, 2018
Meet Tsuzuki Asato, a handsome, carefree shinigami with a great deal of power and little desire to use it. Or work hard. He’d much rather take it easy and eat sweets. Most of the other shinigami can’t stand being partnered with him. This slacker has a kind heart, though, as Asuka and Hisoka, the two mysterious boys whom end up paired up with him discover. Nor does his goofy exterior keep certain sinister stalkers from coveting Tsuzuki’s power…and him.
Tsuzuki meets one of those enemies when he’s ordered to investigate a series of ‘vampire’ murders by the Ministry of Hades, an enemy with a darkly intimate connection to Hisoka and his past.
First with Asuka, followed by Hisoka, Tsuzuki finds himself drawn into their secrets, only to be hunted down himself.
Veering between light and dark, I sometimes found myself tripping over ill timed gags as a reader. In spite of them, I was drawn in the characters, the sheer beauty of the artwork, and the mystery presented by the story.
It was impossible for me not to fall a little in love with Tsuzuki; his beauty and cheerful quirkiness, even if the timing of it was often awkward. He paired up very well with Hisoka, his sullen, intellectual bishounen opposite. The main villain was fascinating, his background and goals quite intriguing, although a lot has yet to revealed. Not everything about the world, the setting, or the shinigami made sense. Perhaps the reasons why also have yet to revealed.
For a sheer, seductive art style and promise which overwhelmed a lot of the awkwardness and holes in the plot, which promises to grow and refine itself, coupled with my overall enjoyment of the book, I give this three stars.
Tsuzuki meets one of those enemies when he’s ordered to investigate a series of ‘vampire’ murders by the Ministry of Hades, an enemy with a darkly intimate connection to Hisoka and his past.
First with Asuka, followed by Hisoka, Tsuzuki finds himself drawn into their secrets, only to be hunted down himself.
Veering between light and dark, I sometimes found myself tripping over ill timed gags as a reader. In spite of them, I was drawn in the characters, the sheer beauty of the artwork, and the mystery presented by the story.
It was impossible for me not to fall a little in love with Tsuzuki; his beauty and cheerful quirkiness, even if the timing of it was often awkward. He paired up very well with Hisoka, his sullen, intellectual bishounen opposite. The main villain was fascinating, his background and goals quite intriguing, although a lot has yet to revealed. Not everything about the world, the setting, or the shinigami made sense. Perhaps the reasons why also have yet to revealed.
For a sheer, seductive art style and promise which overwhelmed a lot of the awkwardness and holes in the plot, which promises to grow and refine itself, coupled with my overall enjoyment of the book, I give this three stars.
October 22, 2011
Loved this book! As I'm sure others have/will mention, this first volume is a bit confusing. I'm sure what helped me the most was that I had watched the anime first.
The concept of Descendants of Darkness is rather original. The mangaka has managed to take the fantasy, mythical, detective and shounen-ai genres and combine them into a very compelling concept. I really enjoy the governmental agency twist on the afterlife. It would seem that even in death there is no escaping the government! Poetic irony at its most ironic...
I found the characters to be well written and likable. (Even when they weren't doing likeable things!) Their backstories are very engaging and really draw you in. The main characters are well rounded and fit well into the plot.
Speaking of plot, this book really lays the foundation for some amazing stuff to come. Even in this first book, once you get past the confusion, you can see the mangaka understands well how to pace the plot of a single volume while still taking into consideration the overall plot of the series.
The artwork is good. It isn't the best I've seen, but it is by far not the worst.
Given some of the adult themes, I would not recommend this for anyone younger than mature younger teens or older teens.
The concept of Descendants of Darkness is rather original. The mangaka has managed to take the fantasy, mythical, detective and shounen-ai genres and combine them into a very compelling concept. I really enjoy the governmental agency twist on the afterlife. It would seem that even in death there is no escaping the government! Poetic irony at its most ironic...
I found the characters to be well written and likable. (Even when they weren't doing likeable things!) Their backstories are very engaging and really draw you in. The main characters are well rounded and fit well into the plot.
Speaking of plot, this book really lays the foundation for some amazing stuff to come. Even in this first book, once you get past the confusion, you can see the mangaka understands well how to pace the plot of a single volume while still taking into consideration the overall plot of the series.
The artwork is good. It isn't the best I've seen, but it is by far not the worst.
Given some of the adult themes, I would not recommend this for anyone younger than mature younger teens or older teens.
March 17, 2012
This review is going to be for the series as a whole, or as whole as it is at this point - I read all eleven volumes available in German, and took a peek at the raws of vol. 12.
I really liked it, although I am tempted to say that this is two series rather than one. The last two volumes especially had a very different feel to them (which isn't to say that they were bad; actually the opposite is true). It's not all that coherent, I have to say - sometimes, the comedy and drama feel oddly imbalanced and some stories are completely pointless. And while I figure the BL label is appropriate, it never goes beyond strong hints. So all in all the series isn't perfect, but it has compelling characters, an interesting villain and an intriguing overall plot.
Volume 11 ends at a cliffhanger, so if you mind that sort of thing I suggest stopping after volume 8, which is also where the manga stops. The story takes a a somewhat different spin around the second half of volume 9, and I hope we'll get to read the end of it at some point. (I have to say that art in volume 12 looks beautiful, if very different.)
I really liked it, although I am tempted to say that this is two series rather than one. The last two volumes especially had a very different feel to them (which isn't to say that they were bad; actually the opposite is true). It's not all that coherent, I have to say - sometimes, the comedy and drama feel oddly imbalanced and some stories are completely pointless. And while I figure the BL label is appropriate, it never goes beyond strong hints. So all in all the series isn't perfect, but it has compelling characters, an interesting villain and an intriguing overall plot.
Volume 11 ends at a cliffhanger, so if you mind that sort of thing I suggest stopping after volume 8, which is also where the manga stops. The story takes a a somewhat different spin around the second half of volume 9, and I hope we'll get to read the end of it at some point. (I have to say that art in volume 12 looks beautiful, if very different.)
December 26, 2019
I found this book in my local charity shop and I decided to buy it because I hardly see any manga in charity shops, and the description intrigued me. I'm happy that I read it, but I wasn't completely blown away from this manga. I think it had an interesting premise, and the main characters were intriguing, but I don't think that they are intriguing enough for me to buy and read the rest of the series. I would read it maybe if my local library had the collection in stock, but then I also have so many other books which I would much prefer to read. I think that this manga was just so average for me that I don't actually have a lot to talk about. In the beginning I thought the first chapter was okay, but then the pacing slowed for chapter two, but got better again in chapter three. There was one point where I wanted to put the book down and no longer read it, but then I thought to myself that I should read it because it's a manga and it wouldn't take me too long to read if I push myself through it. I wouldn't recommend this manga because I think that it is quite average. Whilst the concept and characters were unique, I think that the execution is lacking so I wouldn't recommend it.
March 17, 2013
(review is for the entire series)
One of the first manga series I ever read, and one I still go back to read periodically. The art, and the main characters, are beautiful--Tsuzuki and his colleagues are classic biseinen (beautiful young men). Definite shonen-ai (flirting/hints of relationships between men) elements, but the wild and excellently told supernatural adventures will keep most people who are not shonen-ai fans reading. The story falls apart somewhere in the last volume (which I would rate four stars at best)--both by "jumping the shark" and because it's unfinished (the manga creator became seriously ill for many years and had to quit working on it).
A classic I hope many older-teen and adult supernatural-manga and shonen ai fans discover.
One of the first manga series I ever read, and one I still go back to read periodically. The art, and the main characters, are beautiful--Tsuzuki and his colleagues are classic biseinen (beautiful young men). Definite shonen-ai (flirting/hints of relationships between men) elements, but the wild and excellently told supernatural adventures will keep most people who are not shonen-ai fans reading. The story falls apart somewhere in the last volume (which I would rate four stars at best)--both by "jumping the shark" and because it's unfinished (the manga creator became seriously ill for many years and had to quit working on it).
A classic I hope many older-teen and adult supernatural-manga and shonen ai fans discover.
January 27, 2008
Every manga lover knows that Yami no Matsuei is one of the most famous manga series ever. And yes, it really is that good. Beautiful drawings, intriguing characters, interesting cases to solve for the Angels of Death aka Shinigamis. This manga is for people who like plot not just boys/girls looking cute and pretty!
October 21, 2011
I have been in love with this series from the moment I finished the first book. The episodes are also a smash.
September 29, 2014
Hilarious and adorable. "Shingami" as portrayed by a horrible 90s cop show with yaoi and a bird-shaped tech services librarian as backup. Also, one of the funniest, rudest translations ever? Golden.
April 13, 2021
Yami no Matsuei 01 von Yoko Matsushita
Zum Inhalt:
In der Behörde die über die Seelen richtet, arbeitet der Todesengel Asato, welcher einen neuen Kollegen zugesprochen bekommt. Gemeinsam begibt sich der Todesengel mit Asuka auf die Suche nach den Seelen, deren Zeit abgelaufen ist, aber nicht aus der menschlichen Welt weichen wollen. Doch bereits bei ihrem ersten Fall muss Asato feststellen, dass Asuka vielleicht nicht der ist, den er vorzugeben scheint, denn ihr Opfer kennt den Todesengel und Asato wird neugierig, was es damit auf sich hat…
Außerdem müssen Hisoka und Asato einen Fall aufklären, bei dem es sich wahrscheinlich um einen Vampir handelt, denn es werden Opfer gefunden, denen das Blut ausgesaugt wurde…
Cover:
Das Cover ist recht schlicht gestaltet. Zu sehen ist hier in einem kleinen Abschnitt das Gesicht des Charakters Asato, während der Rest des Covers in einem schlichten Rotton gehalten wird und lediglich den Titel präsentiert. Das zieht sich so durch die ganze Reihe, jedoch mit immer wechselnden Charakteren, hat somit eigentlich einen Wiedererkennungsfaktor, wirkt aber auf mich doch recht langweilig.
Eigener Eindruck:
Yami no Matsuei ist eine Reihe aus der Feder des Mangaka Yoko Matsushita. Die Geschichten basieren hauptsächlich auf Kurzgeschichten, welche in sich geschlossen sind und nur einen Teil der Hauptgeschichte berühren, sodass man zwar immer einmal ein paar Informationen zum Fortgang bekommt, sich das Hauptaugenmerk jedoch auf die Kurzgeschichten und die darin enthaltenen Charaktere konzentriert. Die Geschichte ist sehr detailliert beschrieben, sodass man sehr gut mitkommt, jedoch muss ich aber ehrlich gestehen, dass die Passagen eher einschläfernd sind und mich nicht wirklich packen konnten, was wirklich schade ist. Die Zeichnungen sind gut, entsprechen aber auch nicht unbedingt dem Stil, der mir wirklich gefällt. Man merkt, dass der Manga aus einem älteren Semester entstammt. Ich für meinen Teil bin gespannt, ob die Fortsetzungen mich mehr packen können. Soweit ich weiß, gibt es 13 Bände zu der Serie. Mal sehen, ob ich sie mir noch alle holen werde.
Fazit:
Leider konnte mich die Reihe nicht so überzeugen, wie ich es vielleicht gern gehabt hätte, deswegen kann ich auch keine Leseempfehlung aussprechen und bewerte das Buch neutral.
Idee: 5/5
Charaktere: 3/5
Logik: 3/5
Spannung: 3/5
Emotionen: 3/5
Gesamt: 3/5
Daten:
Herausgeber : Carlsen; 1., Edition (1. Dezember 2002)
Sprache : Deutsch
Taschenbuch : 192 Seiten
ISBN-10 : 3551763410
ISBN-13 : 978-3551763419
Lesealter : 12 - 15 Jahre
Zum Inhalt:
In der Behörde die über die Seelen richtet, arbeitet der Todesengel Asato, welcher einen neuen Kollegen zugesprochen bekommt. Gemeinsam begibt sich der Todesengel mit Asuka auf die Suche nach den Seelen, deren Zeit abgelaufen ist, aber nicht aus der menschlichen Welt weichen wollen. Doch bereits bei ihrem ersten Fall muss Asato feststellen, dass Asuka vielleicht nicht der ist, den er vorzugeben scheint, denn ihr Opfer kennt den Todesengel und Asato wird neugierig, was es damit auf sich hat…
Außerdem müssen Hisoka und Asato einen Fall aufklären, bei dem es sich wahrscheinlich um einen Vampir handelt, denn es werden Opfer gefunden, denen das Blut ausgesaugt wurde…
Cover:
Das Cover ist recht schlicht gestaltet. Zu sehen ist hier in einem kleinen Abschnitt das Gesicht des Charakters Asato, während der Rest des Covers in einem schlichten Rotton gehalten wird und lediglich den Titel präsentiert. Das zieht sich so durch die ganze Reihe, jedoch mit immer wechselnden Charakteren, hat somit eigentlich einen Wiedererkennungsfaktor, wirkt aber auf mich doch recht langweilig.
Eigener Eindruck:
Yami no Matsuei ist eine Reihe aus der Feder des Mangaka Yoko Matsushita. Die Geschichten basieren hauptsächlich auf Kurzgeschichten, welche in sich geschlossen sind und nur einen Teil der Hauptgeschichte berühren, sodass man zwar immer einmal ein paar Informationen zum Fortgang bekommt, sich das Hauptaugenmerk jedoch auf die Kurzgeschichten und die darin enthaltenen Charaktere konzentriert. Die Geschichte ist sehr detailliert beschrieben, sodass man sehr gut mitkommt, jedoch muss ich aber ehrlich gestehen, dass die Passagen eher einschläfernd sind und mich nicht wirklich packen konnten, was wirklich schade ist. Die Zeichnungen sind gut, entsprechen aber auch nicht unbedingt dem Stil, der mir wirklich gefällt. Man merkt, dass der Manga aus einem älteren Semester entstammt. Ich für meinen Teil bin gespannt, ob die Fortsetzungen mich mehr packen können. Soweit ich weiß, gibt es 13 Bände zu der Serie. Mal sehen, ob ich sie mir noch alle holen werde.
Fazit:
Leider konnte mich die Reihe nicht so überzeugen, wie ich es vielleicht gern gehabt hätte, deswegen kann ich auch keine Leseempfehlung aussprechen und bewerte das Buch neutral.
Idee: 5/5
Charaktere: 3/5
Logik: 3/5
Spannung: 3/5
Emotionen: 3/5
Gesamt: 3/5
Daten:
Herausgeber : Carlsen; 1., Edition (1. Dezember 2002)
Sprache : Deutsch
Taschenbuch : 192 Seiten
ISBN-10 : 3551763410
ISBN-13 : 978-3551763419
Lesealter : 12 - 15 Jahre
December 24, 2025
Was there ever anything better than the era of beautiful men in oversized dress clothes?! I THINK NOT.
But then Descendants of Darkness comes in with angst and an evil hot doctor with a sprinkle of BL, all before the digital art takeover. Kids, manga used to be so good.
Anyways, I know I read this years ago, but I've always wanted to read the whole series. Also, there is an incredibly dumb Youtube video that put these characters with dialogue from Clerks and it has been ruining my life for about 20 years. "All right FINE I'll let the evil German scientist hack my foot off and let his friends have their way with me alllll for the flying car!!!" / "You'd do all that for a flying car?"
Plot: Tsuzuki is a pretty powerful shinigami, with new partner Hisoka, a pretty boy with so much angst. Like... So much. When the scales of death are unbalanced, the boys have to investigate. Brooding art. Lots of action. Lots of blood. Top! Tier! Manga!! (although to be honest I am so lost about the last side story)
Fun fact: Kelly Sue Deconnick was in charge of this English adaptation. She only wrote my favorite version of Ms/Captain Marvel, nbd, not fangirling at all, not full of questions. Nope
But then Descendants of Darkness comes in with angst and an evil hot doctor with a sprinkle of BL, all before the digital art takeover. Kids, manga used to be so good.
Anyways, I know I read this years ago, but I've always wanted to read the whole series. Also, there is an incredibly dumb Youtube video that put these characters with dialogue from Clerks and it has been ruining my life for about 20 years. "All right FINE I'll let the evil German scientist hack my foot off and let his friends have their way with me alllll for the flying car!!!" / "You'd do all that for a flying car?"
Plot: Tsuzuki is a pretty powerful shinigami, with new partner Hisoka, a pretty boy with so much angst. Like... So much. When the scales of death are unbalanced, the boys have to investigate. Brooding art. Lots of action. Lots of blood. Top! Tier! Manga!! (although to be honest I am so lost about the last side story)
Fun fact: Kelly Sue Deconnick was in charge of this English adaptation. She only wrote my favorite version of Ms/Captain Marvel, nbd, not fangirling at all, not full of questions. Nope
June 22, 2019
This is a reread for me. Yami no Matsuei was probably the first anime I ever watched and from there I found one of my all time favourite character Tsuzuki (only Abel from Trinity Blood can even compete!). So obviously I had to read the manga too. I started the reread because I've been thinking of buying the last three volumes and wanted to fresh my memory before that. Also this is a great help for my huge reading slump.
In this first volume we get to see the same story that was included in anime. We learn a lot about the characters and... Damn that Muraki is one scary villain! Because I like the story, love the cuteness and fangirl Tsuzuki and his powers I gave this full five stars. Nostalgia might also have something to do with it. :)
In this first volume we get to see the same story that was included in anime. We learn a lot about the characters and... Damn that Muraki is one scary villain! Because I like the story, love the cuteness and fangirl Tsuzuki and his powers I gave this full five stars. Nostalgia might also have something to do with it. :)
September 25, 2017
Read maybe a month ago. Will only be putting a read date on every third manga in this series though, so as not to overinflate my reading challenge.
So I read a lot of this series about a decade ago, when I was younger (gah, I feel old *cries*), and I recall very little about it, except for that I absolutely adored it.
This book introduces our characters and their jobs and whatnot, the setting, and stuff, and in the latter parts of the book, we get some of the new partner (Hisoka)'s backstory. And while tragic and dark, it's compelling and it really endears you to him, and makes you want him to heal and get better, and watch him grow and overcome things.
I think this is a wonderful start to the series, and I look forward to re-reading the rest.
So I read a lot of this series about a decade ago, when I was younger (gah, I feel old *cries*), and I recall very little about it, except for that I absolutely adored it.
This book introduces our characters and their jobs and whatnot, the setting, and stuff, and in the latter parts of the book, we get some of the new partner (Hisoka)'s backstory. And while tragic and dark, it's compelling and it really endears you to him, and makes you want him to heal and get better, and watch him grow and overcome things.
I think this is a wonderful start to the series, and I look forward to re-reading the rest.
April 12, 2023
Shinigami AND vampires?? I'm in love. I would rate this 4.5 stars if I could. I found this at a used bookstore and had never heard of it, but I'm so glad I bought it. There's honestly nothing wrong with this book, in my opinion. I'm not giving it 5 stars, because I need to be absolutely obsessed with a book to give it 5. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this, got through it in a few hours. The foreshadowing made it slightly predictable, but I didn't mind. I liked all of the characters and the pacing was well done.
January 18, 2026
Ja, sehr alter BL, öh oder "Bromance", ich weiß es gar nicht, unter was es hier mal lief. Und ja, es hat auch die typischen bösen Tropes, die man heute verachtet, yadda yadda.
Aber ich mags. Es ist mal ein Manga mit ner eigentlich ganz spannenden Story, auch wenn die wirklich n wenig wie "random religions-bullshit go" klingt. Aber es hat action, mystery, überpsycho-villains :D und so. Es trifft echt meinen Geschmack, und der alte Stil erinnert mich an Fake, einer meiner lieblings-BLs, mit denen alles anfing.
Aber ich mags. Es ist mal ein Manga mit ner eigentlich ganz spannenden Story, auch wenn die wirklich n wenig wie "random religions-bullshit go" klingt. Aber es hat action, mystery, überpsycho-villains :D und so. Es trifft echt meinen Geschmack, und der alte Stil erinnert mich an Fake, einer meiner lieblings-BLs, mit denen alles anfing.
December 22, 2019
Own the anime,decided to read the books. The deviations are fairly minimal.
Tsuzuki is still a lazy dude who's actually a really nice guy and super powerful. Hisoka is still a teenager that has the ability to feel others emotions and is fairly powerful. They are teamed up by their boss. All the sequences are roughly the same as the anime.
Tsuzuki is still a lazy dude who's actually a really nice guy and super powerful. Hisoka is still a teenager that has the ability to feel others emotions and is fairly powerful. They are teamed up by their boss. All the sequences are roughly the same as the anime.
August 22, 2020
I first read it when i was 14, a friend of mine lend volume one to seven to me wihout thinking what kind of manga were those. Those manga were her older brothers and he said he regret buying those manga and never finish the story until now, so me who can't afford to buy those manga simply never read the story till it ended as well i hope i can read it online tho.
May 5, 2022
I like the story but the book itself has some issues. Something about the paneling and/or dialogue placement makes it very difficult to follow, and sometimes the pacing jumps around, but I don't know if part of that is, again, the issues following along. Also, just an issue with the printing, but some of the dialogue is too close to the middle so it's difficult to read.
June 22, 2018
In assoluto uno dei manga più belli che abbia mai letto.
I tre protagonisti (Asato, Hisoka e il dottor Muraki) danno spettacolarità alla narrazione e i dettagli nei disegni della Matsushita sono pura poesia.
I tre protagonisti (Asato, Hisoka e il dottor Muraki) danno spettacolarità alla narrazione e i dettagli nei disegni della Matsushita sono pura poesia.
October 25, 2018
I was a little thrown when the manga didn't start with The Vampire Murders like the anime. But I got over it. I love Descendants of Darkness. I love Tsuzuki and Hisoka. I love how they start with disliking each other and become the partners they were meant to be.
April 13, 2023
Honestly, the concept is kind of unique but the overall plot doesn't seem as interesting as I thought. Maybe volume two will be better? If I read volume two and don't end up liking it, then I will not continue the series.
April 22, 2023
Reread. A weird start for sure. The first chapter is a proof of concept; the rest of the arc is badly paced (a lot of the protagonist running around until he runs into the plot mostly). There's that thread of charm there that I remember really developing later, though.
June 2, 2017
This manga has a certain charm to it. It's hard to describe. The characters have rich back stories that have not been revealed in great detail yet, that is why I must continue....
January 11, 2018
Ok series, not a favorite. Read this years ago and swapped the series away!
April 20, 2018
Younger me read this and I remember liking this a lot back then.
May 9, 2018
Even the dead have to work and not everything is black and white!
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