Descendants of Darkness (2000– ) User Reviews

It was an ok gay anime but it just didn't click with me

[Irishchatter · 7/10 · 4 March 2018]

I mean, I love anime, gay love, humour and vampire hunting, but I just didn't think this series was brillant because of its lengthy episodes and the fact after a few episodes, it just got boring with adding in new characters. This isnt the worst but it ain't great either. To lighten it up, I was a bit surprised that Dan Green (voiced Yu-Gi-Oh and Knuckles from sonic x) voiced the food loving (like me) detective Asato. I was a bit dissapointed that it didn't show much gay love scenes with Asato and Hisoka (think thats his name) like cmon, its suppose to be a Yaoi film as well as a horror one!

I give this a real 7/10 and I'm giving a bit of a score since the voice actors Dan Green and Lisa Ortiz (who also was involved in sonic x but she voiced Amy) were in this!

Those who live in darkness, wander aimlessly

[jefcat · 9/10 · 3 September 2003]

Yoko Matsushita's wonderful, offbeat manga is turned into a short, but satisfying animated series. The premise is simple enough: In a bureaucratic underworld, a group of supernatural detectives called Shinigami make certain the dead get where they are supposed to go. These shinigami are themselves dead - having been granted the right to become shinigami due to their unsettled pasts. The series consists of four separate story arcs, in which seemingly mis-matched partners Asato Tsuzuki and Hisoka Kurosaki learn to rely on each other and battle the series' primary villain, the sadistic Dr. Muraki. The animation is quite good, very fluid. The character designs are true to the manga and are excellent. The Japanese voice actors are top-notch. It has been released in North America as Descendants of Darkness and is an enjoyable blend of supernatural action and drama with some comedic overtones to keep things from getting too heavy. If you are looking for anime that offers something outside of the norm, give this series a try. I only hope the producers decide to release a second series covering later books of the manga

Death is not as bad as you think

[zer0shift · 24 August 2004]

For those of you looking for a decent bishounen-type anime (boyish/masculine), Yami no Matsuei (Descendant of Darkness) fits just right in. With a grotesque-like storyline and a rather peculiar line-up of characters, Yami no Matsuei redefines the theme of the common anime with cute boys/men as it's frontline of eye-candy for the otaku. You'll also find some yaoi (male love/like) scenarios in there as a vague discretion other than the drama and sometimes short comedic inserts Yami no Matsuei brings.

Yami no Matsuei portrays, Tsuzuki Asato, our protagonist and is the strongest (although he's not aware of that fact...yet) of the Shinigami (Angels of Death), who are an underground organization of Ju-Oh-Cho (govenrmental bureaus) that works on the 'afterlife'. As powerful as they come, even an Angel of Darkness/Death still has some responsibility to do...in the HQ's office administration; doing a batch of paperwork, answering phone calls, and making photocopies, that is if they're not out on a fieldtrip investigating a case.

The animation quality is as vivid as other well-known bishounen anime like Angel Sanctuary, Fushigi Yuugi, or X. There are some pretty bloody scenes in there to satisfy and prove to you that this isn't some lame anime with gay guys (or so that other guy thinks...) in it. And what would Yami no Matsuei be without those jaw-dropping powers the casts has? Yeah, you'll see some ugly (but drawn in a creative way) beasts in there that they (can) summon if called upon. Although the characters are neatly well-created with their straight-forward/stoical personalities and costume/facial designs, there's a lot of labyrinthine interactions going on in there. Mostly it comes and emphasizes in the (their) past, which raises further questions from start to finish as the show progresses, regardless of the yaoi angst it consists of.

+ great story, animation, music, characters, script, and overall composition of an above average bishounen anime. - not for those who are (narrow-minded) not into yaoi-like anime.

The Descendants of Darkness

[Lady_Targaryen · 9/10 · 25 June 2006]

''Yami no Matsuei'''or ''Descendants of Darkness'' is a manga and anime series created by Yoko Matsushita with a shonen Ai/Yaoi content. I personally think that this is one of the most dramatic and romantic stories of all times, and look, I am not exactly an Yaoi worshiper. I hope that Matsushita continue with the manga, because it sadly remains on hiatus since 2003, and the manga is FAR superior then the anime series. I just think Tsuzuki and Hisoka are so damm cute together! Tsuzuki is my favorite, but even the villain,Muraki, that is a very bad guy, cannot make me hate him,because without him, many awesome moments would never happen. By the way, one of the things I love in this story is the fact that it alternates between very violent scenes, with others who are very sweet and light-hearted.

the darkest and greatest anime there is

[daily_angel · 10/10 · 1 August 2006]

i've seen this show first through a music video and fell in love with it right away because of the good storyline and the worked out characters that are complicated with many problems and dark pasts.

the characters are mysterious and dark but you can connect with them so good that it is almost magical. you follow the story with the shinigami Tsuzuki Asato and Kurosaki Hisoka as they meet and slowly get a strong emotional band after a rough start there dark pasts and there enemy Muraki connect the two to work together to stop the evil maniac.

the show has a good balance between the dark moments and lights up when it's getting to tough.

you have to like yaoi to like yami no matsuei even if it's not shown that well in the beginning.

there are only 13 episodes and in my eyes that way to few for such a series. the story can't possible be told in only 13 episodes and the last episode calls up lots of questions that aren't answered but even with this little minor downside is yami no matsuei great to see

the show is based on the manga and even if it's so short it's a must watch for the fans of yaoi and anime

the darkest emotions combined with love, friendship and great unnatural powers is incredible

Worst anime I've seen through to the end.

[thysbe_j · 5/10 · 12 October 2020]

So, as I said, this series has the dubious honor of being the worst I've managed to stick with to the end. But this means I did see it through, as opposed to just losing it after an episode or less. So let's look at the good things first, eh? The art is superb. All the characters are gorgeous: heroes, support team, villains, victims, everybody. Real eye candy. The protagonists are engaging and loveable, and the premise is interesting. Then there's the plot. I bow to thee and beseech thee, the twelve gods that protect me, what is this horror of a plot? It's got more holes than a swiss cheese. It has more guns that don't end up shooting than a Texas weapon fair. It's full of people being so friggin' stupid it's physically painful. Nothing makes any kind of sense. The choices, the relationships, the outcomes, everything is forced and pretty much random. To be fair, if you watch to the end, the antagonist does have a reason for the way he acts. It's not reasonable, it lacks internal logic, but his actions are not as completely random as it seems for most of the series. Honestly, I would not pay for this series, and I'm debating asking for my time back.

Gorgeous anime

[violetchan · 10/10 · 9 December 2006]

Yami no Matsuei is my all time favorite anime and manga. All the characters are well rounded and fascinating, especially the leads Tsuzuki and Hisoka. Both grew up in painful circumstances but through each other, are able to start healing. Some of the most beautiful and tragic scenes I'd ever witnessed are the ones between Tsuzuki and Hisoka. I actually cried at the end of volume 4 when Hisoka begged Tsuzuki to live for him. It was such a gorgeous moment because I knew without a doubt that these two really do love each other. One of the best villains, in my opinion, appears in this series. Dr. Muraki has to be the coldest and evilest man out there. There are no redeeming qualities about him but he's so fascinating. The connection/bond between Muraki and Hisoka is one of the most intriguing aspects of the show/manga. When Muraki raped and cursed Hisoka, he set upon him a seemingly unbreakable bond between them. Its rather horrifying how the most visually stunning scene in the anime is the rape scene. But what's brilliant about it is that its all done in Muraki's pov. He romanticizes the rape because he is a romantic. He's a sick romantic but nonetheless, he is one. But this is what makes him such a compelling villain. This is a definite must see for those who love great characters, great story lines and beautiful animation.

veery bad this anime

[ksvareiretis · 5/10 · 28 March 2020]

Very bad this anime. i don´t understand nothing about. very very bad.

Very very good

[Gami · 30 August 2003]

This anime is about a bunch of gay guys who are Shinigami, or Gods of Death. But it's good. Trust us. The animation is very good, and the characters are even better. Hisoka and Tsuzuki should SO get together. But, really, the series is good for anyone - It's got a stunning plot and moves along smoothly.