Also known as "Decendants of Darkness" here in the US. While I enjoyed the anime, I much prefer the manga. It's 100 times better. The anime covers basically the "short stories" in first couple volumes of the manga, before the real story starts going. So, the anime doesn't really even scratch the surface of this particular series.
The manga is probably one of the most beautifully drawn comic's I've ever seen. Matsushita Yohko is an incredible artist, and the use of screen tones is amazing. Truely eye candy for the manga lover.
The story takes place in several aspects of the world. First, the world of the living, second, the world of the dead (Meifu), and later on, the world of the Shikagami(式神). Most of your characters are Shinigami (死神), or Gaurdians of Death, who work for an organization called JuOhCho. This organization handles the judgement of the dead, after they leave the living world. JuOhCho is divided into various divisions, but I won't go into all that because it gets VERY confusing. LOL All you really need to know is that our main hero's work for Shoka division. The Shinigami are often involved in detective type work, sifting through the lives of those about to die, or who have already died.
Our main characters are Tsuzuki Asato (都筑麻斗). He's 26, well, he died when he was 26 and had been working for the bureau for 70 some years. He's lazy in some aspects, acts like a kid most of the time, has a sinful desire to eat anything sweet, and is often considered clumsy and hard to work with by his other coworkers. He's gone through several partners, and no one can seem to stand him long enough to work with him. Oh, he's a nice enough guy, full of compassion and kindness, but his excentricies make him hard to deal with. There are strange mysteries behind Tsuzuki as well. His inhuman violet eyes, his ability to heal at incredible rates, the reason he lived for 8 years with out eating or drinking any food or water, only to wake up and commit suicide in his weakened state, AND his ability to control 12 shikagami of his own, including the insanely powerful "god of shikagami's", Sou-ryuu.
That leads us to Kurosaki Hisoka (黒崎密). Dying from a murderous curse at the age of 16, he's decided to become and shinigami to find his killer. His memory has been erased somewhat, and he's determined to find out who was behind his death. Unaware of Tsuzuki's repuataion, he's paired with him by the bureau. Of course, Hisoka is a typical 16 year old. Full of his own ideas and he thinks he's right all the time. However, he's actually very grown up for his age, having been raised in some horrendous situations within a family that has a lot of dirty, very dirty secrets, he's had to be strong on some levels. Alas, his become with drawn and socially in adept as well, which makes for some very funny clashes with Tsuzuki's outgoing, friendly personality. Hisoka is also and empath. A very strong empath. He doesn't like to be touched and he doesn't like being around a lot of people. He can't control his ability to feel other people's emotions, and if they are too strong, he becomes a quivering mass of flesh (not literally, but he just loses it). There is a lot of mystery behind Hisoka and his family. So much infact that the Bureau is investigating the Kurosaki family.
Muraki Kazutaka (邑輝一貴) is a silver haired, white cloaked doctor that plays a large roll in the first few books. I'm not certain if we'll see him again, his "death" later on is skeptical. Anyway, Muraki is a devious and sick individual, hiding behind the facade of the "good doctor". He shows his true colors early on though, when he attempts to kill Hisoka (again) and tries to capture Tsuzuki for some crazy experiment to bring back his dead step brother...only so he can kill him with his own hands...Confused? Yeah, trying to puzzel out what's going on in Muraki's head is pointless. Just be aware that his is SICK...he makes Ted Bundy or Jeffery Dahmer look like a kindergarten teacher...He's a serial killer, not afraid to fake his own death to make himself look innocent, not afraid to brutalize people in the most horrible and unthinkable ways, he's a rapist (he raped Hisoka when he was 13 and then cursed him to die), he'd rape Tsuzuki too if given the chance (and he's tried a couple times), he enjoys death and being a part of it. He's smart...so smart that you wonder if he's even human. Add the fact that he's got insane powers and one trippy silver eye that he hides behind his hair, one can only ponder what he truely is. Muraki creeps me out...and I think later, he'll be back with a vengence (as of now, he's disappeared after being stabbed and nearly burned to a crisp by Tsuzuki).
There are so many other characters, too many to list fully. There is Watari, the Kyoto born, Osaka raised scientist. Tatsumi, who is the Seceretary of the division and one to Tsuzuki's former partners. Terazuma, Tsuzuki's rival and a man who is unfortunate enough to be cursed to change into a giant black beast when touched by a woman (his partner is a woman...ha ha...and as a side note, Terazuma is afraid of Hisoka, because even though Hisoka is a guy, he looks so girly that he causes Terazuma to change...ha ha ha).
The story is full of intreaguing people, wild stories, and vivid imagination. What really draws me to Yami no Matsuei is the author's way of mixing insane, out of place humor into serious situations without making it seem "wrong". For example, her use of the occasional stick figure is truely worth a good chuckle. In one chapter, young Hisoka has gone missing, searching for his own personal "gaurdian". Tsuzuki is worried and discussing things with a companion, while in the background, there is a tiny stick man with a very large "vein mark" (which depicts extreme anger or irritation in manga). Hisoka has returned!
Probably one of my most favorite "out of place humor" is when Hisoka and Tsuzuki are investigating the brutal murders at an all boy's catholic school. Tsuzuki, who is ten years (in human terms) Hisoka's senior, asked Hisoka if he could sleep with him because he's really scared of all the creepy people...on the next page, Hisoka has dumped a HUGE statue of Christ on top of Tsuzuki and tells him to sleep with "Him" instead. LMAO Finally, Hisoka's first meeting with the Shikagami Kurikara was a hoot. Kurikara, banished from the Shikagami world due to transgression agains Sou-ryuu is a dangerous person. He's been sealed away, and has a great distaste for humans. Hisoka has decided to make him his personal Shikagami. When he finally finds Kurikara-ryuu, he was expecting a regal, elegant, and terrifying Shikagami...instead Kurikara is about a foot shorter than Hisoka (who's small already), and looks like a 12 year old kid. The look on Hisoka's face is priceless, especally when he starts screaming...
Oh, and the count is always good for a laugh or two as well. To put it bluntly, he's just a pervert. A sick, demented, see though pervert. You can expect him to say the most "WRONG" things at any given time...one jaw dropper was when Tsuzuki was changed into a kid. The count has a thing for Tsuzuki...a major thing for Tsuzuki...and decided that since his crush has become a child again (like 8), it would be the best time to take advantage of him...and I mean "take advantage" in the worst possible way you can imagine...Yup...I had to read that a couple times to make sure it was really there....LOL Of course, Hisoka and Tsuzuki's relationship as partners and as friends is the best comedy routine. Hisoka often sends Tsuzuki crying from the room, sometimes it's easy to forget that Hisoka is actually the kid, and Tsuzuki is the adult. LOL
At any rate, despite all the sporadic humor and halarity, this manga has a dark side to it. Murder scenes are often brutal and graphic. There's a lot of blood and gore. A good example is a possessed Tsuzuki hacking apart a young musician with a meat cleaver and the two boys getting it on inside the Catholic Church only to have the "top" boy but a hatchet through his partners head. Of course we also have Hisoka's decomposing body, as he recovers from the blast of Kurikara's power. It's not nearly as bad as some of the other panels, so it's a poor depiction of the graphic nature of some of the story lines. I'm too lazy to scan my manga right now, so sorry...
At any rate, this manga is worth a read. I'd like to see it translated, but as of right now, I doubt it will happen. Updates in chapters are sporadic, and sometimes I wonder if the author will ever finish the story. It's been running in Hana to Yume, but I haven't heard much about it lately. I'd hate to see it abandoned, it's simply amazing. There are 11 volumes as of now, and I have no clue when there'll be a 12th one...if it's out, let me know. I wouldn't qualify the story as "shonen ai" either. I know lots of people do, but I don't see Hisoka and Tsuzuki as much more than two people who share heart pains of their past. They're close, but I doubt we'll see Hisoka letting Tsuzuki get "that close" to him anytime soon. (refer to "Christ" joke)....
If you like good humor with a different spin, captivating mysteries, and invigorating characters, Yami no Matsuei won't disappoint.
If you don't have the tankobon's and can't read Japanese, you can find translations, pictures, scans, etc at this site---> Theira.net. It's the best place on the net to get Yami no Matsuei info!
On a final note, I just want to say, that Hisoka is the best character in the book. His sullen attitude makes him so damn funny! Ha ha!
Perhaps when I do another review, I'd do Blade the Immortal or Gravitaion...hmmmm, choices, choices....
Until next time folks...
Posted by Zoso at May 16, 2004 12:32 AM
