| Descendants of Darkness | |
| 闇の末裔 (Yami no Matsuei) |
|
|---|---|
| Genre | Bangsian fantasy, occult detective fiction |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Yoko Matsushita |
| Published by | Hakusensha |
| English publisher | Viz Media |
| Demographic | Shōjo |
| Magazine | Hana to Yume |
| Original run | June 20, 1996 – December 20, 2002 (on hiatus) |
| Volumes | 12 |
| TV anime | |
| Directed by | Hiroko Tokita |
| Studio | J.C.Staff |
| Licensed by | Central Park Media |
| Network | WOWOW |
| English network | Super Channel AZN Television, Syfy |
| Original run | October 2, 2000 – December 18, 2000 |
| Episodes | 13 |
Descendants of Darkness (闇の末裔 Yami no Matsuei) is a fantasy manga series created by Yoko Matsushita. The story revolves around shinigami. These Guardians of Death work for Enma Daiō, the king of the dead, sorting out the expected and unexpected arrivals to the Underworld.[1] The manga was serialized in Hakusensha's semi-monthly shōjo manga magazine, Hana to Yume from the 14th issue of 1996 until the author decided to put the story on hiatus in the 2nd issue of 2003. The published chapters have been collected in 12 volumes with the 12th volume published on January 19, 2010[2] with revisions that differ from the chapters originally serialized in the magazine.[3][4] The series resumed serialization in Hana to Yume magazine in September 2011.
The English language version is published by Viz Media.[5] The series has an anime adaptation broadcast by WOWOW in Japan and distributed in North America by Central Park Media. SciFi Channel USA scheduled the program as part of Ani-Monday started on November 3, 2008 and ended on December 22, 2008.
Contents |
Asato Tsuzuki is a 'Guardian of Death' for over 70 years. He has the power to call upon twelve shikigami, mythical creatures that aid him in battle. The manga portrays Tsuzuki's relationship with the shikigami in much more detail. Tsuzuki is the senior partner of the Second Division, which watches over the region of Kyūshū.
In the anime, 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 flying creature/helper who can speak, and together they do a bit of investigating. The rule is that Guardian of Death 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 a 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 called Oura Cathedral. The church scene is the first encounter between Tsuzuki 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 the area of the city known as Glover Garden, 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 helper, Gushoshin.[6] 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 Muraki, and the truth about his death is revealed to him. Tsuzuki rescues him after his "date" with Muraki,[7] and the entire series begins following the relationship between these three characters, supported and embellished by the rest of the cast. Later in the series, Hisoka decides he wants to capture a shikigami for himself, creatures that live in the imaginary world that help Guardian of Death in battle.
The City of Nagasaki is shown throughout the series. Many tourist sites such as The Peace Memorial, Glover Garden, and Oura Cathedral are shown.
Vampire's Lure
| # | English Title Japanese Title |
Original air date | English air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Nagasaki File (Part 1)" "Nagasaki Hen 1" (長崎編①) |
October 2, 2000 | November 4, 2008 (US) | |
| 2 | "The Nagasaki File (Part 2)" "Nagasaki Hen 2" (長崎編②) |
October 9, 2000 | November 4, 2008 (US) | |
| 3 | "The Nagasaki File (Part 3)" "Nagasaki Hen 3" (長崎編③) |
October 16, 2000 | November 11, 2008 (US) | |
Devil's Song
| # | English Title Japanese Title |
Original air date | English air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | "The Devil's Trill (Part 1)" "Akuma no Trill Hen 1" (悪魔のトリル編①) |
October 23, 2000 | November 25, 2008 (US) | |
| 5 | "The Devil's Trill (Part 2)" "Akuma no Trill Hen 2" (悪魔のトリル編②) |
October 30, 2000 | November 25, 2008 (US) | |
| 6 | "The Devil's Trill (Part 3)" "Akuma no Trill Hen 3" (悪魔のトリル編③) |
November 6, 2000 | December 1, 2008 (US) | |
Tarot Curse
| # | English Title Japanese Title |
Original air date | English air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | "The King of Swords (Part 1)" "Sword no K Hen 1" (スォードのK編①) |
November 13, 2000 | December 1, 2008 (US) | |
| 8 | "The King of Swords (Part 2)" "Sword no K Hen 2" (スォードのK編②) |
November 20, 2000 | December 8, 2008 (US) | |
| 9 | "The King of Swords (Part 3)" "Sword no K Hen 3" (スォードのK編③) |
November 27, 2000 | December 8, 2008 (US) | |
Demon's Reckoning
| # | English Title Japanese Title |
Original air date | English air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | "The Kyōto File (Part 1)" "Kyouto Hen 1" (京都編①) |
December 4, 2000 | December 15, 2008 (US) | |
| 11 | "The Kyōto File (Part 2)" "Kyouto Hen 2" (京都編②) |
December 11, 2000 | December 15, 2008 (US) | |
| 12 | "The Kyōto File (Part 3)" "Kyouto Hen 3" (京都編③) |
December 18, 2000 | December 22, 2008 (US) | |
| 13 | "The Kyōto File (Part 4)" "Kyouto Hen 4" (京都編④) |
December 18, 2000 | December 22, 2008 (US) | |
Descendants of Darkness has been called "a gateway drug into shōnen-ai and yaoi".[10] Anime News Network praised the TV series' humor.[11] Descendants of Darkness sold 10,000 copies in its first few months on the English-language market.[12] Volume 5 of the series ranked 6th in the week ending of May 22, 2005, according to BookScan's Graphic Novel List.[13]