Descendants of Darkness

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]

Publication

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. Digital rights to the series are currently held by Starz Media/Manga Entertainment. The show is available for purchase or viewing over various digital services, including iTunes, Netflix, Zune Marketplace, and PlayStation Network.

Overview

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 shinigami 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 main 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 known as "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 the 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 body 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 supected that he is the vampire. Tsuzuki calls him a kid, 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.

Story arcs

• Two on Opposites Sides of the River (story; tankōbon 1).
• Nagasaki (arc; tankōbon 1).
• Last Waltz (story; tankōbon 2).
• Devil's Trill (arc; tankōbon 2).
• King of Swords (arc; tankōbon 3).
• Hokkaidō (arc; tankōbon 4).
• New Year (arc; tankōbon 4).
• Saint Michel (arc; tankōbon 4).
• Storybook (arc; tankōbon 5).
• New Library (story; tankōbon 6).
• Okinawa (arc; tankōbon 6).
• The Child and I (sidestory; tankōbon 6).
• Kyōto (arc; tankōbon 7–8).
• Path to the King of Inventors (sidestory; tankōbon 8).
• Masquerade (arc; tankōbon 9).
• Gensoukai (arc; tankōbon 9–12, continues in Hana to Yume).
• Kamakura (arc; tankōbon 9–12, continues in Hana to Yume, runs concurrently with Gensoukai arc).
• Day in the Life of Tatsumi (sidestory; published in Za Hana to Yume 2004).
• Oriya and Ukyō (sidestories; published in Hana to Yume 2005–6).

Episodes

Vampire's Lure

Devil's Song

Tarot Curse

Demon's Reckoning

Characters

References to poetry

• The insert song for episode two, Amethyst Remembrance, is based on the poem "I held a Jewel in my fingers" by Emily Dickinson, although the final verse is taken from the sonnet "Go from me! Yet I feel I shall stand" by Elizabeth Barret Browning.^[8]
• The lyrics for Hisoka - The Memory of the Cursed Moonlit Night are taken from the first two lines of the poem "Sudden Light" by Dante Gabriel Rossetti.^[8]

Soundtracks

1. "Ju Oh Cho"^[9]
2. "Asato Tsuzuki"
3. "Eyes of Sharp Lightning"
4. "Mortal Combat"
5. "Crimson Labyrinth"
6. "Bloodstained Gem"
7. "Encroaching Terror"
8. "Hisoka the Memory of the Cursed Moonlit Night"
9. "Family of Darkness"
10. "Bewitching Captive"
11. "Hunter Named Death, The"
12. "Meeting of Fate, A"
13. "Amethyst Remembrance"
14. "Eyecatch"
15. "Nether World of Cherry Blossoms Silhouette, The"
16. "Pursuit of Sorrow"
17. "Devil's Trill, The"
18. "Castle of Candles"
19. "From the Gravah Garden"
20. "Locked Heart, A"
21. "Confrontation"
22. "Blade of Demon Flame"
23. "Face of Glass, A"
24. "Talisman"
25. "Deeply Rooted Delusion Insanity Driven Ambition"
26. "Scene of Carnage in Kyoto, A"
27. "Eden" (TV size)
28. "Love Me" (TV size)

Reception

Descendants of Darkness has been called "a gateway drug into shōnen-ai and yaoi" despite it not really being as such.^[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]

References

External links

• Descendants of Darkness (manga) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
• Descendants of Darkness (anime) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
• Descendants of Darkness at the Internet Movie Database