Yami no Matsuei
Reviewer: Varda [email]Overall Rating: A+
Media Reviewed: DVD
Creator: Matsushita Yoko
U.S. Licensed: Yes
Released by: Central Park Media
Run time: 13 episodes
BL Content: Ambiguous (yaoi implications, fanservice)
Genre: Drama/Horror/Supernatural
Other media: English-licensed manga
Yami No Matsuei is actually a manga series by Matsushita Yoko published in Hana To Yume. YNM, translated as 'The Descendent Of Darkness'.
Rated PG-13 for the gruesome (I think this word suits well in the episode where Muraki's beasts ate the poor girl), bloody and a brief not-so-clear scene where Muraki molested Hisoka under the sakura tree.
Tsuzuki Asato and Kurosaki Hisoka are the main character and then we have the villain of course (what can you do without a villain in a show when it's like Sherlock Holmes?), Muraki Kazutaka and other small characters.
There are 13 episodes of the anime where it is chop into 4 chapters. There is no doubt that Matsushita-sensei has done a very excellent job. Her artworks are beautiful where as you can actually fall head over heels for the characters. And her storyline of the show is very stimulating.
The story starts where Tsuzuki first met Muraki in a church (with his tears, how angel-like). Then came a boy who mistook Tsuzuki as the criminal and tried to shoot him. This boy, Hisoka, is actually his new partner where as Shinigami (gods of the death) must have a partner as Tsuzuki doesn't have one (he had so many already only that all of them are likely not or too 'fond' of him and left him). Mainly he is a very lovable character with his genki-ness and his love for sweets (is he not afraid of diabetes? Oh yeah, I forgot, he's already dead). Tsuzuki is very insecure about the fact that he's not a human. His beautiful amethyst eyes are the proof of his in-human-ness. This is his weakness which Muraki always played on. But his younger partner always assures him that he is human in order to calm him down. Hisoka died at the age of 16 and as you might expect, isn't too happy about being 16 for the rest of eternity. He's very serious and standoffish, and tends to be put off by Tsuzuki constantly goofing off. His power is empathy, which he had even while alive. He became a Shinigami to find the one who murdered him. And now, even though he found him but he still could not understand the state of mind of his killer as it is so dark and evil.
The story is all about Tsuzuki and Hisoka solving all the cases that they are call upon to deal with, when the name of a person appeared on the 'kiseki' list but their soul has not arrived in 'Meifu' and are often the cases end up being very sad, serious and sadistic. In a short word, Shinigami are detectives who investigate unnatural deaths.
Most of the cases in the anime are all related to Muraki, in a twisted way or just straight to him. He, Muraki, is an insane, sadistic yet undeniably dazzling person. His purpose of being evil is very off your head and you will feel his madness in your very veins. But even so, he's my favourite character in the show.
The story is basically shounen-ai. But for me, I think the whole relationship between the boys is not like what they seem to be. Yes, I can't deny that they are all very close to each other but it's not like that. It's more towards a very beautiful friendship, it is intimate but like a family. It's likely because they live in an environment where the whole scene is mostly accommodate by men (and dead). So there is this part where they want to love and be loved. So in a way their relationship is always misunderstood (where can you see men are not hesitating to show their tears and their emotion?). Of course I did not include twisted ol' Muraki, as he is what we all see he is.
This anime is definitely a must see. I've been watching it all over again and I still do. You want action, comedy, angst, mystery, horror and bishounen? Go get this series!
