Descendants of Darkness

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Descendants of Darkness
闇の末裔 (Yami no Matsuei)
Genre	Fantasy/Yaoi/Comedy
Manga
Authored by	Yoko Matsushita
Publisher	Hakusensha
Serialized in	Hana to Yume
Original run	1995 –
No. of volumes	11 volumes (current)
TV anime
Directed by	Hiroko Tokita
Studio	J.C.STAFF
Network	WOWOW
Original run	October 2, 2000 – December 18, 2000
No. of episodes	13

Descendants of Darkness, known in Japan as Yami no Matsuei (闇の末裔), is a manga and anime series created by Yoko Matsushita. The anime is broadcast by WOWOW in Japan and is produced in North America by Central Park Media. The manga was serialized in Hakusensha's Hana to Yume, and is published in English by VIZ Media. It has been collected in 11 tankoubon or volumes.

The series was first published in 1995, and continued fairly regularly until 2003, when Matsushita decided to go on hiatus. With the exception of a few sidestories, it remains on hiatus through today. However, Matsushita has announced plans to continue with the series some time in 2006.

Descendants of Darkness has both aspects of comedy and horror to it, with many violent scenes interspersed with more light-hearted ones.

Descendants of Darkness is a story about Shinigami, the Shinto Gods of Death; in English, it is translated to Guardians of Death. The Shinigami reside in Meifu, or purgatory. They are the servants of Enma Dai-ō, the king of the dead, and work in the department of JuOhCho. In YnM, Shinigami are spiritual detectives who sort out the descrepancies between souls who have arrived and the kiseki, a list of those who still need to arrive to Meifu.

Contents 1 Introduction 2 Stories and Arcs 3 Characters 3.1 Main characters 3.2 Supporting Shinigami and supernatural characters: 3.3 Supporting human characters 3.4 The Shikigami 3.4.1 GensouKai 4 Notes 5 External links

[edit] Introduction

Asato Tsuzuki is a Shinigami with 70 years' worth of experience. He has the power to call upon twelve Shikigami, mythical creatures that aid him in battle. The Shikigami reflect actual historic religious beliefs—such as Suzaku and Byakko. 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 magical, flying Turkin who can speak, and together they do a bit of investigating. The rule is that Shinigami 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. 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 a sort of park area, 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 magical chicken friend, GuShoShin. 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, and the entire series begins following the relationship between these three characters, supported and embellished by the rest of the cast.

(Note: Tsuzuki's hair was changed from black in the original manga to brown for the TV anime.)

[edit] Stories and Arcs

• Two on Opposites Sides of the River story (tankoubon 1)
• Nagasaki arc (tankoubon 1; episodes 1-3)
• Last Waltz story (tankoubon 2)
• Devil's Trill arc (tankoubon 2; episodes 4-6)
• King of Swords arc (tankoubon 3; episodes 7-9)
• Hokkaidō arc (tankoubon 4)
• New Year arc (tankoubon 4)
• Saint Michel arc (tankoubon 4)
• Storybook arc (tankoubon 5)
• New Library story (tankoubon 6)
• Okinawa arc (tankoubon 6)
• The Child and I sidestory (tankoubon 6)
• Kyoto arc (tankoubon 7-8; episodes 10-13)
• Path to the King of Inventors sidestory (tankoubon 8)
• Masquerade arc (tankoubon 9)
• Gensoukai arc (tankoubon 9-11, continues in Hana to Yume)
• Kamakura arc (tankoubon 9-11, continues in Hana to Yume, runs concurrently with Gensoukai)
• Day in the Life of Tatsumi sidestory (published in Za Hana to Yume 2004)
• Oriya and Ukyou sidestories (published in Hana to Yume 2005-6)

[edit] Characters

[edit] Main characters

Asato Tsuzuki (都筑 麻斗, Tsuzuki Asato^?)

The main character, Tsuzuki.

Asato Tsuzuki is the main protagonist of the story. He was born in 1900, and was 26 years old when he died and became a Shinigami. Feature-wise, his appearance has not changed since he was 18 years old. He is the oldest employee of the Shokan/Summons division, besides Chief Konoe, and the least well-paid, due to his perceived incompetence.

Tsuzuki enjoys sake, apple pie, cinnabon, teasing Hisoka, and sleeping. He is notorious among his fellow Shinigami for his slacker qualities and voracious appetite. His favorite color is light green, and he has a flower garden (in which he is known to have tulips and hydrangeas). Tsuzuki's characteristic response to sweets involves puppifying, a transformation that keeps Tsuzuki human, but gives him white puppy ears, paws, and a swishing tail. This is an anime/manga expression that denotes severe cuteness.

Starting in the second volume, in Last Waltz, we learn more about his relationship with his sister. In Tankoubon 5, Storybook, he gives his nameless female role, who had been known only as 'girl,' his sister's name of Luka. She had brought him to be fond of dancing and gardening, at which he's quite adept, and cooking, which is about as edible as poison. While it's hinted that she was wonderful at cooking, there are a couple of instances where he's seen cooking. These attempts always lead to some bad reaction, as shown in Volume 4, Hokkaidō. (The Queen had gone missing, and upon finding her later it is learned that she had eaten a muffin which Tsuzuki made, that Yuma and Saya accidentally left behind. It was the cause for her disappearance, while she really couldn't recall how she ended up out of her 'kingdom.')

Throughout the series, Tsuzuki develops an immediate closeness and affection to his current partner, Hisoka. He has a good friendship with Watari, and a sometimes strained relationship with Tatsumi, who had once been one of his partners. Tsuzuki gets along with most of the employees of Meifu, with the notable exceptions of Hakushaku, who constantly hits on him, and Terazuma, with whom he has a fierce rivalry. Tsuzuki's relationship with Muraki is very tumultuous; although Tsuzuki hates him for his cruelty toward Hisoka, himself (and, actually, pretty much everyone he meets), Tsuzuki's desire to sacrifice himself rather than hurt anyone else prevents him from killing Muraki in cold blood.

Though he is easily one of the most cheerful members of the cast, he hides a dark secret from his past. Both manga and anime reference terrible deeds he committed in the past. It is suggested that Tsuzuki murdered many people, in some way or another, whether intentionally or as a by-product of something else; this is brought to Tsuzuki's attention during his demonic possession by Saagantanasu, a powerful demon who appears in the Devil's Trill Arc. Doctor Muraki reveals to him from his grandfather's research that Tsuzuki was a patient of the elder Muraki for eight years and that Tsuzuki is, in fact, not quite human. During that time, he stayed alive without food, water, or sleep, and was incapable of dying from wounds, as shown by the many times he tried to commit suicide but failed, but for one last time. Muraki suggests that Tsuzuki possesses demon blood [shown by the fact that he has purple eyes], and Tsuzuki finds this incredibly hard to deal with, leading him to try and commit suicide again.

Tsuzuki wields the power of 12 Shikigami as well as ofuda magic. He also has an incredibly high stamina, able to take massive damage to his body without being killed and healing almost immediately. Though later, this was shown to be a trait for all Shinigami, he was the first one shown to have this ability, which appears to be tied to his pre-death abilities.

Hisoka Kurosaki (黒崎 密, Kurosaki Hisoka^?)

The main character, Hisoka.

Hisoka Kurosaki is Shinigami in a 16 year old's body. He possesses strong empathy, which allows him to feel the emotions of others, read thoughts, see memories, and pick up imprints of clairvoyance off of inanimate objects.

He came from a traditional family, and was trained in traditional Japanese martial arts. His parents were afraid of his spiritual powers, which they considered freakish and unfit for their heir as well as something that could unfurl the familiar secret; so as a child, whenever he was caught using his abilities and during special days, he was locked in a cellar.

One spring night, unable to sleep, he went out under the sakura trees, and witnessed a murder. The murderer, Muraki Kazutaka, caught him and brutally raped him before cursing him to a slow death that slowly drained his life over three years. This gave Hisoka the appearance of dying from an undiagnosable terminal illness. This curse is still visible in the form of red marks and symbols all over Hisoka's body, which seems to only appear when Muraki is nearby or active. After Hisoka died, he became a Shinigami, to investigate about his own death since Muraki also blocked his memories of the event, and wouldn't reveal them until their first fight.

In Meifu, Hisoka was assigned as Tsuzuki's partner. Hisoka enjoys reading, and spends much of his time at the library by himself. His health even in the afterlife does not seem to be particularly good, and he is not very strong. However, he is a capable detective, and clever in subterfuge.

Although extremely reserved to the point of coldness, Hisoka deeply cares about other people. When Tsuzuki regains his suicidal tendencies, Hisoka comforts him and ends up saving him from himself. Hisoka also has a strong urge to take care of Tsuzuki, even though Tsuzuki drives him crazy sometimes. He maintains comfortable relationships with the rest of his coworkers, with the noticeable exception of Saya and Yuma, who constantly try to play with him like a doll.

Besides his empathy, Hisoka has also been trained in basic ofuda and defensive magic by Chief Konoe. Later in the series, he goes to seek out a Shikigami for himself in order to increase his power. Hisoka's first Shikigami is a Spanish-speaking potted cactus named Riko, a defensive and water-type Shiki. Hisoka is also adept in traditional martial arts, particularly archery, and kendo.

Kazutaka Muraki (邑輝 一貴, Muraki Kazutaka^?)

The doctor, scientist, sorcerer, life-force vampire, and serial killer, Muraki.

Kazutaka Muraki is the primary antagonist in Yami no Matsuei. His angelic affectations serve to contrast with his brutal nature. Whenever he causes trouble, a full, blood-red moon appears in the sky. Muraki's psychological troubles appear to have begun in childhood with his mother and his half-brother Saki. Muraki's mother collected dolls, and she is shown as treating him as though he were a doll too. Muraki's love of dolls and his collecting of dolls is a motif throughout the manga and anime, paralleling what he does with real people. In the anime, it is suggested that Saki killed Muraki's parents when they were still children and also decided to kill him. However, in the manga, it is not clear what Saki's role was other than disrupting Muraki's childhood, and Muraki describes himself as his mother's murderer.

Whatever the circumstances, Saki was shot by one of the family's guards, and Muraki became obsessed with bringing back Saki in order to kill him himself. Thus, Muraki hopes to use Tsuzuki's body to bring back Saki. This subplot features prominently in the last 3 episodes of the anime and volumes 7 and 8 of the manga.

Muraki is an expert manipulator, fronting as a good doctor who laments over his inability to save lives, while hiding his private life as a serial killer and rapist. Muraki discredits his good "Dr. Jekyll" persona, contrasting himself to Pr. Satomi in the Kyoto Arc, episode 12¹:

SATOMI: My research is to benefit humankind!

MURAKI: Benefit humankind, you say? That is what makes our two missions different. You research in order to give life to others. My research is to kill.

Being a serial killer, Muraki has numerous victims, the most significant of which is Hisoka Kurosaki. After raping the thirteen year old Hisoka, Muraki placed a curse on him. The curse, which was untraceable - partially due to Muraki's having wiped Hisoka's memory of the event - resembled a terminal illness, and Hisoka languished in a hospital for three years before eventually dying. Later, when Hisoka is a shinigami, Muraki forces the boy to recall the rape.

Throughout the story, Muraki manipulates souls of the dead, often killing the people himself, in hopes of drawing the attention of the Shinigami, in particular, Tsuzuki. He is obsessed with Tsuzuki's body; whether carnally or scientifically, or both, is not known. Although Muraki murders several people, and kidnaps others, Hisoka is the only commonly agreed upon case wherein Muraki commits rape.

A respected physician, Muraki has many connections throughout Japan among powerful patrons, but in the anime and manga, he is mostly seen in the company of his close friend Oriya and his old teacher, Professor Satomi. Muraki also has a childhood sweetheart by the name of Ukyou, but very little is known about her, other than that she appears to draw evil spirits to her and that her health is poor.

Some readers believed that because of his different colored eyes, he may be a guardian of one of the four gates of GenSouKai. (see Wakaba Kannuki). However, in the King of Swords arc (volume three in the manga), a scene where Tsuzuki knocks out the fake eye reveals that Muraki's right eye is not real and that it is mechanical. The origin and nature of Muraki's supernatural remain an enigma: he is human, he is alive (not a Shinigami), yet he raises a dead girl to be a zombie, seals and opens Hisoka's memory by mere touch, controls creature spirits similar to Shikigami, enters Meifu by himself and teleports Tsuzuki to another location.

[edit] Supporting Shinigami and supernatural characters:

Chief Konoe

Konoe is the boss of the Shokan Division of EnmaCho, and is Tsuzuki's superior. He has known Tsuzuki for all of the latter's career, and is one of the few characters who knows Tsuzuki's mysterious past before he became a shinigami. Konoe uses his influence to protect Tsuzuki from other higher-ups in Meifu. Konoe is an older man who is often gruff with his employees. He is known for having a sweet tooth and according to an author's note in volume 2 is a black belt in an unknown martial art.

Seiichiro Tatsumi (巽 征一郎, Tatsumi Sei'ichirō^?)

The accountant Tatsumi.

Seiichiro Tatsumi, who was an accountant until he died at 29 and became a Shinigami, is the secretary of the Shokan Division. He spends most of his time going through paperwork and working behind the scenes. He was Tsuzuki's third partner, and worked with Tsuzuki for three months but, unable to cope with Tsuzuki's pain, quit. Tsuzuki reminds Tatsumi of his well-born mother, who constantly grieved despite Tatsumi's attempts to take care of her. Tatsumi eventually killed her (or at least blames himself for her death), and the crime still haunts him.

Although Tatsumi wants revenge for Muraki's "harassing [his] co-workers," and saves Tsuzuki when Muraki is mentally torturing him, he is unsure of how to treat Tsuzuki. It is only at the last minute that he agrees to use his powers as a kagetsukai (shadow master) to save Tsuzuki from Touda's flame. After all, Tsuzuki claims he wants to die, and Tatsumi is terrified of incurring his hatred if he lets him live. Tatsumi recognizes, however, that Hisoka and Tsuzuki have managed to bond on a level that he never could, and he helps them nurture their friendship. Tatsumi's greatest desire is for Tsuzuki to be happy, and believes that Hisoka, who alone of Tsuzuki's partners didn't flinch from his anguish, can help him.

Tatsumi is known above all, however, for his administrative genius. Obsessive about the budget (which, thanks to Konoe's passion for souvenirs and the unintentional destruction that accompanies Tsuzuki's missions, is always in the red), he has micromanaged the Judgment Bureau to the point where he practically runs it. The only person who can squeeze money out of Tatsumi is Tsuzuki, and then only in extreme cases and only for a short time. Even Tsuzuki, however, cannot wring Tatsumi's superb cooking skills out of him for free. For that, one must take a class costing 100,000 yen.

Watari Yutaka (亘理 温, Watari Yutaka^?)

Yutaka Watari is a close friend of Tsuzuki's who works in research and development. Though technically a mechanical engineer, he is basically a scientist who invents whatever comes to mind. He's also in charge of computer maintenance & repair. He's very bouncy and happy, like Tsuzuki, but doesn't seem to hold the inner angst that Tsuzuki does. However, he will occasionally become very and suddenly angry, usually because of something befalling one of his friends.

His companion is a mechanical owl he created, "003". (001 is a toucan and 002 is a penguin) Watari's dream is to create a sex change potion, although his motives are not clear; he definitely has an unusual interest in women and all the facets of being female, although whether or not he can be nailed down as a true pervert is still a matter of opinion (Tatsumi, for example, is quite certain he is). Watari once claimed that he wants to know how the woman's mind works, ergo his wanting to become female to understand it. He tests out all his potions and the like on Tsuzuki, relying on Tsuzuki's weakness for sweets. Watari's special power is bringing his drawings to life. Unfortunately, his skill at drawing is very poor.

Watari is the shinigami for the sixth sector, Henjoucho, which includes Osaka and Kyoto. He has no partner that canon tells of.

Later volumes of the manga, specifically the Kamakura arc, reveal a few pieces of Watari's past life. Most intriguingly it is revealed that Watari once worked for the Five Generals. These employees of Juohcho are infamous for their involvement in the Mother Project, the supercomputer of Meifu. This tiny piece of information is the subject of much speculation in fandom. One wonders if, in this series, anyone is free of the 'angsty past' which seems so much a part of the characters in Yami no Matsuei.

Saya Torii and Yuma Fukiwa

As the acting Shinigami for Hokkaidō, the Ninth District, Saya and Yuma are often snowed in, thus limiting their interaction with the rest of the cast. They are bubbly, very affectionate girls, often throwing themselves at Tsuzuki and Hisoka in overly enthusiastic embraces, though they hold a particular fondness for Hisoka and his attractive, feminine appearance. However, they are sincere in their wanting everyone to be good friends. Tsuzuki once referred to their first meeting with Hisoka as a "baptism of snuggling".

Both have the same light-brown hair and petite form; Saya is generally seen as the quieter of the two, although she has her moments of manic energy like her partner Yuma.

Hajime Terazuma

Though briefly seen, Terazuma isn't mentioned in the anime version (though he is seen briefly in the opening, the first episode, and the last). However, in the manga, he serves as Tsuzuki's rival. He is first introduced in volume four of the manga, and states that he is from the EnMaCho ShoKan Division, and is the junior partner of the fourth district Chūgoku. Terazuma was a policeman from Hiroshima in life, which gave him a rough and pessimistic demeanor, as well as a strong sense of duty. He has a parasitic Shikigami (Kagan Kuroshuki), which altered elements of his face to appear more feral.

Though he can transform at will into his Shikigami, when touched by a female (or a perceived female, much to his dismay) or exposed to water, Terazuma transforms uncontrollably, becoming a raging beast. During those times, his female partner, Wakaba Kannuki, is the only one who can restore Terazuma to his usual form. Terazuma and Tsuzuki fight frequently, mostly because Terazuma thinks that Tsuzuki, a known slacker, does not deserve to be in command of twelve Shikigami. The rivalry between Tsuzuki and Terazuma has gone far enough to destroy the newly built library in Meifu, of which the damage costs were taken out of both their paychecks.

Wakaba Kannuki

Wakaba appears only twice briefly in the anime, and not particularly often in the manga. She really likes Terazuma and manages to befriend everyone. Showing up firstly in volume 4 along with Terazuma for the tournament, she is revealed to be his partner. When Terazuma turns into his shikigami form, it's her job to turn him back. Wakaba is a miko or priestess of sorts; a job that ran in her family. As such, she has strong spiritual powers. She is also the guardian of one of the four gates into Gensoukai, the south or Suzaku Gate. This role is the cause of her two different colored eyes.

GuShoShin

The GuShoShin are based upon twin mythological Japanese figures who dwell in the underworld and record the deeds of human lives in preparation for final judgment. One is known to record the good deeds; the other, the bad deeds. In Yami no Matsuei, they are depicted as small, bird-like creatures that talk. They work in the library, protect its contents which include a database of deaths, and often provide research support to the main characters.

Hakushaku

The Hakushaku is variously translated as 'Count' or 'Earl.' He has no other given name. He is the keeper of the Castle of Candles, a great manor filled with candles whose flames represent every human life. He is invisible except for his mask and glove [reminiscent of the Phantom of the Opera], though it is later revealed he has a human form. His main duty is snuffing out the candles and recording the deceased, but he seems to spend much of his free time entertaining or looking at pictures of Tsuzuki, with whom he is obsessed. The Hakushaku has done favors of extending the lives of several people for Tsuzuki over the years, and this debt makes Tsuzuki very nervous, on account of the nature of the favors he may have to return. The Hakushaku features most prominently in the manga, in which readers learn he has a book that writes stories using characters based off of the rest of the Yami no Matsuei cast. In the book, Tsuzuki's feminine form [whom Tsuzuki meets and calls "Luka" after his sister] is to be wed to the Hakushaku's character (though in the end she falls in love with Butler, the book version of Tatsumi). The Hakushaku also hosts many parties in the manga, ranging from a cherry blossom viewing party to more formal evening balls. Hakushaku's main servant is a zombie-like creature in a pink apron, named "Watson".

Enma-Daioh

The Great King Enma is the ruler of Meifu. In Yami no Matsuei, the Shokan/Summons division reports directly to him. Though obviously powerful, he is a mysterious character about which little is known. He has a particular interest in the work of shinigami Tsuzuki. Enma seems intent on Tsuzuki remaining in his afterlife, but the true motivations behind his attitude towards him have yet to be revealed. Absent from the anime, Enma-Daioh is rarely seen in the manga, but appears to have a dragon-like form in the second manga. In the later chapters of the Kamakura/GenSouKai Arcs, it is shown that Enma-Daioh has a human form. He is a mysterious character with long black hair whose eyes are never shown, adding to the mystery of his character.

[edit] Supporting human characters

Tsubaki Kakyouin

A very frail girl nicknamed "Tsubaki-hime" (Princess Tsubaki) in the anime, but nick-named Camille in the manga (after the prostitute in the novel The Lady of the Camellias by Alexandre Dumas, fils), and daughter of a millionaire. She appears in the "King of Swords arc". She had a weak heart and Muraki saved her through an urgent transplant; after learning this, Tsubaki acquired a crush on Muraki, not knowing that the heart she received was the one of her old friend Eileen, a flower girl who kept her company and whom Muraki killed (along with other persons who were involved in human organs traffic) in order to harvest her heart for Tsubaki.

Tsubaki befriends Hisoka during the arc, and she tries to fall for him. She fails since her feelings for Muraki are too strong. Tsubaki also develops a second, murderous and vengeful personality that identifies herself as Eileen. Eileen is the one who has been killing the people involved in her own murder, using Tsubaki's body via a medicine that was given to her by Muraki himself. Finally, after Muraki narrowly escapes his own death, he shoots Tsubaki. After explaining her view of him to Hisoka, she begs him to kill her. In the end, a tearful Hisoka kills Tsubaki.

Oriya Mibu

Very little is known about Oriya. He owns Kou Kaku Rou, an elegant traditional restaurant that is secretly a brothel for the rich and powerful. This, he inherited from his family, who has held Kou Kaku Rou for many generations (it is described in the manga as one of the oldest, if not the oldest restaurant in Kyoto). He is a friend of Muraki's from college, and Muraki's only known friend. He wears a very distinctive and ornate kimono. He is often seen smoking a traditional Japanese kiseru pipe and practicing kendo. He is an expert with the katana. He has very strong feelings toward Muraki, though it is unclear whether his feelings are specifically romantic or not. In the most recent continuation of the series, he is shown to be hosting and caring for Ukyou, Muraki's childhood sweetheart.

Though he is usually seen as a neutral or sympathetic figure in the story, he is also an active collaborator of Muraki's. He has helped Muraki cover up his murders through his network of high-ranking officials, and in return, Muraki has disposed of troublesome elements among the women of his brothel.

Saki Shidou

Muraki's older, half-brother. They are nearly the same age, and look very similar, though Saki has blond-brown hair. Saki was the result of his father's philandering with one of his patients. At about the age of 16, Saki was brought to live with Muraki in their household. Muraki credits this as having ruined his life by destroying his family. In the anime, it's suggested that Saki had something to do with the death of Muraki's parents, though in the manga Muraki says he killed his own mother.

Ukyou Sakuraiji

Muraki's fianceé and Oriya's friend, who works for Sakura Pharmaceuticals. She has the appearance of a high-school girl, despite being in her thirties. She is two years younger than Muraki and Oriya, and went to school with them. After Muraki's disappearance following the events in Kyoto, Ukyou began visiting Oriya every year in his place. She seems to be a relatively good person with a rather bad health that may or may not kill her sooner or later.

Hisae Tojyo

Hisae Tojyo is a dancer who has a small part in the first story from the second book. She doesn't show up in the anime, but plays a big role in the small, almost filler story. When she was younger her mother died and her father isn't mentioned. She and her brother raised themselves. Her brother died later in her life, and she feels like it was her fault. She grew very ill with an unspecified disease and was in the hospital for a long time. While her brother tried to make their dance academy famous to live out their mothers dream he would visit her every day. One day a carless driver lost control and her brother died in the crash. After that she checked out of the hospital to live out the dream of her brother- to live out the dream of her mother. Her name appeirs on the Kiseki, and a few months later Tsuzuki shows up to deliver the summons.

Tsuzuki and Hisoka enter in the middle of a fight between her and another dancer over a partner for an upcoming dance contest. Somehow Tsuzuki ends up staying with her for the weeks before the contest, and in turn they both secretly fall for each other. Tsuzuki makes a deal with the Count to extend her life until just after she finishes her dance in the contest.

She is often found wearing dresses, has dark hair, and is much notably shorter than Tsuzuki. She's 19 years old. She can have a temper, and jumps to conclusions most of the time without waiting for further explanation.

"When the song ends, her life will too."

[edit] The Shikigami

The shikigami in Yami no Matsuei are guardian spirits; creatures which can be summoned by shinigami. When in battle in the living world, shikigami appear as various types of mythological creatures. There are different kinds of shikigami, roughly divided by the four elements, earth, wind, fire, and water. The majority of shinigami can only summon two or three shikigami. The single exception is Asato Tsuzuki, who commands the power of twelve high-ranked shikigami. They include the following:

• Byakko - a white tiger

The guardian of the West. As a human (though complete with a striped tail), Byakko is similar to Tsuzuki, in his habit of skipping work to have a nap, and being very lively and exuberant. He constantly pounces anyone and everyone when excited, and acts like a child on some occasions.

• Suzaku - a 'firebird' or phoenix, the first we see in the anime. She is the guardian of the South.

In GensouKai, Suzaku is a dark-haired, fierce-tempered woman. Since Kyoto, she has born a grudge against her fellow fire-type Touda for the part he played in assisting Tsuzuki in his latest attempt of suicide. She is devoted to Tsuzuki, as shown by her misguided attempt to protect him in Kyoto when he went crazy. She loves to drink and eat just like Tsuzuki, whom calls her "Nee-san" affectionately.

• Seiryu - a blue dragon, the representative of the Emperor of GensouKai (see below)

The guardian of the East. Seiryu is one of the strongest and most highly-ranked of the shikigamis. He is suspicious of newcomers to his realm, and perceives Hisoka as a threat to its stability. He even goes so far as to call Hisoka a curse on Gensoukai and attempt to attack him. He would have succeeded had Rikugo not stopped him with magic. Long before the Golden Emperor went missing he and Kurikara were best friends and worked together peacefully. But once the Golden Emperor began to try to take over the human world, Kurikara stood up for humanity against Seiryu. Seiryu would stab Kurikara in the forehead and right eye and use the power that the Golden Emperor gave him to seal Kurikara away.

• Touda - a huge, black, winged serpent. The only shikigami capable of destroying a shinigami.

When in human form, Touda wears a visor over his eyes, to inhibit his powers. He does as Tsuzuki asks, but only exactly as he asks. Nonetheless, he is devoted in his own way to Tsuzuki, who freed him from eternal imprisonment for unknown crimes. It is suggested that his crimes were actually missions the Golden Emperor assigned him privately, then punished him for publicly. When Tsuzuki found him, Touda was chained up in the deepest basement of Tenkuu, naked. He vowed to help Tsuzuki since it was the only way out of his imprisonment and agreed to wear the visor that also seems to alter his memories as well as limit his strength.

Tsuzuki's other shikigamis include Genbu, the guardian of the North that appears in human form as a tiny old man; Kijin and Tenko, Souryuu's children. Kijin appears as a boy the same age as Hisoka with pupil-less blue eyes and a soft expression and exterme loyalty to his father and protectiveness of his sister. He is a thunder shikigami. Tenkou appears as a tiny girl with the same sort of eyes and a great fondness for her brother and father. She is a water shikigami. Rikugo is the astrologer shikigami and Genbu's student with long hair and an attitude to match Watari's. He is easily recognized by the extra pair of eyes in his forehead and an eye in each hand; Taimou, the spellbreaker that looks like a faceless monster; Kouchin, the court musician that flirts with anyone and everyone; Daion, a gag shikigami that lives in a pot that has a mouth and eyes cut into it; and Tenkuu, a Shinto shrine that the others dwell in.

The only other character known to have a Shiki is Hisoka, who is in control of a small, first level water Shiki named Rikko. He can contain water in his body and spray it at will, and enjoys singing into a microphone and speaking bits of Spanish and English. He died protecting Hisoka from an enraged Kurikara.

• Kurikara - a fire dragon type. Thought to be the most powerful shikigami in all of Gensoukai.

In his human form he a very short male with the typical long ears of the dragon types and a scar that runs down the center of his forehead, and a second one that runs over his right eye from wounds that Seiryu inflicted on him. He and Seiryu used to be very close best friends. This changed when one day it was revealed that the "Golden Emperor" was going to destroy the human world and make it easy for all Shikigami to live in. Seiryu was going to go along with the plan and help the "Golden Emperor" when Kurikara decided to take a stand against him. As a result the "Golden Emperor" lent some of his power to Seiryu in order to subdue Kurikara and seal him deep in a forge in the lost desert of Gensoukai for eternity. Centuries later Hisoka would accidentally release him. Hisoka is currently attempting to gain him as one of his own Shikigami. It is thought that Kurikara is a large black steel dragon.

[edit] GensouKai

The later manga volumes explain how the shikigami live an independent existence in a dimension separate from but connected to Meifu. This 'illusory world', GensouKai, is populated by many shikigamis. Like the Meifu, GensouKai appears to be an individual realm and society in its own right. Interestingly, the shikigamis inhabit the world in their human forms (avatars). When he visits, this causes much confusion for Hisoka, who searches for a 'tiger, or a red bird', ignorant of the fact that the shikigamis in their own world do, in most cases, resemble humans.

GensouKai is allegedly ruled over by an Emperor. However, the 'Golden Emperor' as he is known, has not been seen for many years. It is thought by some that he is dead. The Emperor's representative is Souryuu, the Protector of the East.

[edit] Notes

• ¹ Tetris no Miko

[edit] External links

• http://www.hakusensha.co.jp/cgi-bin/mag/magazine.cgi?mode=magazine&magmode=mag01&day=now
• http://theria.net/yaminomatsuei/index.html
• http://katcom.squidkitty.org/Contents.html
• http://www.rautalanka.net/rinoa/links.html
• http://community.livejournal.com/yami_no_matsuei/
• http://www.interq.or.jp/tokyo/antique/yami.html Happy Otaku's YnM Doujinshi