Descendants of Darkness DVD

Even in the afterlife, there is paperwork. Asato Tsuzuki has been a shinigami — a god of death, responsible for guiding the souls of the deceased to their proper realms — for over seventy years, despite appearing to be in his mid-twenties. He is cheerful, easily distracted, and perpetually broke, which given the nature of his employment is either ironic or entirely appropriate. Working out of the Ju-Oh-Cho's most chaotic division, Tsuzuki investigates cases of unnatural death and rogue supernatural activity alongside his new young partner Hisoka Kurosaki — a taciturn, empathic teenager killed at sixteen by a man who continues to haunt both their lives. That man is Dr. Kazutaka Muraki: white-haired, impeccably mannered, a brilliant physician, and something considerably more dangerous — a manipulative sociopath whose interest in Tsuzuki is personal, obsessive, and deeply unsettling. As the two shinigami work through four interconnected arcs across Nagasaki, Kyoto, and Tokyo, the cases grow increasingly dark and the connection between Tsuzuki's hidden past and Muraki's ambitions comes gradually into focus.

Descendants of Darkness — known in Japan as Yami no Matsuei — is a 13-episode supernatural mystery series produced by J.C. Staff, directed by Hiroko Tokita, and based on Yoko Matsushita's shojo manga serialized in Hana to Yume. It aired on WOWOW from October 2000 to June 2001 and is structured in four distinct story arcs: the Nagasaki arc, the Gensoukai arc, the Kyoto arc, and the Takamagahara arc — each one darker and more psychologically intense than the last. The series occupies a specific and beloved niche in early 2000s shojo: gothic supernatural mystery with a predominantly male cast, heavy on atmosphere, moral complexity, and the charged dynamic between Tsuzuki and both Hisoka and the villainous Muraki.

 Originally released in North America by Central Park Media on four DVD volumes in 2003; the DVD collection gathers all 13 episodes across the four-disc set.

Notable Staff & Voice Talent

Director: Hiroko Tokita
Original Manga: Yoko Matsushita (serialized in Hana to Yume, Hakusensha; manga licensed in English by Viz Media)
Studio: J.C. Staff (Slayers, Little Snow Fairy Sugar, Sorcerous Stabber Orphen, Descendants of Darkness)
Music: Tsuneyoshi Saito

Japanese Cast:
• Shin'ichiro Miki as Asato Tsuzuki (Escaflowne, Vampire Princess Miyu, Gokudo, Fushigi Yugi, Sorcerer Hunters)
• Mayumi Asano as Hisoka Kurosaki
• Toshihiko Seki as Dr. Kazutaka Muraki (Escaflowne, Angel Sanctuary, Pet Shop of Horrors)
• Sho Hayami as Oriya Mibu (RG Veda, Nightwalker, Shinesman)
• Toshiyuki Morikawa as Touda / Byakko
• Akira Ishida as Kannuki (Gokudo, Slayers, Now and Then Here and There, Rurouni Kenshin, Fruits Basket)

English Dub Cast (Central Park Media — New York):
• Liam O'Brien as Asato Tsuzuki (Night on the Galactic Railroad, RG Veda)
• Dan Green as Hisoka Kurosaki (Pokémon)
• Rachael Lillis as additional cast (Pokémon, Night on the Galactic Railroad, Maetel Legend, RG Veda)

DVD Features (4-Disc Collection)

• All 13 Episodes Across 4 Volumes
• Central Park Media / US Manga Corps Previews

Spoken Languages: English & Japanese Audio, English Subtitles

Edition Details

Japanese Title: 闇の末裔 (Yami no Matsuei)
Runtime: ~325 Minutes (Complete Series, 13 Episodes)
Director: Hiroko Tokita
DVD Release Year: 2003 (U.S. Release, Central Park Media, 4-Disc Collection)
Original Broadcast Date (Japan): October 2, 2000 – June 24, 2001 (WOWOW)
Publisher: Central Park Media (US Manga Corps)
Rating: 16+
Region: Region 1 (U.S. / Canada)
Genre: Supernatural, Mystery, Dark Fantasy, Shojo
Themes: Shinigami Investigators, Gothic Mystery, Bishounen Cast, Muraki Villain, Four Story Arcs

Media assumed VG+ unless otherwise noted.