Descendants of Darkness DVD Collection
by Hiroko Takita
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DVD details
Actor: Mayumi Asano, Shô Hayami, Shinichirô Miki, Toshihiko Seki, Toshiyuki MorikawaDirector: Hiroko Takita
Producer: Atsushi Moriyama
Writer: Yôko Matsushita
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); Japanese (Original Language)
Format: Animated, Box set, Color, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 325 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2003-07-08
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Us Manga Corps Video
Product features:
- Art & Sketch Gallery * Character Profiles * Music Video
- Fun Facts Video * Virtual Tarot Card Reading * Previews
- Descendants of Darkness Trailers
- Language: English & Japanese with English Subtitles
- Art Gallery * Scripts * Cast and Production Credits!
DVD Reviews of Descendants of Darkness DVD Collection
DVD Review: At the risk of being lynched...
Summary: 4 Stars
...this is NOT shonen ai anime, despite the deluge of reviews that hail it as such. For anyone new to the genre who has comes across this title, "shonen ai" literally translates to "boy love," and the plotlines in those stories generally follows the basic formula of a romance novel, with the developing romance between the two male characters being the most important aspect of the story. In Japan, about 90% of these stories, or higher, are sold to women and they are written for women.
What this story DOES have is an intense homoerotic pull between the protagonist, Tsuzuki, and the antagonist, Muraki. Love between these two characters is no-where to be found, however, which is why I don't classify it as "shonen ai." If it's a shonen ai anime that you're looking for, I suggest you start with titles such as "Gravitation," or "Fake." Both are well known in the genre and are good places to start.
Other reviews pretty much cover the story, so I'll recap as shortly as possible. Tsuzuki is a "Guardian of Death," his job is to guide the lost and wandering souls who haven't paseed on into the world of the dead, so they don't muck up the world of the living. In other words, he's a detective on a sort of supernatural police task force, and the four story arcs reflect this. After seventy years of pounding the pavement and going through work partners like Kleenex, he is teamed at the beginning of the anime with a sixteen year old boy who has just died, called Hisoka. Both Tsuzuki and Hisoka have their own tragic pasts, and as they solve their investigations they bond with each other forming a deep and abiding friendship along the lines of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy, for those who know their Star Trek.
"Wait!" I hear the shonen ai fans cry! "We'll give you that there's really no love lost between Tsuzuki and Muraki, but what about Hisoka and Tsuzuki?" If you choose to see homosexual context in every relationship between male characters in any and every story, (Star Trek and Harry Potter being two fandoms that come to mind...), then you may convince yourself that you see a homosexual relationship between Hisoka and Tsuzuki. I don't see it, myself. I see two men who are the most important thing in the world to each other, I see a friendship that is as close as the bond between brothers, but I don't see any "evidence" that they're in love. However, I suggest you watch it yourself and use your own judgement.
The DVDs themselves were just fine. I ordered mine used, simply because I refuse to pay almost $90 for a four episode anime. The first two discs' menus are slightly confusing as they're laid out in a pentagram formation, but it's nothing that's too difficult to figure out. If you're on this site, you're already looking at the version licensed in America, and from someone who DID see the fansubs, the translations are pretty much as I remember them, if a little clearer. I recommend watching both the dub AND the original Japanese with subtitles. The dub, for the most part is excellent. My only complaint with it is the voice of Muraki, who sounds like Bert from Sesame Street has gone to the Dark Side. Fans who are used to the fansubs may find Hisoka's voice a little disconcerting to listen to at first (the American editors realize that by the age of sixteen a boy's voice has broken), as it is voiced by a young man rather than the rich contralto of the woman who originally voiced the character. Tsuzuki's voice is just as good in English as in the original Japanese and is a pleasure to listen to, as are most of the characters. In fact, some of the charcters are actually better in English, such as Princess Tsubaki.
In other words, if you're a fan of anime, I would recommend this title, although I wouldn't recommend it for someone completely new to anime. The arwork is beautiful, and you can see the artists beginning to experiment with computer animation is some of the shots. The dub and sub are very good and the content has survived the censorship filter, (I didn't think the relationship between Muraki and Tsuzuki would survive intact). Shonen ai fans will enjoy it and insist that various characters are in love with each other, while those who are not shonen ai fans will enjoy the casefiles and the action (which there is plenty of), as well as the character development.
Description of Descendants of Darkness DVD Collection
Evil walks the earth, and only supernatural detective Tsuzuki can stop it! Tsuzuki takes on vampires and demons with style and skill, but his afterlife has been haunted by the specter of the evil Dr. Muraki, a heartless, immortal serial killer. Can Tsuzuki's brash and beautiful new partner help him control his deadly supernatural powers and defeat the villainous Dr. Muraki before he kills again? Complete Series: Episodes 1-13Bestsellers in DVD
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