CREATOR

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Matsushita Youko

PlOTLINE

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In the Realm of the Dead (Meifu), the Shokan Division of the Enma-Cho Bureau is responsible for the summoning of the dead to court. However, some of these dead still loiter in the world of the living. The Shinigami (Shokan agents) are Angels of Death, responsible for bringing these souls back. Together with their Shikigami (deities of death and powerful spiritual weapons), they crack case after case, while trying to come to terms with their own existences as well.

COMMENTS

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Plotline is very, very tight. There're a lot of details, background side plots and a whole range of meandering that might leave you cross-eyed. Neat, really, basically one case after another until you get the climax at the end. YnM has really good fantasy/gothic elements, dashes of yaoi here and there, and a high bishounen-factor that should hook most fangirls. At the same time, there're darker undertones which anchor the plot so it doesn't descend into fluffiness.

MAIN CHARACTERS

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Below are the top 5 main characters in YnM. There are more, and often-times, the minor characters play important roles too, but to get to know them, I strongly recommend buying the manga.

TSUZUKI ASATO. He is the central character, who was basically a societal outcast when he was still a human. Outwardly, he is sweet, goofy and happy-go-lucky, but actually he is a very deeply insecure and toubled individual. A completely selfless person, he is also one of the most powerful Shinigami, able to summon up to 12 Shikigami. He also loves sweet stuff.

KUROSAKI HISOKA. A powerful empath, which means he can read people's emotions and connect with them. His past is tragic, and his death even worse. Shuns people because he can't handle the overwhelming emotions. Is a very sharp-tongued kid with an even sharper attitude. Also trained in kendo, judo, kyudo, etc.

WATARI YUTAKA. The resident doctor and scientist. Although he has his serious moments, Watari's mostly cheerful and easygoing. Unlike the other Shinigami, he mostly stays in his lab, but he's no less capable. Some of his talents include the ability to give life to inanimate objects, and the concoction of weird experiments (ahem, sex-changing, etc.)

TATSUMI SEIICHIRO. The Secretary of the division. A very stern person, but is truly concerned about the other Shinigami. He also plays accountant and is famous for dishing out pay-cuts and budgeting exercises. He does not use Shikigami. He is a Shadow Wielder, bending shadows to his will to attack, to creat voids, barriers, etc. Watch out for his evil sense of humour! ^_^

MURAKI KAZUTAKA. One of the greatest anime villains ever. He spends his time generally making life hell for all the Shinigami, especially Tsuzuki and Hisoka. Muraki is easily one of YnM's most charismatic characters with his alternating between mania and charm. He has a personal agenda - borne from a childhood tragedy that he never recovered from - in his pursuit of Tsuzuki.

MANGA DETAILS

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Number of volumes : 11
Status : Ongoing (?)

The artwork is gorgeous (everyone's beautiful!) and extremely-detailed. For the seasoned manga reader, you will enjoy the detail and the pages which are chock full of side jokes. For the beginner however, it will take some time to get used to the tediousness (I know I had to when I first started).

There is an issue of whether the manga is ongoing or completed. By all means, there is no closure at the end of volume 11 and there is indication of potential continuing arcs. However, it has been a while since volume 11 has been released and no definite news of continuation. But because fans are always hopeful, let's put it the manga on an ongoing status. ^_^

SAMPLE 1 (3 pics)

ANIME DETAILS

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Director : Tokita Hiroko
Character Design : Nakayama Yumi
Music : Tsuneyoshi Saito
Episodes : 13
Status : Complete

ANIMATION

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One of the best I've seen, and that says a LOT. The animation is a combination of excellent drawing and computer graphic imagery (CGI), thus bringing together a blend of highly-detailed and lushly-coloured scenes. All these just come together really well to bring to life the kind of illusionary/dream-like/surreal world of YnM. You just HAVE to watch YnM on TV, I'm serious.

SCREENCAPS

VOICE-ACTING

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Look at all those star seiyuu in the cast! Miki Shinichirou and Seki Toshihiko are consummate seiyuu who do a brilliant job no matter who they voice, so we'd leave them at that. Asano Mayumi is especially good as Hisoka - she does a GREAT job with that angsty/somewhat-girlish teenage boy voice. And kudos to Hayami Sho who really brings out the evil, seductive charm of Muraki. Morikawa Toshiyuki also does well, but Tatsumi is a mostly stern man so you won't be able to experience the whole range of emotion the seiyuu is capable of.

MUSIC

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Excellent soundtrack of vocal and instrumental pieces. Matches the haunting, ethereal and otherworldly feel of the anime perfectly. Some recommendations:

• Eden (OP) sung by To Destination
• Amethyst Embrace (Instru)
• Devil's Trill (Instru)
• Tsuzuki Asato (Instru)

RESOURCES

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YAMI NO MATSUEI MANGA SUMMARIES (Fan site)

THERIA.NET (Fan site)

COMPULSION (Fan site)