Descendants of Darkness
Alt titles: Yami no Matsuei
Synopsis:
Tsuzuki Asato is a shinigami: a guardian of death. Acting as an investigator in Juuouchou, the bureau in charge of ensuring that each soul passes through the cycle of life naturally, his job often involves dealing with those who would disrupt this cycle. His life after death is about to change, however, as he is assigned a new partner, Kurosaki Hisoka, for a case in Nagasaki - a case seeming to involve some sort of vampire. But the two shinigami soon find that something deeper lies behind this blood-sucking menace...
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Loveless
- TV (12 eps)
- 2005
Ritsuka has nowhere to run or hide. He lost his memories and his mother’s loving support, and then his brother -- his sole defender -- was brutally murdered. He is entirely alone until Soubi appears, saying the words he most wants to hear, but refuses to believe: “I love you and will do anything for you.” Flung into a world of intrigue and magic, where bonded pairs battle and only Soubi can fight for him, he struggles to find his brother’s killer. Yet he must also face the most bitter question of all: if you can't remember who you were, does that mean you don't know who you are?
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add recBoth Loveless and Yami no Matsuei have shonen-ai overtones, but unlike other shonen-ai anime, these two series have deeper emotions and plots. Both revolve around characters that have dark secrets in their past and rely on their relationships with others to help them through situations.
There is also a nice blend of humour mixed into both series to help break up the action/fighting sequences and heavy drama.
As with Yami no Matsuei, Loveless has a good portion of fantasy and shounen-ai mixed in with it. However, the intensity of the shounen-ai relationship is stronger in Loveless (and it is more sensual). So, like many were, if you were slightly disappointed with the lack of real shounen-ai action in Yami no Matsuei, you will find Loveless to suit your needs.
Aside from that, they both have intricate characters with interesting pasts. The plots in both keep your attention throughout the entire series.
Loveless and Descendants of Darkness deal with supernatural battles that drag the characters into bitter confrontations. Dark and mysterious pasts are another common factor, as is the occasionally dark tone that both series contain. While they shy from being graphic, much is implied, leading to many a painful revelation. Loveless qualifies as shounen-ai and DoD has enough boys' love content to be highly slashable.
Loveless, like DoD, is another anime based on a famous BL (boys' love) manga. If you like shounen-ai you will like these anime! There are mysteries to be solved and dark pasts will be revealed.
If you're looking for a melancholy shonen-ai anime to offset the usual brand (you know the ones I mean - pink hair, blushing uke-boys, outrageous humor, you get the picture), Loveless and Yami no Matsuei are both great fits. They both have the same melancholy overtones, plus enough angst to go around. Coincidentally, they're both based on unfinished manga, so be warned - the endings may seem abrupt. Yami no Matsuei's finale is slightly better handled that that of Loveless, but not by much.
There is nothing better than seeing two beautiful bishounen characters being close and having a lot of noticable sexual tension. Although these shows are quite tame shounen-ai, there is enough fan service to keep the most rabid fangirl happy.
If you liked the boys and the action from one show, you're sure to enjoy it in the other.
Fake
- OVA (1 ep)
- 1998
During a much needed vacation in England, American cops Dee Laytner and Randy McClane find out that danger has found them yet again. Their hotel, it seems, is under investigation for a series of murders which cannot be solved, perplexing local authorities and visitors alike. Now, Dee's clever plans to take Randy's virginity must be stalled in lieu of the investigation, since hesitation might cost both of them their lives!
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add recBoth Fake and Yami no Matsuei are shounen ai with a good plot, and that is not that common. It is however hard to compare them since Fake is a movie based on a story that happens in the middle of the manga storyline and Yami no is several episodes and gives more time for character development.
These two classic shounen-ai anime each follow the escapades of a poorly-matched detective pair, but in many ways they couldn't be more different. Firstly, while the team of 'Yami no Matsuei' are all long-dead, the dynamic duo of 'Fake' are only on holiday. ("In England, nobody can hear you scream!") Whilst the story of 'Fake' is extremely lighthearted, 'Yami no Matsuei' sometimes delves into deeper themes of death and psychological trauma, but both undoubtedly have their moments of high comedy. 'Fake' devotes more screen time to exploring the relationships between its main cast, while 'Yami no Matsuei' remains coy and playful, mostly keeping relationships as gently implied comedic material. This is partly due to the time constraints of both; 'Fake' barely even clocks in at an hour in length, but the fact remains that it is more relationship-focused than 'Yami no Matsuei', which tends to feature more action and suspense than the rather silly story of 'Fake'. In any case, despite being a little dated, both are light-hearted takes on the genre which can't fail to bring a smile to your face.
Gravitation
As a member of a musical duo on the verge of making it into show business, Shindou Shuichi has a lot on his mind -- especially since he writes the songs for his Bad Luck band. His life gets no less hectic when he bumps into Yuki Eiri, a successful yet cynical author extraordinaire, who immediately insults Shuichi’s lyrics upon reading them. Seeking him out to demand an apology, Shuichi nevertheless sees other facets of Eiri’s personality. Can he accept the fact that he might be developing feelings for the novelist who discredited his work on their first meeting?
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add recNightWalker
- OVA (12 eps)
- 1998
In the streets of Tokyo, the nightbreed walk as humans, preying on innocent lives and feasting on innocent blood. There is one man who would put a stop to this: Shido, the Night Walker, whose blood is made up of the very thing he aims to protect against: the nightbreed. Along with his co-worker Yayoi, a green fairy named Guni and a clever young secretary named Riho, Shido and his detective agency take cases that would be otherwise missed and forgotten, to seek out the nightbreed and send them from whence they came...
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add recDescendants of Darkness and Nightwalker are detective stories in which supernatural heroes must hunt down dangerous demon-like creatures. Both are dark horror tales with a rather fast pacing and action oriented. In terms of character development, these titles focus on immortals that were time human at one point. Descendants of Darkness has a memorable villain that eventually lends an arching plot to the story while Nightwalker remains mostly episodic but both share the same tone and mood.
Mirage of Blaze
- TV (13 eps)
- 2002
In the present, there exists a spiritual world unseen to the average human being -- the Feudal Underworld, a place where the spirits of ancient samurai warlords battle for supremacy, while influencing the land of the living. Ougi Takaya thought he was a normal high school student, until a man named Naoe Nobutsuna informed him that he is the reincarnation of Uesugi Kagetora, one of a clan that is dedicated to exorcising these spirits. With the help of old friends and the spurn of new enemies, can Takaya come to admit the truth behind his existence?
