Search - Descendants of Darkness - Tarot Curse (Vol. 3) on DVD

Fun Facts Video = Insight to Japanese Culture

narusegawa_megumi | 04/25/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Did I ever love the "Fun Facts Video!" It explains a lot of aspects of Japanese culture portrayed in the show. Like white stands for evil, death, and sterlity in the East, whereas in the west it is more commonly used to portray all that is good and holy. Now onto my standard review for the series...Descendant of Darkness (Yami no Matsuei) is an amazing series and I commend the vocal director of the English version for selecting such a talented cast. ^^ However- If you're a die hard fan, I suggest watching the subbed version, as the Japanese vocal work is considerably more enjoyable than that of the English version. This is just my humble opinion, but it seems to be shared by many fans I've talked to.As mentioned in the editorial review, homosexuality is implied. Whether it is limited to the twisted 40 year old rapist/murderer Muraki, depends on the viewer's interpretation. To shounen-ai fans, it seems quite obvious there is an underlying "something" between Hisoka and Tsuzuki. But this could be just as readily taken as a strong, platonic partnership between the two. So if you're looking for frequent make-out scenes between two guys, might I suggest a little series called "Gravitation?" ^^ But if you're just uncomfortable with homosexuality and worried it might ruin the show for you, it won't. There are so many layers to the series, the few bouts of defined homosexuality can be overlooked. The complexity of this amazing series should not go unnoticed because of an occasional flashback of the Muraki-rape scene (which when shown, isn't graphic at all, just silhouettes of a larger figure pinning the smaller one to the ground).
~Narusegawa Megumi"

Sneaky and awesome

Vash-chan | Herts, London United Kingdom | 09/10/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Ah, the King of Swords Arc. Very interesting indeed and truly enjoyable. What's there to praise about this? Well for one you get the return of a familiar face. Muraki Kazutaka. Ooh yeah!! He's back, people and he's looking cool as ever. But he's not here to find Tsuzuki as one would think. He's only acting as a doctor to a patient called Tsubaki, whose father is the owner of the ship Queen Camelia. Poker and gambling are commonly seen in this arc. As is the use of tarot cards. They are often seen on murder victims. There's a different meaning for each one and Tsuzuki and Hisoka have to investigate this in great detail.
Tsuzuki seems to be good at poker -- that is until Muraki arrives later on. In episode 7 part b, Muraki greets Tsuzuki with a bunch of roses with the name Red Queens and Tsuzuki obviously blushes by this gesture. Well think about it. Wouldn't you blush if Muraki did that to you? I sure as hell would ^^;; There is another good scene involving Tsuzuki, Hisoka and Muraki but I will prevent myself from mentioning it to avoid spoilers. You just have to see this arc for yourself. I suppose if you really like Muraki (I mentioned this in my review for the first volume) then you may enjoy the twists and turns this arc will give you, plus you get to see Muraki look good in a tuxedo - at least I think it is a tux ^^;;. This arc is pretty much about murder mysteries. Almost gives you a Poirot appeal. You'll be left very surprised with who the culprits are. Throughout the episodes, you are easily deceived by what takes place. Like I said there are some surprises and twists lurking among each scene and around the characters. The King of Swords Arc is great. Not only do you see the characters dress well in tuxedos but there is some drama and slight tender loving care (not merely male x male implied but between Tsubaki and Hisoka -- quite sweet actually).Going on about other features on the DVD well there is a fun facts video. What this is episode 7 in dubbed only version and speech bubbles, as well as a Puppy Tsuzuki (^.^) pop up on the screen to tell you some small facts about Japanese culture as well as Seiyuu information (Japanese and American, that is). As the name states it is fun but unless you're really not in the mood to listen to the dubbed voices then the video may not be as enjoyable. Still, there's no harm in watching it once and that's it, especially if you want to learn some facts."