INTRODUCTION
Yami No Matsuei is a shoujo manga (manga for girls) by Japanese artist Matsushita Yoko. The series has been running in the magazine Hana to Yume since 1995, and is theoretically ongoing, though there have been no new instalments since January 2003. In 2001, an anime version, comprising 13 episodes, was made. The anime is basically faithful to the manga, though some plot lines were omitted.
The story centres around Tsuzuki Asato and his colleagues, who are employees of JuOhCho (the organisation that handles the processing of souls in Meifu, the Japanese land of the dead). As they work in the Shokan, or Summoning, Division, their main line of work is hunting down and retrieving stray souls. This earns them the nickname of "shinigami", Gods of Death.
To help them in their somewhat dangerous job, shinigami have immortal bodies with accelerated healing abilities, and each of them has a particular magical talent. In many cases this includes the summoning of shikigami, deities who are bound to the shinigami's will.
However, nothing can be done to protect the shinigami from the stress of spending their days fighting demons and bringing in the souls of people who are desperate to stay on Earth with their loved ones. Thus the springboard for the psychological tension which pervades both manga and anime, and which so delights fans like your KatCom site crew. Matsushita Yoko's drawing is exquisite, showing every nuance of characterisation.
And yes, this is shoujo, so the guys are cute.
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