Book Cover
Title Volume 1
Author Yoko Matsushita
Publisher VIZ Media - 2005
First Printing Hakusensha - 1997
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Title Volume 2
Author Yoko Matsushita
Publisher VIZ Media - 2008
First Printing Hakusensha - 1997
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Title Volume 3
Author Yoko Matsushita
Publisher VIZ Media - 2008
First Printing Hakusensha - 1998
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Title Volume 4
Author Yoko Matsushita
Publisher VIZ Media - 2008
First Printing Hakusensha - 1998
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Title Volume 5
Author Yoko Matsushita
Publisher VIZ Media - 2005
First Printing Hakusensha - 1998
Book Cover
Title Volume 6
Author Yoko Matsushita
Publisher VIZ Media - 2005
First Printing Hakusensha - 1999
Book Cover
Title Volume 7
Author Yoko Matsushita
Publisher VIZ Media - 2005
First Printing Hakusensha - 1999
Book Cover
Title Volume 8
Author Yoko Matsushita
Publisher VIZ Media - 2005
First Printing Hakusensha - 1999
Book Cover
Title Volume 9
Author Yoko Matsushita
Publisher VIZ Media - 2005
First Printing Hakusensha - 2000
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Title Volume 10
Author Yoko Matsushita
Publisher VIZ Media - 2006
First Printing Hakusensha - 2000
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Title Volume 11
Author Yoko Matsushita
Publisher VIZ Media - 2006
First Printing Hakusensha - 2001
Category Manga
Warnings Rape, Torture, etc
Main Characters Asato Tsuzuki, Hisoka, Dr. Muraki, Tatsumi, Watari
Main Elements Shinigami




Click to read the summaryVolume 1

Click to read the summaryVolume 2

Click to read the summaryVolume 3

Click to read the summaryVolume 4

Click to read the summaryVolume 5

Click to read the summaryVolume 6

Click to read the summaryVolume 7

Click to read the summaryVolume 8

Click to read the summaryVolume 9

Click to read the summaryVolume 10

Click to read the summaryVolume 11




First reaction - this is a very funny and cute series, Tsuzuki is a kind of bumbling goof paired up with a much younger, but much more series partner. Second reaction - there's nothing funny at all, there's rape and torture and pain and gore and twisted perversions. And no, I don't mean the boy-on-boy suggestions, those are cute, I mean the man-on-boy rape kind of thing.

So we are reminded at the start of every chapter, that we are in the Ministry of Hades, in the Hall of Judgement where the recently deceased are judged. However there are people out there who don't die when they are supposed to, whether through sheer will or because their souls get lost. That's what the Shinigami are for, they are to retrieve these wayward souls, even if it means killing the vessel in which they continue to live. They aren't evil, but generally people picked for this role have unfinished business, and the jobs they are sent to do can require a bit of a cold heart. That's kind of Tsuzuki's problem and why he never gets promoted, he's a softie inside and feels for his victims.

As is fairly common, you soon find out that the bumbling idiot is actually probably one of the most powerful beings around, which somehow makes him all the more adorable. And the bad guy is of course the most handsome and sexy character in the book. In fact it seems everyone wants to get into Tsuzuki's pants, from the bodiless count (that appears as nothing more as a mask and a pair of floating gloves) to his own boss' secretary. A lot of jokes about guys that look like girls...or even guys that become girls, but in the end it's a positive story about some truly messed up people who lived terrible tragedies in their lives trying to get through that and possibly move on.

The artwork is gorgeous, and yes, the male characters are indeed drool-worthy. There are a few females about (and something you think you're dealing with a female only to find out he's just yet another pretty boy) but this is a shojo manga so it's all about the lovely men with beautiful eyes and amazing hair.

HOWEVER, before you start this series assume you will never finish the last storyline. Though volume 12 was published in Japanese, and got translated into French, it is not possible to get one's hands on it (well, a French version costs $75 for a used copy...) so I'll never know how all the mysteries and threads opened up in volume 9 will resolve. Maybe one day VIZ media will wake up and notice there is one more book now and get around to translating and publishing it, but after almost 10 years I wouldn't hold my breath. Super annoying since I really want to know more about the origins of these characters! Ah well, what can we do. But I highly recommend reading the first 8 books in the meantime.


Posted: October 2019

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