The manga, Yami no Matsuei, consists of several "Arcs". The Arcs themselves aren’t really related to each other, but character development occurs in each Arc, so it’s generally a good idea to read them in order.
Still, if you have limited funds and would like to know which volumes of Yami no Matsuei it would be to your advantage to purchase, here’s a little outline:
Volume 1
Arc 1: "Mukou-gishi no Futari"
This was sort of the "pilot" episode of the manga we know of as "Yami no Matsuei". Believe it or not, this little episode was all Yami no Matsuei was going to be, originally O_o. Tsuzuki’s partner in this episode is "Asuka", and they investigate the reason why a certain girl doesn’t die when she’s supposed to. It turns out that "Asuka" is very significant to the girl…
Arc 2: "Yami no Matsuei" (referred to by fans as the "Nagasaki Arc")
This is where the anime starts and is the base for the first three episodes of the anime. Tsuzuki receives a new partner, Hisoka, and together, they investigate a Vampire Murder Mystery in Nagasaki. Muraki makes his first appearance in this episode.
Fairy Tale: (This is not part of Yami no Matsuei; it is a separate short story)
Arc 3: "Last Waltz"
Tsuzuki and Hisoka are sent down to take the life of a ballroom dancer. Tsuzuki resembles her dead older brother and the girl gets attached to Tsuzuki (and Tsuzuki to her). He becomes her temporary dance partner for a competition (as her last wish).
Arc 4: "Devil’s Trill"
This makes up episodes 4-6 of the anime. Hijiri is a star violinist who has eye surgery. It turns out that the donor of his eye had been demon possessed and the demon now tries to end the pact with Hijiri. Tsuzuki and Hisoka are sent down not to claim Hijiri’s life, but to defeat the demon who threatens him. There is some intense gore in this Arc ^^;
Arc 5: "King of Swords"
This makes up episodes 7-9 of the anime. Tsuzuki and Hisoka are sent to a luxury cruiser to investigate the disappearances of several Chinese people. They run into a serial killer mystery and none other than…Muraki (yay!). This has got to be the goriest volume yet. Lots of graphic murders (it was toned down a little in the anime, thank God -.-;;)
Arc 6: (no name)
The Shinigami go on vacation to Hokkaido and discover the Land of Ice is missing her Queen. This is just a cute, little story.
Arc 7: (no name)
The Shinigami of Enmachou prepare for their Kyuudo competition against another department. A couple new characters are introduced (one not in the anime, the other makes a brief cameo in episode one ^^;) Again, not a part of the main plot, but some cute character development.
Arc 8: (no name)
I only have one thing to say about this arc… It is graphic, and it is yaoi. If you like graphic, yaoi stuff, this is the Arc for you. Matsushita commented in her freetalk that many fans were disgusted by it, but that’s too bad ^-^;;
Arc 9: (no name)
This Arc is one of my favorites. There’s a lot of Hakushaku in it ^v^. Tsuzuki gets sucked into a book of Hakushaku’s in which all the characters of Yami no Matsuei are in (only different. Tsuzuki is a girl ^_^;;) It sort of takes place in the past. A lot about Tatsumi’s character is revealed here (including Tatsumi’s and Tsuzuki’s relationship).
Arc 10: (no name)
Tatsumi is having troubles balancing the budget in this volume ^_^;; Tsuzuki and the others are sent to Okinawa to investigate some ghost appearances. The cute Shinigami duo from Hokkaido joins them and we meet a Shinigami who works in Okinawa.
Arc 11: ("Oko-sama to Watashi")
This is absolutely adorable ^v^. Watari invents a potion that will change a person’s sex. He drinks it with Tsuzuki so they can become women and, er, touch themselves ^^;;, but the spell doesn’t work, and they turn into children instead. ^_^;;
Arc 12: (This has no name, but fans call it the "Kyoto Arc")
Watari summons Tsuzuki and Hisoka to Kyoto to investigate another serial killer. He suspects it’s Muraki and what do you know, but it is. Muraki’s plan is pretty much fully revealed in this arc and there’s lots of angsty Tsuzuki stuff. This was my favorite Arc in the anime and probably is in the manga, too. This Arc brought the anime to an end, but who knows? Maybe an OVA will come out… *crosses fingers*
It’s been a while since I’ve read these volumes, then I forgot to outline them ^_^;; The first couple episodes of Volume 9 is a party at Hakushaku’s where Hakushaku loses his mask ^-^;;
The rest of Volume 9 and all of Volume 10 is the "Gensou-kai Arc" (Fantasy-world Arc). In this Arc, Hisoka searches for his own Shiki-gami (like Tsuzuki has Suzaku, Soryuu, Byakko, etc.) so he can be on equal terms with Tsuzuki (at least). This Arc is pretty slow, but interesting. We get to see Byakko, Suzaku Nee-san (^v^;), and the other Shiki-gami in their human-form ^_-. Also, the other Shinigami investigate a case about none other than…Hisoka’s parents!! Hisoka’s mother is pregnant… but what is strange is that she’s been pregnant for 2 years, and Hisoka’s father says it’s NOT his child…
Volume 2
Volume 3
Volume 4
Volume 5
Volume 6
Volumes 7 and 8
Volumes 9 and 10
