The Ultimate Vampire Resource and Directory

Based on a continuing manga by Yoko Matsushita, this unusual series mixes supernatural elements into a detective story staffed by bishonen (beautiful boys). Asato Tsuzuki is a shinigami (a member of the elite undead), who works for the Summons Section of the Judgment Bureau, a division of the Ministry of Hades. He tracks down the lost souls of the undead and brings them to justice. Tsuzuki's happy-go-lucky charm and uncontrolled fondness for desserts drives his superiors crazy, but he's a powerful and effective agent. In the first episode, he gets a new partner: hypersensitive, emerald-eyed Hisoka Kurosaki. Although they don't hit it off initially, Tsuzuki and Hisoka are soon battling a singer-turned-vampire and the sinister Dr. Muraki. The rather obvious gay subtext gives this story a tone unlike anything in Western animation. (Rated 13 and older: brief nudity, violence, minor profanity, suggested homosexuality, alcohol and tobacco use) --Charles Solomon