Even after death, life is full of paperwork and criminals. Tsuzuki Asato is a 26 year old, happy-go-lucky, and dorky shinigami (god of death) whose job is to makes sure that those who are dead remain dead and stay in their proper realms. Even though he's been doing this job for over 70 years, he is in the worst division and has horrible pay (if any). He has a knack for not keeping partners, but now he seems to have a more stubborn one, the smart mouthed, very serious, and defensive 16 year old Kurosaki Hisoka. With each case the two solve, they come closer to the conspiracies of the sadistic serial killer Dr. Muraki Kazutaka. Tsuzuki is becoming closer with his fellow comrades, especially with Hisoka, but there is a dark past to how Tsuzuki died....

This anime series is an adaptation of the first eight volumes of the Yami no Matsuei manga series. The series is incomplete and considered on "Hiatus" in Japan - a dispute between the author and the publisher ended publication of the manga series abruptly at "Kamakura Hen Part 75". Eleven tankouban were compiled in Japan, and are likely to be released in the United States.