The saga of the Guardians of Hades and their main man Tsuzuki continue in the latest installment of Descendants of Darkness. Go read the reviews for the first two volumes if you haven't already, 'cause it's time to dive into volume three!!!

Episode 7 - The King of Swords Part 1
The mysterious Count contacts the Ministry; there is trouble in the Afterlife. Seems that souls that should be dead are not arriving in the Netherworld. The Chief pulls Tsuzuki and Hisoka away from their dessert and sends them on the case. Undercover, they board the luxury liner Queen Camille, accompanied by one of the Gushooshin twins. Disguised as a card dealer, Tsuzuki is told the spirit of a young girl haunts the ship. Hisoka literally bumps into the young Princess Subaki, who is smitten with the young detective. When he tries to gain access to the VIP suites, Tsuzuki finds the ship's doctor is his "old friend" Muraki. When Muraki gives Subaki her daily medication, Hisoka is very shaken; after all, it was Muraki who killed him. The next morning, wealthy politico Mr. Watabosi is found murdered, with his heart cut out. The only clue is a tarot card left at the grisly scene. As Tsuzuki investigates further, Muraki challenges him to a card game; if Muraki wind, he gets Tsuzuki's body for a night! Will Tsuzuki get the lucky hand, or will Muraki hold the winning card?

Episode 8 - The King of Swords Part 2
Muraki has apparently become the second victim of the tarot-wielding ghost killer; however, his heart remains intact. Tsuzuki presses the owner about a young girl named Eileen who disappeared on a previous cruise. The owner denies all knowledge, but Tsuzuki knows he's lying. Meanwhile, Hisoka gets a "psychic flash" from Subaki, which reveals she knows something about Eileen. Gushooshin tries to find a common thread between the missing souls and the ship's passenger lists. When Hisoka finds Subaki in Muraki's room, she confesses she had a crush on the doctor - Hisoka is shocked and appalled. His partner tells him to look past his own feelings for Subaki's sake. Actress Ms. Hojo is found dead with her heart ripped out, and another tarot card. When Tsuzuki and the rest go to confront the owner, he too has been murdered and mutilated. How many more will have to die before Tsuzuki can crack the mystery?

Episode 9 - The King of Swords Part 3
Hisoka confesses to Subaki that he is an undercover agent for the Ministry, and was killed by Dr. Muraki. She tells him they both must get over Muraki's influence, now that he's dead. Muraki's "corpse" opens its eyes. Subaki tells Hisoka that Eileen was paid to be her friend by her father, but went missing on the ship. Tsuzuki and Gushooshin find a microchip in the ring belonging to Mr. Watabosi, which reveals blueprints of the liner. Tsuzuki and Hisoka find a hidden laboratory in the bowels of the ship. There, they also find Subaki, who reveals that she had Eileen's heart transplanted into her! The ship is a floating black market body parts factory, run by (who else?) Muraki. The still alive Doctor conveniently appears, ready to silence the investigators and the Princess. Will Tsuzuki and Hisoka escape or will they die again?

Descendants of Darkness Volume 3 continues in the same vein as it's predecessors. While the plot of the story is clever, the execution is padded and in some cases obvious. Do we really think Muraki is dead and not the true mastermind behind the murders? No. The relationship between Tsuzuki and Hisoka is further explored, and the homosexual under current finally allowed to surface. However, the rest of the Ministry's staff has only cameos in these episodes. The shows could have been edited down to two episodes, because there is an awful lot of redundancy and "recap" exposition. And we have yet to gain any knowledge of Muraki's story; why is he such a bastard? Hopefully more will be revealed in future installments. I still like the setup of the series, but I want more characterization beyond the two leads. As interesting and unique as Tsuzuki and Hisoka are, I want more. This series has great potential that should not be ignored.

The animation continues to be very well drawn, and the picture is very clean. I will say the "super-deformed" Tsuzuki is hard to take in the serious context sometimes, but I guess it works as comic relief. The sound is Dolby Digital Stereo and quite clear. Extras on the DVD include an art gallery and trailers. Also included is a "Meet the Detectives" screen highlighting Muraki and Gushooshin this time. There is a "virtual" tarot card reading feature, explaining what the tarot cards mean. Best of all, there is a "Fun Facts" video for episode seven. This is just like "Pop Up" video on MTV, with interesting facts and a "double entendre" count appearing on screen during the special version of the show. It's definitely worth viewing for the insights.

While I continue to like Descendants of Darkness, it also continues to frustrate me. Like a hand of poker, it will be intriguing to see what the next card will be. Will we come of aces, or get a three of clubs? Whatever the case, I look forward to the next DVD. I'm feeling lucky.

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