REVIEW: ‘Dark Gathering’ Season 1 Part 1 Is A Strong Start to Spooky Season

Keitarô Gentôga (Nobunaga Shizamaki) is a young man who was cursed at an early age. So much misfortune followed him around that he eventually isolated himself from the world. But now, years later, he is trying to reconnect to the world once more. But when his childhood friend Eiko Hôzuki (Kana Hanazawa) introduces him to her niece she looks after, Yayoi Hôzuki (Yû Sasahara), Keitarô soon finds himself running into the supernatural elements of the world he was seeking to avoid in Dark Gathering Season 1 Part 1 from OLM.

While Keitarô’s brush with the supernatural early in life gave him a healthy fear of the darker side of life, he nevertheless gets dragged into a lot of scary situations thanks to Eiko and Yayoi. While their earliest adventures see the young man brought into these situations practically kicking and screaming, he soon acclimates thanks to his two companions and the feelings of support they give to him. The sense of togetherness that he receives soon encourages him to step outside his fearful box and allows him to face the dangers of Tokyo’s most haunted locations shoulder to shoulder with his friends.

This emotional transformation is the biggest element that helps Dark Gathering Season 1 Part 1 become more than just a series of spooky stories. Keitarô’s growth as a character is great to see. His new-found strength soon begins to bleed into other aspects of his life outside of just confronting malevolent spirits, like his deepening friendship with Eiko.

But while Keitarô provides both the emotional center of the story, as well as the point of view for the viewer, it is Yayoi who is front and center when the creatures of the night come out. The driving force behind the monster hunts, Yayoi hunts down each episode’s ghost with a determination and ruthlessness that is frequently discomforting.

Despite the monsters always being far worse than her, Yayoi always projects an aura that makes her feel like she is one bad day away from going off the deep end and becoming just like the monsters she hunts. Her frequently chilling demeanor and skull-shaped irises can prove just as intimidating as any monster. As Dark Gathering Season 1 Part 1 goes on and Keitarô grows closer to Yayoi, we see the young girl open up a bit, and learn that there is more to the child than just monster hunting. This growth for her provides the story with a sweet, secondary emotional storyline.

While an enjoyable cast that brings a lot of growth makes the series more than just creepy monsters, there are plenty of those too. The designs of the various ghosts are fantastic, each delivering its own unique brand of terror to the show’s intrepid ghost hunters. Coupled with eery backstories that set the perfect ambiance for each encounter the show delivers on the spooky side of its narrative.

The final element that provides structure to Dark Gathering Season 1 Part 1 is the larger narrative. While the series initially feels like a simple string of ghost stories, larger plots soon take shape to give the narrative a more cohesive shape. The biggest narrative goal is Yayoi’s search for her lost mom who was taken from her by evil spirits years ago. While this narrative beat is an interesting hook when first revealed, the series doesn’t do much with it. The impression one gets is that this is a plot that won’t play out till the series’ final conclusion. It serves well as an early motivator to get things rolling, till the secondary plot comes in.

This plot point takes the form of Ai Kamiyo (Rina Kawaguchi), a young girl who is fated to be betrothed to an evil deity due to her family’s lineage. When the trio of ghost hunters get drawn into Ai’s life, they soon find themselves at odds with the diety looking to make Ai their bride.

This sets up the final episodes of part one, as well as seemingly much, if not all, of part two, with the trio searching for a way to combat a literal god. This purpose gives the group’s mission a sense of urgency, as the date the god has set to claim Ai draws ever closer. Also, it provides a handy encouragement for Keitarô to not back out after some particularly gruesome close calls. After all, the god is coming for them now, better to be prepared for it.

Dark Gathering Season 1 Part 1 provides some great chills and interesting characters for viewers to enjoy, while also laying out the structure for the series moving forward. If you are one of the many that are hyped for spooky season this series provides a solid way to start the festivities.

Dark Gathering Season 1 Part 1 is streaming now on HIDIVE.