Dark Gathering

Episode 15

I know Dark Gathering is a spooky show all about tensely keeping me on my toes. Still, I ought to have learned by now to settle down and trust in its general storytelling structure. Eiko does not wind up damsel'd for too long in this week's episode after being taken in the previous one. She has parts to play as the battle with the tunnel ghost escalates to its big finish, and by all indications, she'll have some continued developments in the come-down following this story next week. It's all in line with the kind of contiguous consistency I've come to expect from Dark Gathering, even as it's also regularly gnawing on my nerves with its raw atmosphere and imagery.

This being the climactic second half of the confrontation with the frightful Tunnel F face-taker, Dark Gathering's slower, more oppressive spookiness gives way to explosive, action-oriented terror. That comes along with seeing how Yayoi and Keitaro go about actually fighting the spirit, compared to the previous half-hour of Eiko being scarily strung along by it. However, the heroes still start by prioritizing picking Eiko back up, finding her quickly in a situation that could not more obviously be a trap. Even having to be carried by Keitaro on account of that classic horror-movie heroine affliction, a twisted ankle, Eiko still gets to continue being a helper in the more active aspects of the ghost combat, deploying some well-timed Pocket Sand against their pursuers.

It's a well-framed example of the way all the members of the main trio take turns being endangered and saved by each other through this episode. It reaffirms their growing support of each other even as the actual ghostly battle that takes place mostly winds up happening automatically, outside of their control. That is probably the biggest criticism I have of how this episode is structured. For all the effort she went to in securing the graduate soldier ghost, and strategizing she's been seen to use before, Yayoi's approach this time doesn't amount to much beyond dropping her latest ghost Pokémon into a battle with the current threat and then just waiting until it out-power-levels its opponent.

Don't get me wrong, it's a pretty cool Pokémon battle. It continues Dark Gathering's use of strongly rendered imagery even as its animation is mostly functional. The soldier ghost's visually shifting strength levels communicate the long, weary effects of his war tenure, and he can be seen tied down by the threads of fate of his enemy combatants. It's a battle of emotional oppression more than it is the spirits trying to physically outmatch each other, which makes sense since they're both, you know, already dead. But there's also a contrast between the particular malevolence levels of these spirits, as the tunnel ghost's sadistic serial killer motivation winds up overpowered by the soldier's uniquely pragmatic horror of doing anything to survive on the battlefield. Not that the show isn't still willing to indulge in some funky physical frights, including the amazingly absurd scene of the soldier un-vore-ing himself out of the tunnel ghost to lead into the final phase of the battle.

It means it's all fun to watch, and when Yayoi does come to retrieve the tunnel ghost, Dark Gathering returns once again to the central concept of personal motivation. All these spirits have their own reasons for coming along to Yayoi's gathering, which she's happy to use for her own ultimate ends. But her pure pragmatism seems like it's still being blunted by her deepening relationships with Eiko and Keitaro; She's not above torturing this most evil ghost in retribution for what he did to her friend. Similarly, her method of recruiting the remaining victims of the tunnel via ghostly morality plays ensures that the plot doesn't just forget about Anna and the role she played with Eiko last week. Eiko's capacity for empathy for the vindictive YouTuber is a sign of her increasing complexities through this storyline. While I would have liked a few more moments to marinate on her approach to Anna at this entry's end, it does appear that element and how it continues to affect Eiko will be followed up on in the next episode.

It's enough to make me think I'll probably continue following Dark Gathering, even as my review coverage of the show ends this week. It would have been nice to keep analyzing the approach and ideas of the show through its second cour, but I do think the series has effectively proven itself a creepily consistent watch. Solid horror anime can be surprisingly hard to come by, so to get one like this that successfully marries fundamentally strong scares with battle action elements and compelling conceptual work is appreciated. If you've been curious about the series, but haven't made time for it, then this suitably spooky month ought to be the perfect time to catch up with these ghosts and ghouls, and the even more terrifying little girl who's gathering them.

Rating:

Dark Gathering is currently streaming on HIDIVE.

Chris is happy to welcome this spooky season and its cooler weather. You can scare him up on the shambling corpse of Twitter, or check out when he occasionally rises from his grave to update his blog.