Dark Gathering Explained

Ja Kanji:ダークギャザリング
Ja Romaji:Dāku Gyazaringu
Type:manga
Author:Kenichi Kondo
Publisher:Shueisha
Imprint:Jump Comics SQ.
Magazine:Jump Square
First:March 4, 2019
Volumes:15
Type:tv series
Director:Hiroshi Ikehata
Studio:OLM Team Masuda
Licensee:Sentai Filmworks
Network:Tokyo MX, BS Asahi, Kansai TV
First:July 10, 2023
Last:December 25, 2023
Episodes:25
Portal:yes

is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kenichi Kondo. It has been serialized in Shueisha's manga magazine Jump Square since March 2019. An anime television series adaptation by OLM aired from July to December 2023.

By February 2024, Dark Gathering had over 1.5 million copies in circulation, including physical and digital copies.

Characters

A young man with a cursed right hand and a natural predisposition to attract ghosts to himself. As a young boy, Keitarō experienced a spiritual encounter that resulted in both him and his friend Eiko being cursed by an unknown spirit, resulting in nerve endings growing from their hands. This traumatic event resulted in him becoming a shut-in until he was rehabilitated by Eiko. As a way to resocialize himself, he took upon Eiko's suggestion and was introduced to Yayoi as her private tutor. At present, the curse is being suppressed with the help of his grandmother who is a shrine priestess. It was pointed out by Eiko that although Keitarō is terrified by the supernatural, he is also enamoured by the dread that it brings. He has a mutual affection for Eiko which he has expressed on multiple occasions.
  • Keitarō's first student. She was a normal child in the beginning but had developed polycoria (two pupils in the same eye) in both eyes for some unknown reason. Originally, she only saw ghosts as hazy figures but after an accident that left her an orphan, she was able to see ghosts clearly. During the accident, she witnessed her mother's ghost being abducted by an embryo of ghostly origins and has made it her goal to get her mother back by capturing ghosts to defeat the perpetrator. Post accident, her IQ was evaluated to be greater than 160 and her intelligence has saved the trio more than once in their search for the embryo ghost.
  • Eiko is the childhood friend of Keitarō who possess a cursed left hand as a result of being caught up in the same ordeal as Keitarō. Being in love with Keitarō since a young age to the point of a dark twisted obsession, she is immensely over-protective—wiretapping, placing hidden cameras and GPS tracking devices to stalk and monitor his vitals without his knowledge. Although Eiko has a strong foundation in computer science from her wiretapping and excellent grades at school, she opted to study folklore so that she could better understand Keitarō's struggles with the occult. She does not have a spiritual sense like Yayoi or Keitarō.
  • Keitarō's second student. An energetic girl with star-patterned pupils as a sign that she had been marked by a god as his bride. Due to the god's energy leaking out from the star-shaped seals in her eyes, wandering ghosts are attracted to Ai. At first, Ai appears to be a clumsy girl whose misfortune always ends up involving people around her, including her brother who died as a result of pushing her away from falling steel pylons. However, it is later revealed that this was due to the malevolent god deflecting all of Ai's misfortunes to people surrounding her to prevent his bride from being harmed. Ai is destined to die and become the god's bride on her 20th birthday.
  • Media

    Manga

    Written and illustrated by Kenichi Kondo, Dark Gathering has been serialized in Shueisha's manga magazine Jump Square since March 4, 2019.[1] Shueisha has collected its chapters into individual volumes. The first volume was released on June 4, 2019.[2] As of May 2, 2024, 15 volumes have been released.

    At New York Comic Con 2022, Viz Media announced that they licensed the series for English publication.[3]

    Volumes

    Anime

    In July 2022, it was announced that the series would receive an anime television series adaptation.[4] It is produced by OLM and directed by Hiroshi Ikehata, with scripts written by Shigeru Murakoshi, character designs handled by Shinya Segawa, and music composed by Kohta Yamamoto, Shun Narita, and Yūsuke Seo.[5] [6] The two-consecutive cour series aired from July 10 to December 25, 2023, on Tokyo MX and other networks.[7] [8] The opening theme song is, performed by Luz, while the ending theme songs are for the first cour, and for the second cour, both performed by Kana Hanazawa.[9] [10] [11]

    Sentai Filmworks licensed the series,[12] and produced an English dub premiered on December 10, 2023.[13] Muse Communication licensed the series in Asia-Pacific.[14]

    Episodes

    Reception

    In 2020, the manga was one of the 50 nominees for the sixth Next Manga Awards in the print category.[15]

    By February 2024, the manga had over 1.5 million copies in circulation.[16]

    Further reading

    Notes and References

    1. Web site: ja:霊媒体質の2人が心霊スポットをめぐる…近藤憲一が描くSQ.のホラー新連載. https://natalie.mu/comic/news/322461. Comic Natalie. Natasha, Inc.. July 15, 2022. ja. March 4, 2019. August 1, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220801031420/https://natalie.mu/comic/news/322461. live.
    2. Web site: ja:霊媒体質の大学生と天才少女が心霊スポットを巡り悪霊捕縛、近藤憲一の新作. https://natalie.mu/comic/news/334244. Comic Natalie. Natasha, Inc.. July 15, 2022. ja. June 4, 2019. July 15, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220715125659/https://natalie.mu/comic/news/334244. live.
    3. Web site: Viz Publishes Chainsaw Man: Buddy Stories, Heart Gear, Dark Gathering, Wolf Girl & Black Prince, More. Anime News Network. Loo. Egan. October 7, 2022. October 7, 2022. October 7, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221007232613/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2022-10-07/viz-publishes-chainsaw-man-buddy-stories-heart-gear-dark-gathering-wolf-girl-and-black-prince-more/.190619. live.
    4. Web site: Hodgkins. Crystalyn. Dark Gathering Horror Manga Gets TV Anime in 2023. Anime News Network. July 26, 2022. July 26, 2022. July 26, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220726103608/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2022-07-26/dark-gathering-horror-manga-gets-tv-anime-in-2023/.188038. live.
    5. Web site: ja:「ダークギャザリング」メインキャストに篠原侑・島崎信長・花澤香菜、PV第1弾公開. https://natalie.mu/comic/news/500851. Comic Natalie. Natasha, Inc.. November 10, 2022. ja. November 10, 2022. November 11, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221111023838/https://natalie.mu/comic/news/500851. live.
    6. Web site: Mateo. Alex. Dark Gathering Horror Anime Unveils Trailer, Visual, Main Cast. Anime News Network. November 10, 2022. November 10, 2022. November 10, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221110151409/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2022-11-10/dark-gathering-horror-anime-unveils-trailer-visual-main-cast/.191758. live.
    7. Web site: Dempsey. Liam. June 23, 2023. Dark Gathering TV Anime Prepares for a Long Run with Two-Cour Broadcast Reveal. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20230623132301/https://www.crunchyroll.com/news/latest/2023/6/23/dark-gathering-tv-anime-prepares-for-a-long-run-with-two-cour-broadcast-reveal. June 23, 2023. June 23, 2023. Crunchyroll.
    8. Web site: Hodgkins. Crystalyn. Dark Gathering TV Anime Premieres on July 9. Anime News Network. May 26, 2023. May 26, 2023. May 26, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230526094321/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/daily-briefs/2023-05-26/dark-gathering-tv-anime-premieres-on-july-9/.198472. live.
    9. Web site: Hodgkins. Crystalyn. Kana Hanazawa Performs Ending Theme for Dark Gathering Anime. Anime News Network. May 21, 2023. May 21, 2023. May 21, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230521053111/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2023-05-21/kana-hanazawa-performs-ending-theme-for-dark-gathering-anime/.198281. live.
    10. Web site: Hodgkins. Crystalyn. Dark Gathering Anime's 3rd Promo Video Reveals luz's Opening Theme Song. Anime News Network. June 16, 2023. June 16, 2023. June 16, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230616102551/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2023-06-16/dark-gathering-anime-3rd-promo-video-reveals-luz-opening-theme-song/.199264. live.
    11. Web site: Cayanan. Joanna. Kana Hanazawa Performs Dark Gathering Anime's 2nd Ending Theme Song. Anime News Network. August 21, 2023. August 21, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230821184047/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2023-08-21/kana-hanazawa-performs-dark-gathering-anime-2nd-ending-theme-song/.201469. August 21, 2023. live.
    12. Web site: Pineda. Rafael. HIDIVE Streams Dark Gathering Horror Anime This Summer. Anime News Network. June 9, 2023. June 9, 2023. June 9, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230609072406/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2023-06-09/hidive-streams-dark-gathering-horror-anime-this-summer/.198959. live.
    13. Web site: Want to Watch Dark Gathering Dubbed in English? Here's Everything You Need to Know. Hidive. March 16, 2024. https://archive.today/20240316223057/https://news.hidive.com/2023/11/30/want-to-watch-dark-gathering-dubbed-in-english-here-s-everything-you-need-to-know. March 16, 2024. November 30, 2023. live.
    14. Web site: Pineda. Rafael. Muse Asia Licenses Dark Gathering, Insomniacs After School Anime. Anime News Network. May 12, 2023. May 12, 2023. August 21, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230821072013/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2023-05-12/muse-asia-licenses-dark-gathering-insomniacs-after-school-anime/.198005. live.
    15. Web site: ja:コミックス部門 結果発表 - 次にくるマンガ大賞 2020. https://tsugimanga.jp/winner2020-comics/. Tsugi Manga. ja. January 7, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20200820203029/https://tsugimanga.jp/winner2020-comics/. August 20, 2020.
    16. Kondo, Kenichi. 1758407165289906356. 2koin1echd. ja:#ダークギャザリング  めでたいおしらせです!. February 16, 2024. February 18, 2024. ja.